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College of Engineering offers information session on new microcredential program

4/18/2024

Starting this spring, the Penn State College of Engineering will offer certified microcredentials that will provide working engineers with opportunities to gain specialized skills and career development through a portfolio of flexible learning options. The college will host a virtual program information session at 8:00 p.m. on April 23.

Tak Sing Wong’s nature-inspired research featured as PNAS cover art

4/17/2024

Research led by Tak Sing Wong, professor of mechanical engineering and of biomedical engineering, was featured as the cover art for the April 2 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

‘Gamechangers’ series highlights two women making a difference with Penn State

4/3/2024

Two Penn State leaders, Tracy Langkilde and Karen Thole, were profiled by GameDay Couture as part of the “Gamechanger” series, which aims to showcase the accomplishments of women.

Listen to your gut: Using microbiota analysis for precision health care

3/26/2024

Penn State News spoke to Professor Pak Kin Wong about his recently published paper that discusses the methods available for incorporating microbiota analysis into clinical decision-making, the challenges of doing so and the need for new technologies to capitalize on the potential of microbiota’s role in medicine.

Siu Ling "Pansy" Leung receives 2024 Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching

3/26/2024

Siu Ling "Pansy" Leung, associate teaching professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering, is one of six Penn State faculty to receive the 2024 George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Two engineering faculty members receive 2024 Faculty Scholar Medals

3/26/2024

Two engineering faculty members were among the six recipients of the 2024 Faculty Scholar Medals for Outstanding Achievement. Enrique Gomez, professor of chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and by courtesy materials science and engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Tak-Sing Wong, professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, were both recognized with the award.

Amrita Basak receives NSF CAREER Award

3/18/2024

Amrita Basak, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, earned a five-year, $598,650 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for a project titled “Understanding Processing-Structure-Property Relationships in Co-Axial Wire-Feed, Powder-Feed Laser Directed Energy Deposition.”

Andrea Gregg co-authors research-supported book to improve online learning

3/18/2024

Andrea Gregg, the director of learning experience design and an associate research professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State, co-authored a book titled High-Impact Design for Online Courses: Blueprinting Quality Digital Learning in Eight Practical Steps (HIDOC).

Backyard insect inspires invisibility devices, next gen tech

3/18/2024

Leafhoppers, a common backyard insect, secrete and coat themselves in tiny mysterious particles that could provide both the inspiration and the instructions for next-generation technology, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. In a first, the team precisely replicated the complex geometry of these particles, called brochosomes, and elucidated a better understanding of how they absorb both visible and ultraviolet light.

Sun and space: Harnessing cold universe and solar power for renewable energy

3/15/2024

As traditional energy methods increase in cost and take their toll on the environment, Penn State researchers are turning to two underutilized renewable resources, the sun and outer space, for solutions to generate electricity and passively cool down structures. A mechanical engineering reserach team developed and tested a dual cooling and power strategy that simultaneously harvests solar energy in a solar cell and directs heat away from Earth through radiative cooling.

Powering accessible, collaborative art

3/14/2024

In a recent installment of “A Note from Neeli,” Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi visited the Center for Pedagogy in Arts and Design where she received a hands-on demonstration of “Together, Tacit,” an interdisciplinary research and creative collaboration between the College of Arts and Architecture and the College of Engineering. In the project, artists and engineers are building a haptic glove powered by virtual reality, allowing visually impaired and sighted individuals to work together to create a sculpture.

Mechanical engineering student Vanessa Dib wins Oswald Award

3/13/2024

Vanessa Dib, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student, won the 2024 John W. Oswald Award for scholarship.

Five engineering students finalists in Graduate School Three Minute Thesis contest

3/11/2024

Five Penn State College of Engineering graduate students have been selected for the final round of the inaugural Penn State Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.

Q&A with Larry Cheng: Monitoring neurological conditions in real time

3/11/2024

A team of researchers led by Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, the James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM) at Penn State, created a highly-sensitive and cost-effective sensor to better monitor the concentration of dopamine and tyrosine — a neurotransmitter and an amino acid, respectively, that are present in the brain — in sweat or urine.

College of Engineering student, faculty members receive Penn State Global awards

2/27/2024

Zoubeida Ounaies, professor of mechanical engineering, Julio Urbina, professor of electrical engineering, and Vanessa Dib, an undergraduate student in mechanical engineering, were recently recognized in Penn State Global’s 2023-24 annual awards.

Q&A with Jessica Menold, a ‘new voice’ for scientific collaboration

2/20/2024

Jessica Menold, Penn State associate professor of engineering design and of mechanical engineering, was named a member of the 2024-26 New Voices cohort of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

A Note from Neeli: February 2024

2/7/2024

Neeli Bendapudi shares the story of “Together, Tacit,” an inspiring interdisciplinary research and creative collaboration between the College of Arts and Architecture and College of Engineering. This research project combines the strength of our interdisciplinary focus, the dedication of our amazing faculty, and the tenacity of a remarkable student.

Mechanical engineering graduate student receives National Academies fellowship

2/7/2024

Luis Delgado Jr., a mechanical engineering doctoral student, is the recipient of a 2024 Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship.

Penn State World Campus engineering programs ranked among nation’s best by U.S. News

2/7/2024

Several master’s in engineering programs offered through Penn State’s World Campus earned top recognitions from the 2024 U.S. News & World Report “Best Online Programs” rankings, released today (Feb. 7).

$4M grant funds project to make robotic prostheses more like biological limbs

2/2/2024

Prosthetic hands that incorporate robotics can perform dexterous self-care tasks, but they are often hard to operate, requiring a user’s constant attention with a limited number of hand functions. With a five-year, $4 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant, Penn State researchers aim to make robotic protheses more useful for people living with amputations.

Guha Manogharan named co-director of Penn State’s additive manufacturing center

2/2/2024

Guha Manogharan, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, was named co-director of the Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D). Manogharan replaces Tim Simpson, the Paul Morrow Professor of Engineering Design and Manufacturing, who has served in the position since the center’s founding in 2012.

Media mention: ‘A fly enters a virtual reality chamber, and insect science may never be the same’

1/29/2024

An article in the journal Science discusses a recently published study led by Penn State researchers that investigated the optomotor response in flies. The article focuses on the work of Jean-Michel Mongeau, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and of biomedical engineering, and mechanical engineering doctoral student Benjamin Cellini.

Penn State undergraduates win innovation award for lunar technology

1/29/2024

A team of undergraduate students in Penn State’s Student Space Programs Laboratory won the 2023 Innovation Award at NASA’s annual Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge.

Amrita Basak wins early career award for gas turbine research

1/24/2024

Amrita Basak, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, was selected as the 2024 Dilip R. Ballal Early Career Engineering Award winner by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ International Gas Turbine Institute.

New scholarship to benefit engineering students from the Coal Region

1/18/2024

A mechanical engineering alumnus honored his late brothers and their Coal Region roots through an $800,000 gift to establish a scholarship in the College of Engineering. The Robert, John, and Edward Mitchell Family Endowed Scholarship Fund in the College of Engineering will help engineering students who hail from Pennsylvania’s Coal Region – or Schuylkill, Carbon, Columbia and Northumberland Counties – in their pursuit to become engineers.

Penn State alumnus Qifeng Liu named Schwarzman Scholar

1/11/2024

Penn State alumnus Qifeng Liu has been named a Schwarzman Scholar, which provides one year of study at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Pak Kin Wong elected member of European Academy of Sciences and Arts

1/2/2024

Pak Kin Wong, professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering, was elected a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in class VI – Technical and Environmental Sciences.

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.

Engineering faculty and students among 2023 Materials Research Award winners

12/6/2023

One faculty member and two graduate students from the Penn State College of Engineering are among the six materials researchers that received the 2023 Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award.

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.

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