research News

The Penn State Materials Research Institute (MRI) will hold its marquee annual event, Materials Day, on Oct. 20-21 on the University Park campus. This year’s theme is "Materials Impacting Society" and interested parties can register at the event site.  

Five faculty in Penn State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) are members of research teams selected for two recently funded Energy Frontier Research Centers. The awards, announced on Aug. 25, are part of a $540 million initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to invest in clean energy technologies and low-carbon manufacturing to help the U.S. achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

A team of researchers have observed and reported for the first time the unique microstructure of a novel ferroelectric material, enabling the development of lead-free piezoelectric materials for electronics, sensors, and energy storage that are safer for human use. This work was led by the Alem Group at Penn State and in collaboration with research teams at Rutgers University and the University of California, Merced.

Susan Sinnott, head and professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State, has been selected to receive the 2022 Medard W. Welch Award, the top research award from the American Vacuum Society (AVS).

As demand for solar energy rises around the world, scientists are working to improve the performance of solar devices — important if the technology is to compete with traditional fuels. But researchers face theoretical limits on how efficient they can make solar cells.

Nickolas Sotiropoulos Jr. has been selected to represent the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences as the student marshal for Penn State's summer commencement, which will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13, in the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus.

Penn State’s Institute for Computational and Data Sciences awarded this year’s seed grant program, offering funds to Penn State scientists to help them start research projects.

Digital information is everywhere in the era of smart technology, where data is continuously generated by and communicated among cell phones, smart watches, cameras, smart speakers and other devices. Securing digital data on handheld devices requires massive amounts of energy, according to an interdisciplinary group of Penn State researchers, who warn that securing these devices from bad actors is becoming a greater concern than ever before.  

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.