Joshua A. Robinson, professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State, has been named director of the University’s Materials Research Institute (MRI), effective July 1.
Administrator
Nitin Samarth, Verne M. Willaman Professor of Physics and professor of materials science and engineering, has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for distinguished contributions to the physical sciences. He is one of 252 leaders in academia, the arts, industry, journalism, philanthropy, policy, research and science elected in 2026. The induction ceremony for new members will take place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in October.
John Mauro, department head and professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State, has been named interim John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, effective July 1.
Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) recognized exceptional students and faculty for their academic excellence, service and leadership during its annual Wilson Awards Celebration, held on March 29. The Wilson Awards are named in honor of Matthew and Anne Wilson, major benefactors of the college.
Award recipients from MatSE:
Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) recognized exceptional students and faculty for their academic excellence, service and leadership during its annual Wilson Awards Celebration, held on March 29. The Wilson Awards are named in honor of Matthew and Anne Wilson, major benefactors of the college.
“We are extremely proud of the accomplishments of our faculty and students,” said Lee Kump, the John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. “This annual award celebration offers the college an opportunity to honor and recognize the hard work of our faculty and students.”
Matthew Wilson graduated from Penn State in 1918 with a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering, and the Wilson endowment provides the college with support for its well-known student loan program and a number of faculty and student awards and scholarships.
2026 Award recipients from MatSE:
- E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Faculty Fellowship - Robert Hickey, associate professor of materials science and engineering, for his proposal “From Waste to Capacitor Materials: Chemical Transformations of Discarded Plastics”
- Wilson Research Initiation Grant The Wilson Research Initiation Grant - Ivy M. Asuo, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, was selected for her project: “Reliable Ambient Optoelectronic Performance through Complementary Human-Robot Materials Optimization”
- Gladys Snyder Junior Faculty Grants - Nicholas Clark and Maziar Montazerian, both assistant research professors in the materials science and engineering, selected for their proposal, “In vitro Bioactivity Assessment of LionGlass”
- Earth and Mineral Sciences Academy for Global Experience - 2025-26 EMSAGE Laureates (undergraduate students)
- Elizabeth Aichele
- Asad Al-Abri
- Allison Evans
- Irena Potochny
- Pavan Kumar Reddy Pothula
Read full EMS Wilson Awards article.
Room 301 (Front) - Computational and Visual Materials Lab
Room 224 - Conference Room with Kitchenette
Room includes: podium, screen, projector, computer, and seats 12.
Learning Lab - Room 116
Room includes: podium, screen, projector, and 42 computers.
Imagine, April 2026 
Dear MatSE friends and alumni,
I hope you are all doing well as we move into the final weeks of the spring semester. This is an especially dynamic time of year at Penn State, as our students, faculty, and staff balance the push toward the end of the academic term with continued momentum in research and community engagement.
One of the featured stories in this month’s newsletter considers the growing role of artificial intelligence in materials research. Machine learning serves as an increasingly powerful approach for accelerating discovery, revealing complex relationships in data, and guiding the design of new materials. Researchers are adopting these technologies across a wide range of both fundamental and applied projects.
We are also pleased to share news of the inaugural Penn State Innovation to Impact Awards, which recognize faculty, researchers, and external partners who are translating research into tangible societal benefit. This recognition reflects a core strength of our community: our ability to move fundamental insights beyond the laboratory and into real-world applications that make a difference. We are especially proud of Nicholas Clark, assistant research professor of materials science and engineering, who was honored with Penn State’s inaugural Innovation Trailblazer award.
Creativity and communication are on full display in the announcement of the winners of the 18th annual Materials Visualization Competition. This longstanding event continues to showcase the remarkable work of our students and researchers, demonstrating how visual representation can both advance understanding and broaden appreciation of materials science.
In addition, Penn State’s strong performance in the 2026 QS World University Rankings by Subject underscores the global impact of our programs and the sustained excellence of our faculty, staff, and students. This issue also highlights exciting advances in research, including work on atom-thin materials aimed at addressing key challenges in semiconductor manufacturing.
Meanwhile, our students continue to engage in impactful and creative ways, from participating in community-centered learning experiences such as the Maple Harvest Festival to excelling in their academic and research pursuits. We are pleased to feature Seung Hoon (Peter) Lee in this month’s MRS Student Spotlight.
We also recognize the outstanding service of Dean Lee Kump, who will conclude his tenure as dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at the end of June. His leadership over the past nine years has had a lasting and meaningful impact on the college, strengthening its academic programs, research enterprise, and sense of community. We are grateful for his many contributions and wish him all the best as he returns to the faculty.
As always, thank you for staying connected with Penn State MatSE. Your continued engagement as alumni, collaborators, mentors, and supporters plays an essential role in the vitality of our department and in the success of our students. We look forward to sharing more updates and celebrating the accomplishments of our community in the months ahead.
We Are!
John C. Mauro
Department Head and Dorothy Pate Enright Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Inaugural Penn State Innovation to Impact Awards recipients announced
Honoring people, partners and technologies that turn University research into real‑world impact, the awards recognize excellence in inventorship, entrepreneurship, commercialization and collaboration
Penn State has named the inaugural Innovation to Impact Awards recipients, recognizing faculty, researchers, entrepreneurs and partners whose work exemplifies the University’s commitment to translating research into real-world impact.
Presented by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research, the awards celebrate achievements in inventorship, commercialization, entrepreneurship and strategic partnerships over the previous year. Honorees were recognized during an awards gala held at the Nittany Lion Inn on March 25.
“We celebrate the inventors and champions of innovation who are advancing knowledge, translating that knowledge into solutions and delivering meaningful benefits to society,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “We are very fortunate that innovation is a Penn State tradition, and we view it as a responsibility. Innovation infuses everything we do, what and how we teach, the questions we ask, the methods we use, the problems we tackle. We foster an interdisciplinary innovation ecosystem where bold ideas are nurtured, cutting-edge research is celebrated, and groundbreaking discoveries translate into real world impact.”
The 2025 awards honored research in materials science, mental health, data analytics, biotechnology and more. The individuals and teams demonstrated how Penn State research improves lives, strengthens industry partnerships and drives economic impact, said Andrew Read, Penn State’s senior vice president for research.
“Here at Penn State, we change lives at scale,” Read said. “We are here to recognize innovation, but let’s not forget its impact on student success. There is nothing more exciting for students than to make a real-world difference, and the sort of teaching that you all do, the sort of experiences you expose our students to make a transformational difference to young people's lives.”
Innovation Trailblazer Award: Nicholas Clark
The Innovation Trailblazer Award honors early‑career faculty and staff whose creativity, inventorship and entrepreneurial drive accelerate the translation of Penn State research to market. The 2025 Innovation Trailblazer Award recognizes Nicholas Clark, assistant research professor in materials science and engineering, for his early-career leadership in the scientific and commercial advancement of LionGlass, a revolutionary, low-carbon glass technology developed at Penn State.
As a postdoctoral scholar and later a faculty member, Clark played a central role in the invention of LionGlass and is coordinating the scale-up and commercialization of the new family of glass that melts at significantly lower temperatures than standard glass, eliminates carbonate raw materials and dramatically reduces carbon emissions associated with glass manufacturing. LionGlass has since secured multiple high-profile industry partnerships aimed at commercial deployment in packaging, architectural glass and automotive applications.
Read about all the award winners at Inaugural Penn State Innovation to Impact Awards recipients announced | Penn State University.