Impact

Rail Transportation Engineering students and faculty pose with a Penn State-branded locomotive

$6.87M grant to fund railroad research center at Penn State

The funding will establish the Rail Center for Research Enhancing Short-line Transportation (Rail CREST), an initiative aimed at developing and deploying affordable technologies to improve the safety, efficiency, reliability and sustainability of short line and regional railroads. Two Penn State Altoona faculty members will lead the national project.
An LDIR image that shows the size, shape, and material characterizations of scanned microplastics that are between 10-990 um (microns).

Researcher leads effort to combat microplastics, PFAS in waterways

A Penn State research team led by Lisa Emili, associate professor of physical geography and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona, is studying the interactions between microplastics and PFAS in aquatic ecosystems, examining how these pollutants accumulate in rivers and wetlands and assessing the potential risks they pose to wildlife and human health. 
Graphic showing five phases of the Penn State Strategic Plan process. Currently in phase 2, developing the institutional plan.

Penn Staters invited to share feedback on draft Strategic Plan proposal

A draft proposal of Penn State’s institutional strategic plan has been unveiled and shared with the community for feedback and discussion. All faculty, staff and students at all campuses are encouraged to visit the Strategic Plan website to review and provide feedback on the draft plans for four goal areas.
A man standing in front of an image of a presentation on a projected screen

Penn State, Indian Institute of Science award joint research seed grants

Penn State and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have announced the awardees for the 2024-25 cycle of their collaboration program. These awardees comprise four joint projects that connect Penn State and IISc researchers. The selected projects combine the unique expertise of each partnering institution to address global challenges or matters of bilateral importance to India and the United States. 
Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania logo and the Penn State logo

Applications open for Women in Mentoring program across all campuses

Applications are now being accepted for the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania (TCCP) Women in Mentoring program. Students, faculty and staff across all Penn State campuses have free access to virtual technology programming thanks to a partnership with TCCP spearheaded by Penn State Harrisburg, a longtime member of the council. 
Two students in lab coats and goggles

Penn State Sustainable Labs Program concludes second year, expands on successes

The Sustainable Labs Program provides educational support and networking opportunities to labs across Penn State, helping them implement changes to become more energy and resource efficient. Actions taken by participating labs are estimated to result in over $155,000 in savings for the University and reduce about 490 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.