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Scientists have spotted microplastics, tiny pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters, in some of the most pristine environments on Earth, from the depths of the Mariana Trench to the snow on Mt. Everest to the mountaintop clouds of China and Japan. Microplastics have been detected in human brains, the bellies of sea turtles and the roots of plants. Now, new research led by Penn State scientists reveals that microplastics in the atmosphere could be affecting weather and climate.

Faculty, staff and students from across Penn State and especially in the College of Engineering and Materials Research Institute (MRI) are mourning the loss of Russ Messier, graduate alumnus and professor emeritus of engineering science and mechanics, who died on Oct. 11 at age 80 in Nashua, New Hampshire.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A project led by Penn State researcher Felecia Davis that explores Black culture, its relationship to technology, and concepts of translation in architectural design is featured in the “Material Acts: Experimentation in Architecture and Design” exhibition that opened Sept. 28 at the Craft Contemporary arts museum in Los Angeles.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As issues surrounding climate change and global warming continue to make headlines around the world, Penn State researchers in the College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School are researching ways to lessen the effect building components have on the environment by exploring the use of sustainable materials for architectural use.

By Ashley WennersHerron

An old physical phenomenon, known as the Hall effect, has revealed some new tricks, according to a team co-led by researchers at Penn State and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They reported their findings, which they said have potential implications for understanding fundamental physics of quantum materials and developing applied technologies such as quantum communication and harvesting energy via radio frequencies, this week (Oct. 21) in Nature Materials.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In an increasingly digital world, semiconductors or “chips” serve as foundational building blocks for everything from smartphones to supercomputers. The U.S.

By Matthew Carroll