Read the latest news about research conducted by investigators in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Our faculty and students are continually advancing technology, creating solutions and expanding knowledge with new and innovative research.
New options for health, environmental monitoring with water-resistant gas sensor
Accurate, continuous monitoring of nitrogen dioxide and other gases in humid environments is now possible, thanks to a new water-resistant gas sensor developed by a Penn State led team.
Penn State scientists join Pacific field campaign to study extreme rainfall
Penn State researchers spent their summer in one of the world’s wettest regions as part of an international effort to study extreme rainfall, hazardous weather events that can trigger deadly and damaging events like flooding and landslides.
New type of semiconductor may advance low-energy electronics
A research partnership between Penn State and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) could enable an improved method to make a new type of semiconductor that is a few atoms thin and interacts with light in an unusual way.
Seed grants to fund projects that tackle huge scientific, societal challenges
Penn State’s Institute for Computational and Data Sciences awarded this year’s seed grant program, offering funds to Penn State scientists to help them start research projects.
Smart chip senses, stores, computes and secures data in one low-power platform
Led by Saptarshi Das, Penn State associate professor of engineering science and mechanics, researchers developed a smart hardware platform, or chip, to mitigate energy consumption while adding a layer of security.
Thermally regenerative battery produces ample energy using low-grade waste heat
A new process for creating thermally regenerative ammonia batteries improves their stability and affordability and may help address the country’s growing grid-scale energy storage problem, according to a team led by Penn State researchers.
Laser writing may enable ‘electronic nose’ for multi-gas sensor
Environmental sensors are a step closer to simultaneously sniffing out multiple gases that could indicate disease or pollution, thanks to a Penn State collaboration.
California’s Dixie Fire shows impact of legacy effects, prescribed burns
Fire history largely determined how severely the 2021 Dixie Fire burned, and low-severity fire treatments had the largest impact on reducing the worst effects of the fire, according to a Penn State-led research team.
Rubbery camouflage skin exhibits smart and stretchy behaviors
A Penn State-led collaboration has harnessed special properties to create an artificial skin that mimics both the elasticity and the neurologic functions of cephalopod skin, with potential applications for neurorobotics, skin prosthetics, artificial organs and more.
Real-time, accurate virus detection method could help fight next pandemic
A method of highly accurate and sensitive virus identification using Raman spectroscopy, a portable virus capture device and machine learning could enable real-time virus detection and identification to help battle future pandemics, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State.