$1.5M grant to develop advanced digital casting of manufacturing components

Team of researchers in manufacturing facility

America Makes and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining have awarded a team led by Guha Manogharan, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, $1.5 million to develop a new approach to casting metal components used in machinery and vehicles. The award comes as a part of a project led by a consortium through the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Manufacturing Technology Program, known as IMPACT 3.0, worth a total of $4.5 million.

Fermentation waste used to make natural fabric

Five men and one woman standing next to corn plants in a field

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.