All News

Qian Zhang, a doctoral student in Penn State’s John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, has been awarded the Nico van Wingen Memorial Graduate Fellowship in petroleum engineering by the Society of Petroleum Engineers Foundation.

Gretchen Watkins, board director at The Mosaic Company and former president of Shell USA and executive vice president of Global Shales, will give the 2026 G. Albert Shoemaker Lecture in Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State. Her talk, “Leadership challenges in an ever-changing energy landscape,” will be held at 4 p.m. on Friday, April 10, in 22 Deike Building at Penn State University Park.

Barbara J. Arnold, chair and professor of practice of mining engineering in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, is among two Penn State professors elected to the National Academy of Engineering as members of the class of 2026.

One policy prescription — pushing conservation — will likely be insufficient as a standalone fix to sustain some reservoirs, according to a study led by Penn State scientists published in the journal Water Resources Research.

Since 2019, Penn State’s Local Climate Action Program (LCAP) has helped communities across Pennsylvania take measurable steps toward addressing climate change through applied research, greenhouse gas accounting, and student-driven planning assistance. The program, shared between Penn State Sustainability and the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, pairs state and local government with trained student teams to produce high-quality climate action deliverables that benefit both communities and students. 

 Professor Sarma V. Pisupati, director of the Center for Critical Minerals at Penn State, was granted  The Osmania University College of Technology Alumni Association's highest distinction — the Distinguished Alumnus Award.

The Center for CO2 Storage Modeling, Analytics, and Risk Reduction Technologies (CO2-SMART)—a partnership with the University of Southern California (USC) focused on the development of practical strategies for underground carbon dioxide storage—has grown to involve faculty researchers in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, with plans taking shape for a workshop in 2026.

Penn State researchers developed a scalable, versatile approach to designing and fabricating wireless, internet-enabled electronic systems that can better adapt to 3D surfaces, like the human body or everyday household items.

Undergraduate students now can learn the fundamentals of environmental health and safety, thanks to a new minor offered by Penn State’s John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering.

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.