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Our faculty have been recognized as leaders by national academies, professional societies, and across Penn State. Below is a selection of awards received by Penn State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering faculty.
Careful sample preparation, electron tomography and quantitative analysis of 3D models provides unique insights into the inner structure of reverse osmosis membranes widely used for salt water desalination wastewater recycling and home use, according to a team of chemical engineers.
Titilayo "Titi" Shodiya, Ph.D.
2010
Public Policy Technical Manager, Inflobox,
Co-Founder, MegaOhm Media Group
Titilayo Shodiya, PH.D. served as the Deputy Quality Manager at The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. In this role, she is responsible for the facilitating the implementation of the NIST Quality Management System at all its locations. This supports NIST’s mission to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology.
Before joining NIST in January 2017, Shodiya was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She started her postdoc in the chemistry department where she worked on epitaxial thin film growth using electrochemistry, funded by the Department of Defense and Dow Chemical. In 2016, she started working at the University of Michigan’s Energy Institute (UMEI) in the Battery Lab as a postdoc/characterization specialist. There, she worked with external industry partners to fabricate and characterize battery cells using with industry-scale devices. Also, she oversaw the characterization facilities as part of her duties.
Shodiya received her bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering with a concentration in electronic and photonic materials and a minor in mathematics from Penn State in 2010. She received a master’s in electrical and computer engineering in 2012 and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering and materials science in 2015 from Duke University.
Throughout her career, Shodiya has been an active mentor and started initiatives to encourage women and underrepresented minorities to pursue STEM degrees and careers. In support of those efforts, she co-hosts the critically acclaimed podcast Dope Labs.
A wearable energy-harvesting device could generate energy from the swing of an arm while walking or jogging, according to a team of researchers from Penn State's Materials Research Institute and the University of Utah.
2018 Dec 4
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2018 Aug 29
2018 May 14
2018 Apr 26
2018 Apr 12
2018 Mar 28
2018 Feb 15
2018 Feb 1
2018 Jan 11
2017 Dec 6
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2017 Aug 29
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2017 April 6
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2017 Feb 9
2017 Jan 26
2017 Jan 16 Faculty Retreat
494W (M) Research and Design Senior Project (3 credits)
This course continues the senior thesis research topic addressed by the student. This is a capstone research/design project which integrates: a) background literature search with articulation of a research hypothesis, b) design and implementation of an experimental plan to test the hypothesis, and c) conclusions regarding the validity of the hypothesis based on the experimental data obtained in the course of the research.
The main characteristic of this course is the performance of the research plan, followed by interpretation of the data in the context of the original hypothesis(es). Laboratory research is generally performed in collaboration with faculty and graduate research assistants, using equipment and facilities in a wide range of laboratories throughout campus. Occasionally, the nature of the research may require the student to collaborate with researchers outside of Penn State, perhaps even spending some time in residence at other facilities.
A total of three credits must be completed and advisor approved electronic thesis submitted, including signature form and electronic word search form by the deadline. Credits may be split between 2 semesters.
Application Form (494W)
Please click here to view and print the required application form
Completed applications should be submitted to the Student Service office (225 Steidle Building).
Credits indicated will be added to the applicant’s schedule. If the application is not received by the deadline, the student will be required to participate in the Learning Factory Research and Design Senior Project.
Important Dates
For FA2018/SP2019/SU2019 Graduation: 494W Application Due by the end of Add/Drop period for the semester in which you are beginning your credits.
- ABET Review/Formatting for Fall Graduate: November 15, 2018
- Thesis Submission Deadline for FA2018: December 11, 2018
- ABET Review/Formatting for Spring Graduates: April 4, 2019
- Thesis Submission Deadline for SP2019: April 30, 2019
- ABET Review/Formatting for Summer Graduate: July 11, 2019
- Thesis Submission Deadline for SU2019: August 6, 2019
Faculty members from two National Science Foundation Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) 2D materials research programs are teaming up to offer an EFRI Research and Mentoring program. Our program will further the research aims of our EFRIs while contributing to broadening participation of underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
The 2D Materials REM program will provide research mentorship opportunities for first and second year students currently at any Penn State campus who pursue coursework at University Park during Fall and Spring 2018. The program will begin with a ten-week summer program in the summer of 2017 and be followed by two semesters of continued research, mentoring, and professional development activities in the 2017-18 academic year.
The initial summer program will include elements common to many Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) sites, but the longer program duration will allow students to achieve more significant research results and will provide an ongoing formal network of support and mentoring for students, along with activities that continue to enhance their professional development and outlook. Applications from disabled students, veterans enrolled at Penn State, female students and students who are members of other historically underrepresented groups in science and engineering are strongly encouraged.
Eligible Penn State undergraduate students will be:
- a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident,
- a Penn State student at any campus with a GPA of at least a 3.0,
- pursuing coursework at the University Park campus starting no later than Fall 2018,
- majoring in or considering majoring in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) discipline,
- a first or second year undergraduate student, and
- interested in working in a cutting-edge 2D materials research laboratory.
- Research projects will involve the synthesis, processing and characterization of transition metal chalcogenides, which are an intriguing class of materials that crystallize as two-dimensional sheets of atoms. The unique layered structure of these materials presents many challenges to realize their potential applications in electronics, photonics and related technologies, e.g. flexible electronics, energy harvesting, and catalysis.
Program Dates:
Summer Program: May 29, 2018 to August 3, 2018
Academic Year Program: August 20, 2018 to April 26, 2019
If you have any questions about the program please email us.