Research with Impact

From developing NanoJackets, an innovative drug delivery device that infiltrates tumors to deliver cancer therapies, to exploring the impact of a changing climate on the Earth’s ecosystems, researchers in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences are exploring new frontiers and tackling the top scientific challenges in the earth, energy, and materials sciences and engineering.

OUR RESEARCH IMPACTS THE WORLD

Penn State is a premier research institution and faculty in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences work side-by-side with both graduate and undergraduate students in active and original scholarly inquiry. For example:

We are developing enhanced recovery techniques for petroleum and gas reservoirs.
We are conducting research with drones.
We are pioneering approaches to cancer therapy, which rely on advances in nanotechnology to infiltrate tumors and deliver a therapeutic agent.
We are investigating the social-ecological interactions of agriculture and food security.
We are developing new computational methodologies and cyberinfrastructure solutions for the analysis of geospatial 'big data.'
We are studying study of the chemical composition of the Earth's atmosphere.

Our research impacts the world!

Paul F. Robertson Award for EMS Research Breakthrough of the Year

The Paul F. Robertson Award for the EMS Research Breakthrough of the Year was created in 2012 with support from a generous gift by EMS alumnus Paul F. Robertson. The award recognizes research achievements over the previous year. View videos below showcasing award winners.

2024: A new look at Earth's tectonic plates

In a recent paper published in Geochemical Perspectives Letters, titled ‘A whole- lithosphere view of continental growth,’ Jesse and his collaborators suggest that continents began growing between 2.5 and 3 billion years ago and that the growth happened later and more gradual than previously thought.

2023: Planning for Uncertainty in Power Grid

Seth Blumsack and Mort Webster investigated how organizations plan the transition to low-carbon electric power and results revealed the best approach to creating a carbon-neutral power grid is by first employing a near-term strategy that’s agile in the face of uncertainty.

2022: Cleansing Power of Lightning

Bill Brune and his team identifyied a new pathway for producing the hydroxyl radical – OH that greatly advances our understanding of atmospheric chemistry, indicating that electrical discharges are an important source of oxidation and are able to cleanse the atmosphere or airborne pollutants.

2019 Risk Management and Decision Support Solutions

In a world where climate change is intensifying natural disasters and leading to record-high costs in damages, Klaus Keller's research group is bridging together scientific research and communities to reach effective and affordable solutions

2018 Transparent metal films

A new material that is both highly transparent and electrically conductive could make large screen displays, smart windows and even touch screens and solar cells more affordable and efficient, according to a team led by Roman Engel-Herbert who discovered it.

2017 Cold Sintering

Researchers in Penn State's Materials Research Institute, led by Clive Randall, recently discovered a process that could revolutionize the manufacturing industry. Known as cold sintering, the process could be used for developing materials we use every day, such as bricks and glass, at a much lower energy cost than the process used today.

2016 COMPUTER VISION CRACKS THE LEAF CODE

Peter Wilf, professor of geosciences at Penn State, and an international team developed a machine learning algorithm that can identify leaf images into their biological families.

2015 ICE SHEET MODELING

Dave Pollard designed a model that is unique in its ability to simulate ice sheets over their full range of time scales, allowing us to include knowledge of the past in assessing future sea-level rise.

2014 THE GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS OF SLOW EARTHQUAKES

Don Fisher, Chris Marone, and Demian Saffer were awarded the 2104 Paul F. Robertson Award for Research Breakthrough of the Year.

2013 INSPIRING RESEARCH: JAMES ADAIR

James Adair and his team at Penn State are transforming the way we treat and detect cancer through their nanoscience research with a new drug delivery and imaging system utilizing nanojackets. Changing the way that drugs are delivered to cancer patients, reducing the impact on patients and their families.

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