The John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering helps solve the world’s energy problems through high-quality, innovative teaching, research, and service. From mineral recovery to its use, the department plays a major role in the "power of life." Its mission is to help supply society with an affordable supply of energy and minerals; work to ensure human health and safety; and protect and maintain the quality of the environment.
Department head: Luis Ayala
Associate Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Chiara Lo Prete
Associate Head for Undergraduate Education: Eugene Morgan
Associate Head for Graduate Education: Shimin Liu
Degrees offered: B.S., B.A., M.S., Ph.D., minors, and certificates
Website: https://eme.psu.edu
Penn State’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Institute of Energy and the Environment recently hosted the AI Data Center Integration to Power Grids Workshop at the Engineering Collaborative Research and Education (ECoRE) Building on the University Park campus.
Thirty-six Penn State graduate students have received scholarships of up to $10,000 from the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Endowment, established by Jeff and Ann Marie Fox’s $20 million naming gift to Penn State’s J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School. The 36 students are studying in 32 master’s or doctoral degree programs.
A new planning tool under development at Penn State could help keep the lights on as the U.S. electric grid faces growing pressures from extreme weather, renewable energy and data centers, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. On the latest episode of “Growing Impact,” researchers discuss how the tool identifies unlikely but plausible combinations of events that could threaten grid reliability and inform smarter investments in transmission lines and power plants.
Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2026 Seed Grant Program. The program supports basic and applied research that lays the groundwork to pursue external funding and is guided by IEE’s five strategic research themes. This year, the program awarded seed funding to more than 40 researchers across 10 colleges and campuses and 21 departments and units.
A plastic bottle tossed into a recycling bin could one day help power an electric vehicle, smartphone or renewable energy storage system, according to a team of Penn State researchers.
Twelve research projects have been selected for the 2026 Penn State Commercialization GAP Fund. Awarded projects receive $75,000 in funding and other support to develop promising proof-of-concept research into commercial ready technology.
Penn State’s Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering, and Design with Africa (AESEDA) will host a joint symposium with the African-led Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) to strengthen and expand the Penn State-PASET partnership and collaboration.
The Penn State Bakery has long supported the University community through baked goods and desserts. Now, with a system developed by Matthew Hollingham, a third-year doctoral student in architectural engineering, the Bakery will also help pave the way for carbon capture and utilization.
Penn State has announced academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, effective July 1, 2026.
Penn State Sustainability recently published a guidebook to support Penn State faculty in implementing sustainability into their curricula. The guidebook was created by Sustain Penn State, located within the Office of Undergraduate Education and one of the offices that makes up Penn State Sustainability.