Still Life
University Park Airport Emergency Response Exercise
Commencement across Penn State: Spring 2012
Spring commencement 2012 under way
Penn State, Moroccan students problem-solve together
Finals Week Spring Semester 2012
Painting the Lines at Beaver Stadium
Did They Get It Right? - RedTails
Iconic Penn State elm taken down over spring break 2012
We ... are Penn State (December 19, 2011)
Disease stricken matching elm tree slated for removal
Penn State's creamery, from the cow to the cone
The most efficient colloidal-quantum-dot solar cell ever created will be described in a scientific paper to be published in a print edition of the journal Nature Materials by a team of scientists that includes John Asbury, assistant professor of chemistry at Penn State. Quantum dots are nanoscale semiconductors that capture light and convert it into electrical energy. Because of their small size, the dots can be sprayed onto flexible surfaces, including plastics, enabling the production of solar cells that are less expensive than the existing silicon-based version. (more)
A new way of understanding the structure of proteins, polymers, minerals and engineered materials will be published in the May 2011 issue of the journal Nature Materials. The discovery by two Penn State researchers is a new type of symmetry in the structure of materials, which the researchers say greatly expands the possibilities for discovering or designing materials with desired properties. The research is expected to have broad relevance in many development efforts involving physical, chemical, biological, or engineering disciplines including, for example, the search for advanced ferroelectric ferromagnet materials for next-generation ultrasound devices and computers. (more)
Transforming lead into gold is an impossible feat, but a similar type of "alchemy" is not only possible, but cost-effective, too. Three Penn State researchers have shown that certain combinations of elemental atoms have electronic signatures that mimic the electronic signatures of other elements. According to the team's leader, A. Welford Castleman Jr., Eberly distinguished chair in science and Evan Pugh professor in the departments of chemistry and physics, "the findings could lead to much cheaper materials for widespread applications such as new sources of energy, methods of pollution abatement and catalysts on which industrial nations depend heavily for chemical processing." (more)
The deadline to nominate graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and junior faculty for the Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award has been extended to Dec. 18. The annual award recognizes one junior faculty member or postdoctoral researcher and two graduate students for their interdisciplinary materials research at Penn State. Winning graduate students each receive a $500 award. The winning postdoc or faculty member will receive a $1,000 award. For more information about the award or to nominate someone, go to http://gradsch.psu.edu/current/funding/programs/roymatres.html. (more)
Carlo Pantano, director of the Materials Research Institute (MRI), will present "Future and Capabilities of Materials at Penn State" at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in 112 Walker Building. The event is free and open to the public. Pantano will talk about the MRI's capabilities, current activities and future plans. The presentation is sponsored by the student chapter of ASM International, the materials information society. (more)
The Penn State College of Engineering was ranked 17th in U.S. News & World Report's 2010 edition of Best Colleges. Four college programs were ranked in the top 10 in the publication. (more)
