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Doctoral candidate presents to National Academies meeting

12/15/2023

Maria Rozman, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at Penn State, presented to the National Academies’ Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board Meeting held October 17-18. Rozman briefed the audience on her turbine efficiency research.

Q&A: Enhancing defense readiness with renewable energy and sensor materials

12/14/2023

Penn State has been selected by the Department of Defense (DoD) as a partner for two of the four newly created DoD research centers of excellence. The Penn State principal investigators discuss Penn State's role in the centers and the research they plan to conduct.

Karen Thole named fellow of Royal Aeronautical Society

11/29/2023

The Royal Aeronautical Society named Karen Thole, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, a fellow.

Adri van Duin among Penn State faculty elected as American Physical Society fellows

11/27/2023

Adri van Duin, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering, was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), the world’s largest organization dedicated to physics.

Engineering alumni society recognizes awardee’s outstanding contributions

11/20/2023

At its annual awards ceremony, the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society (PSEAS) recognized engineering faculty, staff and alumni members for outstanding teaching, research, advising and service.

Q&A: Enhancing physicians’ colonoscopy training for early cancer prevention

11/15/2023

Using a $1.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, researchers from the College of Engineering and the College of Medicine will develop a novel colonoscopy training system that integrates automated personalized learning with a manikin embedded with sensors that may help make the routine procedure safer, more accurate and cost-efficient.

START Lab expansion aims to make aviation greener

11/12/2023

Karen Thole, director of the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine (START) Lab, and doctoral student Chad Schaeffer discussed their work on gas turbines and next-generation hybrid electric propulsion at the Penn State Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 10.

Capstone design projects challenge students to apply knowledge and skills

11/10/2023

The Learning Factory provides a unique opportunity for students to partner with industry sponsors with a shared goal — to educate the next generation of world-class engineers using state-of-the-art facilities for design, prototyping and fabrication.

Learning Factory equips students with lifelong skills

11/10/2023

Steven White Jr., engineering support specialist with the Learning Factory; Melina Trautman, fourth-year mechanical engineering student and Becca Baker, fourth-year industrial engineering student, discuss how the Learning Factory’s safety and skills training programs set students up for success during their time on campus and throughout their future careers.

Penn State students build on success in international AutoDrive competition

11/9/2023

The Penn State Advanced Vehicle Team (AVT) competed in the second year of competition for AutoDrive Challenge II from June 4-10 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After a successful showing in year one of competition, Penn State AVT returned to take home eight top-three recognitions in year two.

Five engineering students receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

10/26/2023

The Graduate School at Penn State welcomed 20 new National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program recipients for the 2023-24 academic year. Five College of Engineering graduate students received the fellowship, and two engineering graduate students were recognized as honorable mentions.

Video: Take a virtual tour of the Mechanical Engineering Knowledge Lab

10/25/2023

Take a tour of Mechanical Engineering Knowledge Lab located in Reber Building. This fly-through virtual tour provides a look at some of the hands-on, collaborative work made possible by this reimagined space.

Six Penn State graduate students receive prestigious defense fellowship

10/19/2023

Six Penn State graduate students received a prestigious National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship. The NDSEG fellowship program provides fellows with the opportunity to pursue a doctoral degree in science and engineering disciplines of military importance.

Nine newly promoted engineering faculty honored through library books

10/11/2023

Nine newly tenured or promoted faculty members in the College of Engineering were asked to select a book title for the University Libraries’ permanent collection and to submit a personal statement explaining why they chose that book.

Penn State World Campus students learn about research in University Park visit

9/20/2023

Students from the online Master of Engineering Additive Manufacturing and Design (AMD) program visited the University Park campus to learn about and participate in additive manufacturing research activities.

Media mention: ‘3D-Printed Ceramics Can Increase Gas Turbine Efficiency’

9/19/2023

Stephen Lynch, director of the Center for Gas Turbine Research, Education, and Outreach and associate professor of mechanical engineering, was featured in a Q&A by Tech Briefs.

How Penn State World Campus helps develop the work forces of the future

9/7/2023

This article originally appeared on Penn State News. The partnership between the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering program and aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney is highlighted. A recent graduate discusses the opportunities the collaboration provided her.

Penn State receives $3M grant to address insect biodiversity crisis

8/28/2023

A team of Penn State researchers has received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to spearhead a new initiative to create novel monitoring systems for insect populations.

Engineering researcher joining Institutes of Energy and the Environment

8/15/2023

Derek Hall, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, is joining the Institutes of Energy and the Environment on Aug. 15. Hall’s research interests include electrochemical energy conversion systems, electrochemical sensors, and the study of liquid-solid interfaces.

Five engineering student teams honored in national airport design competition

8/11/2023

Five student teams from Penn State’s Engineering Leadership Development program in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation earned recognition in the 17th-annual University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs, sponsored by the Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program.

Q&A: Carbon voyage

8/9/2023

Researchers in the Department of Mechanical Engineering received a $2 million grant from the Navy Decarbonization Research Consortium to study shipboard carbon capture and alternative fuel utilization. The project is summarized in a Q&A with Associate Professor Brian Fronk.

Kathryn Jablokow elected to national society's board of governors

8/3/2023

Kathryn Jablokow, professor of engineering design and mechanical engineering was elected to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Board of Governors for the 2023-26 term.

Mechanical engineering doctoral student named 2023 Amelia Earhart Fellow

7/6/2023

Jennifer Colborn, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering at Penn State, has been selected to receive the Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship for the 2023-24 academic year.

Penn State announces non-tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2023

6/30/2023

Non-tenure-line faculty promotions at Penn State, effective July 1, 2023, include more than 20 engineering faculty members.

NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant announces its 2023 fellowship, scholarship winners

6/29/2023

Fourteen graduate students from Penn State have been awarded research fellowships from the Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium, including three from the College of Engineering.

Penn State rises 10 places in 2024 QS World University Rankings

6/28/2023

Story summary (1-2 sentences; appears as the blurb in Penn State News/COE News and used in social): Penn State ranked No. 83 in the world — a jump of 10 positions from No. 93 last year — in the recently released 2024 QS World University Rankings, placing the University in the top 6% worldwide among the 1,500 institutions ranked by QS.

Follow the leader: Researchers identify mechanism of cancer invasion

6/26/2023

A Penn State-led research team identified a molecular marker to predict the invasiveness of a cancerous tumor and how the cells may invade elsewhere in the body.

Stephen Lynch receives achievement award from international mechanical engineering society

6/23/2023

Stephen Lynch, associate professor of mechanical engineering, received the George Westinghouse Silver Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

3D-printed ceramics may increase gas turbine fuel efficiency, researchers report

6/20/2023

A team that includes Penn State researchers recently 3D printed a turbine component with ceramics, which are more heat tolerant than the conventional metals. The resulting component has complex internal cooling features that enable it to withstand higher temperatures and, as a result, increase fuel efficiency.

Daniel Cortes receives inaugural ASME bioengineering team science medal

6/15/2023

Daniel Cortes, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, is a member of the research team that received the inaugural Edward Grood Interdisciplinary Team Science Medal in Bioengineering from the bioengineering division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

College of Engineering recognizes 2023 Early Career Award recipients

6/12/2023

The Penn State College of Engineering will recognize 10 alumni with the Early Career Award for their achievements and demonstrated commitment to their professions, communities and Penn State at a ceremony on June 16 at University Park.

NASA-funded student team builds microwave system to smelt metal on the moon

6/12/2023

A team of undergraduate students in Penn State’s Student Space Programs Laboratory, housed in the College of Engineering’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, was one of seven university teams selected to receive funding from NASA to build a prototype in the BIG Idea Challenge. Penn State received $130,000 to develop a microwave system that can smelt metal on the moon.

Penn State announces tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2023

6/12/2023

Tenured and tenure-line faculty promotions at Penn State, effective July 1, 2023, include more than 25 engineering faculty members.

Penn State mechanical engineering student Ian Rivera earns Astronaut Scholarship

6/2/2023

Ian Rivera, a third-year Millennium Scholar from Caguas, Puerto Rico, majoring in mechanical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, has earned a 2023 Astronaut Scholarship.

Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program Fellows announced

6/1/2023

The Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program announced six new 2023-24 fellows from Penn State, including two from the College of Engineering.

Mary Frecker receives American Society of Mechanical Engineers mentorship award

6/1/2023

Mary Frecker, department head and professor of mechanical engineering, Riess Chair of Engineering and director of the Penn State Center for Biodevices, received the 2023 McDonald Mentoring Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Media mention: ‘What Will It Take to Charge Electric Vehicles Faster?’

5/24/2023

Christopher Rahn, J. Lee Everett professor of mechanical engineering, is quoted in a Smithsonian Magazine article about electric vehicles, range anxiety and the technology needed to improve EV charge times.

Energy, environmental seed grants awarded to interdisciplinary research teams

5/2/2023

Nineteen interdisciplinary research teams received funding through the Institutes of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) Seed Grant Program for 2023. This includes more than 75 researchers who are affiliated with 10 colleges and research units across seven Penn State campuses.

Scarlett Miller selected as Administrative Fellow for 2023-2024

4/28/2023

The Administrative Fellows Program offers Penn State faculty and staff the opportunity to work with senior University officers to gain knowledge and experiences pertaining to leadership in the academic community. Scarlett Miller, professor of engineering design, of industrial engineering and of mechanical engineering, was named one of three Fellows for the 2023-24 year.

Berks students take first place in Women in Engineering Design Competition

4/26/2023

Penn State Berks students Lillie Mohn, a mechanical engineering major, and Jenicy Strong, a computer engineering major, took first place in the fourth Women in Engineering Design Competition at Penn State Altoona.

College of Engineering names student marshals for spring 2023 commencement

4/25/2023

The Penn State College of Engineering has named its student marshals for the spring 2023 commencement ceremony. One student is selected to represent each of the 14 majors associated with the college and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program.

Engineering graduate students earn prizes at 2023 Graduate Exhibition

4/11/2023

Seven Penn State engineering graduate students earned first-, second- or third-place prizes at the 2023 Graduate Exhibition, held March 20-24 on the University Park campus and online.

Fish-inspired, compliant power sources may help power space applications 

4/10/2023

A research lab at Penn State will equally share a three-year, $2.55 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) to develop a framework for the design and production of soft, self-charging, bio-inspired power sources for applications in space.

Mechanical engineering graduate student recognized with outstanding teaching award

4/6/2023

Penn State has announced that 10 graduate students have been selected as recipients of the Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award. One of the recipients was Ankit Saxena, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering.

Penn State team to participate in NASA's Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project

4/6/2023

A team co-led by the Penn State Student Space Programs Lab has been selected as one of 70 teams to participate in the 2023-24 Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, co-sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation.

Seven graduate students recognized with University awards

4/6/2023

Forty Penn State graduate students, seven of whom are students in the College of Engineering, were named recipients of Penn State’s annual graduate student awards, administered by the Graduate School in collaboration with several Penn State units.

Mechanical engineering undergraduate wins global society poster competition

3/30/2023

Caleb Fronk, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at Penn State, won first prize in the undergraduate poster competition at TMS 2023 in San Diego.

Five student startups win funding in Inc.U Competition

3/24/2023

Undergraduate students from the College of Engineering at Penn State were among the winners of the 2023 Invent Penn State Inc.U Competition.

Mechanical engineering takes steps to prepare students for modern job market

3/22/2023

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers published an article highlighting the importance of leadership skills for engineering students. The article mentions the skill building resources available to Penn State students through the department of mechanical engineering.

Online engineering degrees help students and alumni find career success

3/22/2023

Penn State World Campus highlighting online engineering degrees as part of the celebration of its 25th anniversary

Student capstone project highlighted by industry consulting company

3/16/2023

Hannah Luben, who graduated from Penn State with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering in 2021, had her senior capstone project featured in a story by Lab Midwest, an education consulting company.

$26M START Lab expansion to advance sustainable power and propulsion

3/15/2023

Pratt & Whitney, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Lab (DOE-NETL) and Penn State have joined together in a project involves a $26 million commitment to support the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine Lab in both expanding the existing capabilities, as well as adding a new, two-stage turbine rig referred to as START+ at University Park.

Propelling the future: A Q&A with START Lab Director Karen Thole

3/15/2023

A $26 million commitment from Pratt & Whitney, the Federal Aviation Administration the DOE-NETL and Penn State will support the expansion of the START Lab and the creation of START+. START Lab Director and Penn State Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering Karen Thole answered a few questions about gas turbine technologies, the START Lab and the upcoming expansion.

Jacqueline O'Connor wins international award from Combustion Institute

3/10/2023

Jacqueline O'Connor, associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Center for Gas Turbine Research, Education, and Outreach at Penn State, is a recipient of The Combustion Institute’s 2023 Hiroshi Tsuji Early Career Researcher Award.

Leonhard Center speaking contest showcases students’ communication skills

3/10/2023

The Penn State College of Engineering’s Leonhard Center for Enhancement of Engineering Education held its biannual speaking contest on Feb. 7, showcasing students’ skills in translating technical knowledge into engaging presentations.

News Page

3/10/2023

Summary

Eleven alumni to receive College of Engineering's highest honor

3/8/2023

Eleven Penn State engineering graduates have been selected to receive the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Engineering Alumni Awards. The ceremony will take place on March 13 at The Penn Stater.

A Spotlight on Women in Engineering

3/7/2023

Alumni and students of Penn State’s graduate engineering programs shared insights into why they wanted to pursue an advanced degree.

Berks LaunchBox co-working companies celebrate major milestones

3/7/2023

Two Penn State Berks LaunchBox co-working companies are celebrating major milestones for their startups this week.

3D printing of medical devices focus of $2 million NSF grant

3/6/2023

Researchers from Penn State and the University of Texas at Austin have received a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation's LEAP-HI program to tackle the challenge of designing and 3D printing smart devices using multiple materials.

Five engineers recognized with NSF early career awards

3/6/2023

Five faculty members in Penn State’s College of Engineering were recognized with National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Awards. Each project ranges in duration from three and a half to five years, funded by grants worth roughly $500,000.

Graduate students win best paper awards at international acoustics conference

3/6/2023

Four Penn State graduate students received best paper awards at recent meetings of the Acoustical Society of America.

2023 NSF CAREER Award: Linxiao Zhu

3/3/2023

Linxiao Zhu, John J. and Jean M. Brennan Clean Energy Early Career Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, earned a five year, $556,384 NSF CAREER Award for a project titled “Probing and Understanding Nonreciprocal and Topological Radiative Heat Transport in Many-body Magnetized Systems.”

Engineers design metasurfaces to help control surface wave propagation

3/3/2023

Penn State College of Engineering researchers have used a strategic design approach called the topology optimization method to design metasurfaces that control surface waves.

Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Materials Systems featured

2/27/2023

The Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Materials Systems was recently featured in a video story on the Penn State’s 'One Community Impacting Many' website.

NASA program extends research opportunities for underrepresented students in STEM

2/27/2023

The NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium Research Internship Program offers early research opportunities to women and other underrepresented individuals in STEM.

Committee advances plan to rename CATO Park building for engineering alumna

2/16/2023

The Board of Trustees Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning advanced a proposed name change to 2137 Research Drive in State College to the Lidia Manson Building, in honor of the first woman to receive a master’s degree in engineering from Penn State.

Three engineering professors earn national recognition

2/16/2023

Three College of Engineering faculty received awards from the 2023 Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Research Program (YIP).

17 new faculty members join the College of Engineering

2/14/2023

Seventeen new faculty members have joined the Penn State College of Engineering since early fall 2022. The 12 tenured or tenure-line faculty and six professional track faculty represent 11 units and departments and include one new department head.

Researchers earn grant to study real-time animal and robot locomotion

2/6/2023

Two Penn State mechanical engineers will use a $320,000 grant to develop equipment that enables them to study animal locomotion controls in nature and potentially engineer bio-inspired robots.

Tamy Guimarães recognized for building connections between Brazil and US

2/6/2023

Tamy Guimarães, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State, was named a 2022 recipient of the Embassy of Brazil’s Science and Technology Prize.

'Growing Impact' podcast discusses making fuels from waste

2/2/2023

The latest episode of the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment Growing Impact podcast features Jacqueline O’Connor, associate professor of mechanical engineering, who discussed her project investigating hydrochars, a proposed replacement for coal.

Karen Thole recognized by ASME; chosen for US Air Force board

1/23/2023

Karen Thole, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, received an award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and was appointed to serve on the Department of Air Force Scientific Advisory Board for her expertise.

Amrita Basak addresses Army roundtable on metal additive manufacturing

1/13/2023

In October, Amrita Basak, Penn State assistant professor of mechanical engineering, spoke at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Army Logistics Roundtable on additive manufacturing in resource-limited environments.

Beese named co-director of additive manufacturing center CIMP-3D

1/10/2023

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Allison Beese, associate professor of materials science and engineering and of mechanical engineering, will serve as co-director of the Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition, effective Jan 1.

Event lifts curtain on a bright future for materials research

1/6/2023

The Penn State Materials Research Institute held their annual Materials Day in October, with the theme "Materials Impacting Society." Several engineering faculty participated.

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With more than 60 faculty members, 330 graduate students, and 1,000 undergraduate students, the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering embraces a culture that welcomes individuals with a diversity of backgrounds and expertise. Our faculty and students are innovating today what will impact tomorrow’s solutions to meeting our energy needs, homeland security, biomedical devices, and transportation systems. We offer B.S. degrees in mechanical engineering as well as resident (M.S., Ph.D.) and online (M.S.) graduate degrees in mechanical engineering. See how we’re inspiring change and impacting tomorrow at me.psu.edu.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

137 Reber Building

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802-4400

Phone: 814-865-2519