Researchers worldwide find great value in ReaxFF reactive force field
| news.psu.edu
More than 1,600 researchers in six of the world’s seven continents have requested parameters for a ReaxFF reactive force field developed by a Penn State researcher and used as a valuable research tool in fields as varied as biomaterials, polymers, batteries and 3D printing.
Ethane proxies for methane in oil and gas emissions
| news.psu.edu
Measuring ethane in the atmosphere shows that the amounts of methane going into the atmosphere from oil and gas wells and contributing to greenhouse warming is higher than suggested by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to an international team of scientists who spent three years flying over three areas of the U.S. during all four seasons.
Penn State takes first in Collegiate Wind Competition
| news.psu.edu
The Penn State Wind Energy Club won big at the United States Department of Energy Collegiate Wind Competition, taking home first overall in the competition and first in the project development contest.
Jefferson Science Fellows Program
| sites.nationalacademies.org
Tenured academic scientists and engineers from U.S. institutions of higher learning are eligible for selection to be Jefferson Science Fellows. Each Fellow spends one year at the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for an onsite assignment in Washington, DC.
Interdisciplinary projects awarded seed grants from IEE
| news.psu.edu
The Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) has awarded seed grants to 22 groups of interdisciplinary researchers for the 2020-21 award cycle. This year, seed grants were awarded to proposals focusing on at least one of IEE’s five strategic research themes — Climate and Ecosystem Change, Health and the Environment, Integrated Energy Systems, Urban Systems, and Water and Biogeochemical Cycles.
Searle Scholars Program
| psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
The Searle Scholars Program gives grants to support independent research in medicine, chemistry, and the biological sciences for exceptional early-career scientists who have recently begun their appointment at the assistant professor level, and whose appointment is their first tenure-track position. The Searle Scholars Program Scientific Advisory Board is primarily interested in the potential of applicants to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time. Internal Submission Deadline: Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at 4:00 pm
Biodiversity seed grants support innovative collaborations across Penn State
| psu.edu
Seven Penn State faculty teams have received seed grants for biodiversity research as part of the 2021 “Mainstreaming Biodiversity in a Decade of Action” symposium, developed by Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research, in collaboration with Penn State’s Sustainability Institute.
Computers help researchers find materials to turn solar power into hydrogen
| news.psu.edu
A Penn State-led team of researchers report they have taken a step toward overcoming the challenge of inexpensive hydrogen production by using supercomputers to find materials to help accelerate hydrogen separation when water is exposed to light, a process called photocatalysis.
With Ford's electric F-150 pickup, the EV transition shifts into high gear
| theconversation.com
Ford’s electric F-150 pickup won’t roll off assembly lines until early 2022, but the company has received thousands of preorders already for a vehicle aimed at the mass market, not eco-buyers.
New engineering faculty to study structural materials in extreme environments
| psu.edu
Yang Yang, a researcher in the field of structural materials and electron microscopy, joined the Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics as an assistant professor on June 1. As a part of Yang’s appointment, he will also serve as a faculty member in the Materials Research Institute.
Innovative batteries put flying cars on the horizon
| news.psu.edu
Jet packs, robot maids and flying cars were all promises for the 21st century. We got mechanized, autonomous vacuum cleaners instead. Now a team of Penn State researchers are exploring the requirements for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles and designing and testing potential battery power sources.
Sick of dangerous city traffic? Remove left turns
| theconversation.com
Left turns are dangerous and slow down traffic. One solution? Get rid of them. New research shows that limiting left turns at busy intersections would improve safety and reduce frustrating backups.