December 9, 2025 - UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. — CEDE Director Prof. Werner was invited to present remarks as a panel moderator on the subject of: “Achieving Electromagnetic Dominance: Leveraging High Powered Microwaves in Modern Defense” at the 8th Annual Directed Energy Summit held in National Harbor, Maryland. Due to his technical expertise on the subject matter and leadership experience as the Director of CEDE, Prof. Werner was personally invited to discuss the strategic advantages of integrating HPM into future combat scenarios—the operational considerations, potential ethical implications, and the unique capabilities offered by these emerging advancements. This was a landmark opportunity for CEDE to exhibit their expertise in directed energy development as the Summit is the premier event in directed energy development inviting leading experts, policymakers, and innovators from across the Directed Energy community to support warfighter and national defense objectives. Please click here for more information about the event.
Jun 16, 2025 - UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. — CEDE student researchers Micah Haack, a doctoral student in electrical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, has been awarded the U.S. Department of Defense Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship. The SMART Scholarship-for-Service Program awards undergraduate and graduate students in science, technology, engineering and math fields full tuition for up to five years, along with mentorship, summer internships, an annual stipend of $30,000 to $46,000 and guaranteed post-graduate civilian employment with the Department of Defense. Haack was awarded two-and-a-half years of funding through SMART and plans to graduate in December 2027. More information about this award can be found through Penn State's announcement here.
November 3, 2025 - State College, PA - CEDE student researchers Conner Haney (up right), Wolfgang VonGetzie,(down middle) and Tyler Burns (up left) have been selected as recipients of the 2025/2026 Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS) Graduate Scholarship. Each scholar has been awarded between $5,000 and $10,000 in research funding to support their continued work in the field of Directed Energy (DE) technologies. More information about this award can be found through the DEPS newsletter here and through Penn State's announcement here.
August 4, 2025 - Ottawa, Canada - CEDE members recently attended the 2025 IEEE AP-S/URSI Conference held in Ottawa, Canada where they participated in a directed energy-focused special session titled “Advances in High Power Microwave Antennas: Transitioning to Next-Generation Technologies.” CEDE PhD student Tyler G. Burns delivered an invited talk entitled “Using GRIN Lenses to Improve High Power Microwave Metamaterial Reflectarrays.” This work highlights innovative approaches to increasing the power handling capabilities of high-power microwave systems through gradient-index lens integration and bespoke optimization methods. The session also included notable presentations from researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory and Lockheed Martin.
May 19, 2025 - Washington, DC - CEDE PhD student Tyler Burns met with members of Congress alongside special guests including Bill Nye the Science Guy at the Citizens for Space Exploration event. Tyler advocated for America’s Human Space Exploration Program and emphasized continued support for NASA. He met with Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation to discuss the implications of proposed NASA funding cuts and highlighted the importance of sustaining the Artemis lunar program for both the state of Pennsylvania and Penn State University.
2024 - State College, PA - CEDE PhD student Micah Haack (right) and former student Ryan Beneck (left) have been selected as recipients of the 2024/2025 Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS) Graduate Scholarship.
2023 - State College, PA - CEDE former student Colin Mussman has been selected as a recipient of the 2023/2024 Directed Energy Professional Society (DEPS) Graduate Scholarship.
