Penn State Energy and Environment News

College of Engineering seed grants support multidisciplinary research efforts

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Penn State's College of Engineering recently awarded funding to four projects through its Multidisciplinary Research Seed Grants program.

Karen Thole named distinguished professor of mechanical and nuclear engineering

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Karen Thole, professor and department head of mechanical and nuclear engineering, has been named a Penn State distinguished professor.

Researchers look at ways to improve Pennsylvania bridges

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Every day, millions of Pennsylvania motorists drive on or under one of the Commonwealth’s more than 22,000 bridges without ever thinking about its safety and durability. Researchers at Penn State, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, however, are thinking about it and are trying to improve the bridges in the process.

Volvo partnership pays off in SuperTruck collaborative effort

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Five years of effort by a partnership of international corporations and universities organized by Volvo have led to the Volvo SuperTruck, a vehicle that achieved an 88 percent improvement in overall efficiency. Penn State engineers were part of this SuperTruck team, and focused on advanced combustion strategies and engine simulation.

College of Engineering welcomes new faculty, continues expansion

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The College of Engineering proudly welcomes the new faculty members who have joined Penn State for the 2016-17 academic year.

Borhan and Bascom receive grant to study respiratory disease in modeled lungs

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Ali Borhan, professor of chemical engineering, and Rebecca Bascom, professor of medicine, have been awarded a Grace Woodward Grant for Collaborative Research in Engineering and Medicine for their proposal “Patient-Specific Diagnosis and Treatment of Respiratory Disease: Expanding the Engineering Toolbox.”

Penn State Harrisburg Summer STEM program wows high school students

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Penn State Harrisburg's two-week Summer STEM Enrichment Program introduced high school students to the different scientific disciplines involved in STEM, helping to give them a better sense of what major they might pursue, what careers are available, and what learning at the university level would be like.

Collaboration, research key to managing invasive species

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Invasive species, such as gypsy moth and emerald ash borer, have had devastating effects on Pennsylvania's forests, and the keys to combatting these threats are active management, collaboration and research, according to U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson. Thompson made his remarks during a forum on invasive forest species that he sponsored Feb. 5 on Penn State's University Park campus.

EMS undergrads research energy, explore regions of Europe through science course

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A group of earth and mineral sciences undergraduates explored several regions of Europe through a science course to research energy and learn about different cultures.

Engineering's Collins, Giebink honored for teaching excellence

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Robert Collins, associate professor of computer science and engineering at Penn State, and Chris Giebink, Charles K. Etner Early Career Professor of Electrical Engineering at Penn State, were recently selected to receive the Joel and Ruth Spira Excellence in Teaching Award. Established with an endowment by the Lutron Foundation in honor of the company's founders, the award recognizes individuals who excel in the classroom by helping students learn, understand and apply the fundamentals of engineering.

Engineering faculty appointed to early career and development professorships

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Eight faculty members in the Penn State College of Engineering were recently appointed to early career and development professorships.