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.
News
Ten interdisciplinary research teams awarded IEE seed grants
Ten interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2025 Seed Grant Program.
Eight Penn State research commercialization projects awarded GAP funding
Eight research projects have been selected for support from the Penn State Commercialization GAP Fund, including two by faculty in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering.
World’s first 2D, non-silicon computer developed
Penn State researchers used two-dimensional (2D) materials, which are only an atom thick and retain their properties at that scale, unlike silicon, to develop a computer capable of simple operations.
Lawn story: Turfgrass data may improve urban greenhouse gas emission estimates
Data that has been lost in the weeds — or more accurately the turfgrass — could help improve estimates of carbon dioxide emissions from urban areas, according to a team led by scientists at Penn State.
New material could provide cooling through existing mechanical energy
To meet growing air conditioning energy needs, a team of researchers at Penn State is developing new materials that cool their surroundings when bent or stressed. On the latest episode of “Growing Impact,” the team discusses how this cutting-edge technology could transform the future of building climate control.
$2.7M NIH grant to fund first comprehensive syphilis test
With a four-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Penn State researchers, along with clinical partners at Penn State Health, Carle Foundation Hospital and University of Alabama Birmingham, aim to develop a one-step confirmatory laboratory test that can definitively diagnose active syphilis infection within 10 minutes.
Rapid lithium extraction eliminates use of acid and high heat, scientists report
Lightweight lithium metal is a heavy-hitting critical mineral, serving as the key ingredient in the rechargeable batteries that power phones, laptops, electric vehicles and more. As ubiquitous as lithium is in modern technology, extracting the metal is complex and expensive. A new method, developed by researchers at Penn State and recently granted patent rights, enables high-efficiency lithium extraction — in minutes, not hours — using low temperatures and simple water-based leaching.
Penn State to host the 20th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium
Penn State will host the 20th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium (NAMVS) in collaboration with the Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) and the SME Underground Ventilation Committee (UVC) on June 21–26 in Pittsburgh.
Research key preparation for pursuing doctorate, Penn State undergrad says
Seeing the “huge juxtaposition” between streams flowing near her childhood home in Lancaster County impaired by pollution from intensive agriculture and the seemingly pristine creeks tumbling down the forested mountains around her family’s cabin in Mifflin County led Bridget Reheard to study how contaminants in waters affect aquatic organisms and aspirations for a career working to protect natural resources.
Rare dire wolf bone logged by undergraduate student at Penn State
The world was mesmerized by Colossal Biosciences’ recent announcement that they had cloned dire wolf pups, a species of canine that’s been extinct for more than 10,000 years. While experts have debated the “de-extinction” of these wolves, which are far more genetically similar to living grey wolf than to the original dire wolf, one thing is certainly true: An undergraduate student at Penn State recently catalogued a jawbone from one of Pennsylvania’s few dire wolf fossils.