Luis Ayala, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering and holder of the William A. Fustos Family Professor in Energy and Mineral at Penn State, has been honored as a distinguished member by the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Turning plastic waste into useful products through chemical recycling is one strategy for addressing Earth's growing plastic pollution problem. A new study may improve the ability of one method, called pyrolysis, to process hard-to-recycle mixed plastics — like multilayer food packaging — and generate fuel as a byproduct, the scientists said.

Governments and societies around the world face increasing urgency in responding to climate change by accelerating the transition to a low-carbon energy system but differing views remain on the combination of energy technologies that will best achieve this goal. Identifying technological pathways is complicated by wide uncertainties in economic and technological factors.

A recent gift of a Thermotron humidity chamber from energy company Aramco Americas will support numerous research projects in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

Sara Andreoli, a postdoctoral researcher who recently completed her appointment with the Earth and Mineral Sciences Energy Institute at Penn State, received the esteemed 2022 EMS Postdoctoral Excellence in Research Award.

Russell Johns, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering at Penn State, was selected to receive the 2022 Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) Pioneer Award from the International Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The SPE IOR Pioneer Award is presented to select individuals who have made significant advancements over the years in improved oil recovery technology.

Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) recognized exceptional students and faculty for their academic excellence, service and leadership during its annual Wilson Awards Celebration, held on Sunday, April 24. The Wilson Awards are named in honor of Matthew and Anne Wilson, major benefactors of the college.

Every year in April the department of energy and mineral engineering holds an awards banquet to celebrate the success of its students and to thank the donors who sponsor its scholarships and program support funds. The event brings students, donors, faculty, staff, and friends together to acknowledge the accomplishments of its community and present awards to its brightest and best.

Thermally regenerative ammonia batteries can produce electricity on demand from low-grade waste heat. A new process for creating these batteries improves their stability and affordability and may help address the country’s growing grid-scale energy storage problem, according to a team led by Penn State researchers.

The following is a list of non-tenure-line faculty promotions at Penn State, effective July 1, 2022. The University announced promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty earlier this year.