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Artificial intelligence-powered large language models (LLM) need to be trained on massive datasets to make accurate predictions — but what if researchers don't have enough of the right type of data?

The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State has selected eight research teams that span 12 departments across six colleges to receive 2025-26 seed grant funding.

Seventy years ago, in Osmond Laboratory on Penn State’s University Park campus, Erwin W. Müller, Evan Pugh Research Professor of Physics, became the first person to “see” an atom. In doing so, Müller cemented his legacy, not only at Penn State, but also as a pioneer in the world of physics and beyond.

Josh Stapleton, director of the Materials Characterization Lab (MCL) at Penn State, will deliver a talk titled “The Penn State Materials Characterization Lab” as part of the Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s 590 Seminar series. The event will be held at from 3:05 to 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4, in 112 Kern Building at Penn State University Park.

Electricity flows through wires to deliver power, but it loses energy as it moves, delivering less than it started with. But that energy loss isn’t a given. Scientists at Penn State have found a new way to identify types of materials known as superconductors that allow power to travel without any resistance, meaning no energy is lost.

Could clothing monitor a person’s health in real time, because the clothing itself is a self-powered sensor? A new material created through electrospinning, which is a process that draws out fibers using electricity, brings this possibility one step closer.

The next generation of high-performance sensors for detecting force that can perform under extreme conditions may soon be a reality thanks to a new project underway at Penn State. The work, led by principal investigator and Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Mingyo “Leen” Park, is funded by a recently awarded two-year, $2 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant through the Higher-Order Composite Resonators for Extra Resilience (HORCREX) program.

Almost 200 million people, including children, around the world have endometriosis, a chronic disease in which the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. More severe symptoms, such as extreme pain and potentially infertility, can often be mitigated with early identification and treatment, but no single point-of-care diagnostic test for the disease exists despite the ease of access to the tissue directly implicated. While Penn State Professor Dipanjan Pan said that the blood and tissue shed from the uterus each month is often overlooked — and even stigmatized by some — as medical waste, menstrual effluent could enable earlier, more accessible detection of biological markers to help diagnose this disease.

Two faculty members in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences have been awarded the prestigious U.S.-Africa Frontiers Fellowships by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) to build high-impact research collaboration and strengthen capacity building with African scientists. In addition, three African scientists will be visiting Penn State.

In the heart of Penn State’s University Park campus stands the Millennium Science Complex (MSC), a striking architectural feat that houses the Materials Research Institute (MRI). Beyond its impressive facade, the MSC is a hub of scientific discovery, education, and collaboration, embodying the University’s commitment to advancing materials science for the greater good.