Winter 2011

Newsletter

LEONE FAMILY DEPARTMENT OF

JOHN AND WILLIE

PLUS...Catch up on the latest student activities and achievements

Open for Business

A look at the new Baker Hughes

Production Engineering Laboratory

our production engineering laboratory. Earlier this fall, it was the department’s

turn to host the biennial Graduates of Earth and Mineral Sciences (GEMS) Seminar. This gave us an ideal opportunity to host a discussion about the ongoing development of the Marcellus shale, a topic of great interest to most Pennsylvanians and many others across the United States. From an academic standpoint, the Marcellus shale operations offer us a perfect case-study to highlight the systems-design approach to energy and minerals at the heart of EME’s curriculum. Our students are being trained to apply a broad array of scientific knowledge and engineering and business principles to the safe, efficient, economic, and environmentally responsible recovery, processing, and utilization of the Earth’s natural resources. To accomplish this, EME combines energy sciences, engineering, business, and environmental and safety sciences in one department. The safe and successful development of the Marcellus shale will require collaboration by professionals in all of these areas.

For the seminar, we had a distinguished panel of speakers from different corners of the energy industry discuss how these collaborations are helping to maximize the benefits of Marcellus shale development for all involved. We also heard from speakers in industry, government, and academia who discussed their individual roles in energy system design. You can read more details about the seminar on page 5.

Our faculty and students have made many accomplishments this fall, and they have even bigger plans for the coming spring. As 2011 comes to a close I ask that we focus on the promise of our students, and I send my best wishes to all of you for a safe and happy holiday season.

Yaw D. Yeboah, EME Department Head

Dear Alumni and Friends,

The past month has been very difficult. Horrific allegations, administrative changes, and a media blitz have

shaken our normal day to day reality here in Happy Valley. As individuals we have been devastated by these events, but as a community we are doing whatever we can to stand strong and to stand together for the victims. We thank all of the alumni, parents, and friends of the department who have reached out to us in recent days with messages of continued support. It is in times of crisis that we renew our commitment to our highest priorities, and for us that is the education of tomorrow’s energy and minerals industry leaders. The academic programs that define us at Penn State remain strong and will continue to be so as we work to rebuild our reputation.

I will let the program officers tell you about their students’ activities in the ensuing program updates. But here I would like to mention, as you will read on the next page, that the Baker Hughes Production Engineering Laboratory has become the first facility to be entirely redesigned and modernized as part of the department’s laboratory enhancement initiative. As mentioned in a previous edition, a total of 16 teaching laboratories have been identified as needing critical improvements to accommodate new technologies and the growing student population in the department. These enhancement plans can only be put into operation as funding becomes available. We thank Baker Hughes for providing the necessary funding to update

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>> Student Spotlight: Jeff Raylhttp://www.psiee.psu.edu/for_students/student_spotlight.asp

Rep. Glenn Thompson Visits EMS Energy Institutehttp://www.energy.psu.edu/news/archives/2011/Thompson_visit.html

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2012 Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration

Annual Meeting“Mine to Market: Now It’s Global”

February 19 - 22, 2012Washington State Convention

and Trade Center800 Convention Place

Seattle, WA

***

EME Alumni Reception

February 21, 2012Sheraton Seattle Hotel

1400 6th AvenueSeattle, WA

Connection is a publication of the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State.

Editorial Director: Yaw YeboahEditor: Rachel Altemus Writer/Designer: Anna Morrison

U.Ed. EMS 12-48

This publication is available in alternative media on request. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce.

CONTACT:116 Hosler BuildingPenn State UniversityUniversity Park, PA 16802-5000URL: www.eme.psu.eduPhone: 814-865-3437E-mail to: eme@ems.psu.edu

IN THIS ISSUE:

In the Spotlight.........................................

Alumni and Friends.................................

Research in Motion..................................

Program Updates.....................................

Faculty News............................................

Student Voice............................................

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>> Probing Material Structure with Synchrotron Radiationhttp://www.mri.psu.edu/publications/focus_on_materials/spring-2011/synchrotron_radiation/

From the Department Head

tabletops and chairs for pre-experiment lectures.

In addition, the main lab area has been fully redesigned with new cabinetry, benches, and lab stations. Two 60 inch video monitors adorn the walls to display instructions and video demonstrations for students as they conduct their experiments. Students also now have access to air, water, vacuum, and gas jets right at their work stations.

Other new features include a built-in lab preparation area, in-floor electrical outlets that allow students to use laptop computers during lectures, computer connections for digital pre-sentations, a high ceiling with acoustic ceiling tiles, and an upgraded light-ing system with motion sensing light switches.

Luis Ayala, associate professor of petroleum and natural gas engineer-ing, teaches the production engineering laboratory course in the spring.

“The new Baker Hughes Pro-duction Engineering Laboratory exposes our students to a modern and unique educational environ-ment,” he said. “The new lab design stimulates student engagement and fosters an interactive hands-on learning experience. It effectively bridges class discussions with experimental observations and broadens our students’ exposure to production engineering topics of relevance to our oil and gas industry.”

Connection 3

When students arrive for their first produc-tion engineering class in January, they will be stepping into a brand new production engineering laboratory. Completely renovated and modernized, the lab’s makeover was made possible by a generous donation from Baker Hughes.

“I am confident that Baker Hughes’ meaningful gift will enhance our undergradu-ate students’ educational experiences im-mensely,” said Turgay Ertekin, professor and undergraduate program officer of petroleum and natural gas engineering and George E. Trimble Chair in Earth and Mineral Sci-ences Engineering. “The new state-of-the-art laboratory will go a long way in our instruc-tional efforts towards achieving our goal of preparing our students as the best petroleum engineering graduates of the nation.”

The newly named Baker Hughes Pro-duction Engineering Laboratory is used to teach petroleum and natural gas engineering students about the basic measurements that must be taken in production monitoring and control. Through their experiments students gain hands-on experience to enhance their skills in error analysis, critical evaluation, and technical writing.

Once split between two separate rooms di-vided by a hallway, the lab is now completely housed in one room with designated class-room and laboratory areas. The larger single space makes room for additional equipment, and makes it easier to integrate instruction with experiments. Specifically, the classroom section includes a new eight-foot whiteboard, dropdown screen, and projector, along with

In the Spotlight

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Introducing the new Baker Hughes Production Engineering Laboratory

Arnold and Benavides receive 2011 Penn State Alumni Fellow AwardsPeru-based Compania de Minas Buenaventura, a socially conscious mining company dedicated to improving the prosperity of the country and its people. Benavides has played an influential role in professional circles and in Peruvian society for his focus on worker health and safety and environmental stewardship. He has held positions with mining companies, oversight organizations, and universities. In addition to his Penn State degree, Benavides holds a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla and completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

Barbara J. Arnold (‘82 B.S. Mining Engineering, ‘85 M.S. and ‘89 Ph.D. Mineral Processing) and Raul G. Benavides (‘87 M.S. Mineral Engineering - Management) have been named 2011 Alumni Fellows by the Penn State Alumni Association. Arnold and Benavides were honored with other Fellows at a ceremony on October 5, 2011.

The Alumni Fellow Award is the most prestigious award given by the Penn State Alumni Association. Since 1973, the Alumni Fellow Award has been given to select alumni who, as leaders in their professional fields, are nominated by an academic college and accept an invitation from the President of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty, and administrators.

Arnold is the founder and president of PrepTech Inc., an engineering services and mineral processing equipment company in Apollo, PA. Her research and development experience in the areas of coal cleaning, handling, and blending has included projects for government, industry funding agencies, and private companies. She has authored more than 50 publications and is the former chair of the Coal & Energy Division of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME). She serves on the Board of Directors and is the SME Foundation’s president and is on the editorial boards of several industry journals.

Benavides is vice president for business development of the Lima,

Alumni and Friends

4 www.eme.psu.edu

Barbara J. Arnold Raul G. Benavides

Matt Mowry, No. 4 Mine Production Supervisor for Jim Walter Resources, earned a brass mining lamp by making the highest score (94.86) on the Alabama State Mine Foreman Exam. More than 60 people took the three-day test which covers mining laws, maps, and ventilation. Matt holds a Mining Engineering degree from Penn State and was a summer intern at Jim Walter Resources for

three summers before joining them full-time in January 2009.“The most difficult part of the test for me,” explains Matt, “was answering the

essay questions. There are no clear-cut answers, they are very subjective. I also want to thank my wife Ashley for helping me study every night before I went to work.”

“Matt didn’t think he would be making the highest score because there were several other mining engineers taking the test,” says Ashley. “I encouraged him to study even when he thought he was too tired. I knew he could win the lamp. I’m so proud of him.”

Originally published in “Workings,” the news magazine for Jim Walter Resources.

Matt Mowry takes top honors

Matt Mowry, his wife Ashley, and their daughter Madeline are shown with the brass mining lamp

Matt recently won

Max K. Wiant,97, of State College, PA, died July 2, 2011. Born Jan. 28, 1914, in New Bethlehem, PA, he was a son of the late Banks and Gladys Burns Wyant. He married

Blanche E. Shook in June 1939. She preceded him in death in November 1976. In 1977, he married Gertrude A. Shook and she survives. In addition to his wife, survivors include one son, Ken Wiant, M.D. (Pat) of El Paso, TX; one daughter, Inez Howe (William), of Alexandria; one stepson, George E. Shook (Nancy), of Madison, WI; one stepdaughter, Sylvia J. Flynn (Michael), of Savannah, GA; five grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

After graduating from New Bethlehem High School, he went to Penn State to major in fuel technology. After graduating in 1938, he worked for Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company of Indiana, PA, for five years. In September 1943 he transferred to Jones and Laughlin Steel Company of Pittsburgh, as supervisor of the Coal and Coke Research Laboratory for 15 years, then to technical supervisor of the Raw Materials Service Laboratory for 12 years and then the last 9 years as purchasing agent of coal, coke, and carbon compounds. He knew coal and coke making from the field and mining to the final steel-making process and was recognized as one of the nation’s experts in his field.

In Memoriam

Connection 5

n September the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral

Engineering (EME) played host to the 2011 Graduates of Earth and Mineral Sciences (GEMS) Seminar. An alumni-sponsored symposium, the GEMS Seminar series is held every other year to showcase one of the academic departments in the Col-lege of Earth and Mineral Sciences. This year’s seminar, “Energizing Society – A Collaborative Approach to Re-source Management,” highlighted the systems-design approach to energy and minerals found in the EME depart-ment.

“Here in EME, we combine en-ergy sciences, engineering, business, and environmental and safety sci-ences in one department,” said Yaw Yeboah, head of EME. “In giving our students a systems perspective, we recognize that future leaders in the energy and minerals industries not only have to become proficient in their chosen field, but also have to ac-quire sufficient knowledge in the broader framework of effective and responsible natural resource man-agement.”

The seminar kicked off with three featured speakers from industry, gov-ernment, and academia. They each presented their perspective on ef-

fective resource development and explained how their role in the development process impacts the system as a whole.

The first speaker was Joseph Frantz, Jr., vice president of engineering for Marcellus shale operations at Range Resources. With

his company at the forefront of Marcellus shale exploration and production across the Appalachian Basin, Frantz was able to present an insider’s look at the current state of natural gas drilling in Pennsyl-vania.

Penn State alumna Nicole Reed (’08 M.S. Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering; ’05 B.S. Environmental Systems Engineering) followed with a presentation on the U.S. Department of Energy’s efforts to promote energy ef-ficiency. Currently an account manager for the Better Buildings Neighbor-hood Program in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Reed also explained her role in identifying opportunities for energy efficiency within residential buildings.

Rounding out the individual pre-sentations was Michael J. Orlando (’88 B.S. Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering), principal and owner of Economic Advisors and adjunct professor of finance at Tulane University, who further dis-cussed the benefits of using the systems-design approach as a

future model for energy development.The second half of the seminar was devoted

to a panel discussion on natural gas devel-opment in the Marcellus shale. “Marcellus offers a great example of the energy systems approach,” said Orlando, who served as mod-erator for the discussion. Featured panelists included Frederick S. Bresler, vice president of market operations and demand resources at PJM Interconnection; Joseph Frantz, Jr.; Jim Ladlee, director of special initiatives at the Penn State Marcellus Shale Education and Training Center; and Brian Witmer (’93 B.S. Mining Engineering), operations manager for Glenn O. Hawbaker.

Noting the complex set of technical, en-vironmental, and socio-economic factors at play, the panel discussed a variety of topics that included how the extensive Marcellus gas drilling will impact the state of Pennsyl-vania, the United States’ energy supply and usage, and the future of energy development. “It’s important to understand the broader perspective, and to be able to have a direct and dispassionate discussion about the issues,” Orlando said.

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Department hosts GEMS Seminar on natural resource development

Bottom Photo: Panel discussion on Marcellus shale. Panelists included (left to right) Frederick S. Bresler, Joseph Frantz, Jr, Brian Witmer, Jim Ladlee, and moderator Michael J. Orlando

Speakers: Joseph Frantz, Jr. (left), Michael J. Orlando (middle), and Nicole Reed (right)

6 www.eme.psu.edu

Research In Motion

The Gas Flooding Joint Industry Project held its sixth annual meeting in Denver, CO, on November 2 – 3, 2011. This meeting is the first since Russell Johns, project director and professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering, brought the Gas Flooding Initiative to Penn State. The meeting was organized by the EMS Energy Institute at Penn State in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin.

The meeting had over 25 attendees including industry representatives from five member companies, Shell, OMV, British Petroleum, Maersk, and ExxonMobil as well as students and faculty from Penn State and the University of Texas at Austin. It included a software demonstration and 13 technical presentations, four of which were proposed new projects. The project presentations drew lively industry feedback and many comments on the exceptional quality of the research. The meeting also provided an opportunity to students, faculty, and industry representatives

by Shea Winton, EMS Energy InstituteGas Flooding Joint Industry Project holds successful meeting in Denver

to discuss research goals and future work. The Gas Flooding Joint Industry Project

generates innovative research in gas flooding and closely related areas, and recruits and trains graduate students in petroleum engineering for careers in the oil industry.

The majority of funding for the program comes from industry membership and, in order to ensure the research is highly relevant, the group encourages industry affiliates to

provide topics and data for the research. The group’s research falls into several key areas, including gas flooding processes such as CO2 gas flooding and rich gas flooding, thermodynamics and phase behavior, geo-chemistry, petrophysical properties, and numerical simulation of gas floods.

For more information on the Gas Flooding Joint Industry Project visit www.energy.psu.edu/gf.

Dr. Alan L. Chaffee, professor and BCIA (Brown Coal Innovation Australia) Fellow in the School of Chemistry at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, presented the 16th Peter H. Given Lectureship in Coal Science. Visiting the University Park campus at the end of September, Chaffee held three open lectures over the course of a week. Two of those lectures focused on brown coal (lignite), a low-rank coal characterized by its brownish color, high moisture content, and low energy density.

In his talk, “New opportunities and greener approaches to brown coal use - in Australia and beyond,” Chaffee investigated how, with demand for energy continuing to grow worldwide, the design of more efficient processing and utilization methods could lead to new opportunities for brown coal usage.

Chaffee’s second lecture, “Brown coal: structure and behaviour in relation to its dewatering,” explored the process of dewatering lignite.

Using the heterogeneous brown coal deposits of Victoria, Australia as an example, Chaffee explained how the different processes of removing water from coal can actually change the physio-chemical properties of the products which ensue.

For his third and final lecture, “Capturing CO2 emissions associated with coal utilization: a variety of solid adsorbents,” Chaffee discussed the development of solid adsorbents to capture carbon dioxide from large emission sources such as fossil-fuel power stations.

The purpose of the Given Lectureship is to bring a nationally or internationally known researcher in coal science to Penn State to give a short series of open lectures on current research issues in the area of coal science. The lecturer also participates in informal discussions with students and faculty. The lectureship was established in 1989 by faculty of Penn State’s Fuel Science program in memory of Dr. Given, professor emeritus and first program chair of fuel science.

Given Lectureship focuses on brown coal

Connection 7

Left to Right: Chen-Hao Tsai, Mostafa Sahraei-Ardakani, Charles Rossmann of Southern Company, and Alisha Fernandez

Program Updates

For the second year in a row, a team of Penn State energy business and finance students traveled north in September to compete in the annual Alberta Energy Challenge.

Hosted by the University of Alberta’s School of Business in Canada, the Alberta Energy Challenge is a business case-study competition that challenges participating university teams to develop viable and original solutions to current, real-life problems facing the energy industry.

Competing against 12 other teams from Canada and the United States, members of this year’s Penn State team included: Alina Mackenthun, Douglas Middleton, Thomas Rauch, and Sean Tolland. Their challenge was to devise a long-term energy business plan for Suncor Energy, the largest energy company in Canada. Each team was given 36 hours to develop a strategy for the company to use in anticipation of possible market changes that might occur over the next 20 years. Weighing heavily on

their considerations was the fact that Suncor Energy has significant investments in the production of Canadian oil sands.

Penn State proposed a solution called “The Perpetual Business Enhancement Process.” “The idea behind the presentation was for Suncor to stick to what they’re good at: oil sands production,” explained Middleton. “Through market analysis, we were able to prove that the market for oil would still be

Representing the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, three graduate students recently won accolades for their research papers at the 30th United States As-sociation for Energy Economics (USAEE)/International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) North American Conference.

Alisha Fernandez, Ph.D. student in the energy management and policy graduate option, received the Best Paper Award for her paper, “Evaluating Ecosystem and Wind-following Services for Hydroelec-tric Dams in PJM.”

Mostafa Sahraei-Ardakani, Ph.D. student in the energy manage-ment and policy graduate option, won the Best Student Paper Finalist Award for his work, “Zonal Supply Curve Estimation with Fuzzy Marginal Fuel in Electricity Markets.”

Chen-Hao Tsai, Ph.D. student in the energy management and policy graduate option, received a Student Paper Award for his paper, “Electricity Market Restructuring and Investment in Nuclear Power Generation: Evidence from Power Uprates in U.S. Nuclear Industry.”

Both Fernandez and Sahraei-Ardakani presented their papers to a panel of judges during a special session at the October 9-12, 2011, conference in Washington, D.C.

Alina Mackenthun, B.S. student in energy business and finance, also attended the conference to give an oral presentation on “The Nature

Energy Business and Finance (EBF)

written in part by Douglas Middleton, B.S. student in Energy Business and FinanceEBF students participate in Alberta Energy Challenge

of Supply Bidding in Electricity Markets.” The 2011 USAEE/IAEE North American Conference was hosted

by the National Capital Area Chapter of the United States Associa-tion for Energy Economics. This year’s sessions focused on how the roles of industry, government, and research are changing in response to the fast-evolving energy economy.

vibrant 20 years from now and that Suncor Energy was poised to take advantage of the oil market as they had invested over $3.7 billion the year before in oil sands production.” The Penn State team also argued against green washing or a change in the corporate structure. Instead, they pushed for preparations to be made in case of costly legislation or a major environmental disaster within the industry.

Two teams from the University of Alberta and a team from the University of Saskatchewan ultimately took the first, second, and third place prizes.

Although Penn State did not place among the finalists, they did not return to University Park empty-handed. “The four of us developed lasting relationships with each other, as well as with the other teams and with more than a couple of the industry sponsors,” Middleton said. “We definitely have an advantage in that we have a deeper understanding of energy and energy technologies from our EBF backgrounds,” added Mackenthun.

Penn State Alberta Energy Challenge Team (left to right): Douglas Middleton, Alina Mackenthun, Sean Tolland, and Thomas Rauch

also to incorporate geothermal education into the university curriculum.

The program curriculum is continuously improved to train and produce “world class” energy engineers. The “Design of Solar Con-version Systems” course is offered every se-mester. This year as a part of the “Sustainable Energy Options” course, scientists from Adi Analytics, LLC guest lectured on geother-mal energy as a part of a U.S. DOE research project.

The energy engineering capstone design course is another success in cooperation with the “Learning Factory” in the Penn State College of Engineering. Through the Learn-ing Factory, industrial groups sponsor small projects that can be completed by a group of students in a semester. Students from vari-ous disciplines (usually four to five, depend-ing on the project) work collaboratively in consultation with the sponsor, complete the project, and “showcase” the outcome at the end of the semester. As always, the program is looking for these industry-driven projects. If you would like to sponsor a project or know someone who can, please pass this informa-tion or contact Dr. Andre Boehman.

If you have any comments or suggestions about the program, please do not hesitate to email or call me at: sxp17@psu.edu or 814-865-0874.

Have a great holiday season and prosperous new year!

In its fifth year, the Energy Engineering program is growing by leaps and bounds and taking a national limelight spot. The enroll-ment has reached an all-time high of almost 300 this fall.

It is not just the number of students grow-ing; but the quality of the program is con-tinuously improving. Last spring our energy engineers won both Best Paper and Best Poster awards at the Engineering Design Showcase. More employers are seeking en-ergy engineers. This summer our students had internships at reputable organizations such as PPL, Hess, New York State Department of Transportation, General Electric, PennTap, National Freight Industries, and Burlington Coat Factory.

Almost one year of preparations for ABET accreditation led to an ABET visit this fall. Greg Hanlon, vice president and general manager of NextEra Energy Solutions, joined the Industrial and Professional Advisory Committee (IPAC) already consisting of Jim Dickinson (Retired Manager, Babcock and Wilcox), David Liscinsky (Combustion Group, United Technologies Research Cen-ter), Madhava Acharya (Section Head, Hydro processing, ExxonMobil), David Heskin (Su-pervisor Projects and Compliance, Conoco Phillips), Dusty Davis (United Technologies Research Corporation), and Rashid Khan (Saudi Aramco). The committee reviewed the program and ABET draft report, and gave

a very positive report and great suggestions to make it even better. Greg Hanlon made a special trip to meet with the ABET visitors early this month. Thanks to all of them for their hard work and time commitment.

The Society for Energy Engineers (SEE) - a professional student organization launched last fall - executive board is very active in organizing guest lectures from a variety of industries and several employer informa-tion sessions. SEE members have actively participated in various regional and national competitions.

The National Renewable Energy Labora-tory (NREL) this year held the first-ever DOE-funded National Geothermal Student Competition (NGSC), which provided a platform for student teams to advance their understanding of geothermal energy by en-gaging in comprehensive research projects. This year focused on the geothermal energy potential of the Rio Grande Rift. As a part of this competition, energy engineering students along with EME graduate students presented a research poster entitled, “Resource As-sessment and Utilization of Low-Through High-Enthalpy Geothermal Fluids From the Rio Grande Rift Region of New Mexico and Colorado,” at the 2011 Geothermal Resourc-es Council Annual Meeting under the super-vision of Dr. Derek Elsworth. The objective of this competition is not only to train a quali-fied geothermal workforce for the future, but

Program Updates

8 www.eme.psu.edu

by Sarma Pisupati, Associate Professor of Energy and Mineral EngineeringEnergy Engineering (ENENG)

In October, U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson stopped by the EMS Energy Institute to get a first hand look at some current research projects. During the visit, Sarma Pisupati, associate professor of energy and mineral engineering, gave a presentation on his current research in the area of coal gasification. He also discussed the impacts and industry support related to gasification research. After the presentation, Pisupati led the group on a tour of the coal combustion and gasification lab at the EMS Energy Institute, where Rep. Thompson met several students conducting research with Pisupati in this area.

Photo credit: Elizabeth Wood, EMS Energy Institute

Over the last year, the enrollment for the Environmental Systems Engineering (ENVSE) program has grown to over 130 students. About half of the students have of-ficially declared an option, with a little more than 10% choosing the environmental health and safety engineering (EHSE) option. The first students with the EHSE option will graduate in the spring. Graduates from the program continue to find jobs with engineer-ing and consulting firms, government agen-cies, and in the mineral, oil, and natural gas industries.

The changes to the designations for the GEOEE and I H S courses to ENVSE have been approved and will become official in the upcoming semester. This will allow ENVSE students to identify courses that are part of the major as well as eliminating course des-ignations for programs that no longer exist. We have also created an ENVSE minor for students outside of the major.

In the next few months, we will be mailing surveys to a number of ENVSE graduates and to various companies that employ EN-VSE graduates. This is part of the continuous quality improvement cycle and is a key ele-ment of the accreditation process. Alumni and interest group (employer) surveys are

used for assessing whether or not the pro-gram educational objectives (PEOs) are be-ing met. The PEOs, which are listed on the program web page, indicate what ENVSE graduates should be able to do three-to-five years after graduation.

The student Society of Environmen-tal Systems Engineers (SESE) con-tinues to be very involved in the pro-gram, meeting monthly and providing various ac-tivities (both professional and social) for the ENVSE students. In the spring, the SESE coordi-nated ENVSE activities for the annual

Earth and Mineral Sciences Exposition (EMEX). The student volunteers again did a great job, conducting laboratory demonstra-tions and promoting the major to prospec-tive students and their families. The displays, which covered both the ENVSE and EHSE options, were set up in the ENVSE labs lo-cated on the first floor of Hosler building.

Also in the spring, the SESE hosted a speaker (and program graduate) from ARM Oil & Gas Solutions and another speaker from Chevron Corporation. The annual SESE picnic was attended by more than 40 students and has become the senior send-off event for ENVSE graduates. It culminated with a competitive but friendly ultimate Fris-bee match.

At the fall kick-off meeting, returning ENVSE students discussed their summer in-ternships, research projects, and study-abroad activities. These discussions have become a tradition at this meeting and provide an op-portunity for students to learn the options available to them during their time at Penn State. At another meeting, a speaker from the Pennsylvania Department of Environ-mental Protection (also a program graduate) discussed coal mine reclamation projects. We also have invited another program graduate to discuss his work on the design of industrial waste water treatment and water reuse sys-tems. A new social event for this year was a “haunted cave” tour, which provided screams for all in attendance. We would like to ac-knowledge Chevron’s generous donations in support of the ENVSE program.

Connection 9

The Penn State Society of Environmental Systems Engineers has hosted several speakers this year. Pictured (left to right): SESE Vice President Lauren Leidel; SESE President Julianne Ganter; speaker Dan Werner from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; SESE Treasurer Mary Torello; and SESE Secretary Shang Liu

by Mark Klima, Associate Professor of Mineral Processing and Geo-Environmental EngineeringEnvironmental Systems Engineering (ENVSE)

Environmental Systems Engineering students took time out from their studies to enjoy a haunted cave tour this fall

Program Updates

10 www.eme.psu.edu

by R. Larry Grayson, Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering and George H., Jr., and Anne B. Deike Chair in Mining EngineeringMining Engineering (MNGE)

Sixteen students attended this year’s Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America (PCMIA)/SME-Pittsburgh Section Annual Joint Meeting. They set up a Mining Engineering exhibit and interacted with attendees and participants. Patrick D’Elia, the SME student chapter president, received the SME Pittsburgh Section Student Grant Award, and Larry Grayson facilitated the Friday afternoon panel discussion on “The MINER Act Plus 5 Years.” Dr. Mark Radomsky, who will be retiring at the end of this year, received the PCMIA Stephen McCann Award for Excellence in Education.

Toward the end of the PCMIA student luncheon, the student mine res-cue team gave recognition to Kent Armstrong, Susan Bealko, Randall Ben-nis, Chuck Edwards, and Jeffrey Stancheck for their tremendous support in helping them become competitive in mine rescue contests. Ed Zeglen was given a Nittany Lion desk plaque for his dedication as the mine rescue team trainer and mentor. We thank all of these professionals for all they have done over the past two years.

The biennial Pennsylvania Drilling and Blasting Conference, held at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on November 3-4, was suc-cessful again with an attendance well over 425. The student chapter of the International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE), led by President Angela Moyer, was well represented. Students manned an exhibit booth and attended sessions. Larry Grayson and Jamal Rostami gave presentations on “Drilling and Blasting Citations 2008-2010,” “Implications of MSHA’s Rules to Live By,” and “Safety on Mine Sites,” respectively.

The Penn State student mine rescue team made the trek to Missouri University of Science & Technology again this fall. During the September 26-29 competition, they worked on a mine rescue problem (see picture), and competed in other skill competitions, which included benching and debugging a self-contained breath-ing apparatus (BG-4), inspection and calibration of a gas detector, first aid, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Of course, there were also several written examina-tions associated with the competition. They did particularly well in the CPR competition, and they improved dramati-cally in the written exams. A malfunction of a team member’s self-contained breath-ing apparatus, two times, prevented them from completing the mine rescue problem. Once again, much was learned and the mine rescue network grows. More compe-titions are planned for the spring.

Above Right: Ed Zeglen (left) receiving a Nittany Lion Award from MNGE students Patrick D’Elia and Thomas Cook

Right: Susan Bealko with MNGE students Patrick D’Elia and Thomas Cook

Connection 11

The brilliant and gorgeous colors of the fall of 2011 have already left us as we have already received the first snow of the winter season at the end of Octo-ber. As you can see, the weather pattern around Penn State continues to deliver some unexpected punches. This time, the punch was delivered just the day we were getting ready to travel to Denver to attend the SPE-ATCE, creating some significant delays with the travel plans of most of our students and faculty. The Denver meeting was a wonderful opportunity for our students (almost 40 of them attended the meeting) and the PNGE faculty (Dr. Johns, Dr. Karpyn and Dr. Adewumi, Dr. Yeboah and I were there) to see, shake hands, and exchange notes with some of you. The annual Penn State reception orga-nized by the EME department was a great success as around 100 of us came together. If you could not make it to the reception this year, please make sure to join us in 2012 in San Antonio; we will be delighted to see you and I am certain that you will enjoy meeting our students as well.

2011 has been another banner year in terms of both undergraduate and grad-uate enrollment levels. I am pleased to report to you that the PNGE under-graduate enrollment now is above 300 students and by the end of the forth-coming spring semester I expect that we will be reaching 350 undergradu-ates. In the eyes of the incoming first-year students, the PNGE program is the most desired program in the Col-lege of Earth and Mineral Sciences. In the graduate program, we have almost 80 students studying towards their post-graduate degrees divided almost equally between M.S. and Ph.D. candidates. The continued trend of increasing enrollments (in 1999 the total undergraduate enrollment had gone down to 30 students) is a strong indication that what we are observ-ing is not an ordinary spike as we had experienced in the early 1980s, but it is something to stay with us for some prolonged time. The continued saga of energy supply and demand ratio and

by Turgay Ertekin, Professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering and George E. Trimble Chair in Earth and Mineral SciencesPetroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (PNGE)

natural gas becoming a very important player in the energy budget of the world makes me think that we will be on this increasing trend for the foreseeable future. Obviously, having Marcellus shale more or less in our backyard also puts us in a very good position to enter into more meaningful interactions with the local industry in the Commonwealth. Parallel to this increased activity, I am pleased to report that almost 20 organizations have conducted their on-campus interviews for summer internship and full-time positions. Last year we granted about 20 B.S. degrees and this year we expect that the number will be around the thirties. At the graduate level, we have graduated almost 15 students with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. During the fall recruitment campaign our students have been receiving very encouraging news and they are all looking forward to the op-portunities to join the industrial ranks to work together with you.

I am delighted to report to you that our undergraduate production engineering laboratory is now completely remod-eled. We express our gratitude to Baker Hughes for the significant gift they have bestowed on petroleum and natural gas

engineering undergraduate instructional laboratories which resulted in the complete modernization of this laboratory. Now, we would like to proceed with the mud and cement laboratory and then with the reservoir rock and fluid properties labora-tory. On the senior design project course sequence, last year’s seniors completed their work on a field development project sponsored by East Resources, and this year’s seniors will be completing their waterflood-ing design project sponsored by Chevron. By the end of the forthcoming spring semester

we will have completed four cycles of design projects with different design problems as we will be starting with our fifth proj-ect this spring. The increased number of students in our graduate and undergradu-ate programs not only puts pressure on our instructional laboratories and design courses but definitely brings in several challenges on the core petroleum and natural gas engineering faculty. Professors Johns, Ayala, Karpyn, Li, Wang and I try to meet all the demands and challenges that come together with the increased enrollment. We are very optimistic there will be some opportunities to increase Photos: Nearly 40 students attended

this year’s SPE-ATCE. In April, the Penn State SPE student chapter held its annual SPE Golf Outing. (bottom) Continued on page 15

The Catalysis Club of Phila-delphia selected Chunshan Song, director of the EMS Energy Institute and distin-guished professor of fuel sci-ence, as the recipient of the 2011 Excellence in Catalysis

Award. He was recognized during the May 2011 symposium for his accomplishments to the field of catalysis on sulfur removal from hydrocarbon mixtures and hydrocarbon con-version for energy oriented processes.

Each year the Catalysis Club of Phila-delphia, a founding section of the North American Catalysis Society, recognizes an outstanding member of the catalysis commu-nity who has made significant contributions to the advancement of catalysis.

Zuleima Karpyn was awarded tenure and promo-tion to Associate Professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering. In addition, she was awarded three competitive research grants this year to study condi-tions affecting wellbore integrity due to chemical reaction in geologic carbon storage, estimate car-bon dioxide trapping due to capillary retention in

geologic formations, and investigate fluid percolation patterns formed during multiphase flow in porous media.André Boehman, professor of fuel science and ma-

terials science and engineering, has been elected as a 2011 International Fellow by the Society of Auto-motive Engineers (SAE).

SAE Fellow membership is given in recognition of “outstanding engineering and scientific accomplish-ments by an individual that have resulted in mean-

ingful advances in automotive, aerospace, and commercial-vehicle technology.” It is the highest grade of membership granted by SAE International.

Boehman was chosen for the honor based on his “outstanding ac-complishments for promising research in alternative and reformulated fuels and engine combustion and emissions.” He, along with the other members of the 2011 class of SAE Fellows, will be celebrated at the SAE 2012 World Congress and Exhibition in Detroit, MI, in April.

SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial-vehicle industries.

In October, Antonio Nieto, associate professor of mining engineering, trav-eled to Lima, Peru to sign a three-year, $1.3 million Memorandum of Un-derstanding (MOU) with Hochschild Mining, an underground precious metals producer focusing on high grade silver and gold deposits in the Americas. The MOU is an agreement to commence a mining management and mining operations graduate program at the University of Technology of Peru (UTEC / TECSUP).

This fall, Nieto also received a grant from the National Institute for Oc-cupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to assess battery safety technology used in underground coal mines.

Faculty News

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Seth Blumsack, assistant professor of energy policy and economics, was named a Ryan Faculty Fellow in July. The purpose of the fellowship is to provide supplementary funds to outstanding faculty members in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences to as-sist them in continuing and furthering their contri-butions in teaching, research, and public service.

The Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America (PCMIA) has selected Mark Radomsky as the recipient of the 2011 Stephen McCann Award for Excellence. Radomsky, director of the Penn State Miner Training Program, was chosen for his “overall career impact on the educational services provided to the mining industry including contributions, results

achieved, and [his] commitment of quality mining education.” The award was presented to Radomsky at the PCMIA Student Luncheon at the 2011 Annual Joint SME-PCMIA meeting in October 2011.

PCMIA gives the McCann Award each year to an individual who has made exemplary contributions to mineral education in an aca-demic or industrial environment.

Jamal Rostami, assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering, is the Principal Investigator (PI) of a new five-year, $1.15 million project for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The project involves the develop-ment of smart roof drilling for geological mapping of the mine roof and development of an integrated

ground support evaluation program. The co-PIs include: Derek Elsworth, professor of energy and geo-environmental engineering; Antonio Nieto, associate professor of mining engineering; Samuel Oyewole, assistant professor of environmental health and safety engi-neering; Kamini Singha, associate professor of geosciences; and Asok Ray, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering. Industrial partners include Fletcher, Kennametal, and ARA Inc. The contract was awarded this fall.

Rostami also became the PI of a recent National Science Founda-tion (NSF) grant to study the impact of ground conditions on the performance of hard rock Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). The project is a two-year program. Industrial collaborators include The Robbins Co. of Kent, WA, and Frontier Kemper, a well know tunnel-ing contractor in North America. The contract was awarded this fall.

In addition, Rostami initiated the study on the impact of longwall mining on stability of gas wells in Marcellus shale for Range Resourc-es Appalachia LLC.; supervised rock mechanics testing at the EME Geomechanics Laboratory for various mining and tunneling projects; serves as a member of the Structure and Governance Strategic Com-mittee of Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration (SME); serves as the Chair of Mining Engineering, a magazine published by SME; and accepted a position on the editorial board of Tunneling and Underground Space Technology, a journal published by Elsevier.

Connection 13

Phyllis Mosesman, graduate staff assis-tant, has retired. Her retirement was effec-tive July 29, 2011. For ten years Mosesman worked closely with the head of the depart-ment’s graduate programs to help manage a variety of administrative tasks, including the coordination of the graduate admissions process and the scheduling of candidacy and final thesis exams. As the front-line staff member for EME’s graduate programs, she also met with every new graduate student to help them navigate all aspects of graduate life at Penn State. In 2005, Mosesman was awarded the W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award for her “leadership and support to create a welcoming environment for international education, research, and service.”

Tatyana Kalinchuk joined the John and Willie Le-one Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engi-neering (EME) in July 2011 as the new graduate staff assistant. Kalinchuk is responsible for coordinating the EME graduate admissions process, corresponding with prospective graduate students, and advising graduate students on the policies and procedures of the depart-ment and university. Kalinchuk previously worked as a staff assistant at Penn State’s Department of Physics in the Eberly College of Science.

Harold Schobert, Professor of Fuel Science, retires

After over 32 years of service, Mark Radomsky, director of the Miner Training Program, will retire from Penn State on De-cember 31, 2011.

During his five-year tenure as Director, Radomsky has managed Penn State’s com-prehensive miner training services program, which provides training and professional development courses to mining stakeholders. He also has been responsible for the develop-ment of innovative training materials and customizing training programs. This year, Radomsky was awarded the Stephen Mc-Cann Award for Excellence by the Pittsburgh Coal Mining Institute of America.

“Mark and I have worked together most all of our professional careers,” said Joseph Flick, director of field services for the Miner Train-ing Program. “We have seen both the mining industry and the safety education process go through many changes. The one thing that has never changed is Mark’s desire for miners to go home from work the same way they arrived, safe and healthy. ”

Since 2006, Radomsky has overseen the completion of five educational outreach pro-grams on mine safety, which have been fund-ed by Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants from the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety

Mark Radomsky, Director of the Miner Training Program, retiring

and Health Administration. The programs in-cluded town hall meetings, webcasts, and the creation of resource guides on such topics as mine emergency preparedness, safe evacuation procedures, refuge alternatives, and enhancing emergency prevention performance.

Hired in 1979 as an instructor for the Miner Training Program at Penn State, Radomsky spent the early years of his career conducting mandated safety training to miners throughout Pennsylvania. He went on to hold the positions of Senior Instructor and Director of Field Services for the Miner Training Program. In addition to his work for the Miner Training Program, Radomsky has been involved in research projects in the area of training, void detection in underground mines, and small mine safety.

Harold Schobert, professor of fuel sci-ence, has retired from Penn State after 25 years. His retirement was effective June 30, 2011.

“Harold is a distinguished scholar in fuel chemistry research and educa-tion,” said Chunshan Song, director of the EMS Energy Institute and distinguished professor of fuel science. “He has made great contributions to both research and teaching in fuel science at Penn State. I have learned a great deal from Harold as my mentor and enjoyed working with him as a close collaborator in fuel chemistry and fuel processing research.”

Schobert came to Penn State in 1986 and served as the Fuel Science Program Chair from 1988 to 1996. From 1998 to 2006, he served as EMS Energy Institute Director. He also served as the director for the Labo-ratory for Hydrocarbon Process Chemistry (1995-1998) and the director for the Carbon Research Center (1996-1998). Since 2005, he has been a visiting professor at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa, as Extraordinary Professor of Natural Science.

Schobert has been involved in coal research for over 35 years and has made many impor-tant contributions to the advancement of fuel science. He is internationally recognized as a leading researcher for his accomplishments in the areas of fuel chemistry, including molecu-lar structures of coals, conversion of coals to synthetic fuels or value-added carbon materi-als, coal-based jet fuels, coal ash behavior, and CO2 capture. His most recent work focused on coal gasification, including behavior of coal and mineral matter in fixed-bed gasifiers, graphitization of coal/petroleum co-cokes, chemistry of South African coals, and zero-emission coal-to-liquid plants.

At Penn State, Schobert is widely respected as a teacher and leader in the area of energy and fuels. For his outstanding accomplish-ments in research and teaching, Schobert is one of the few Penn State faculty members to receive the Matthew J. and Anne C. Wilson Awards for Excellence in Teaching and for Excellence in Research, which are the highest awards for research and teaching in the Col-lege of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State.

Mark Radomsky (left) with Larry Grayson

by Shea Winton, EMS Energy Institute

Student Voice

After a brief hiatus from the competition, a team of Penn State students took to the stage to compete in the tenth annual PetroBowl. Held at the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ (SPE) Annual Techni-cal Conference and Exhibition, the PetroBowl matches SPE student chapter teams against each other in a fast-paced quiz competition. Teams are tested in their knowledge of the oil and gas industry with questions on technical engineering, historical events, and current statistics.

Twenty-four universities from around the world competed in this year’s PetroBowl. In the single elimination, five-round event, Penn State defeated the University of Houston in the first round, but suc-cumbed in round two to the University of Texas, who would go on to become the 2011 champions.

Members of the Penn State team included petroleum and natural gas engineering undergraduate students Steven Balliet, Kyle Barnoff (team captain), Hope Meyers, Andro Soliman, and Leong Chew Yeong. “Even though we did not make it to the final in the competi-tion, the experience and the learning process are the things that I believe matter the most to me,” said Yeong.

That learning process included two months of intense study with each team member specializing in a different field. “Despite being knocked out early, faculty and alumni were impressed with our perfor-mance,” explained Barnoff. “I think this speaks to the hard work each team member put into studying for the competition.”

In addition to learning a whole host of new facts and trivia about

the petroleum industry, members of the Penn State team found other advantages to participating in the PetroBowl. “I think this experience will help me be a better engineer because it has taught me how to work well with others, and how to use teamwork to achieve a common goal,” said Meyers. “[The] PetroBowl makes you think faster on your feet…and as an engineer this is a skill that needs to be developed and is extremely important and vital,” added Soliman.

Penn State Returns to PetroBowl

Members of the Penn State PetroBowl Team (left to right): Andro Soliman, Leong Chew Yeong, Kyle Barnoff, Hope Meyers, and Steven Balliet

Looking to advance students’ knowledge and experience in geothermal energy, the U.S. Department of Energy held its first National Geothermal Student Competition this year. Eleven universities participated, including a team of students from the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State.

Tasked with assessing the geothermal energy potential of the Rio Grande Rift in southeastern Colorado and northeastern New Mexico, each team designed and conducted an independent research project over a six-month period. They then presented their findings to a panel of judges during the final leg of the competition on June 23, 2011, in Santa Fe, NM.

Geothermal energy, or heat derived from the earth, can be recovered as steam or hot water by using well drilling processes similar to those used to capture oil. A relatively untapped source of energy in the U.S., it is known to have a small environmental footprint, to produce energy consistently, and to emit little or no greenhouse gases.

For their project, the Penn State team

chose to investigate the potential use of the thermal gradient in the Rio Grande Rift outside of Albuquerque, NM. Knowing this is a semi-arid region with scarce water resources, the team set out to identify a method requiring the least amount of water usage per unit of energy generated. This led them to explore the “pairing of an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant with an engineered geothermal system (EGS) using supercritical CO2 as the circulating fluid,” as stated in their final report.

In the EGS process, cold water is pumped down an injection well with enough force to enhance the permeability of the hot, dry rock formations of the earth. As the water flows through the hot rock, it heats up. It is then brought to the surface in a second production well, where the water’s heat is extracted and converted into electricity.

Instead of using water as the fluid to power the EGS, the Penn State team looked at the possibility of using the supercritical CO2 that is produced by IGCC plants. IGCC is a modern generation coal power plant. The benefits of using a pre-combustion

carbon capture IGCC power plant, which turns coal into a synthesis gas and removes the pollutants from the gas before it is combusted, include its emission of a pure stream of CO2 and the absence of any other effluents apart from a small production of water.

From their study, the Penn State team found that the pairing of the scCO2 EGS-IGCC process “reduces water usage, utilizes and partially sequesters byproduct supercritical CO2 and overall reduces emissions and environmental impacts in the closed-cycle system.”

The team included graduate students Divya Chandra, Caleb Conrad, Ghazal Izadi, Vaibhav Rajput, Anukalp Narasimharaju, as well as undergraduates Derek Hall, Nicholas Montebello, Emilia Phelan, and Andrew Weiner. They were advised by Derek Elsworth, professor of energy and geo-environmental engineering; Sarma Pisupati, associate professor of energy and mineral engineering; Arun Mohan, postdocotoral researcher at the EMS Energy Institute; and Uday Turaga CEO at ADI Analytics LLC.

14 www.eme.psu.edu

Students participate in national geothermal energy competition

Fidel Castro-Marcano received a Graduate Travel Award from the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Division of Fuel Chemistry to attend the 2011 ACS National Meeting in Denver, CO. Castro-Marcano, a Ph.D. student in the fuel science graduate option, used the award to fund his travel to the ACS meeting at the end of August 2011, where he presented his research at the “Advances in Coal Conversion Chemistry” session.

Meredith Hill Bembenic, a Ph.D. student in the energy and mineral engineering graduate option, and Caroline Burgess Clifford, senior research associate, EMS Energy Institute, were selected to receive the R. A. Glenn Award for best paper from the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fuel Chemistry Division. The award is for the techni-cal paper, “Examination of Hydrothermal Lignin Conversion using Carbon Monoxide,” which was presented at the 2010 ACS National Meeting.

The ACS Division of Fuel Chemistry, in co-operation with Bituminous Coal Research, Inc., established the R. A. Glenn Award to recognize outstanding papers presented at division symposia. The award is based on the oral presentation, tech-nical subject matter, and the quality of the preprint.

The Division of Fuel Chemistry presented the award during the ACS Fall 2011 National Meeting in Denver, CO.

Enette Louw and Fidel Castro-Marcano, gradu-ate students in the fuel science option, were recog-nized at the 28th Annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference on September 12-15, 2011.

Louw received the best poster award for her poster “Morphologies, X-ray parameters, and burnout com-parisons of inertinite-rich and vitrinite-rich South African bituminous coal derived chars.”

Castro-Marcano took honorable mention in the best paper category with his paper, “Fine structure evaluation of the pair correlation function with molecular ‘slice’ models of the Argonne Premium coals.” Co-authors on the paper included researchers from the Argonne National Laboratory and Brown

University. Castro-Marcano also was invited to submit his manuscript for a special issue of the International Journal of Coal Geology, which will publish a collection of the best technical papers presented at the conference.

The International Pittsburgh Coal Conference (PCC) is hosted by the University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering. It is an outgrowth of a series of conferences spanning more than three decades, dealing with coal utilization both in the United States and internationally.

Students garner multiple awards at international conference

Connection 15

In March, Chung-Hsuan Huang, Ph.D. student in the fuel science graduate option, participated in a NASA field campaign to monitor jet engine exhaust. Representing the Penn State team, which was led by Associ-ate Professor Randy Vander Wal, Huang’s responsibility was to capture particulate matter (PM) from the engine exhaust for subsequent characterization by electron-based micro-scopic and spectroscopic techniques, namely high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Knowledge of jet engine PM is sparse and these studies with varied alternative jet fuels, such as Fischer-Tropsch synthetic blends and hydro-treated renewable bio-jet fuels, are the first of their kind. Concerns regarding jet engine exhaust are increasing given higher awareness of health effects and environmental impact, particularly upon atmospheric processes. The Aviation Al-ternative Fuel Experiment (AAFEX II) field campaign was conducted at Dryden Aircraft Operations Base in Palmdale, CA. Several teams, including NASA, small business, the FAA, EPA, and other universities, participated in a suite of other related measurements.

the number of core PNGE faculty, and on this front, I hope to report to you in more detail in next year’s letter.

On the research arena, we have managed to make some signifi-cant progress as well. With our current faculty of six we are now able to conduct research in various dimensions of unconventional gas reservoirs including, drilling and hydraulic fracturing, flow dynamics, pressure and production transient analysis, carbon dioxide storage, artificial intelligence applications, gas flooding and analyzing fluid flow in reactive porous media. I can assure you that your program will always be at the forefront of research activities geared towards unlocking these tremendous resources.

2011 for the PNGE program in many ways has been an exceptional year. However, as I have always indicated, we cannot and should not rest on our oars as we must remain vigilant to ad-dress our challenges: securing adequate funding for our research programs; providing the best petroleum engineering education for our students; and assisting all students to be successful through completion of their degrees. I am confident that the petroleum engineering program at Penn State with its students, faculty, and alumni is positioned well to move forward in these directions.

This brings me to the end of your program’s report to you for this year. Before I finish, I would like to invite each of you to make every effort to stop by Happy Valley. We will be delighted to see you and we are optimistic that you will be delighted to see some of the progress we have achieved. We see you as life-long partners and thank you for being the most wonderful role model for our students.

I send my best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season to you and your loved ones.

PNGE Program Update...Continued from page 11

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John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral EngineeringCollege of Earth and Mineral SciencesThe Pennsylvania State University110 Hosler BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802Phone: (814) 865-3437

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