$3.6M NIH grant funds study of smart lighting for dementia symptoms and sleep
A team from Penn State’s Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing and College of Engineering will test a smart lighting system in Pennsylvania nursing homes
Penn State researchers have received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant expected to provide about $3.6 million over five years to test whether a smart lighting system can improve sleep and behavioral and psychological symptoms among nursing home residents living with dementia.
Tiny wrinkles bend physics to change how electricity moves through graphene
Tiny wrinkles could reveal new behaviors in graphene, an exceptionally strong, conductive and thin material used in batteries, computer chips and other electronics. According to a new study published in Advanced Materials, small bends in graphene’s two-dimensional (2D), or one-atom-thick, structure can change the material’s electrical properties.
Critical minerals and materials workshop fosters collaboration, partnerships
By Emma Stefanacci
Penn State showcased its leadership in critical minerals and materials research and workforce development through a recent three-day workshop that brought together nearly 150 representatives from academia, industry and government agencies.
Ivy Mawusi Asuo
Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
(e) ipa5154@psu.edu
409 Steidle Building
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivy-m-asuo-ph-d-65646a3b/
https://www.matse.psu.edu/directory/ivy-mawusi-asuo
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=FdPISxgAAAAJ&view_op=list_works
Nutifafa Y. Doumon
Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and of Engineering Science and Mechanics
Virginia S. and Philip L. Walker Jr. Faculty Fellow of Materials Science and Engineering and the Fuels Science Program
(e) nzd5349@psu.edu
333 Steidle Building
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nutifafaydoumon/
https://www.matse.psu.edu/directory/nutifafa-y-doumon
https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=fSvaHIUAAAAJ&hl=en
https://doumonlab-semde.matse.psu.edu/
Penn State, Kurt J. Lesker Company partner to advance atomic-scale processing
Partnership expands advanced processing tools and engineering expertise in Penn State’s Nanofabrication Laboratory
By Jamie Oberdick
Learning by Doing: MCL's New Hands-On Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Training
September 2026 Newsletter: MCL
Leveraging decades of experience providing hands-on training across a wide range of analytical instrumentation, MCL has launched a transformative SEM training curriculum that reduces training costs, greatly increases hands-on microscope time, and streamlines progression to FESEMs when advanced capabilities are needed. This approach gives trainees significantly more time operating the microscope themselves, which is essential for building confidence, competence, and good microscopy habits.
From LiST to LATTICE
September 2026 Newsletter: 2DCC
Konrad Hilse builds the digital tools that help materials researchers keep track of the physical side of science: samples, instruments, data and the connections among them.
At Penn State, that work began with LiST, or Lifetime Sample Tracking, which Hilse built from the ground up for the NSF-funded Two-Dimensional Crystal Consortium (2DCC). As lead developer, and for a significant period its sole developer, Hilse created a system that allows researchers to follow samples through their lifetime while keeping the associated research data organized and accessible.