Most of the energy we use today is derived from fossil fuels, but the transition to a carbon-neutral economy will require more than just capturing solar and wind power for electricity generation. We must consider the energy sustainability of our water, food, and industrial infrastructures by shifting from a hydrocarbon to electrochemical platform based on water, hydrogen and electrons—if we are smart enough to solve some very challenging problems in electrochemistry. The Penn State Energy 2100 Strategic Initiative will help mobilize resources in these directions.

There is a vast disconnect between the crystallization behavior of polymers under controlled conditions and the highly sheared, rapidly-quenched conditions encountered during manufacturing. I will discuss new techniques to understand and manipulate the flow induced crystallization of polymers under fast cooling conditions, to form intentional microstructure, and optimize property profiles of both neat and composite polymers.

Calvin Yeager “Instructions to Harm”

Marlene Carla Ndoun Tangmo  |  “Biochar as a Filter Media for the Adsorption of Emerging Contaminants”

Laxmicharan Samineni  |  “Nature-based Pathogen Filters”

On May 21th 40 students competed in the Millennium Café Pitch Competition sponsored by PPG.  The competition was fierce as students had <2 minutes to introduce their research in a manner that was understandable and inspiring to our panel of judges.  Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the top-3 winners from this year’s competition.

In the spirit of the Café, 45 students are competing for the top prize by pitching their research in two minutes or less. Topics range from clean water, nanoscience, medicine, energy, materials, and much more. This is a great opportunity to scout for new collaborations while enjoying a cup of coffee. The competition starts at 10:00 and will be setup similar to a poster session - this enables attendees to individually engage the competitors. Please be mindful of the judges as they need to evaluate every competitor in a short period of time. PPG has once again generously provided funding to enable this fantastic event.

John Elfar | Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation

Our lab has found striking new properties of Erythropoietin and 4-aminopyridine in the regeneration of nerve and preservation of muscle after peripheral nerve trauma. Our published work shows these compounds seem to enhance myelination at the site of severe nerve crush injuries and alter the evolution of post-denervation muscle atrophy - key unsolved problems in orthopaedic trauma. We seek collaborations to solve key problems in the treatment of these patients, including diagnosis of severed nerves, treatments of nerve degeneration, and muscle atrophy.

Klaus Keller | Geosciences

A changing climate drives risks. To better manage climate risks, we need to: (i) do the research right and (ii) do the right research. Starting with real-world decision-problems and integrating decision-makers into an environment of shared discovery can help with this task.