Graphene is the wonder material that could solve the problem of making ever faster computers and smaller mobile devices when current silicon microchip technology hits an inevitable wall. Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms in a tight hexagonal arrangement, has been highly researched because of its incredible electronic properties, with theoretical speeds 100 times greater than silicon. But putting the material into a microchip that could outperform current silicon technology has proven difficult.
The answer may lie in new nanoscale systems based on ultrathin layers of materials with exotic properties. Called two-dimensional layered materials, these systems could be important for microelectronics, various types of hypersensitive sensors, catalysis, tissue engineering and energy storage. Researchers at Penn State have applied one such 2D layered material, a combination of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, to produce improved transistor performance at an industrially relevant scale. (more)
While many are focusing on atmospheric solutions to reduce greenhouse gases, some researchers are setting their sights on the ground -- deep underground. Li Li, an assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering at Penn State, is investigating geologic carbon sequestration (storing carbon dioxide deep beneath the surface of the Earth) as a way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. (more)
James E. Hoke has been named the recipient of the 2012 Charles L. Hosler Alumni Scholar Medal given by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State. Hoke is director of the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center of NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Prediction in Camp Springs, Md.
Six students from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) earned top awards in the annual Grundy Haven paper competition. The aim of the paper competition is to foster excellence in communicating science to the public. (more)
Penn State has received a significant grant from Chevron Technology Corporation to support student programs, research infrastructure, and scholarships/fellowships in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the Smeal College of Business, as well as program support for the Palmer Museum of Art and THON. (more)
Susan L. Brantley, Distinguished Professor of Geosciences at Penn State and director of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences' Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (EESI) has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences for her excellence in original scientific research. Membership in the NAS is one of the highest honors given to a scientist or engineer in the United States. (more)
Scientists with federal and state agencies, academic researchers, environmental consultants, and watershed group volunteers have collected water-quality data for years as part of efforts to monitor the health of Pennsylvania's waterways. However, while there is virtually a deluge of water-quality data, much of it has never been incorporated into a sustainable database accessible to both researchers and the public.
That has just changed. A new database, using a platform supported by the National Science Foundation that channels available water quality data into a searchable format, was demonstrated at the Shale Network 2012 Workshop at Penn State's University Park campus in April. The workshop was part of the Shale Network, a multi-institutional initiative funded by NSF to track potential impacts of gas shale activity, including that of the Marcellus. (more)
A new report by the National Science Foundation (NSF) ranked Penn State engineering third in overall research expenditures.Penn State engineering has consistently ranked third in the NSF survey since the 2001 fiscal year. The NSF's latest ranking uses data from the 2010 fiscal year.
Among individual fields, three Penn State programs were in the top five: materials was second, electrical engineering was third and mechanical engineering was third. Computer science and aerospace engineering were in the top 10, ranking eighth and 10th, respectively. (more)
It's a river of wind, usually about 200 miles wide and about 2 miles deep, that flows about 5 to 7 miles above the earth's surface, said climatologist Paul Knight. What most people don't realize is that the jet stream is the major player in how our weather changes. (more)
Three Penn State faculty members have been named Evan Pugh Professors, joining a list of only 62 recognized since the title's inception in 1960. Even Pugh Professorships are the highest honor the University bestows on its faculty.
The latest honorees are Jainendra K. Jain, Erwin Mueller Professor of Physics, Eberly College of Science; James F. Kasting, Distinguished Professor of Geosciences, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences; and Bruce E. Logan, Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering. (more)
