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Faculty workshop on leveraging intellectual property to be held April 2

3/24/2025

The Penn State College of Engineering’s Office of Corporate and Industry Engagement invites engineering faculty to I-CONNECT: Intellectual Property and Innovation. The event will take place virtually and on campus at 504 Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building (ECoRE) from 12:30 – 2 p.m. ET on April 2.

Engineering Ambassadors conference connects student engineers at Penn State

3/19/2025

The Engineering Ambassadors Network recently held a three-day-long Spring Leadership Conference at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.

Wangda Zuo elected fellow of international engineering society

3/3/2025

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning (ASHRAE) recently awarded Wangda Zuo, professor of architectural engineering, affiliate professor of mechanical engineering and associate director for research of Penn State’s Global Building Network, the title of fellow.

Andrea Gregg receives literature awards for book on online course design

2/28/2025

Andrea Gregg, associate research professor of mechanical engineering and director of learning experience design, received two awards for a book she co-authored on online learning — the 2025 Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature and the American Library Association’s (ALA) Choice Outstanding Academic Titles Award for 2024.

NSF CAREER Award: Revolutionizing customization in manufacturing

2/18/2025

Ilya Kovalenko, assistant professor of mechanical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, earned a five-year, $689,000 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for a project titled, “Intelligent Products for Mass Individualization in Manufacturing Systems.”

Tahira Reid Smith earns service award from American Society of Mechanical Engineers

2/18/2025

Tahira Reid Smith, the Arthur L. Glenn Professor of Engineering Education and Associate Department Head for Inclusive Research and Education in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, received a Dedicated Service Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Zoubeida Ounaies named distinguished professor for outstanding research achievements

2/17/2025

Penn State’s Office of Faculty Affairs recently named Zoubeida Ounaies, professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Material Systems, a distinguished professor.

Penn State Cocoziello Institute hosts inaugural Student IdeaLab

2/15/2025

The Penn State Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation hosted its inaugural Student IdeaLab on the University Park campus in December 2024, bringing together a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students interested in shaping the future of the real estate and built environment sectors.

Larry Cheng receives mid-career investigator award for achievements in biomaterials research

1/28/2025

Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, the James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, received a Mid-Career Investigator Award from the Chinese Association for Biomaterials (CAB).

Engineering faculty honored for research excellence by Institute of Energy and the Environment

1/27/2025

The Institute of Energy and the Environment recognized six Penn State faculty members for their research excellence - four of whom are affiliated with the College of Engineering. The College of Engineering faculty who received awards were Margaret Busse, Brian Fronk, Lauren McPhillips and Nathaniel Warner.

Catherine Berdanier receives Presidential Early Career Award for scientists, engineers

1/24/2025

Catherine Berdanier, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is one of three Penn State faculty members awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the White House announced on Jan. 14.

Penn State Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers win Academic Olympiad

1/23/2025

Three undergraduate members of the Penn State chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), Grace Bonnell, Julio Vasquez, and Gabriel Gayoso won the Academic Olympiad competition at the 50th Annual SHPE National Convention.

World Campus engineering programs ranked one of nation’s ‘Best Online Programs’ by U.S. News

1/21/2025

Several engineering programs offered by Penn State World Campus were recently ranked as some of the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Q&A: $2.5M grant to help reduce emissions, inefficiencies in industrial systems

1/15/2025

A team led by researchers at Penn State recently received a $2,491,443 grant from the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Office (IEDO) to reduce emissions and increase thermal efficiency in industrial systems. The team, which includes researchers at Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics Inc., plans to achieve these goals by developing a new ceramic heat exchanger.

Mechanical engineering researchers awarded Office of Naval Research grants

1/8/2025

Amrita Basak, the Shuman Early Career Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Herschel Pangborn, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and of aerospace engineering, were selected to receive $750,000 to conduct research as 2025 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator award recipients.

Person-centered, bio-inspired research leads to improved control of prosthetics

12/16/2024

In his research, Xiaogang Hu, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Neurorehabilitation and an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, focuses on creating wearable assistive robotic systems for people with limited use of their limbs, especially their hands, with the goal of the user intuitively controlling the systems and devices on which they rely.

Propelling forward: Mechanical engineering grad student awarded NASA fellowship

12/13/2024

Matthew Krull, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering at Penn State, was recently awarded a four-year fellowship with NASA’s Advanced Air Vehicles Program.

Engineering Learning Factory to host fall cornerstone, capstone project showcase

11/18/2024

The Penn State Learning Factory will host its end-of-semester showcase at the Bryce Jordan Center on Dec. 10 and its virtual showcase Wednesday, Dec. 11 through Friday, Dec. 20. Both versions of the event are free and open to the public.

College of Engineering to raise support for student success on GivingTuesday

11/15/2024

The Penn State College of Engineering invites alumni and friends to support engineering student success through a GivingTuesday gift on Dec. 3 as Penn State celebrates its tenth GivingTuesday.

Media mention: ‘Building Stuff: Boost It!’

11/13/2024

Tahira Reid Smith, professor of mechanical engineering and engineering design, associate department head for inclusive research and education and Arthur L. Glenn Professor of Engineering Education, was featured on a recent episode of PBS NOVA.

Media mention: ‘Penn State announces expansion to START Lab to further research’

11/8/2024

A WTAJ article and video featured the expansion of the Penn State Steady Research Turbine Laboratory (START Lab) and quoted Reid Berdanier, associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the START Lab.

Mechanical engineering faculty to contribute to separation materials research

11/6/2024

Adri van Duin, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, and Yun Kyung Shin, associate research professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, are part of a University of Wyoming (UW)-led research team that will study 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) — a family of materials designed have optimal traits for use in separating out different materials.

Eight Penn State engineering students awarded Diefenderfer Graduate Fellowships

11/1/2024

Eight Penn State College of Engineering graduate students have received the Diefenderfer Graduate Fellowship in Entrepreneurship for the 2024-2025 academic year. The Diefenderfer Graduate Fellowship encourages and provides financial support to innovative and entrepreneurial graduate engineering students.

Research team aims to better understand traumatic brain injuries

10/29/2024

When the brain experiences an injury, it can be difficult to definitively diagnose a concussion as the trauma is often limited to inside the skull and cannot be accurately assessed. Reuben Kraft, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Penn State College of Engineering and co-hire with the Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), and his collaborators are using computational methods and tools — such as custom mouthguard sensors — to model and predict injury in the human brain.

Penn State engineers featured in American Society of Mechanical Engineers article

10/28/2024

Mary Frecker, department head of mechanical engineering, Riess Chair of Engineering and director of the Penn State Center for Biodevices, recently co-authored an article featured in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Select Articles magazine. "What is mechanical engineering" features perspectives from Penn State alumni Michele Beisler and Brain Pandya on their work in the field.

Mechanical engineering, chemistry major named College of Engineering marshal

10/22/2024

Hannah Priller has been named the fall 2024 student marshal for the Penn State College of Engineering. She will receive bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering from the College of Engineering and in chemistry from the Eberly College of Science at the University’s?undergraduate commencement ceremony, which will be held at 1 p.m. on Dec. 22 in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Q&A: Can you encourage inclusivity by changing how students work together?

10/14/2024

A team of engineering researchers led by Scarlett Miller, Paul Morrow Professor of Engineering Design and Manufacturing, was awarded a five-year, $1.4 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to develop and scale their inclusive student teaming model to multiple campuses and universities.

Penn State College of Engineering faculty receive Fulbright Scholar, Fulbright Specialist Awards for 2024-25 year

10/4/2024

Twelve Penn State faculty members, including two from the College of Engineering, received Fulbright Scholar Awards for the 2024-25 academic year, according to the?Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program.?An additional four faculty members, including two from the College of Engineering, have been named Fulbright Specialist Award recipients.??

Sachin Gore, Andrea Ragonese selected for Engineering Unleashed Fellowship

9/30/2024

Sachin Gore, assistant teaching professor of mechanical engineering and director of undergraduate studies for the mechanical engineering department, and Andrea Ragonese, associate teaching professor in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation, were recently named 2024 Engineering Unleashed Fellows.

Climate Consortium workshop leads to speak at Millennium Café this fall

9/27/2024

This fall, the Millennium Café at Penn State will feature researchers who were awarded Climate Solutions Accelerator workshops by the Penn State Climate Consortium.

Revealing invisible educational opportunities through CT scanning

9/20/2024

As a part of its mission to educate and train industry partners and students on computed tomography (CT) scanning, the Center for Quantitative Imaging (CQI) recently supported a three-day additive manufacturing practicum for industry professionals to gain hands-on experience in using 3D X-ray CT scanning.

Three engineering researchers named Institute of Energy and the Environment Fellows

9/12/2024

Nine Penn State researchers, including three from the College of Engineering, have been named fellows of the Institute of Energy and the Environment (IEE) for 2024.

Undergraduate students gain research experience through summer program

9/11/2024

This summer, the Penn State Center for Gas Turbine Research, Education, and Outreach, housed within the Penn State College of Engineering, hosted the Penn State Low-Carbon Power and Propulsion Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at University Park.

Plan advances for addition, renovation to build START+ Lab at CATO Park

9/5/2024

The Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Finance and Investment advanced a proposal today (Sept. 5) to complete a 13,000-square-foot addition and renovation at the Lidia Manson Building at CATO Park to expand the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine (START) Lab.

Reid A. Berdanier named director of START Lab

8/30/2024

Reid A. Berdanier has been named director of the Steady Thermal Aero Research Turbine (START) Lab at Penn State, effective Aug. 15.

Vroom vroom! Penn State earns multiple wins in autonomous driving competition

8/15/2024

The Penn State Advanced Vehicle Team (AVT) took home multiple wins, including third place overall, in its third year of the AutoDrive Challenge II, which empowers student teams to develop and test a fully autonomous passenger vehicle on a controlled urban driving course over a weeklong competition.

Re-engineering medical simulation training for the next generation of physicians

8/12/2024

Placing a central line in a patient’s vein to receive fluids or medicine is one of the most common medical procedures, with more than 5 million performed each year in the United States. Researchers in Penn State’s Colleges of Engineering and of Medicine aim to reduce error rates in central-line placement by designing and implementing a novel robotic training program that uses life-like manikins and real-time feedback to simulate patient scenarios.

Jacqueline O’Connor, Parisa Shokouhi named fellows of STEM leadership program

8/8/2024

Two Penn State College of Engineering faculty members — Jacqueline O'Connor, professor of mechanical engineering, and Parisa Shokouhi, professor of engineering science and mechanics — were selected as part of the 2024-25 cohort of Drexel University’s Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science program.

Q&A: Achieving energy literacy through decarbonization research

7/29/2024

A team of researchers in the Penn State College of Engineering was awarded a five-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to study how undergraduate engineering students learn and develop into energy-literate engineers as they engage with long-term research experiences centered on decarbonization.

Center for Immersive Experiences supports research avenues across University

7/9/2024

The Penn State Center for Immersive Experiences (CIE) aims to create a “convergence accelerator for research” across the commonwealth at Penn State, according to Jessica Menold, CIE director, Institute for Computational and Data Sciences co-hire and associate professor of mechanical engineering and of industrial and manufacturing engineering.

Wangda Zuo honored with international society service award

7/8/2024

Wangda Zuo, professor of architectural engineering and of mechanical engineering, received the Exceptional Service Award from ASHRAE, formerly the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, in June at the society’s annual conference in Indianapolis.

NASA selects Penn State engineering team to develop technology for spacecraft

7/1/2024

A Penn State research team was one of eight chosen to receive funding from NASA as part of the agency’s University SmallSat Technology Partnerships (USTP) initiative within NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) program.

Six engineering undergrads earn Graduate Research Fellowships

6/27/2024

Six College of Engineering baccalaureate graduates have been selected for the U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP). Four engineering graduates were also named honorable mentions for the NSF-GRFP.

Mechanical engineering research team’s work featured on journal cover

6/24/2024

A paper from a team of Penn State College of Engineering and Los Alamos National Lab researchers was featured on the cover of the July issue of Experimental Mechanics.

Celebrating excellence in postdoctoral scholarship and mentorship at Penn State

6/21/2024

The Penn State Postdoc Society (PSPS), in collaboration with Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, has announced the 2024 recipients of the Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar and Outstanding Postdoctoral Mentor awards. The award recognition luncheon, honoring the awardees, nominators and judges, was held on June 17.

Project aims to build strong manufacturing workforce with immersive technology

6/17/2024

The Richard King Mellon Foundation recently awarded $392,000 to two researchers at Penn State to build a strong science- and technology-focused (STF) workforce in the state’s Mon Valley region through collaboration and virtual, augmented and mixed reality trainings and tools.

Professor Wangda Zuo receives two recognitions from building-simulation association

6/14/2024

Wangda Zuo, professor of architectural engineering and of mechanical engineering, received the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA)-USA Outstanding Researcher Award. Zuo was recognized at the SimBuild 2024 conference in May in Denver, where he also received the best poster award for one of his papers.

Scarlett Miller named Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation director

6/13/2024

Scarlett Miller, professor of industrial engineering and of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering at Penn State, was recently appointed director of Penn State’s Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation.

Two nuclear engineering grad students awarded Department of Energy fellowships

6/10/2024

Nuclear engineering graduate students Scout Bucks and Alex Nellis were awarded graduate fellowships from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Program. The fellowships include a $169,000 stipend issued over three years and a summer internship at a DOE lab.

From rock climbing to dining, students use engineering to improve accessibility

6/7/2024

A capstone course taught in the spring of 2024 focused specifically on adaptive technology, which is a device or piece of technology designed to provide physical or cognitive assistance.

Engineering investigators awarded seed grants by Institute of Energy and the Environment

6/6/2024

Six interdisciplinary research teams with investigators from the College of Engineering have been awarded funding through the?Institute of Energy and the Environment’s Seed Grant Program for 2024.

$4.4 million investment will expand metals-based outreach programs at Penn State

5/28/2024

The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) and the Department of Defense will invest $4.4 million in several metals-based manufacturing programs at Penn State’s Behrend and University Park campuses, where researchers are creating workforce development programs that will strengthen the U.S. metal casting and forging industries.

GAP funding paves the way for research to move from lab to market

5/21/2024

Four projects were recently awarded Penn State Commercialization GAP funding. The GAP Fund, formerly known as the Fund for Innovation, aims to accelerate the development of promising research across the University by closing the funding gaps between proof-of-concept research and readiness for commercialization.

Five engineering undergraduates receive Erickson Discovery Grants

5/14/2024

The Erickson Discovery Grant, which funds independent research projects for undergraduate students, has been awarded to five engineering majors, who were among 43 recipients this year.

Jacqueline O’Connor named to leadership team of Penn State Climate Consortium

5/9/2024

Jacqueline O’Connor, professor of mechanical engineering, has been named an associate director of the Penn State Climate Consortium alongside Janet Swim, professor of psychology.

Tak Sing Wong elected fellow of two professional societies

5/2/2024

Tak Sing Wong, professor of mechanical engineering and of biomedical engineering, was elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

How to build a robot in three days

5/1/2024

The Penn State Robot in Three Days club participated in the national FIRST Robotics competition, where students are tasked with designing, prototyping and building a robot in just 72 hours.

Twinning: Kaylie and Kylie Barber named mechanical engineering student marshals

5/1/2024

Identical twins Kaylie and Kylie Barber are the first-ever duo selected to serve as dual student marshals for the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

College of Engineering names student marshals for spring 2024 commencement

4/25/2024

The Penn State College of Engineering has named its student marshals for the spring 2024 commencement ceremony.

Winners announced for 16th annual Materials Visualization Competition

4/23/2024

Six members of the College of Engineering are among the winners of the 16th annual Materials Visualization Competition (MVC), a scientific visual and artistic competition sponsored by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) and the Materials Research Institute (MRI) at Penn State.

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.

Penn State Climate Consortium awards three engineering climate action workshops

4/18/2024

Penn State’s Climate Consortium awarded funding to hold workshops to three researchers from the Penn State College of Engineering, including Zoubeida Ounaies, professor of mechanical engineering, director of the Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Material Systems and associate director of the Materials Research Institute; Christine Kirchhoff, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and of law, policy and engineering; and James Mutunga, assistant research professor in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation.

Novel robotic training program reduces physician errors placing central lines

4/17/2024

More than 5 million central lines are placed in patients who need prolonged drug delivery, such as those undergoing cancer treatments, in the United States every year, yet the common procedure can lead to a bevy of complications in almost a million of those cases. To help decrease the rate of infections, blood clots and other complications associated with placing a central line catheter, Penn State researchers developed an online curriculum coupled with a hands-on simulation training to provide trainee physicians with more practice.

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.

Eight engineering graduate students honored with prestigious University awards

4/4/2024

Eight College of Engineering graduate students were among the forty Penn State graduate students named recipients of Penn State’s most prestigious annual graduate student recognition awards.

‘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.

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