Penn State provost and serial inventor: “technology is transformational to both people and the world”
By Stephanie Kalina-Metzger Dr. Justin Schwartz will be recognized as a fellow at the National Academy of Inventors later this year. Photo: Pennsylvania State University. In 2022, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean in the College of Engineering Dr. Justin Schwartz began serving as the interim executive vice president and provost for Penn State. Later this […]
Prolific IBM inventor takes on Penn State Research: Let’s make this into Happy Silicon Valley
By Stephanie Kalina-Metzger Photo: Provided. All it took for Madhavan Swaminathan was a little encouragement to jumpstart his career in innovation. The new head of the Department of Electrical Engineering in Penn State’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science comes to Penn State by way of Georgia Tech, where he spent 28 years leading […]
An industry-first AI robot means ample growth opportunities for a Happy Valley recycler
By Holly Riddle Photo: Provided. Serial entrepreneur and Penn State alum Ned Eldridge knows how to turn trash into treasure. The president and CEO of eLoop — headquartered in Export, Pennsylvania, but with a location in Happy Valley — founded the electronics recycling service provider in 2008 and, since then, the company has recycled more […]
$500 microgrants from Penn State’s Lion Launchpad make all the difference to budding entrepreneurs
By Stephanie Kalina-Metzger Photo: Provided. Management consultant Peter Drucker once said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it” and Penn State, through its Lion LaunchPad Microgrant Program, is helping students take charge of their futures by offering seed money to help them jumpstart their entrepreneurial dreams. Starting a business and sticking […]
Penn State’s AIMI ushers in Industry 5.0 with a bold vision for the future
By Caryn Anderson AIMI connects you with Penn State. Photo: Provided. Penn State’s Center for Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to Industry (AIMI), which launched on June 30, 2022, has a complex, multifaceted goal. In part, AIMI aims to help small and medium manufacturers (SMMs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) get the […]
Penn State engineers optimizing water purification system for the U.S. Marines
By Timothy Kelly An experimental MCDI unit. Photo: Chris Arges. A team of researchers, led by Chris Arges, Penn State associate professor of chemical engineering, is working to optimize a water desalination process called membrane capacitive deionization (MCDI) for mobile teams of U.S. Marines. We asked Arges to explain how the system works, why he […]
Finding inspiration in the tiny-but-mighty hummingbird
By Holly Riddle You don’t need to be a mechanical engineering professor like Penn State’s Dr. Bo Cheng to recognize that hummingbirds contrast significantly with their avian relatives. The smallest of bird species, hummingbirds flit and dart their way from food source to food source in a way no other bird can. Flying backward, forward […]
“The need for innovation in Pennsylvania has never been more important”: A look at Ben Franklin’s post-COVID impact
The issue of brain drain, or losing workforce talent, is a real concern for innovation hubs around the country. While there are a myriad of tangential concerns — cost of living, livability, schools — the problem boils down to one key issue: workforce talent goes where job opportunities exist. Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central […]
Happy Valley vs. Silicon Valley: Why are we behind and how can we get ahead?
By Staff Writer Ben Lawrence. Photo: Jim Valent. According to sales professional turned author Ben Lawrence, Happy Valley has a problem: Despite being home to one of the nation’s largest research institutions and investing millions into startup business efforts, our region is still among the worst performers at spinning cutting-edge research into profitable business. Compare, […]
