This summer was a time for travel, research, internships and expanding classroom lessons for many students in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

A tedious process of trial and error is normally required to discover ceramic materials that generate electricity under mechanical stress. Known as piezoelectric ceramics, the valuable next-generation materials can be used to replace batteries in powering small electronic devices, like sensors. To streamline the research process, a team led by materials science researchers at Penn State introduced a new framework that combines an existing artificial intelligence (AI) model with human expertise to uncover these materials.

Jennifer Mapes, assistant professor of geography at Kent State, will open the Penn State Department of Geography's fall 2026 Coffee Hour seminar series at noon on Friday, Aug. 28, in 401 Steidle Building Penn State University Park. The talk also will be accessible via Zoom.

When Nate Cherok walked into the Penn State career fair during his senior year in 2024, he was not expecting to leave with the job that would launch his career. But one conversation moved quickly from introduction to interview process, he said, and by the time he graduated later that year with his degree in geography, Cherok had found where he wanted to start his career.

Penn State graduate student Anthony Altobelli, a Pennsylvania Army National Guard staff sergeant, is the recipient of the 2026 LT. Michael P. Murphy Award. The annual award recognizes a Penn State student who has made exceptional contributions to the global geospatial intelligence community.

For Sierra Hill, a recent trip to Indiana helped bring the next phase of a climate science career into focus. Hill, a master’s degree student in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State, spent two weeks at FluxCourse, an intensive training program focused on measurement, synthesis and modeling of land-atmosphere carbon, water and energy fluxes.

Jon-Paul Maria, Dorothy Pate Enright Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State, has been named interim head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE), effective July 1. Maria will lead the department while John Mauro, current department head, begins service as the interim John Leone Dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS).

The Alumni Council welcomes 14 new volunteer leaders, as seven elected and seven appointed Penn Staters begin their terms on the Penn State Alumni Association’s governing board today (July 1).

Penn State World Campus alumni are applying their online educations to make an impact across industries. Rebecca Schreiber, Jeff Sharp, and Jimmy Kroon have each leveraged Penn State’s online programs to advance their careers while balancing family, work and other responsibilities.

A large-format map created by Penn State students now hangs in a California theater as a tribute to conservationist David Myers, while also reflecting the growing impact of donor support on the Department of Geography’s GeoGraphics Lab.