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
Simulation workshop on Nov. 4 to highlight ethics and policy in space governance
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Science Policy Society graduate student organization at Penn State invites the campus community to explore these questions through a hands-on, scenario-based workshop titled "Conservation Policy in the Final Frontier: Strategic Simulation for Earth and Space Governance." The event is organized by Dani Buchheister, doctoral candidate in geosciences and astrobiology.
Erica Smithwick to participate in panel on communicating climate research
Erica Smithwick, the director of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State, will join three other climate scholars at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29, for a virtual panel event on climate research communication.
Graduate fieldwork in Malawi connects restoration, data and community
For two Penn State geography graduate students, fieldwork in Southern Africa offered more than a research assignment. It provided a front-row view of how science, community and collaboration come together in the effort to restore landscapes undergoing rapid environmental change. Faisal Elias and Abdul-Salam Jahanfo Abdulai spent more than a month in Malawi this summer as part of the Socio-Ecological Outcomes and Monitoring of Restoration in Mosaic Dry Forest-Grassland Ecosystems project, a U.S. National Science Foundation-funded collaborative and interdisciplinary project led by Penn State Assistant Professor of Geography Ida Djenontin.
Flood impacts in Global South focus of Geography Coffee Hour
Mook Bangalore, assistant professor of environmental policy in the Penn State School of Public Policy, will deliver a talk titled “Understanding the Impacts of Floods on People in Low- and Middle-Income Countries” at noon on Friday, Oct. 24, in 401 Steidle Building at Penn State University Park and will also be accessible via Zoom.
Oct. 23 lecture: Tailoring quantum dot growth for novel quantum light sources
Paul J. Simmonds, associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Tufts University, will present “Tensile-strained self-assembly: Nanoscale stretching for novel quantum light sources” as part of the Penn State Department of Materials Science and Engineering’s 590 seminar series. The talk will be held from 3:05 to 4:20 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, in 112 Kern Building on the University Park campus.
EarthTalks highlights critical minerals research with fall series
The Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State is focusing its fall 2025 EarthTalks series on needs, opportunities and research in critical minerals. Ten public seminars through early December will highlight ongoing work and viewpoints both at the University and across the sector, including at the federal level.
EarthTalks: Lithium patterns evident in long-mined Pennsylvania formation
Research Professor Tim White and postdoctoral scholar Nick Sullivan will give a public talk, “Patterns and processes of lithium enrichment in coal measure strata from the Northern Appalachian Basin,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 27, in 112 Walker Building at Penn State University Park.
Simple stabilizing solution leads to seven new ceramic materials
By removing oxygen during synthesis, a team led by materials scientists at Penn State created seven new high-entropy oxides, or HEOs: a class of ceramics composed of five or more metals with potential for applications in energy storage, electronics and protective coatings.
Jennifer Baka named Institute of Energy and the Environment Fellow
Jennifer Baka, associate professor of geography, was named a 2025 fellow of the Institute of Energy and the Environment.
Decoding dangers of Arctic sea ice with seismic, radar method
Sea ice coverage in the Arctic Ocean is at one of its lowest levels on record, yet there’s no unanimity on when that ice will disappear completely during summer months. Understanding the traits and movements of the remaining ice is a persistent challenge for scientists, but a study by researchers at Penn State has provided a new tool to explore ice characteristics and interactions along with coastal conditions.