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The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) recognized two faculty members in the John and Willie Leone Family of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) for their exceptional service and contributions to the professional society.  They received their awards at the society’s annual technical conference and exhibition held in Houston, Texas, Oct. 20-22. Luis F. Ayala H., William A. Fustos Family Professor in Energy and Mineral Engineering and department head, received the Distinguished Service Award. Hamid Emami-Meybodi, associate professor of petroleum and natural gas, received aSPE Distinguished Member.

Renewable energy sources like wind and solar generation now account for over 20% of electricity in the U.S. — and keep growing after large-scale production more than doubled since 2000. Still, high-profile power failures illustrate persistent challenges from the lack of available capacity to provide enough energy at times of need, said Chiara Lo Prete, an associate professor of energy economics in the John and Willie Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State.

Keeping the United States powered up is taking a lot more juice. Driven by renewable energy development, data centers, transportation and industry, domestic electricity demand by 2030 is expected to surge 25% over 2023 levels, according to the consulting group ICF International. Power usage already hit an all-time high in 2024.

The cornerstone enabling that growth comprises critical minerals, including more than a dozen rare earth elements. To broaden awareness and understanding of these resources, the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute at Penn State (EESI) is focusing its fall 2025 EarthTalks series on needs, opportunities and research in critical minerals. Ten public seminars through early December will highlight ongoing work and viewpoints both at the University and across the sector, including at the federal level.

Clive Randall, Evan Pugh University Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, has been elected as a fellow of the European Academy of Sciences. The academy is an international scientific organization composed of the world’s leading scientists, scholars and engineers, dedicated to promoting excellence in science and technology.

Thandie Moyo, assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering, will give a public talk, “From Ore to Metal: Designing efficient extraction pathways with mineralogical and geochemical precision,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 6, in 112 Walker Building at Penn State University Park.

Sarma Pisupati, director of the Center for Critical Minerals (C2M) and professor of energy and mineral engineering and chemical engineering at Penn State, will give a public talk, “Securing Domestic Critical Mineral Supply Chains: Penn State’s Efforts from Lab to Pilot-Scale,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, in 112 Walker Building at Penn State University Park.

Chandima Sudantha Subasinghe, a doctoral degree candidate in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, received the SME Ph.D. Fellowship grant from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME). The fellowship program is designed to support exceptional students pursuing academic careers in the fields of mining or extractive metallurgy.

Nelson Dzade, Virginia S. and Philip L. Walker, Jr. Faculty Fellow in Materials Science and Engineering and the Fuel Sciences at Penn State, recently participated in the African School on Electronic Structure Methods and Applications (ASESMA), held in June at the University of Ghana.

Oil produced from shale reservoirs drove record crude output in the U.S. over the past decade, but inefficiencies in extraction often leave as much as 90% of the oil behind, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.

Phones, laptops, and electric cars all run on a single silvery metal that is tough to get out of the ground. Conventional techniques roast lithium-rich rocks at blast-furnace temperatures, soak them in acid, and burn through hours of energy, cash, and time. Now, researchers say there is a simpler, faster route that works with little more than water and a pantry-grade chemical.