Congratulations to Jian Xu, Assistant Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, for having been selected for the Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award in the junior faculty category. The Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award is a prestitious award designed to honor interdisciplinary materials research at Penn State which yields valuable unexpected results and also to recognize genuine innovation not previusly achieved.

Dr. Xu has developed new programs in bioelectronics, nanophotonics and semiconductor optoelectronics to the University. He leads a multidisciplinary collaboration with Penn State's Materials Research Institute, Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences, and Electro-Optics Center that conducts research on nanophotonic and bio-nanoelectronic devices. Dr. Xu conducts groundbreaking research on quantum dots (QD) and two photon lasers.

We celebrate Dr. Xu's success and the recognition he brings to Penn State and ESM.

Dr. Cliff Lissenden, Assistant Professor in Engineering Science and Mechanics, along with Dr. Joseph Rose, Paul Morrow Professor in Engineering Science and Mechanics are scheduled to present research results at the NASA Aviation Safety Technical Conference. The research findings are on “Guided Wave Ultrasonic Nondestructive Evaluation for Bonds” and will be presented on October 21 - 23, 2008 in Denver, CO. To learn more about the conference, please visit their website.

Dr. Osama Awadelkarim, Professor in Engineering Science and Mechanics, will attend the 5th Congress of Scientific Research Outlook in The Arab World in Fez, Morocco from October 23 - 29, 2008. Osama’s talk will be on “Scholtky Contacts in SiC: the Effects of Barrier luhomogenaty on the Current-Voltage Characteristics.” To learn more about the conference, please visit this website.

Dinesh Agrawal, Professor of Materials, and Engr Sci and Mech, and Director of Microwave Processing and Engineering Center gave an invited talk at the PM09 International Conference on High Performance Materials by Powder Metallurgy (organized by Powder Metallurgy Association of India), Goa, India on "Microwave Processing of Metallic Materials," (February 16, 2009,). He also gave an invited talk in a workshop on "Microwave Application in Steel making", organized by "Center for Development of Metal-Ceramic Composites through Microwave Processing" Mumbai, India; on "Global Overview of Microwave Technology in Metals & composites, (February 27, 2009)