Content Administrator | Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Content Administrator

Fall 2021

New family of ferroelectric materials raises possibilities

for improved information and energy storage

A new family of materials that could result in improved digital information storage and uses less energy may be possible thanks to a team of Penn State researchers who demonstrated ferroelectricity in magnesium-substituted zinc oxide.

Ferroelectric materials possess a spontaneous electric polarization as the result of shifts of negative and positive charges within the material that can be reoriented via the application of an external electric field. They can be affected by physical force, which is why they are useful for push-button ignitors such as those found in gas grills. They can also be used for data storage and memory, because they remain in one polarized state without additional power and so are low-energy digital storage solutions. Read more

Internships provide valuable experiences for undergraduate students

Students benefit from MatSE’s strong relationships with industry, academic partners, and national laboratories. MatSE students have access to a variety of resources for short-term career development opportunities and for full-time employment after graduation. Read more

Susan Sinnott

From the Department Head

Fall is here, and it is wonderful to be back on campus after about a year and a half of working from home. We are continuing to wear masks indoors but pleased that we have been conducting in-person instruction, research, and other activities since mid-summer. However, some key activities such as advisory board meetings and our colloquium series are being delivered online. Read more

Roman Engel-Herbert appointed as new director of the Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics

Roman Engel-Herbert has been appointed as the new director of the Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics at the Humboldt University of Berlin.

Prior to his appointment, Engel-Herbert served as a faculty member in MatSE at Penn State since 2010. He was an associate professor of materials science and engineering and physics. The multidisciplinary nature of Engel-Herbert’s application-oriented research focuses on the synthesis of new materials using molecular beam epitaxy will continue at the Institute. Read more

Research

Scientists develop transparent electrode that boosts solar cell efficiency

Developing new ultrathin metal electrodes has allowed researchers to create semitransparent perovskite solar cells that are highly efficient and can be coupled with traditional silicon cells to greatly boost the performance of both devices, said an international team of scientists. The research represents a step toward developing completely transparent solar cells. Read more

Spacetime crystals proposed by placing space and time on an equal footing

A Penn State scientist studying crystal structures has developed a new mathematical formula that may solve a decades-old problem in understanding spacetime, the fabric of the universe proposed in Einstein’s theories of relativity. Read more

Computers help researchers find materials

to turn solar power into hydrogen

Finding materials that boost hydrogen production is a step

toward competing economically with carbon-based fuels

Using solar energy to inexpensively harvest hydrogen from water could help replace carbon-based fuel sources and shrink the world’s carbon footprint. However, finding materials that could boost hydrogen production so that it could compete economically with carbon-based fuels has been, as yet, an insurmountable challenge. Read more

Researchers worldwide find great value in ReaxFF reactive force field

Force field is used to create better simulations to enable more efficient, effective research

More than 1,600 researchers in six of the world’s seven continents have requested parameters for a ReaxFF reactive force field developed by a Penn State researcher and used as a valuable research tool in fields as varied as biomaterials, polymers, batteries and 3D printing. Read more

Graduate Students

MatSE holds annual poster session for accelerated master’s students

Each year at the end of the summer semester, MatSE holds the annual poster session for MatSE accelerated master’s students. The event fulfills the degree requirement for a poster presentation. Read more

Student honored by Sigma Pi Sigma for fully exemplifying the pillars of service through their steadfast dedication

Brittney Hauke, a doctoral candidate in the John Mauro research group, received the 2021 Outstanding

Service Award from Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society, from Director Dr. Brad Conrad (pictured above). Read more

Student earns spot in elite national lab program for wearable medical device research

Travis Peters, a doctoral candidate in the Susan Trolier-McKinstry research group, will spend a year researching

wearable electronics for medical use at Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Graduate Student Research program. Read more

Alumni Spotlight

David Simpson, Ph.D., ‘89, ‘91g, ’93g Polymer Science

Polyethylene Product Development Manager, ExxonMobil Chemical and served on the MatSE Executive Advisory Board 2016-21

In a nutshell, my job today entails creating new polyethylene catalyst, process, and product technologies to meet the ever increasing market demands for performance.

Why I chose Penn State: When looking for universities in the mid-1980s, Penn State was one of the few that offered a true polymer science degree. After visiting the campus and speaking with Bronco Gordon, who was a faculty member at the time, I was hooked! Read more

Call for stories, photos and videos

In 2022, MatSE will celebrate 115 years of materials at Penn State, and ae are in search of stories, photographs, and videos.

It is the people, discoveries, advancements and love of materials and Penn State that has made our beloved department achieve the successes it has throughout the decades. With help from alumni, former faculty and staff, our hope is to look back at our storied history as we prepare for what the future holds for a brave new world of materials education and research. Share here

Stay Connect to MatSE

You mean so much to us, we want to keep in touch with you through our newsletters, announcements, and invites! Click here

You are receiving this email because you are an employee, an alumnus/alumna, a partner, or a friend of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering who has engaged with us through our website, newsletter, or events.

This publication is available in alternative media on request.

Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. U.Ed. EMS 22-20.

The Materials Science and Engineering B.S. program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Materials Engineering Program Criteria.

To learn more about accreditation and why it is important, please see https://www.abet.org/accreditation/what-is-accreditation/why-abet-accreditation-matters/.

In the recently released 2022 U.S. News & World Report Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs rankings, the Penn State College of Engineering ranks No. 21 in the country, advancing one place from last year’s report. Among public engineering programs, Penn State ranks 12th in the nation.

Society’s use of materials, with its humble beginnings in the Stone Age with natural materials, advanced through the Bronze Age and Iron Age with man-made alloys to the current Industrial Age and Modern Era. Now, in the 21st century, the functionality of society relies significantly on digital technologies in terms of integration of cyber-physical systems through digitization of knowledge, and the demand for new materials to enable and promote the digital age will continue to increase.

MatSE Celebrates Hispanic and Latinx Scientists

MatSE celebrates the many Hispanic and Latinx scientists and inventors that have made lasting impacts in the field of materials science and engineering. September 15 to October 15 is celebrated nationwide as National Hispanic Heritage Month. It traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries.

Hispanic refers to a person who is from, or a descendant of someone who is from, a Spanish-speaking country.
Latino/a or Latinx refers to a person who is from, or a descendant of someone who is from, a country in Latin America.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has named Penn State the lead partner to both Florida International University (FIU) and North Carolina Central University (NCCU) as part of the Partnerships for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) program.

The Penn State Purchasing Card (PCard) is a Visa charge card that enables authorized Penn State employees to purchase certain goods and services and travel expenses directly from a supplier. It eliminates the need for additional paperwork (such as purchase orders and invoices) and it can be used for transactions up to a predetermined limit, which varies by employee. PSUBUY should be used in lieu of the PCard whenever possible.

MatSE Purchasing Card Policy and Deadline:

All completed paperwork for each individual transaction is due to the MatSE financial staff within 21 days of purchase. The purchasing card support form must include the Internal Order (IO) and the 5Ws (what the purchase is, what it will be used for, why it is needed, who will be using it, when and where it will be used)

Purchasing Card Procedure:

Cardholder makes purchase
Cardholder completes purchasing card support form (Please make sure the IO and the 5Ws are on each form.)
Cardholder uploads the form and receipt into SAP Concur and email financial@matse.psu.edu to let the finance staff know the paperwork has been uploaded.
Finance staff processes the purchase report and once completed SAP Concur sends email to cardholder that report is ready for them to review and submit.
Cardholder submits the report and the report goes to adviser and financial staff to approve.
Cardholders check on their report to make sure it is going through approval process in a timely manner. If the report is with their adviser, they should reach out to remind them to approve.

Consequences: If the correct and completed paperwork is not submitted to finance staff within 21 days, the cardholder will receive a warning. After three warnings the purchasing card will be suspended for 30 days.

Graphene made with lasers for wearable health devices

Graphene, hexagonally arranged carbon atoms in a single layer with superior pliability and high conductivity, could advance flexible electronics according to a Penn State-led international research team. Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professor in Penn State's Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM), heads the collaboration, which recently published two studies that could inform research and development of future motion detection, tactile sensing and health monitoring devices.

All of the data produced or used in 2020 was estimated to be about 59 zettabytes, each of which equals a billion terabytes. If each terabyte represents a mile, 59 zettabytes would allow for almost 10 full round trips from Earth to Pluto.

Subscribe to Content Administrator