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Penn State’s Radiation Science & Engineering Center (RSEC), home to the Breazeale Reactor — the nation’s first licensed and longest continuously operating nuclear research reactor, is expanding to accommodate an equipment donation valued at $9.8 million and to facilitate more advanced neutron beam research as well as the growth of nuclear engineering at Penn State.
In nature, the interaction of molecules at the boundary of different liquids can give rise to new structures. These self-assembling molecules make cell formation possible and are instrumental to the development of all life on Earth.
Two-dimensional materials are essential for developing new ultra-compact electronic devices, but producing defect-free 2D materials is a challenge. However, discovery of new types of defects in these 2D materials may give insight into how to create materials without such imperfections, according to a group of Penn State researchers.
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.
The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) has selected Clive Randall, director of the Materials Research Institute and distinguished professor of materials science and engineering, to give the 2021 Edward Orton, Jr. Memorial Lecture at the society's annual meeting. The meeting will be held Oct. 17-21 in Columbus, Ohio.
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John Hellmann received the 2021 MatSE Alumnus of the Year Award during the annual MatSE awards presentation. He earned his bachelors of science and doctor of philosophy in ceramic science, both from Penn State.
"I've been a member of the MatSE community for nearly five decades—as a student, researcher, faculty member, and administrator,” said Hellmann, who retired as senior associate dean in February. “I have personally experienced countless examples of how outstanding and insightful our students are, how talented, productive, and renowned our faculty continue to be, and how dedicated our staff have been in enabling our success. I've been blessed to have had the opportunity to work with the best. To say I'm incredibly proud to have been a part of this is a huge understatement. To be recognized by my friends and colleagues in the department as MatSE Alumnus of the Year is both humbling and gratifying. Thank you all so much!"
Hellmann credits some of his great mentors he had along the way: Richard Tressler, Vladimir Stubican, Arnalf Muan, Robert Newnham, Donald Koss, and Carlo Pantano—to name a few.
After graduating from Penn State, he began his career in the ceramics development division at Sandia National Laboratories, where he worked for five years. He then returned to Penn State and MatSE to help start the Center for Advanced Materials which was focused on the design of ceramics in high-temperature systems. With funding from industry and federal agencies, Hellmann and his team were able to grow the center into a $3 million annual operation as they worked to develop components for the Rockwell X-30 and NASA’s National Aero-Space Plane, and radiant ceramic tubes for industrial heating, a technology that is commonplace today.
Hellmann went on to focus on undergraduate education in materials science and became associate head for undergraduate programs in MatSE from 2001 to 2007. In that role, John oversaw two ABET accreditation cycles—one for each of the four programs at that time: ceramics science and engineering, electronic and photonic materials, metals science and engineering, and the brand-new polymer science and engineering—prior to the programs being combined into one. This was MatSE's and Penn State's first accreditation under the EC2000 outcomes-based accreditation criteria. It was a time of unifying four subdisciplines under common objectives.
Hellmann continued to oversee those accreditation processes, as well as for the engineering programs in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, when he served as associate dean for education in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) from 2007 to 2012.
“The ABET accreditations, although arduous, were immensely satisfying and contributed to many improvements in our already fantastic engineering degrees in the college,” Hellman said.
In 2012, he was named senior associate dean for graduate educations and research in EMS. This position included oversight of all graduate degrees and certificates in EMS, a $65 million research enterprise spanning five departments and three institutes, and coordination of facility renovations and research capabilities in EMS.
Throughout his time at the University, Hellmann always kept a vigorous research portfolio and a full teaching load. He had many significant accomplishments in the plethora of roles he held at Penn State.
Elizabeth “Libby” Kupp received the 2021 MatSE Alumna of the Year Award during the annual MatSE awards presentation. Kupp is an associate teaching professor who earned a bachelor of science in ceramic science and a doctor of philosophy in materials science and engineering, both from Penn State.
After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Kupp began her career as an engineer at Kennametal, providing project leadership for the development of silicon carbide whisker reinforced alumina metal-cutting tools. She subsequently returned to Penn State for graduate school. After graduation, she accepted a yearlong postdoctoral position at Penn State followed by a postdoctoral position at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for two years. Kupp returned to campus as a research associate, developing and optimizing processing for fabrication of transparent ceramic gain materials based on YAG (a synthetic crystal of yttrium aluminum garnet) for high power lasers.
In 2007, Kupp began teaching MatSE 468-Ceramic Processing Laboratory. Since then, she has taught many different classes, and developed new courses to enhance the curriculum. Kupp has mentored countless undergraduate researchers, including Women in Science and Engineering and international internship students as part of the International Internship in Materials program.
In addition to teaching and advising, Kupp has published many peer-reviewed papers, received external funding grants, and provided countless hours of service to the department, college, and University. Since her return to Penn State, she has been actively involved in improving and maintaining laboratory safety, including co-teaching a course on laboratory safety management since 2017. Also, Kupp has been involved in advancing diversity through outreach as a member of the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (2010-14) and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Diversity Council (2014-present).
The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences has a rich history dating back more than a century, from its original focus on mining engineering, to today's interdisciplinary focus on earth, energy, and materials sciences and engineering. The college was formed in 1896, and we are celebrating the college’s 125th anniversary with ongoing programming throughout the year.
As part of the festivities, MatSE will host the 125th EMS Anniversary – Steidle Café during the spring and fall semesters. A MatSE staff member, a MatSE faculty member, and a MatSE graduate student present information about their personal and professional background. In honor of the college’s anniversary, alumni are also being invited to present. Tim Hsu, Ph.D. ‘91g president of Polymics, Ltd. presented in February, and Amit Das, Ph.D. ‘85 ‘88g director of new product development at State of the Art, Inc. presented in April.
Also in April, MatSE hosted the symposium, “Reflections and Future Perspectives of Polymer Science,” which featured an interdisciplinary group of speakers and experts reflecting on both the past and future of polymer science as part of the 125th EMS Anniversary.
Plans for fall events are continuing to be announced with the pinnacle of the celebration scheduled for October 2021. Learn more about the 125th EMS Anniversary celebration at https://www.ems.psu.edu/about/our-excellence/125th-anniversary.
