
Impact, the magazine of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, showcases college news, the latest research discoveries, stories about outstanding alumni and students, and more... Content includes features about each of our five departments, science snapshots, engaged students, around the college, faculty notes, and alumni accolades.
NOTE: The college did not produce a 2021 magazine due to COVID-19 and content from 2021 and 2022 is included in this issue.
Features
Science Snapshots
- Hotter and drier conditions limit forest recovery from wildfires
- Sister climate cities, utility data predict future water, electricity demands
- Scientists develop new method to create stable, efficient next-gen solar cells
- Ken Davis to lead field campaign to study climate in Baltimore area
- Curiosity rover finds new evidence of ancient Mars rivers, a key signal for life
- Statewide environmental monitoring network launched
- Melting ice falling snow: Sea ice declines enhance snowfall over
West Antarctica - No shortcuts: New approach may help extract more heat from geothermal reservoirs
- NSF grant to investigate the role of macrobiota in carbon
cycling in estuaries - Hydrogen battery: Storing hydrogen in coal may help power clean energy economy
- New high-power thermoelectric device may provide cooling in
next-gen electronics - Better synthesis of geospatial data may help combat poachers
- Breakthrough in waste heat to green energy: Materials boost
record efficiency - Using machine learning, existing fiber optic cables to track Pittsburgh hazards
- Earth’s crust, tectonic plates gradually formed

Around the College
- Documentary film on research institute’s history, impact premiered this fall
- Celebration held to honor former dean and director, William Ewart Easterling III
- New name: John A. Dutton Institute for Teaching and Learning Excellence
- New museum director pulls from the past, readies collections for future
- Penn State mourns the loss of Charles L. Hosler
- ‘Weather World’ celebrated 40th anniversary
Engaged Students
- New Zealand offers students chance to see path to sustainable energy future
- Students hone geospatial skills in Europe
- World Campus student receives 2023 Lt. Michael P. Murphy Award
- Landscape-U program connects graduate students with Navajo Nation
- Spring break trip to Iceland empowers sustainability leaders of tomorrow
- Four EMS students receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Faculty Notes
- Luis Ayala, William A. Fustos Family Professor in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, was named head of the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering. He also received the Regional Service Award from the SPE.
- Allison Beese, associate professor of materials science and engineering, was named co-director of the Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition.
- Cynthia Brewer, professor of geography, was awarded the 2023 Carl Mannerfelt Gold Medal by the International Cartographic
Association. - Guido Cervone, E. Willard and Ruby S. Miller Professor of Geography and associate director of the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, was elected president of the Natural Hazards section of the American Geophysical Union.
- Long-Qing Chen, Hamer Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, was elected as a foreign member of the Academia Europaea.
- Hamid Emami-Meybodi, associate professor of energy and mineral engineering, was awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award for Petroleum Engineering Faculty from SPE.
- Christopher Fowler, associate professor of geography and demography, received the 2023 Penn State Award for Faculty Outreach.
- José Fuentes, professor of atmospheric science, was elected as
a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. He also received the AGU Ambassador Award. He also was elected as a Fellow of the AAAS.
- Peter Heaney, professor of geosciences, received a 2023 Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching from Penn State.
- Russell Johns, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering, received the 2023 SPE/AIME Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal from the International Society of Petroleum Engineers for technical leadership.
- Zuleima Karpyn, associate dean for graduate education and
research in EMS and Donohue Family Professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, was awarded the Reservoir Description and Dynamics Award from SPE. - James Kasting, Evan Pugh University Professor Emeritus of
Geosciences at Penn State, was named an Atherton Professor by Penn State. - Brian King, department head and professor of geography, was named a Fellow of the Big Ten Academic Alliance.
- Kimberly Lau, associate professor of geosciences, was awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship.
- Wenjie Li, associate research professor of materials science and
engineering, received a 2023 Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award. - Zi-Kui Liu, Dorothy Pate Enright Professor in MatSE, was recognized by the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society for his impact on the fields of computational materials science and
materials design with an honorary symposium. - Jon-Paul Maria, professor of materials science and engineering,
received a 2023 Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement from Penn State. - Paul Markowski, distinguished professor of meteorology, was
named head of the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State.
- Dipanjan Pan, Dorothy Foehr Huck & J. Lloyd Huck Chair Professor in Nanomedicine and professor of materials science and engineering, was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
- Emily Rosenman, assistant professor of geography, was named
a Social Science Research Institute Mentored Faculty Fellow for 2023-24. - Erica Smithwick, distinguished professor of geography, was
named director of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State. - Sanjay Srinivasan, professor of petroleum and natural gas
engineering, was named director of the EMS Energy Institute. - Ezgi Toraman, assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering and chemical engineering, was one of twelve early-career scientists named to Chemical & Engineering News’ 2023 “Talented 12” list.
- Christelle Wauthier, associate professor of geosciences, was
elected president president of the Natural Hazards section of the American Geophysical Union. - Peter Wilf, professor of geosciences, was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Issue Number
2023
Issue Label
2023