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.
News
Underground fiber optic sensors record sounds of COVID lockdown, reopening
New research reveals how residents in one community returned to their routines as COVID-19 restrictions lifted, according to a team of Penn State scientists.
Ethane proxies for methane in oil and gas emissions
Measuring ethane in the atmosphere shows that the amounts of methane going into the atmosphere from oil and gas wells and contributing to greenhouse warming is higher than suggested by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to an international team of scientists.
Penn State to partner with U. of Oklahoma on severe weather research institute
Penn State will be one of the partners in the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s new Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CISHIWRO) hosted by the University of Oklahoma (OU).
Computers help researchers find materials to turn solar power into hydrogen
Using solar energy to inexpensively harvest hydrogen from water could help replace carbon-based fuel sources and shrink the world’s carbon footprint.
New flooding risk tool developed for the state of Pennsylvania
In partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), Penn State developed a new flood risk tool for the state of Pennsylvania
New tissue-closure model may aid in promotion of faster wound healing
The observation of a previously undetected biological mechanism for closing gaps in living tissue improves basic understanding of the wound-healing process and may one day inform strategies to speed healing after surgery, according to a team of Penn State and Singapore researchers.
Innovative batteries put flying cars on the horizon
A team of Penn State researchers are exploring the requirements for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles and designing and testing potential battery power sources.
Graduate student finalists show their work during research pitch competition
Six Penn State graduate students involved in materials or engineering research presented a concise rundown of their research, in two minutes or less, for judges from companies including PPG, Corning, Dow and Murata at the finals of the Millennium Café PPG Elevator Pitch Competition on May 18.
Climate change a bigger threat to landscape biodiversity than emerald ash borer
Despite the devastating impact the emrald ash borer has had on forests in the eastern and midwestern parts of the U.S., climate change will have a much larger and widespread impact on these landscapes through the end of the century, according to researchers.
Spacetime crystals proposed by placing space and time on an equal footing
A Penn State scientist studying crystal structures has developed a new mathematical formula that may solve a decades-old problem in understanding spacetime, the fabric of the universe proposed in Einstein’s theories of relativity.