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8/28/2026
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has renewed its support for the UNESCO Chair on Building Innovation and Manufacturing Capacities through Advanced Technology Education at Penn State for another four years. Osama Awadelkarim, professor of engineering science and mechanics and director of the Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization (CNEU) at Penn State, will continue in his leadership role as the UNESCO chairholder, a position he has held since 2018.
8/18/2026
An interdisciplinary team of engineers and chemists at Penn State has laid the groundwork to 3D print spheroids — tiny clusters of living cells — capable of regenerating bone tissue in response to severe trauma or infections.
8/14/2026
A team of researchers led by Penn State developed an ultrasoft, adhesive and printable hydrogel — a soft, water-rich material that mimics the flexibility of living tissue — designed to conform to dry, wet, moving and hairy skin.
8/10/2026
A research project, led by Penn State engineers to create a sort of digital brain inspired by the processes insects and small animals use to make smart decisions with limited information, has been awarded $12 million by the U.S. Army through the Army’s Research Laboratory.
8/10/2026
Huanyu (Larry) Cheng, professor of engineering science and mechanics and affiliated faculty member in four additional Penn State engineering departments, has been named a fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (FIMMM). The honor recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions and demonstrated distinguished achievement in materials science, engineering and related disciplines.
8/6/2026
Larry Cheng, a professor of engineering science and mechanics, biomedical, architectural and industrial and manufacturing engineering, has been elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), one of the society's highest honors. Fellowship recognizes exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the profession, with just 3,448 fellows among ASME's 70,255 members.
8/3/2026
Vincent Meunier has been named the 2026 Graffin Lecturer by the American Carbon Society, recognizing his contributions to carbon science and engineering. As part of the honor, Meunier will deliver lectures at universities and research institutions across North America to share his research and encourage collaboration in the field.
7/24/2026
Penn State researchers and international collaborators developed a soft, stretchable antenna that can keep working even when pulled in different directions. The work, published in Nature Communications, could help make wearable health monitors more reliable during everyday activity.
7/14/2026
The Penn State Engineering Alumni Society (PSEAS) held its annual awards ceremony on June 12 at the State Theatre, building on its 54-year tradition of honoring excellence among engineering faculty, staff and alumni through the PSEAS awards. The award recipients were recognized in the categories of teaching, research, advising and service.
7/14/2026
Thirty-six Penn State graduate students, including four graduate engineering students, have received scholarships of up to $10,000 from the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Endowment, established by Jeff and Ann Marie Fox’s $20 million naming gift to Penn State’s J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School. The 36 students are studying in 32 master’s or doctoral degree programs.
7/13/2026
Thirty-one Penn State students, including seven College of Engineering students, earned Discovery Grants to help fund their summer research and projects, gaining the opportunity for valuable experience in the field, in the lab and abroad.
7/13/2026
Engineers at Penn State are blending art and science to create cute, paint-on tattoos that could help spot heart attacks early, power robotic prosthetics and read brain waves — all within a colorful, customizable system that can be easily washed away or reapplied.
6/26/2026
Penn State researchers are actively using artificial intelligence, digital twins, and advanced laboratory simulations to study thawing permafrost in the Arctic. Their work aims to protect vulnerable northern infrastructure and improve global climate models by tracking how melting frozen soil releases massive amounts of carbon.
6/22/2026
Twelve research projects, including nine from the College of Engineering, have been selected for the 2026 Penn State Commercialization GAP Fund. Awarded projects receive $75,000 in funding and other support to develop promising proof-of-concept research into commercial ready technology.
6/9/2026
Although self-driving cars and sophisticated robots use advanced cameras, computer algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) to picture their surroundings, these artificial eyes struggle to remain reliable in mixed lighting conditions. A team of researchers, co-led by an engineer from Penn State, has proposed a solution that mimics the mechanics of the human eye to adapt from bright to dark light in seconds.
6/1/2026
Ibrahim Ozbolat, a professor of engineering science and mechanics,biomedical engineering and the Huck Chair in 3D Bioprinting & Regenerative Medicine, has been elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The honor places him among a select group of engineers acknowledged for their impact on research, innovation and the profession.
5/22/2026
A vital tool for healthcare practitioners, electroencephalography (EEG) systems measure electrical activity in the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp, but getting reliable readings can be surprisingly difficult. Hair interferes with contact between the electrodes and skin, and the gels used to improve those connections often dry out over time, weakening signal quality. Researchers at Penn State have developed a reusable material designed to solve both problems at once.
5/20/2026
Penn State has announced non-tenure-line faculty promotions, including for 14 College of Engineering faculty, effective July 1.
5/20/2026
Penn State has announced academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, including 25 faculty from the College of Engineering, effective July 1, 2026.
5/15/2026
A team of researchers at Penn State have developed a new class of 3D-printed bioelectronics made of soft, stretchy materials, as well as an adhesive component that helps the device painlessly stick to biological tissue.
4/29/2026
Five non-tenure-line faculty will use Opportunity Grants to fund a project of their choosing during the 2026-27 academic year. Opportunity Grants are designed for clinical, teaching, research and professors of practice faculty to receive funding for professional development through a self-proposed project.
4/27/2026
A team of researchers at Penn State found a potential biological mechanism underlying why exercise is thought to benefit brain health: abdominal contractions compress blood vessels connected to the spinal cord and the brain, enabling the organ to gently move within the skull. This swaying facilitates the surrounding cerebrospinal fluid to flow over the brain, potentially washing away neural waste that could cause problems for brain function.
4/16/2026
Soft electrodes designed to perfectly match a person’s brain surface may help advance neural interfaces for neurodegenerative disease monitoring and treatment, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers.
4/9/2026
The Penn State College of Engineering has named its student marshals for the spring 2026 commencement, recognizing top students from each major and ROTC for academic excellence and leadership. The honor highlights their achievements and contributions to the engineering community as they prepare to graduate.
4/9/2026
Larry Cheng, the James L. Henderson Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Stratis V. Sotirchos Award for his contributions to chemical engineering. He will deliver a lecture at the Panhellenic Scientific Conference of Chemical Engineering in Greece this June.
4/9/2026
The winners of the 18th annual Materials Visualization Competition (MVC) have been announced. MVC is a scientific visual and artistic competition that celebrates the quality of research in materials at Penn State and promotes awareness of materials science through visualization. MVC is sponsored by the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Materials Research Institute.
4/9/2026
Three Penn State graduate students from the College of Engineering were among the 31 graduate students to earn awards at the 2026 Graduate Exhibition, hosted by the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School on Friday, March 27, on the University Park campus.
4/6/2026
The Penn State College of Engineering will recognize 21 alumni with the 2026 Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award and Early Career Award in a ceremony on April 9 in the State Theatre. The event marks the second year in which the two awards will be presented during a combined ceremony.
3/30/2026
A research team, including Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, James L. Henderson Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, is using pressure sensors — tiny devices, roughly the size of a paperclip, that can measure the force applied over an area — to design a highly sensitive electronic “skin” to use alongside robots and prosthetic limbs.
3/23/2026
Christopher Kube, associate professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, has been named a 2026 Distinguished Faculty Scholar at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Through the program, Kube will collaborate with LANL researchers to explore the use of quantum computing to simulate elastic wave propagation, advancing research at the intersection of wave physics and quantum science.
3/18/2026
Penn
State has been named as a sub-awardee on four teams selected for funding by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Three of the projects are funded through the ARPA-H
Building Resilient Environments for Air and Total Health (BREATHE) and aim to enhance indoor air quality, and one of the projects is funded through the ARPA-H Personalized Regenerative Immunocompetent Nanotechnology Tissue (PRINT) program and aims to bioprint organs on demand.
3/10/2026
Saptarshi Das and a team of international researchers report in a study published in Nature Materials that an atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) material, chromium oxychloride (CrOCl), dramatically outperforms conventional hard mask materials used in chip fabrication
3/6/2026
The semiconductor chips driving modern-day computer processors are covered in billions of individual transistors, each of which can overheat under stress, causing steep drops in performance. To address this, a team led by researchers at Penn State has developed a microscopic thermometer, smaller than an ant’s antenna, that can be integrated onto a chip to accurately track temperatures.
2/4/2026
The Leonhard Center for Enhancement of Engineering Education has announced the winners of its inaugural Arts and Engineering Competition. The competition celebrates the creativity and innovation at the intersection of art and engineering.
2/2/2026
The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society (TMS) awarded two faculty members in the Penn State College of Engineering the Early Career Faculty Fellow Award. The award was granted to Miaomiao Jin, assistant professor of nuclear engineering, and Yang Yang, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics and of nuclear engineering, for their outstanding research and service to TMS and Penn State.
1/5/2026
A startup based on research conducted at Penn State is developing a soft, minimally invasive neural implant intended to reduce inflammation and improve communication with the brain for individuals with drug-resistant epilepsy or living with paralysis. The team recently participated in the Invent Penn State U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps regional short course to learn more about how their product might fit in the medical device market.
12/17/2025
Yang Yang, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics at Pennsylvania State University, received the 2025 U.S. Department of Energy Early Career Research Program Award for his work on how radiation affects metallic glasses, making him the first College of Engineering faculty member to earn both DOE ECRP and NSF CAREER awards. His research aims to advance safer, more resilient materials for next-generation nuclear reactors.
12/8/2025
To investigate the interactions between the influenza virus and bacterial microbe infections and how these interactions impact the lungs, a team co-led by researchers at Penn State and Duke University School of Medicine has been awarded a four-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
12/7/2025
Six materials researchers at Penn State, including three from the College of Engineering, have received the 2025 Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award, recognizing a wide range of research with societal impact. The award is presented by the Materials Research Institute (MRI) for recent interdisciplinary materials research at Penn State that yields innovative and unexpected results.
12/5/2025
The Penn State Learning Factory will host its biannual end-of-semester showcase for engineering students to present their cornerstone and capstone design projects. The in-person showcase will take place from 1:00-3:00 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11, at the Bryce Jordan Center, while a virtual showcase will take place on Friday, Dec. 12 through Friday, Dec. 19. Both versions of the event are free and open to the public.
12/5/2025
The Quantum Hub, housed under the Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS), has awarded Quantum SuperSEED grants to three Penn State faculty research teams. All three teams include researchers from the College of Engineering.
11/19/2025
Researchers developed a scalable, versatile approach to designing and fabricating wireless, internet-enabled electronic systems that can better adapt to 3D surfaces, like the human body or common household items, paving the path for more precise health monitoring or household automation, such as a smart recliner that can monitor and correct poor sitting habits to improve circulation and prevent long-term problems.
11/12/2025
Penn State will celebrate its eleventh GivingTuesday on Dec. 2 — and the College of Engineering invites alumni and friends to be a part of the event by making a gift to support engineering student success.
11/11/2025
While the exact causes of neurodegenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer's and dementia are still largely unknown, researchers have been able to identify a key characteristic in affected brains: reduced blood flow. Building upon this foundational understanding, a team at Penn State, led by Patrick Drew, professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, recently found that a rare neuron that is extremely vulnerable to anxiety-induced stress appears to be responsible for regulating blood flow and coordinating neural activity in mice.
11/6/2025
For the first time, researchers have made niobium sulfide metallic nanotubes with stable, predictable properties, a long-sought goal in advanced materials science. According to the international team, including a researcher at Penn State, that made the accomplishment, the new nanomaterial that could open the door to faster electronics, efficient electricity transport via superconductor wires and even future quantum computers was made possible with a surprising ingredient: table salt.
11/3/2025
A fermentation byproduct might help to solve two major global challenges: world hunger and the environmental impact of fast fashion. The leftover yeast from brewing beer, wine or even to make some pharmaceuticals can be repurposed to produce high-performance fibers stronger than natural fibers with significantly less environmental impact, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State and published today (Nov. 3) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
10/29/2025
There’s a lion’s share of potential energy in the vibrations produced by footsteps on dance floors, exercise machines in the gym, or the engines of cars, planes or construction equipment. Some tech companies have already begun to harvest electricity from waste vibrations to power lights and recharge batteries using a class of piezoelectric ceramic materials, which emit electrical charges when stepped on or manipulated. Now, a team led by materials scientists at Penn State has expanded these early efforts of energy harvesting by improving the structure and chemistry of a piezoelectric material made of potassium sodium niobate, or KNN.
10/17/2025
Five years ago, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation established the A. James Clark Scholars Program, a comprehensive scholarship and curricular support program for exceptional Penn State engineering undergraduates who demonstrate financial need. Now, with an additional $11 million investment, the Clark Foundation renewed its support for the program, ensuring that 10 new undergraduate engineering majors at Penn State will receive full tuition, fees, room and board, and curricular enrichment support each year in perpetuity.
10/9/2025
A team of researchers led by Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, the James L. Henderson, Jr. Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, created an on-skin sensing platform to detect vitamin B6 in small concentrations of sweat, instead of relying on expensive, in-person blood draws. The sensor also has the capability to be adapted for glucose sensing at a high sensitivity, allowing patients with diabetes to monitor glucose and vitamin B6 simultaneously.
9/29/2025
The latest episode of Invent Penn State’s "Dare to Disrupt" podcast features Robert Chisena, co-founder and CTO of Amplitude Vascular Systems (AVS), a medical device company focused on safely and effectively treating severely calcified arterial disease.
