Penn State and Kurt J. Lesker Company (KJLC) are launching a strategic partnership to develop new ways to create and shape the extremely thin layers of specialized materials that form critical parts of semiconductor, advanced packaging, quantum, photonic and other next-generation technologies.

Kat Hogan is a senior majoring in energy engineering, and she found her home as an undergraduate researcher in Penn State’s Center for Critical Minerals. She’s interested in sustainability — particularly in the energy sector — and said critical minerals sourcing is essential to a sustainable future for the energy industry.

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

Leaders of Penn State's highly ranked mining engineering program attended an announcement at the White House of a proposed $100 million investment from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation.

Hamad Hussain will represent both the Penn State College of the Liberal Arts and the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences as college marshal at the University’s summer 2026 commencement ceremony on Aug. 15 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Penn State student Declan Goldhawk knew he wanted to spend the summer expanding on what he’s learning in college while branching out into unfamiliar territory. A 10-week internship in Alaska — a place he’s never been — researching geothermal energy at the Alaska Center for Energy and Power (ACEP) checked both boxes.

The U.S. National Science Foundation has awarded Penn State’s Two-Dimensional Crystal Consortium (2DCC) $4.6 million over four years to support its transition toward long-term sustainability while the national user facility continues providing researchers across the country with access to specialized materials, equipment and expertise.

When a jet streaks across the sky, pushing the boundaries of physics, or a new electronic device is created, Kaylin Lamaute, a second-year student majoring in materials science and engineering, knows that’s the result of the careful creation of materials.

Penn State is the newest member of the LearningWell Coalition, a national network of colleges and universities that promote flourishing in and beyond college.

Thirty-one students earned Discovery Grants to help fund their summer research and projects, gaining the opportunity for valuable experience in the field, in the lab and abroad.