Administrator | Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Penn State Old Main on a summer morning.

Penn State was awarded $20 million by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to lead one of 20 teams across the country over the next four years as part of the federal government’s Genesis Mission, a national effort to harness AI for scientific discovery.

Three projects led by Penn State scientists are among those selected for funding under Phase I of the Genesis Mission, a historic national initiative led by the U.S. Department of Energy to build an integrated science discovery platform. In addition, Penn State is a partner on the Prometheus project, led by Idaho National Laboratory, which is the first Genesis Mission Phase II award recipient.

“AI-Orchestrated Multimodal Platforms for Accelerated Discovery, Scale-Up, and Deployment of 2D Materials” - Led by Stephanie Law, associate professor of materials science and engineering.

Digital illustration of a brain-shaped circuit board with a central microchip.

The Penn State AI Hub, one of the five research hubs housed under the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), has recognized 14 students, faculty and alumni with 2026 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Awards for their AI-related innovations and contributions to society.

Penn State mascot the Nittany Lion posing with arm bent down pointing.

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 21 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.

Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) saw that the coalition’s goals matched well with their EMS Academy for Global Experience (EMSAGE) program. Established in 2009, EMSAGE recognizes students who pursue scholarship, service, experiential learning and global literacy achievements beyond their degree requirements. Here, a group of EMS EMSAGE laureates pose after an award ceremony.

Penn State is the newest member of the LearningWell Coalition, a national network of colleges and universities that promote flourishing in and beyond college.

Kaylin Lamaute has spent the summer growing ferroelectric materials at Osaka University using a radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. She wants to build a career creating thin-film ceramics for electronics applications and used her undergraduate research experiences at Penn State to earn the opportunity in Japan.

When a jet streaks across the sky, pushing the boundaries of physics, or a new electronic device is created, Kaylin Lamaute, a second-year student majoring in materials science and engineering, knows that’s the result of the careful creation of materials.

Graphic including text MatSE Graduate Students MatSE Travel Grants with a gray airplane outline and person with laptop.

MatSE accepts applications for graduate student travel grants each semester (Fall/Spring/Summer).

Application deadline is August 15 each year for travel between the dates of August 16 to December 31 (Fall semester).
Applications deadline is December 15 each year for travel between January 1 to May 3 (Spring semester).