A group of Penn State affiliated researchers received the 2025 Rock Mechanics Research Award for their work investigating rock permeability, microquakes and geothermal energy. Credit: Penn State
Penn State research team receives rock mechanics research award
Apr 21, 2025
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA) recently awarded the 2025 Rock Mechanics Research Award to a team of Penn State researchers, including three from the College of Engineering. The recipients will be recognized at the annual ARMA Symposium, which will take place on June 8-11 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In a paper published March 6 in Nature Communications, the researchers used machine learning to examine a link between microearthquakes and a region’s crustal permeability — the amount of liquid that can flow through the Earth’s crust — which has serious implications for extracting geothermal energy.
The co-authors from the Penn State College of Engineering include Parisa Shokouhi, professor of engineering science and mechanics, of acoustics and of civil and environmental engineering; Ankur Mali, an alumnus of the computer science and engineering graduate program and current assistant professor at the University of Southern Florida’s Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing; and Thejasvi Velaga, graduate student in computer science and engineering. The other Penn State-affiliated co-authors include co-corresponding author Pengliang Yu, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering; Alex Bi, a recent alumnus of the health policy and administration program; Jiayi Yu, a graduate student in the Department of Geosciences; Chris Marone, professor of geosciences; and co-corresponding author Derek Elsworth, G. Albert Shoemaker Chair and professor of energy and mineral engineering and geosciences.
ARMA is an international engineering society that promotes collaboration among specialists, practitioners, scholars and educators in rock mechanics and geomechanics, according to the organization. Members are offered access to events, including student competitions, professional development workshops and the annual ARMA Symposium. Additionally, ARMA selects researchers from around the world to receive six annual awards, including the Rock Mechanics Research Award.
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