FeiFei Shi, assistant professor in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, received a $400,000 research and development award from the Nuclear Energy University Program in the U.S. Department of Energy to develop foundational research on the corrosive damage caused by molten salt in nuclear salt reactors.
Elham Rahimi, a graduate student in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, received the SME Ph.D. Fellowship grant from the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration (SME). SME is a professional society whose more than 15,000 engineers, geologists, metallurgists, educators, students, and researchers serve the mining and minerals industry in more than 100 countries. The society seeks to advance the worldwide mining and underground construction community through information exchange and professional development.
Arash Dahi Taleghani, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering, will serve as a 2022-23 Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Distinguished Lecturer. The SPE distinguished lecturer program seeks to provide outstanding speakers for the organization’s section meetings and to recognize the professional contributions of the distinguished lecturers, according to the society.
Luis Ayala, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering and holder of the William A. Fustos Family Professor in Energy and Mineral Engineering, has been honored as a distinguished member by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). SPE Distinguished Membership, limited to 1 percent of SPE professional membership, recognizes SPE members who achieve distinction deemed worthy of special recognition, who made significant contributions to the society, or who have attained eminence in the petroleum industry or the academic community. Ayala is one of six recipients selected for 2022.
The Administrative Fellows Program offers Penn State faculty and staff the opportunity to work with senior University officers to gain knowledge and experiences pertaining to the challenges of leadership in the academic community. For the 2022-23 academic year, three Administrative Fellows were chosen including Luis Ayala, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering; Meeghan Hollis, senior associate director for residence life; and Darcy Rameker, director of student activities.
https://www.psu.edu/news/administration/story/three-selected-administrative-fellows-2022-23/
Sara Andreoli, a postdoctoral researcher who recently completed her appointment with the Energy Institute at Penn State, received the esteemed 2022 EMS Postdoctoral Excellence in Research Award. The award, which includes a cash stipend and a memento, is designed to celebrate a postdoctoral scholar’s outstanding achievements in research that have and will impact their field of study. Andreoli was honored at a college-wide awards ceremony on April 24, 2022.
Russell Johns, professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering, was selected to receive the 2022 Improved Oil Recovery (IOR) Pioneer Award from the International Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). The SPE IOR Pioneer Award is presented to select individuals who have made significant advancements over the years in improved oil recovery technology. The highly selective award is given every two years to three to five individuals and has been presented to ninety individuals since its inauguration in 1984. Johns was one of four recipients for the 2022 award. The awards were presented at the SPE Improved Oil Recovery Conference held virtually April 25-29, 2022.
Two Penn State students won awards during the MINEXCHANGE 2022 SME Annual Conference & Expo held February 27 through March 2, 2022, in Salt Lake City, Utah. MINEXCHANGE 2022 SME Annual Conference & Expo is the only conference dedicated to all disciplines of mining engineering. Featuring a wide variety of technical sessions and speakers combined with our expansive exhibit hall, MINEXCHANGE attracts thousands of mining professionals from around the world. The award winners included Younes Shekarian who won first place in the Environmental Division Poster Session for his poster titled "Precipitation of Co-Mn from Low Concentration Solutions using Various Ligands and a Chemical-Free Process, A Case Study of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)" and Behzad Vaziri Hassas who won first place in the mineral and metallurgical procession division for his poster titled "Precipitation of Critical Elements from Acid Mine Drainage–Kinetics and Formation Study."