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With a four-year, $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Penn State researchers, along with clinical partners at Penn State Health, Carle Foundation Hospital and University of Alabama Birmingham, aim to develop a one-step confirmatory laboratory test that can definitively diagnose active syphilis infection within 10 minutes.

Lightweight lithium metal is a heavy-hitting critical mineral, serving as the key ingredient in the rechargeable batteries that power phones, laptops, electric vehicles and more. As ubiquitous as lithium is in modern technology, extracting the metal is complex and expensive. A new method, developed by researchers at Penn State and recently granted patent rights, enables high-efficiency lithium extraction — in minutes, not hours — using low temperatures and simple water-based leaching.

Jasmine Fields found Penn State because of its reputation for world-class research. She said she loved science and biology and thought she might become a doctor. Soon after, she became interested in protecting the environment and her passions shifted toward creating a more sustainable world.

Parker Przybylski has been named Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ student marshal, the top graduate overall; and Shahad Alsadoon has been named the college’s engineering honor marshal, the top graduate in an engineering discipline. They will be recognized during the college’s spring 2025 commencement ceremony, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, in the Pegula Ice Arena on Penn State's University Park campus.

Two Penn State students are playing an instrumental role in helping the city of Allentown, Pennsylvania, develop its first climate action plan.

Penn State’s chapter of EnvironMentors held its annual research symposium on April 26 at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center at Penn State University Park. The EnvironMentors program partners high school students with faculty and undergraduate student mentors in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to plan and conduct environmental research projects. Students then present their results at the annual symposium.

Penn State will host the 20th North American Mine Ventilation Symposium (NAMVS) in collaboration with the Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME) and the SME Underground Ventilation Committee (UVC) on June 21–26 in Pittsburgh. 

David Titley, Penn State alum, retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and retired University professor, will give the commencement address for the spring 2025 baccalaureate degree commencement ceremony for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. The ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, in the Pegula Ice Arena on Penn State's University Park campus.  

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 20 Penn Staters, including one from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.   

Students in Assistant Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering Nelson Dzade’s "EGEE 437: Design of Solar Energy Conversion Systems" class worked with Greenwood Furnace State Park this spring semester as part of a Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC) project in partnership with Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (DCNR) Think Outside Program.