News

Penn State students in the online Master of Engineering Additive Manufacturing and Design (AMD) program at World Campus visited University Park as a component of the three-credit core course, ME 566: Metal Additive Manufacturing Lab. The students, who were on campus from May 16-20, participated in a variety of activities that highlighted the depth and breadth of additive manufacturing research at Penn State, including lab and facility tours, hands-on demonstrations, a team design challenge and a poster session. The visiting students traveled from across the country, representing 12 states and 11 companies.

To become truly wireless, wearable technology has one more cord to cut: the charger. A Penn State-led team made the first slash, using asymmetric copper arches to develop a 3D antenna system that wirelessly harvests radio frequency energy and converts it to electrical energy to power itself and on-board sensors.   

Kwadwo Osseo-Asare, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering and energy and geo-environmental engineering, has received the Materials Research Society’s 2022 MRS Impact Award.

A method of highly accurate and sensitive virus identification using Raman spectroscopy, a portable virus capture device and machine learning could enable real-time virus detection and identification to help battle future pandemics, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State.

Inspired by the structure of muscles, an innovative new strategy for creating fiber actuators could lead to advances in robotics, prosthetics, and smart clothing, according to a Penn State led team of scientists who discovered the process.

David L. Allara, distinguished professor emeritus of chemistry and materials science and engineering at Penn State, has been named a 2022 Kavli Prize Laureate in the field of nanoscience by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

The Materials Research Institute (MRI) has announced that Zoubeida Ounaies, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Material Systems (LiMC2), will serve as acting director of MRI during the upcoming sabbatical of Clive Randall, director of MRI and distinguished professor of materials science and engineering. In addition, Ounaies has been named an associate director of MRI.

Shashank Priya, associate vice president for research and director of strategic initiatives in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research (OSVPR), has been named vice president for research at the University of Minnesota and will conclude his tenure at Penn State on Sept. 29. Senior Vice President for Research Lora Weiss said the University plans to conduct a national search for Priya’s replacement.

Robert Hickey has been promoted to associate professor of materials science and engineering effective July 1, 2022.

The ability of piezoelectric materials to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy and vice versa makes them useful for various applications from robotics to communication to sensors. A new design strategy for creating ultrahigh-performing piezoelectric ceramics opens the door to even more beneficial uses for these materials, according to a team of researchers from Penn State and Michigan Technological University.