Science Journal Fall 2026

Experiential Learning

Pairing classroom knowledge with real-world skills for a lifetime of impact.

Whether conducting research alongside faculty, completing an internship, studying abroad, engaging with communities or developing leadership skills through co-curricular activities, these experiences help students connect what they learn to real-world challenges and discover the many ways science makes a difference in people’s lives.

Tracy Langkilde, Verne M. Willaman Dean

Dean's Message

Summer Research a SURE Bet

Students in the Summer Undergraduate Research Experience program conduct research full-time alongside Eberly faculty.

SURE Program

SURE Student Spotlight

Student Adam Lieb wears suit and presents for business ethics team

Meet SURE students

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SURE Student Spotlight

Graduate student Julia Mudryk holds a vial in the lab

Carly Sjorgren shows lab sample to group of students wearing lab coats

Research at Scale: Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences

CURE students design and answer real scientific questions in the classroom.

CURE courses

student looks at CPR dummy on table while other students look on

Preparing students to be socially responsible health care professionals

The college's Health Equity Leadership Program provides immersive community experiences, bringing students to health-related organizations that serve the Philadelphia community.

HELP Program

Noah Feldman draws on white board while speaking to a woman

Graduate students work as consultants, learning how statistics work in practice and preparing them for future work in industry, consulting, and academia.

Statistics Consulting Center

Through the dark forest of data: Inside the Statistics Consulting Center

two students dig in dirt with potted plants in foreground

Experiential Learning Spotlights

Student Spotlight: Bringing Quantum Computers to Life Course Spotlights: From Greenhouse to Garden, Protecting PA Wildlife Study abroad courses to Kenya and Tanzania shape Penn State student experiences Students explore anatomy and culture through Italian embedded course

Research in Action: Charlotte Ward

Next-gen tools for next-gen telescopes

Penn State astronomer develops software and algorithms to analyze data from new observatories.

Charlotte Ward points at computer screen while grad student looks on

From a Mathematical Proof to a National Competition

Pursuing a mathematical proof pays off for dual-enrollment student

From Penn State research to a prestigious national competition.

Connor Hill holding model of noble polyhedron in front of his research poster

Research Highlights

Research Now - Fall 2026

A selection of research news from the Eberly College of Science.

View of Sebanti Chattopadhyay peeling tape through metal bars on device

three math students work on a chalkboard

New center provides hands-on research opportunities and strong sense of community to math students

EULER Center

student sitting at table with Science-U tablecloth in school gym

Expanding Exploration-U

Making science accessible across rural central Pennsylvania

Students working at lab tables with laptops and papers in a bright science classroom.

College News

Uplifting Science camp inspires STEM futures at Penn State Summer School for Early Career Astrophysicists Visiting students explore sustainability through physics REU program

Maxwell Gerhart

Part of the team

How an undergraduate combines his love of soccer and data analytics to help the Penn State men’s soccer team.

Max Gerhart stands a few steps above a soccer field

Mia Petrucela

Giving chemistry a chance

From research to internships to teaching; how an undergraduate found her love of chemistry.

Mia Petrucela stands in front of a poster she is presenting

Shane Connolly

From microbiology to space biology

Graduate student studies microbes in the human gut, with implications for human health and maybe, one day, astronauts.

Shane Connolly wearing gloves and lab coat with hands in a fume hood

Thank you so much for investing in my future. This scholarship will allow me to focus on the things that really matter. This summer, I will be able to try new experiments that I never would have time for during a normal school year and present my work at a conference.

Kaitlyn Hammer, third-year undergraduate student in chemistry and recipient of the Winograd/Garrison Summer Research Fund in Chemistry

Kaitlyn Hammer wearing Penn State sweatshirt poses outside

Dazzle Dry creator Vivian Valenty talking to students during the spring 2026 Dazzle Dry event at the University Park campus.

Chemistry alumna finds her passion creating solutions with Dazzle Dry

Vivian Valenty has used her Penn State education and research experience to create a novel, award-winning nail polish brand.

Vivian Valenty

Historical photograph of a group of academics in graduation regalia standing outdoors during a ceremonial procession.

The first doctoral degree awarded at Penn State was a degree in physics. This Q&A explores the experience of that first student and that of several physics alumni from different decades.

100 years of physics graduate students

100-Year legacy of physics graduate studies at Penn State 

Alumna Kristina Kaldon