Forty-two graduate students recognized with University awards

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State recognized 42 graduate students with annual University awards that celebrate students' impact in research, scholarship, teaching, outreach, mentoring and more. The students are being recognized at a special lunch on April 21. The annual recognition awards are sponsored by the Office of the President and administered by the Fox Graduate School. The awards include:

• Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award
• Graduate Student Service Award
• Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Award
• Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Awards
• AT&T Graduate Fellowship Award 
• Harold K. Schilling Dean’s Graduate Scholarship 
• Professional Master’s Excellence Award 
• Graduate Student International Research Award  
• Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award  
• Thomas and June Beaver Fund Award 
• Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award
• Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship for Penn State Alumni in the Fox Graduate School 
• Alumni Association Dissertation Award

Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award

Sai Venkata Gayathri Ayyagari is a doctoral candidate in Materials Science and Engineering who dedicated considerable time to engaging various communities in educational activities. Ayyagari’s research focuses on the atomic-scale behavior of novel materials called high entropy oxides. She is passionate about inspiring younger populations to understand the importance of science. 

As a member of the Center for Nanoscale Science’s K-12 outreach team, she helped to scale up and fill in gaps in the team’s activities. Under Ayyagari’s leadership, the team engaged with many communities, including Science U, Young Women in STEM, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, reaching more than 500 students in one year.  

Following graduation, Ayyagari plans to work on bridging the gap between scientific research and public understanding, making science accessible and engaging for all. 

Graduate Student Service Award

Architectural engineering doctoral candidate Jacob Seiler is a dedicated leader in sustainability and service, making a significant impact at Penn State and beyond. As co-chair of the Student Sustainability Advisory Council (SSAC), he leads a team in developing sustainability proposals for university leadership, organizes the annual Sustainability Summit, and co-founded the Student Sustainability Network (SSN) to unify student organizations focused on environmental initiatives. Under his leadership, SSN now connects 20 student groups, fostering collaboration and driving meaningful change. Seiler also contributes to other sustainability-focused councils and teams while conducting research on energy efficiency in controlled environment agriculture. 

Seiler produced For the Future, a short film highlighting student-driven sustainability efforts at Penn State. The film was selected for the Centre Film Festival, and a clip shared on Penn State’s official Instagram reached over 25,000 viewers, amplifying awareness of sustainability initiatives. 

Beyond campus, Jacob’s commitment to service extends to rural Appalachia, where he has spent a decade helping rebuild homes with Project Hope. Through leadership, research, and outreach, Seiler hopes to shape a more sustainable and equitable future. 

Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Award

Saiber Shaikh, a doctoral candidate in Counselor Education, is a dedicated advocate for international understanding, mentorship, and accessibility in higher education.  She worked as a Clinic Supervisor at the Herr Clinic where she fostered inclusive spaces for international students, advocated for international counselors, and developed support networks for international counselors.  She also initiated a research project on mental health challenges faced by Asian international students and mentored students so that the research can be presented at national and regional conferences. Her mentorship extends beyond the clinic, guiding both international and domestic students in research, professional development, and academic success. 

Saiber’s research integrates global perspectives that broadens educational approaches, shaping a new wave of scholarship in the field of counseling education. She actively collaborates with international scholars and mentors new students to be able to work on their research   Her innovative work on Generative AI (GenAI) focuses on ethical applications and accessibility, earning her a departmental grant. Additionally, her support in curriculum development enhances culturally responsive learning for online students through her role with Penn State World Campus. 

As editor-in-chief of the RAM Report, Saiber introduced multilingual submissions to amplify international voices in her department. She also was selected as the Graduate Student Representative for the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision through a competitive nationwide voting. This prestigious leadership role, along with her service within various professional organizations and student councils, further demonstrate her commitment to fostering global understanding and inclusion at Penn State and throughout the broader academic community. 

Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Awards

Kristen Aviles is a doctoral candidate in chemistry whose teaching philosophy centers on the idea that education is a right, and she seeks to increase accessibility of higher education for all people. She has taught Chemical Principles II, Introductory Inorganic Chemistry, and two laboratory courses. During this time, she has received several awards to help her develop course materials and design a new dynamic laboratory course. With the help of inorganic teaching and tenured professors, she developed a 15-week curriculum that implements course-based undergraduate research experiences. This laboratory, CHEM 411W/496, is an advanced laboratory class that has been offered for two semesters. With the assistance of feedback from students and learning assistants, Aviles has been updating course materials and experiments to increase student success and support intrinsic motivation while trying to reflect the current landscape of modern inorganic chemistry research.  

Sayan De is a kinesiology doctoral candidate whose teaching approach focuses on connecting theoretical knowledge with practical, real-world applications. He has taught human anatomy (Kines 202) for five semesters and physical fitness appraisal (Kines 456) for one semester, and he brings his own background as a medical doctor to help students understand the importance of concepts. In his courses, he applies strategies including traditional lectures, interactive quizzes with real-world examples, hands-on demonstrations, workshops, and review sessions. He takes a personalized approach to providing feedback and regularly shares his insights on students’ comprehension with faculty to overcome gaps in understanding. He firmly believes that the students taking these courses are the future of our healthcare and strives to prepare them with the knowledge and clinical reasoning skills essential for their careers. 

Pranav Diwakar is a physics doctoral student who has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in mechanics, electromagnetism and electrodynamics. Seeking to pique the interest of students across majors, he tries to highlight the efficacy of the scientific method and fundamental physical principles in a wide variety of phenomena and applications. Motivated by the notion that “All major scientific discoveries started by asking questions,” he strongly encourages the use of inquiry-based learning. 

Faculty nominators praised him for always doing more than expected, including reviewing their lecture notes, providing constructive feedback, and even revising assignments for clarity.  

Seunghoon Han is a doctoral student in curriculum and instruction who taught eight sections of a variety of courses focused on teaching social studies in elementary and secondary education. He is committed to creating a justice-centered curriculum and wants to help develop educators capable of teaching historical counternarratives and social justice concepts. Han brings his experience as a former teacher in South Korea to instill global perspectives on teaching into his classes. Although he did not start as a TA when beginning his doctoral program, faculty in the department quickly saw his eagerness for making an impact in the classroom and offered him the opportunity to pursue his ideas through a formal TA role. 

Chandima Hevapathiranage is a doctoral student in energy and mineral engineering who taught several sections of mineral processing courses. With a focus on continual improvement of curricula, he regularly consults with faculty to brainstorm new teaching methodologies. He implemented several innovative techniques, including collaborative learning, in which he encouraged project-based group data analysis and peer-to-peer and sharing of knowledge. He also incorporated digital tools to help students visualize their experiments more effectively, while also acclimating them to industry-standard software. By using a variety of assignments, including reflective essays and practical evaluations, Hevapathiranage seeks to foster an interactive, engaging course environment.  

Edward Hilvano is a chemistry doctoral candidate who has taught twelve sections of organic chemistry courses. With a passion for education, he plans to pursue a career as a faculty member. His teaching philosophy focuses on meeting the needs of his students, with the idea that building rapport can aid the learning process. He introduced a daily assignment in one course in which students had to answer challenging chemistry questions that forced students to use deep, critical thinking and reasoning skills, and this resulted in students teaching one another through class discussions. Seeing the success of this approach, he then applied for and received departmental funding to help develop similar questions for another chemistry class.  

Ashish Jacob, an industrial engineering doctoral candidate, taught six sections of courses focused on 3D printing, machining and product design specifications. His first experience teaching was for an afterschool program for low-income students, and his passion bloomed from that. His philosophy is grounded in the idea that the way we do what we do and everything that comes as a result of this is due to the role of excellent educators. He strives to create a friendly and positive environment, and his dedication goes beyond that, with one example being him volunteering to develop new hands-on learning opportunities in additive manufacturing labs.  

Ye Sul Park is an art education doctoral student who has taught nine sections of courses ranging from introductory level to advanced practicum. Bringing her experience as an art museum educator in both the U.S. and South Korea, she was quickly recognized by the department for her ability to develop curricula and accommodate students in need. She brings innovation into her approaches, too, such as collaborating with a faculty member to develop a visual culture curriculum related to AI, in which her research expertise on AI contributes to the course to reconsider the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a critical way. Through her teaching, she strives to create an environment in which “diverse lived experiences are valued, horizontal relations between teachers and students are fostered, and students feel empowered to step out of their comfort zone and engage more deeply.” 

Nan Yang, a doctoral candidate in architecture, has taught 10 sections of landscape architecture courses on topics including grading and stormwater management, digital graphics, and design studio courses. Through her teaching, she strives to create a learning environment in which empathy, understanding, and creativity thrive. According to the faculty and students she worked with, Nan demonstrated not only extensive knowledge of the subject material but also a profound commitment to student learning and engagement. Her teaching methodology integrates digital skill development through customized tutorials, visualization-enhanced instruction using 3D modeling, structured peer-learning activities, and hands-on demonstrations.  

Daniel Zeitlen, a doctoral candidate in psychology, has taught nine sections of courses on topics such as cognitive neuroscience and research methods, including three as instructor of record. His approach to teaching focuses on maximizing student engagement and success through clarity, accessibility, innovation, and personalized support. He regularly introduced innovation into his approaches, such as structuring his syllabi to increase student choice and flexibility regarding topics for papers and projects,  and asking students to develop thought-provoking questions that would become discussion prompts for the class. Zeitlen also made significant curricular enhancements to his courses based on feedback from previous professors and TAs, such as developing more structured and detailed rubrics to increase fairness and transparency.  

AT&T Graduate Fellowship Award 

Abdullah Al Ishtiaq is a computer science and engineering doctoral candidate whose research explores ways to improve security of wireless networks like 4G, 5G and Bluetooth, which are essential for daily life, supporting communication, financial transactions and critical infrastructure. Security flaws in these systems can expose users to risks such as identity theft and cyberattacks, and Ishtiaq is working to identify and fix these vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. By using artificial intelligence and traditional analytical methods, his research automates the analysis of complex wireless protocol documents, uncovering hidden security weaknesses. This research has revealed significant flaws in widely used commercial devices from companies like Google and Samsung, which led Ishtiaq to directly collaborate with manufacturers to enhance security. 

Secure wireless systems are crucial for protecting healthcare networks, financial transactions, and national security. By developing cutting-edge security analysis tools and working with industry leaders, Ishtiaq intends to help create a safer digital world, ensuring that people can rely on wireless communication without fear of cyber threats in an increasingly interconnected society. 

Harold K. Schilling Dean’s Graduate Scholarship 

A doctoral student in the dual-title plant pathology and international agriculture and development program, Ram Neupane is investigating bacterial pathogens affecting the multi-million-dollar onion industry in Pennsylvania and New York. Through a three-year field survey, his research identified Pantoea and Burkholderia as two major pathogens and revealed Burkholderia being in higher prevalence than previously thought. By examining Burkholderia’s virulence and copper tolerance using molecular techniques and whole-genome sequencing, Neupane aims to equip growers with updated disease management strategies and diagnostic tools. Given the reduced efficacy of copper bactericides reported by farmers, this research aims to understand the genetic basis of copper tolerance to improve management  decisions. 

Beyond plant pathology, Neupane is also studying vegetable growers' perceptions of wastewater irrigation in Nepal, an increasingly common agricultural practice in urban areas. By analyzing stakeholders' views, Neupane seeks to inform policies that balance food production with environmental and public health concerns. Neupane’s research not only supports U.S. onion growers but also contributes to global agricultural sustainability. Through collaborations with farmers, scientists,and policymakers, his work advances food security and environmental health on an international scale. 

Professional Master’s Excellence Award 

Nate Carey is a biotechnology master’s student whose research focuses on biomaterials and tissue engineering. He studies proteins that regulate the cell skeleton in neurons, providing insights into neurodegenerative diseases. For his co-op, he worked at the Max Planck Institute in Germany, where he improved a 3D bioprinter that creates heart muscle patches for heart attack patients. He successfully achieved the first functional bioprinter extrusion in six months. Later, at EPFL in Switzerland, he developed biosensors designed to detect neurotransmitters in living tissues, expanding their capability to measure multiple substances simultaneously. 

Carey’s research at Penn State aids in understanding neurodegeneration, paving the way to therapies for diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. His contributions to heart tissue bioprinting could enhance post-surgical recovery for heart attack patients, while his biosensor advancements help to   accelerate research on neurological disorders such as schizophrenia and depression. Looking ahead, Carey aims to develop biomaterials and bioelectronics that  will lead to seamlessly implantable, lab-grown organs, improving patient outcomes and reducing the need for animal testing. 

Alivia Cross is a theatre master’s student whose research integrates sustainability into theatre design in a multitude of ways. Using the principles of co-creation, celebration and circulation, she aims to make scenography more environmentally responsible while enhancing storytelling and community engagement. Using the production of "Sweeney Todd" at Penn State’s Centre Stage as a case study, she examined how repurposed materials can reduce waste, enrich the production process and make set design more accessible to various communities. Compared to prior productions, this approach decreased new material usage from 60% to 40%, setting a precedent for sustainable theatre practices. 

Her research also explores how theatre can be a platform to foster ecological awareness in society, focusing on sustainability as both an artistic and ethical responsibility. This work also promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, offering students hands-on learning with construction automation technologies and sustainable materials. Alivia plans to continue this line of research as it relates to performing arts curriculum development. 

Isabella Scotti is a master of music student in music performance whose performances incorporate a wide array of percussion instruments and blend multiple genres. They organized and performed “Ready, Player One,” which explored electronic music and video game themes, on Nov. 3 in Recital Hall. This free, public and recorded event featured marimba, vibraphone, xylophone, snare drum, timpani and multi-percussion instruments. Scotti selected works by electronic music producers, pieces reflecting electronic music characteristics, and compositions inspired by video games. 

As a classically trained percussionist, Scotti sought to challenge norms by incorporating modern and pop culture music into a formal recital setting. This recital aimed to set a precedent for expanding classical performance repertoire, bridging traditional and contemporary influences. Scotti hopes it inspires future musicians to explore and integrate popular culture into formal concert settings. 

Chandan Shivalingaiah is a software engineering master’s student whose research focuses on mobile app architectures. For his research, he analyzed more than 500 Java-based applications to study technical debt that would limit the performance of applications, which led to published research in a peer-reviewed journal. He also contributed to education as a teaching assistant at Penn State Abington, later promoted to senior TA and lead instructor. 

Chandan’s entrepreneurial drive earned him the Musser Fellowship in Entrepreneurial Studies. His internship at Communications Test Design Inc. involved robotics and software testing, applying academic knowledge to real-world challenges. His research on software architecture and AI models aims to enhance software maintainability and development efficiency, benefiting both industry and academia. 

Graduate Student International Research Award  

Architectural engineering doctoral candidate Joe Kallas is developing advanced AI-driven methods to assess and protect historic buildings in disaster-prone areas. Traditional damage assessments are often slow and subjective, but his research integrates artificial intelligence, computer vision, and 3D modeling to automate and accelerate the process, providing timely, reliable insights for stabilization and restoration. His case studies include the 2020 Beirut explosion and the 2023 Kakhovka Dam breach in Ukraine, and demonstrate the transferability of his methods to U.S. historic centers impacted by tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods. His work addresses the urgent need for rapid, data-driven evaluations following both man-made disasters and natural hazards, both of which can devastate historic structures.  

In collaboration with UNESCO and local authorities, Kallas also prioritizes capacity building by traveling to disaster-stricken regions to train professionals in conducting independent, technology-driven assessments. Beyond post-disaster response, his research informs long-term resilience strategies, contributing to sustainable urban planning and cultural heritage preservation. His goal is to turn research into action immediately, ensuring that the knowledge he develops serves communities in crisis, not just in the future but at the very moment they need it. 

Graduate Student Excellence in Mentoring Award  

Ya-Chi Nien is a doctoral candidate in plant biology and an exceptional mentor guiding students in research, scientific communication and career development. She has taught more than 150 undergraduates and mentored four graduate students, who have advanced in their doctoraljourneys and are now leading their own projects. Known for her patience and clarity, she ensures her mentees understand not just the how, but also the why behind their experiments. 

An award-winning science communicator and first-place winner in oral and poster presentations. Nien actively trains her mentees to improve their presentation skills. Her mentorship extends beyond academics, forming lasting connections with her students — whether through career guidance, lunchtime conversations, and friendly badminton matches — where the roles of mentor and mentee often switch. 

As the founder and vice president of the Graduate Student Association in Plant Biology, she connects students with alumni established in their fields, organizes workshops, and fosters an active community for career growth. Through her leadership, mentorship and dedication, she continues to shape the next generation of plant biologists. 

Thomas and June Beaver Fund Award 

Architecture doctoral candidate Ali Baghi is making significant contributions to the field of additive construction, particularly in 3D concrete printing (3DCP). His research focuses on overcoming a key industry challenge, the difficulty of printing self-supporting spanning structures without the need for costly and labor-intensive formwork. By integrating reinforcement directly into printed concrete elements, their work enables in-place, formwork-free printing, offering a breakthrough in construction efficiency. 

Baghi’s innovations hold potential for addressing global housing shortages by making construction faster, more affordable, and  more automated. His research has already received international recognition, earning top rankings in academic competitions and drawing interest from leading 3DCP companies. Beyond technical advancements, Baghi is actively involved in collaborative projects with industry leaders and government agencies, working on affordable housing solutions in remote regions. His contributions extend to teaching and industry partnerships, ensuring that their work has a lasting impact on both academic and real-world applications.  

Distinguished Master’s Thesis Award

Architecture master’s student Kieron Cook is developing sustainable, reusable systems for casting architectural panels, which can reduce waste in construction. Unlike traditional formworks, which are discarded after use, this method employs an industrial robot arm to shape kinetic sand into moldable forms. Once concrete is cast and cured, the sand can be reshaped for future use, making the process highly efficient and environmentally friendly. 

Using a robotic arm, researchers set parameters for movements rather than designing fixed paths, allowing the robot's actions to dictate the final form. Custom 3D-printed tools create various patterns, demonstrating how material properties influence design outcomes. Cook’s experiments revealed unexpected formations, highlighting the interplay between robotic motion and sand behavior. The study advances sustainable construction by integrating robotic fabrication, reducing formwork waste, and expanding design possibilities. In the future, Cook plans to refine scanning techniques for greater precision and explore alternative casting materials, such as biomaterials. 

Civil engineering master’s student Matthew Hallissey studies the use of drones for surveying permafrost thaw in the Arctic. As climate change accelerates permafrost thaw, affecting infrastructure and communities, innovative methods are needed to assess subsurface conditions. Traditional surveying methods are often time intensive and difficult in remote regions. 

Hallissey looked at whether a drone equipped with tools to analyze deep beneath the Earth’s surface, and image the surface in high-resolution, would assist with gathering data to mitigate potential issues. Conducted in Utqiaġvik, Alaska, this research is the first to apply drone-based electromagnetic imaging to permafrost studies in the region. The data collected helps identify frozen and thawed ground, providing insights critical for infrastructure planning and climate resilience. 

Hallissey’s work has broader societal benefits as well. He led STEM outreach programs for Indigenous students in Alaska, fostering local engagement in science and engineering. His contributions enhance Arctic sustainability efforts, improve infrastructure resilience, and demonstrate ways for future scientists to collaborate inclusively with Arctic communities. 

Isabella Petitta, a master’s student in ecology, studies how habitat management and genetic analysis can help conserve the wildflower sundial lupine and its associated pollinators. Critical for three butterfly species of conservation concern, including the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly,  sundial lupine has declined because of habitat loss, fire suppression, and pollinator scarcity. 

Petitta’s research integrates genetic analysis and ecological experiments to develop conservation strategies for sundial lupine. Genetic studies across 11 states revealed multiple genetic clusters, with the highest genetic diversity in Florida. Field experiments tested prescribed fire and herbivore exclusion as management tools, showing that fire significantly increases lupine cover and flower production, though pollinator visits did not immediately change. 

These findings provide science-based recommendations for managing sundial lupine and other early successional species. Promoting fire management and genetic diversity conservation can enhance habitat restoration efforts. By guiding land managers and private landowners, this research supports the long-term preservation of wild lupine, its pollinators and the broader biodiversity of oak savannas. 

Geosciences master’s student Amanda Urist researches the efficiency of oxygen-producing photosynthesis as it relates to the essential nutrient phosphorous throughout Earth’s history. During the Neoproterozoic Era, between 541 and 1,000 million years ago, a major atmospheric oxygenation event coincided with the rise of animal life, pointing to increased phosphate  availability in marine environments. However, the record of phosphorus levels to support photosynthesis and evolving life is not well documented. 

This research examines carbonate-associated phosphate as a new tool for reconstructing past phosphate levels. By analyzing Neoproterozoic-aged carbonate rocks, findings suggest that phosphate levels were significantly higher than today — potentially fueling photosynthetic activity, rising oxygen levels, and the evolution of complex life. 

These results offer insight into how phosphorus shaped life’s evolution and why it remains a crucial nutrient. Since phosphorus is essential for modern agriculture and ecosystems, understanding its historical role helps explain its significance in sustaining life. This research bridges past and present, highlighting the long-term impact of nutrient availability on Earth’s biosphere and its ongoing influence on biological and environmental systems.

Maya Weinberg, a master’s student in the dual title education, development, and community engagement and the transdisciplinary research on environment and society program, studies how young adults in eastern Kentucky connect with their natural environment and envision future land use as the region transitions away from coal mining. 

Working collaboratively with two community partners, Weinberg conducted interviews, focus groups, and participatory mapping, to document how community college students, as young adults studying at institutions designed for local development,  interact with land and imagine its future beyond its economic value. Students expressed skepticism about emergent industry alternatives that carry forward legacies of a mono-economy, advocating instead for models of land use that prioritize public access, climate resilience, and a diversified economy.  

This research sheds light on how young people in the region imagine a future beyond coal  instead emphasizing alternative trajectories towards community-informed planning. Findings will  support local collaborators in their work to broaden youth engagement with outdoor spaces and strategize pathways to developing more inclusive transitions. 

Penn State Alumni Association Scholarship for Penn State Alumni in the Fox Graduate School 

Mechanical engineering doctoral candidate Joseph Molnar studies airflow over next-generation aircraft to determine ways of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing flight-speed. Turbulence, heat transfer, and shock waves can all lead to instabilities at high speeds and altitudes; these instabilities should be mitigated for safe flight. Molnar uses cutting-edge tools for aerodynamic measurement and ground testing. Through his doctoral work, he developed a novel approach to processing non-intrusive optical diagnostic measurements of fluid flow, significantly improving accuracy. He has collaborated with the Air Force Research Laboratory to test and transition 3D measurement techniques in wind tunnels, gaining insights into applied aerodynamics. 

After graduation, he plans to work as a research scientist at a defense research laboratory, conducting basic and applied research that directly benefits society. He is committed to mentoring and leadership within the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. In his career, he hopes to drive innovation, support future engineers, and continue contributing to the Penn State community. 

Physics doctoral student Garrett Wendel studies neutrinos, which are fundamental yet elusive particles that rarely interact with matter, requiring advanced detectors to observe their faint signals. As part of the Eos and LiquidO neutrino detection projects, he works with an international team to develop cutting-edge detection methods that  enhance the ability to study neutrino behavior. These innovations contribute to improved understanding of physics beyond the currently accepted Standard Model and have broader technological applications. 

Beyond fundamental research, these detectors offer real-world benefits, including improved nuclear reactor monitoring, improved medical imaging, and surveys for infrastructure and archaeology that use muons. Wendel said that his journey at Penn State, from a dual major in Nuclear Engineering and Physics to graduate research in neutrino detection, has shaped his career. Through leadership roles and mentoring, he strives to advance community engagement, scientific discovery and advance tools that can be applied in areas such as security and healthcare. 

Alumni Association Dissertation Award

Mahsa Adib, a doctoral student in architecture with focus on landscape architecture, examines public intentions to adopt Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI), a decentralized approach using natural elements to manage excessive stormwater runoff. By addressing gaps in public education, community engagement, and implementation, her research explores social and psychological drivers influencing GSI adoption. By evaluating real-world educational materials and innovative engagement strategies, she aims to enhance outreach effectiveness, inclusivity, and resilience. The findings bridge technical solutions with community action, informing public policy, landscape planning, and environmental education. By advancing equitable climate resilience, Adib’s research helps municipalities design interventions that empower communities, reduce flooding risks, and promote environmental justice, fostering climate-adaptive urban landscapes. 

This interdisciplinary approach provides key insights into barriers and motivators shaping adoption behaviors, supporting policymakers, educators, and sustainability professionals in designing equitable and effective urban water solutions. By fostering informed, engaged communities, the study advances climate resilience, reduces flooding risks, and promotes environmental justice, contributing to the creation of more sustainable, inclusive urban landscapes. 

Civil engineering doctoral student Tanveer Ahmed’s research focuses on improving the safety, equity, and efficiency of traffic signals through an algorithmic approach. Road accidents are a leading cause of death among teenagers, while congestion costs Americans approximately $190 billion annually and contributes significantly to global emissions. To this end, Tanveer developed several Adaptive Traffic Signal Controls that intelligently adapt to real-time traffic conditions, ensuring equitable, sustainable, and efficient mobility.   

One innovation of his work is the development of a novel, occupancy-based algorithm that prioritizes high-occupancy and transit vehicles. Unlike traditional transit signal priority systems that rely on external rules, this model dynamically integrates real-time passenger occupancy, upstream vehicular demand, and downstream capacity to optimize throughput at both intersection and network levels. He conducted extensive simulations and demonstrated that his algorithm outperforms existing strategies, improving transit reliability and reducing passenger travel times even in connected vehicle environments. 

Aarti Bhat, a doctoral student in the dual-title human development and family studies and demography program, studies housing insecurity, which includes a range experiences from missed mortgage or rent payments to homelessness. With rising housing costs, increasing foreclosures and evictions, and growing homelessness, aging adults in the U.S. have become increasingly vulnerable to housing insecurity. Given that midlife and older adults already face age-related health risks, understanding the physiological effects of HI is crucial. 

Bhat examines sociodemographic predictors of housing insecurity among midlife and older adults in the U.S. and explores how housing insecurity can affect physiological and epigenetic health indicators. This work will help identify the most vulnerable populations and inform policy interventions aimed at increasing access to stable, affordable housing. By addressing housing insecurity’s impact on public health, the findings will contribute to policies that promote equity, well-being, and economic stability.

Ish Gupta is a doctoral student in physics who leverages data from gravitational waves, which are ripples in space-time, to explore the universe in unprecedented ways. He tested Einstein’s theory of gravity under extreme conditions and searched for new physics related to the universe’s expansion rate. Different methods for calculating the expansion rate vary now, and Gupta’s dissertation demonstrates that gravitational waves can act as precise cosmic rulers, providing an independent way to resolve this fundamental issue. Through his dissertation, he has also contributed to the vision for next-generation gravitational wave observatories, which will vastly enhance our ability to detect cosmic events and probe the universe’s earliest moments. Refining expansion rate measurements could offer new insights into dark energy and cosmic evolution. By pushing the boundaries of what we can observe, my work transforms our understanding of space, time, and matter while fostering scientific progress and education. 

Meteorology and atmospheric science doctoral student Helen Kenion’s dissertation presents and applies a novel method for measuring urban greenhouse gas emissions at the neighborhood scale. Her research addresses a critical gap due to the fact that urban areas are responsible for over half of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, but direct emissions measurements in cities are rare. Policymakers rely on human activity-based emissions estimates, or emissions inventories, which often contain systematic errors and take years to complete. Atmospheric emissions estimates are essential to evaluate and improve inventories. 

Using an innovative approach, she estimates carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane emissions in multiple U.S. cities, capturing within- and between-city variability at a high temporal resolution. She also explores the potential for implementing this technique with lower-cost, widely distributed instrumentation to improve emissions tracking. 

Kenion’s research provides an independent, real-time alternative to evaluate and refine emission inventories, identifying sector-specific errors and revealing emissions trends influenced by socioeconomic and policy changes. This work lays a foundation for broader applications, improving emissions monitoring tools to support urban sustainability efforts. 

Marisa Lytle is a psychology doctoral student who investigates physiological synchrony — the spontaneous alignment of bodily signals, such as heart rate — between social partners. Synchrony plays a crucial role in empathy, relationship formation, and child development, particularly in helping children connect bodily signals to emotions and develop key emotion regulation skills. However, the mechanisms underlying physiological synchrony remain largely untested. Lytle’s research examines how visual attention to a social partner versus attention to one’s own bodily signals influences the emergence and maintenance of synchrony. 

Understanding these processes has important implications for social development and relationship building. Parent-child synchrony supports emotional growth and later friendships, and disruptions in synchrony may contribute to social difficulties. By identifying factors that facilitate or hinder synchrony, Lytle’s research may help refine interventions for individuals who struggle with social connection. By exploring new ways to restore synchrony in social relationships, this work has the potential to improve well-being and relationship quality across different life stages. 

Praharsh Patel, an energy, environmental, and food economics doctoral student, studies the policies and incentives to address water scarcity in regions of the United States and India. While engineering innovations have expanded water supply, effective demand-side management to address water scarcity remains underexplored. He evaluates behavioral responses to interventions by Sacramento’s municipal water authority, Gujarat’s energy ministry, and the agriculture ministries of Punjab and Haryana in India. Using satellite observations, primary field surveys, stakeholder interviews, and household billing data, the research challenges the assumption that consumers uniformly respond to price signals. Instead, it uncovers complex interactions between institutional incentives, technology adoption, and governance. The findings highlight the need for comprehensive models that account for behavioral and institutional factors in water conservation and advocate for incorporating carbon considerations into resource management frameworks like the Water-Energy-Food Nexus. By analyzing the policy interventions, Patel’s dissertation advances both academic discourse and practical approaches to addressing global water challenges. 

Agricultural and environmental plant science doctoral student Pradip Poudel seeks to address zinc deficiency, which affects approximately 17% of the world’s population. Zinc is essential for numerous biological functions, including immune system performance, cell division, and gene expression. A lack of zinc can lead to severe health problems, especially in vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly. His research explores ways to enhance the zinc content of microgreens such as peas, radishes, and sunflowers, using multiple approaches including manipulating light intensity and priming seeds with nutrient solutions. His research resulted in a way to increase zinc content of microgreens up to seventeen-fold. 

Importantly, Poudel’s research focused on cost-effective ways to increase nutrition levels. By offering a practical, low-cost method for growing Zn-rich microgreens at home, his research supports food security, particularly in vulnerable communities and post-disaster scenarios. Additionally, it promotes urban agriculture, empowers smallholder farmers, and advances climate-adaptive food systems, contributing to improved public health and economic opportunities worldwide. 

A doctoral student in the dual-title art education and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies program, Glynnis Reed-Conway conducts research that demonstrates how art and writing can help people navigate adversity. Specifically, she explores sexual trauma, focusing on the socio-political challenges faced by Black women and girls. Her dissertation examines how her art and writing between 1993 and 2023 reflect her process of wayfinding and worlding toward self-recovery. The framework of her research is Conjure Feminism, which connects Black women’s experiences and knowledge with African-derived practices of spirituality, community, and the supernatural. By analyzing her own trauma in relation to works by other African Diaspora artists, she reveals how creative expression can resist anti-Blackness and gender-based violence. 

This research highlights the transformative potential of art in challenging harmful stereotypes and offering healing pathways. Through an analysis of experiential artworks and poetry, she draws connections between spirituality, Africana religions, and the creative process. Beyond applications with healing, this research explores the significance of spirituality and Africana religions in art education, promoting inclusivity and diversity in teaching practices.  

Sarah Richards, a doctoral student in the dual-title ecology and international agriculture and development, seeks to address the long-term sustainability of agricultural practices by understanding the critical role of soil microbial communities. While the “green revolution” in the mid-20th century improved food security, its reliance on unrestricted water, fertilizers, and pesticides has proven unsustainable, threatening soil health and food production. Richards’ research explores how microbial communities enhance soil functions, such as nutrient acquisition, plant defense, and biogeochemical cycling, to reduce dependence on chemical inputs. A key challenge is understanding how soil microbiomes establish, persist, and adapt to new environments. Her work aims to bridge this knowledge gap, advancing microbiome management strategies to enhance agricultural resilience. 

Richards’ research also bridges disciplines and geographies through collaboration with the University of Costa Rica, testing agricultural solutions in diverse environments. This collaboration strengthens the global relevance of her research and fosters future opportunities for students internationally. 

Younes Shekarian is an energy and mineral engineering doctoral student who explores chemical-free processes to harvest critical minerals, including cobalt, manganese, and nickel, from acid mine drainage. These minerals are essential for clean energy technologies, electric vehicles, and electronics, yet the U.S. is dependent on foreign sources. Acid mine drainage is also severe environmental challenge that, in Pennsylvania alone, has contaminated more than 5,500 miles of streams. Using ozone oxidation processes, Shekarian achieved over 99% recovery and produced high-purity precipitates, which offering a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical treatments.

This process strengthens U.S. supply chains for critical mineral sand can be applied to other secondary sources, such as industrial wastewater and e-waste, promoting a circular economy. Additionally, the process creates economic opportunities in mining communities, supports job creation, and advances sustainable resource management, contributing to environmental and economic sustainability. This technology is now under licensing for commercialization by Chevron and is being scaled up for real-world applications, treating up to 10,000 gallons per day of acid mine drainage at the Center for Critical Minerals (C2M) at Penn State. 

Neuroscience doctoral student Victoria Vernail studies novel approaches for addressing obesity, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Despite the known link between obesity and hypertension, effective treatment options are lacking. Vernail’s research examines a protective hormone called angiotensin-(1-7), which is reduced in obesity and could serve as a potential target for treating obesity-related hypertension. She investigates whether this hormone can interact with brain circuits to lower blood pressure in a mouse model of obesity hypertension. The goal is to understand how this hormone works and whether it could be a new treatment option for obesity hypertension. 

The impact of this research is significant, as cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, with obesity and hypertension being major risk factors. Current treatments are often ineffective and come with adverse effects, leaving many people at risk. By studying how angiotensin -(1-7) may improve blood pressure regulation in the brain, this research could pave the way for safer and more effective treatments for obesity hypertension, ultimately improving health outcomes for millions of people affected by these conditions. 

Hao Zhou, a doctoral student in computer science and engineering, studies using low-cost wearable devices for a wide range of benefits. He developed affordable wearables such as smart rings for finger motion tracking, which have applications in virtual reality. Such wearables can also be used to track the hands of hearing-impaired users, facilitating communication between hearing-impaired and hearing individuals. 

Additionally, his work on digital health explores wearable sensors that monitor complex health metrics like cardiac output and stress levels, providing continuous, noninvasive health tracking. This has the potential to democratize early disease detection and improve overall health monitoring. 

His future goal is to integrate these technologies into a unified system that tracks motion, health, and communication seamlessly, enhancing accessibility and functionality for everyday applications in various fields.