Read the latest news about research conducted by investigators in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Our faculty and students are continually advancing technology, creating solutions and expanding knowledge with new and innovative research.
GIS technology helps map out how America's mafia networks were 'connected'
04/12/2021
04/12/2021
At its height in the mid-20th century, American organized crime groups, often called the mafia, grossed approximately $40 billion each year, typically raising that money through illegal or untaxed activities, such as extortion and gambling.
Scientists turn to deep learning to improve air quality forecasts
03/30/2021
03/30/2021
Air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels impacts human health but predicting pollution levels at a given time and place remains challenging, according to a team of scientists who are turning to deep learning to improve air quality estimates.
Smart materials could pose solution for big-data bottleneck in future cities
03/25/2021
03/25/2021
Penn State researchers published a perspective article on March 19 in Science, highlighting smart materials that can sense environmental changes and respond accordingly -- without externally transferring data -- as one avenue to avoid data overload.
Weird earthquake reveals hidden mechanism
03/24/2021
03/24/2021
The wrong type of earthquake in an area where there should not have been an earthquake led researchers to uncover the cause for this unexpected strike-slip earthquake -- where two pieces of crust slide past each other on a fault -- in places where subduction zone earthquakes -- one geologic plate slipping beneath another -- are common.
Addressing the energy, environmental complexities of urban areas
03/05/2021
03/05/2021
The Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) created a new research theme: Urban Systems. The theme will address the essential and urgent needs for sustainable, healthy and affordable solutions for urban areas.
Apparent Atlantic warming cycle likely an artifact of climate forcing
03/04/2021
03/04/2021
Volcanic eruptions, not natural variability, were the cause of an apparent "Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation" according to a team of climate scientists who looked at a large array of climate modeling experiments.
NASA’s ICESat-2 satellite reveals shape, depth of Antarctic ice shelf fractures
03/04/2021
03/04/2021
Satellite data can help scientists measure the depth and shape of ice shelf fractures to better predict when and where calving events will occur.
Lead up to volcanic eruption in Galapagos captured in rare detail
03/02/2021
03/02/2021
Scientists are using networks of ground-based seismic and GPS monitoring stations and satellite observations to observe the Sierra Negra.
Capstone project improves disease mapping tool for Penn State Cancer Institute
02/26/2021
02/26/2021
Recent Master of Geographic Information Systems graduate Nate Geyer has always been interested in epidemiology and geography. As a research support assistant in the Department of Public Health Sciences in the College of Medicine, he was able to put those interests together by creating a new version of the LionVu cancer mapping tool.
Internet fiber optics could provide valuable insight into geological phenomena
02/25/2021
02/25/2021
Scientists are using fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology to turn existing telecommunication infrastructure that is already installed underground into a valuable resource for monitoring ground vibrations.