Penn State EME Connection Newsletter, Summer 2005

CONNECTION A review of news and information about Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering 2004-2005

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

CONNECTION is a publication of theDepartment of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering in theCollege of Earth and Mineral Sciencesat Penn State.

Submissions for future issues arewelcome and can be sent to:

EGEE CONNECTION110 Hosler BuildingPenn State UniversityUniversity Park, PA 16802-5000

or by e-mail to:[email protected]

Editorial Director: Yaw Yeboah, [email protected]

Writer/Editor: Rachel Altemus, [email protected]

U.Ed. EMS 05-03

This publication is available inalternative media on request. PennState is committed to affirmativeaction, equal opportunity, and thediversity of its workforce.

http://www.ems.psu.edu/egee/

Energy & Geo-Environmental Engineering, Environmental Systems Engineering, Industrial Health & Safety,Mining Engineering, Mineral Processing, Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering, and Oil & Gas Engineering Management

EGEE APPOINTS NEW DEPARTMENT HEAD

Yaw D. YeboahHead of Department and Professor,

Energy and Geo-EnvironmentalEngineering “EGEE has a rich and long history

that must be enhanced andpreserved. My goal is to furtherstrengthen EGEE into a unique,growth oriented, student-centered and quality-drivenacademic department. We will dothis through teamwork that relieson four Cs: commitment,collaboration, cohesiveness andcommunity. As the saying goes,“If you want to go fast, go alone;but if you want to go far, gotogether.” My preference is tosee the department go far!”

- Yaw D. Yeboah

Alumni Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 EGEE-Education. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 [email protected] . . . . . . . . 6 Faculty Attributes. . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Professional Society News . . . 10 Research in Motion. . . . . . . . . 12 Student Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2004-05 EGEE Calendar. . . . .16

On August 16, 2004, the Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering welcomedProf. Yaw Yeboah as the Head of Department. A short bio of Dr. Yeboah can be found on page13.

FROM THE DESK OFYAW YEBOAH

I am delighted to join the EGEEfamily as the new departmenthead. EGEE is truly a uniquedepartment with programs inenergy, minerals, environment,and industrial health and safety allunder one umbrella.

Our plan is to continue toenhance departmental growth,uplift student centeredness andimprove the quality of ourprograms. We also plan toenhance and achieve greatercollaboration, cohesiveness andsense of community within thedepartment. To this end, we areworking to find common corecourses that will be offered to allEGEE undergraduate students. Toensure the long-term survival ofour graduate programs, we plan toconsolidate the six existing degreeprograms into two degreeprograms, which will facilitatestrength and promote synergy.Towards this goal, I am pleased toinform you that the previous fuelscience and geo-environmentalengineering graduate programshave now been consolidated into

the energy and geo-environmentalengineering (EGEE) program. Weplan to integrate the remaininggraduate programs into a mineraland petroleum engineering (MPE)program. These two graduateprograms (EGEE and MPE) willmaintain vigor in the specializedareas, provide uniqueopportunities to students, andensure the breadth and depthrequired in meeting the challenges,needs and expectations in industryand academia. Development offive-year BS/MS and Web-basedmaster’s degree programs is alsopart of our plan.

We will keep you informed as wework through the details of thesestrategic plans. Meanwhile, yourideas and suggestions as weendeavor to improve the qualityof our programs and worktowards a stronger and moreunified department would behighly appreciated. We sincerelythank you for your continuedsupport and wish you all the bestin the new year!

Making Life Better . . . for society by educating energy,mineral, environmental and health and safety professionals!

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Alumni UpdateATTENTION EGEE ALUMNI

The Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering is alwayslooking for news of its alumni: promotions, degrees, job changes, honors,personal accomplishments, etc. If you have news you would like to sharewith us and/or your classmates, please mail the following information to:EGEE Alumni Update, Penn State University, 116 Hosler Building, UniversityPark, PA 16802-5000 or e-mail to: [email protected].

__________________________________________________________Name (including your birth name and/or maiden name, as you prefer)___________________________________________________________E-mail address__________________________________________________________Address__________________________________________________________City/State/Zip__________________________________________________________Home phone Work phone__________________________________________________________Year of graduation Major___________________________________________________________News/information to be printed

We look forward to hearing from you!

David Ray Mitchell (1898-1972)(’24 B.S. and ‘27 M.S., Mining Engineering)was inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame on Saturday,September 25, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mitchell was knownfor many years as the United States’ principal professor of coalpreparation engineering. Through his teaching, publications andpractice, Mitchell probably had a greater impact on coalpreparation than any other American. His legacy lives on in hiscontributions to the education of generations of coal preparationengineers.

OBITUARIES

William Bellano graduated with a B.S. in Mining Engineeringfrom Penn State in 1936. He received numerous decorations as aWorld War II hero while serving with the United States Marines,and went on to a long and distinguished worldwide career in themineral extractive, processing and energy industries. He retiredas President of Occidental Petroleum Corporation in 1972,although he continued as a frequent government consultant anda member of the President’s Energy Advisory Council until 1990.In 1974 Penn State honored him with its distinguished AlumnusAward. He was also named a “Life Member” of the AmericanInstitute of Mining, the Canadian Institute of Mining, and thecoal industry’s “Old Timers Club.” William Bellano passed awayon March 8, 2004, at the age of 91.

James H. Brannigan graduated with a B.S. in Petroleum andNatural Gas Engineering from Penn State in 1954. He received anMBA from Bowling Green State University in 1971 and completedthe Harvard Advance Management Program in 1976. He beganhis career with Marathon Oil Company as an engineer trainee inBridgeport, Illinois, and after forty illustrious years, he retired asSenior Vice President of Worldwide Exploration andAdministrative Services. Brannigan received the College of Earthand Mineral Sciences’ (EMS) Professional Achievement Award in1994 for his distinguished career as a petroleum engineer andcorporate executive, his outstanding record of communityservice, and his long-standing support of EMS and Penn State.Brannigan was named recipient of the C. Drew Stahl AlumniAchievement Award in April 2000. James H. Brannigan died inJuly 2004.

Charles Walter “Chuck” Ellenberger graduated from PennState in 1973 with a B.S. degree in Petroleum and Natural GasEngineering. He was employed by Chevron in California, and in1979 he accepted a position with Roy Huffington, Inc. to work inhis field in Indonesia. In time he became reservoir engineermanager for HuffCo’s East Kalimantan fields. He mentored manyIndonesian engineers and served as president of the EastKalimantan Society of Petroleum Engineers. In 1989, he returnedto California to work with Unocal, and in 1996 he was recruited byGulf Canada to return to Indonesia and to the oil fields ofSumatra. He loved being a professional licensed engineer in hischosen field. Charles Walter Ellenberger died on January 23, 2004.

Stanley C. Suboleski(’78 Ph.D., Mining Engineering)was named a Commissioner inthe Federal Mine Safety andHealth Review Commission inAugust 2003. Dr. Suboleski,former Executive Vice Presidentand Interim Chief OperatingOfficer of Massey EnergyCompany, was CentennialProfessor of MiningEngineering and Chairman ofthe Mining EngineeringSection at Penn State from1988 to 1993.

Stanley C. SuboleskiChuck Zebula(‘82 B.S. and ‘90 M.S., Mining Engineering)was named Senior Vice President - Fuel, Emissions andLogistics - for American Electric Power. Zebula joined AEP in1998. Prior to that he was a senior associate with Putnam, Hayes& Bartlett, an economic and management consulting firm inWashington, DC, and a senior process engineer/projectmanager with ICF Kaiser Engineers in Pittsburgh, PA.

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Charles N. “Skip” Berents, Jr.Thomas V. Falkie, Sr.

Charles N. “Skip” Berents,Jr., (‘62 B.S., Mineral Economics)senior vice president and chiefinvestment officer for NorthAmerican ManagementCorporation, has been chosenas a 2004 recipient of the PennState Alumni Fellow Award, themost prestigious award givenby the Penn State AlumniAssociation. Berents, a ‘62graduate of the MineralEconomics program, began hisdistinguished career as a Navy

Thomas V. Falkie, Sr.(’56, ‘58, ‘61, Mining Engineering)is the Earth and MineralSciences 2004 recipient of theDistinguished Alumni Award,the highest honor that ThePennsylvania State Universitybestows upon an outstandingalumnus/a. The award salutesthe achievements ofoutstanding alumni whose“personal lives, professionalachievements, and communityservice exemplify theobjectives of their Alma

Viginia S. T. Ciminelli

Virginia S. T. Ciminelli(’87 Mineral Processing)is a 2004 recipient of theGEMS Alumni AchievementAward. The Graduates of Earthand Mineral Sciences (GEMS)Alumni Society recognizes theoutstanding achievements ofPenn State’s College of Earthand Mineral Sciences alumniby presenting the GEMSAlumni Achievement Awardduring the fall semester eachyear. Within seven years ofcompleting her Ph.D., Virginia

achieved the academic rank of full professor at the FederalUniversity of Minas Gerais, Brazil, making her the first woman toreceive this rank in the College of Engineering at the 85-year-oldinstitution. Dr. Ciminelli has built a world-class school ofAqueous Processing and is the leading hydro metallurgist inBrazil and a worldwide leader in the field, and she has served asboth head and associate head of the department. In addition shehas supervised many students and is credited with over 100publications. Virginia has represented Penn State well throughher numerous international collaborations, and is an excellent rolemodel for women professors and researchers.

Mater.” He is the chairman of Berwind Natural ResourcesCorporation, a land and resource management company inPhiladelphia whose activities consist primarily of managing theroyalty streams from coal reserves and developing Appalachian-based natural gas reserves. Dr. Falkie has brought honor andprestige to Penn State through his professional and personalachievements as well as his direct contributions. In 1969, hebecame the first head of the newly-formed department of MineralEngineering and continues to contribute by serving on thedepartment’s Industrial and Professional Advisory Committee forMining Engineering, the Global Business Advisory Committee,the EMS Grand Destiny Campaign committee, and is a lifemember of the Penn State Alumni Association. In 1986, Dr. Falkiewas awarded the Penn State Alumni Association’s highest honor,the Alumni Fellow Award.

gunnery officer in the Pacific Amphibious Attack Force. Uponcompletion, he accepted employment as a security analyst forMorgan Guaranty followed by a move to MassachusettsFinancial Services. Skip then became president of Berents andHess. In 2001, Berents & Hess merged with North AmericanManagement Corporation, where he serves as chief investmentofficer. Skip has dedicated both time and financial resources tothe advancement of Penn State and to Earth and MineralSciences. He served as a member of the College’s alumniconstituent society, served and chaired the EMS Grand DestinyCampaign Committee, and is a member of the College andUniversity distinguished donor organizations, the ObeliskSociety and Mount Nittany Society. He holds an EMS CentennialFellow Award and is currently a member of the National Councilfor Penn State Philanthropy as well as a lifetime member of theAlumni Association.

Justin Wieser(’99 B.S., Geo-Environmental Engineering)Justin was named the Roger M. Lynch Outstanding Young PublicHealth Service Engineer of the Year by the U.S. Public HealthService in June 2003. Justin joined the Indian Health Service asan Environmental Engineer in July 1999, and his first assignmentwas completing a water treatment plant pilot for East Glacier Park,Montana. Following Justin’s initial analysis, original plans wereabandoned in favor of a $12 million project to tap the waters ofLower Two Medicine Reservoir, on the eastern boundary ofGlacier National Park, and to pipe that water for use in thecommunities of Browning and East Glacier. Both Blackfeet IndianReservation towns have struggled for years with issues ofdrinking water quality and quantity. Justin’s analysis of the pipepressure and sizing during the value engineering process isestimated to have saved $500,000, lessening the amount that hadto be raised by the tribe. Justin’s work on the project wasrecognized with the Public Health Service award.

Christopher M. Stroz(‘01 B.S., Industrial Health and Safety)has successfully passed the Board of Certified SafetyProfessionals Associate Safety Professional (ASP) SafetyFundamentals Exam. Chris is currently an HES Specialist withChevronTexaco North America Upstream in New Orleans.

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EGEE-Education“We Are Penn State!”

You have heard these words, “We are Penn State!” onnumerous occasions. Along with the spoken words, have youexperienced the heartfelt emotion that accompanies the phrase?If not, the Department of Energy and Geo-EnvironmentalEngineering’s annual spring awards celebration is an excellentplace to capture the excitement of Penn State pride.

The celebration begins with the Peter H. Given Lecture-ship in Coal Science. Dr. Peter H. Given contributed to manyareas of coal science during his long and productive career. Hisearly studies focused on the chemistry of phenols, surface andorganic compounds. He became a major contributor to researchon coal structure and direct liquefaction. He also had a stronginterest in the organic geochemistry of coals and related peats.Dr. Given joined the British Coal Utilization Research Associa-tion in 1945 and served as the head of the organic chemistrysection from 1950 to 1960. In 1961, he joined the faculty of PennState as Associate Professor of Fuel Technology and laterbecame the first program chair of the Fuel Science Program inthe Department of Materials Science and Engineering. In 1984,Dr. Given became the first non-American to receive the HenryH. Storch Award for outstanding research in fuel chemistry.

The celebration continues with the G. Albert ShoemakerLecture Series in Mineral Engineering established in 1992 byMercedes G. Shoemaker to honor the memory of her husband, aPittsburgh civic and industrial leader, dedicated to the supportof higher education. G. Albert Shoemaker, a Penn State Distin-guished Alumnus, had an eminent career in the mineral indus-tries. He was for many years a leader of the coal industry,serving as a president of the Pittsburgh Coal Division ofBabcock & Wilcox, and later as president of Consolidation CoalCompany from 1960 to 1966. Among many civic and philan-thropic activities, he served as a member of the UniversityBoard of Trustees from 1957 to 1978 and as board presidentfrom 1970-72.

To conclude the week-long celebration, the entire EGEEfamily gathers at the Penn Stater to celebrate their collectiveaccomplishments. An opening reception sets the mood for theevening’s festivities. The doors of the President’s Hall open tothe sound of familiar Penn State tunes. The energy level is highas the Penn State spirit rains through the crowd of more than350 faculty, students, staff, alumni and friends of EGEE.

An annual trivia question has become a banquet tradi-tion. This year the captive audience enjoyed a cool, sweetconversation during dinner on the happenings at the Univer-sity Creamery.

Sir John Meurig ThomasHonorary Professor

University of CambridgeEmeritus Professor

The Davy Faraday ResearchLaboratory

2004 Given Lecture

David D. LauriskiAssistant Secretary of Labor

Mine Safety and HealthAdministration

U.S. Department of Labor

2004 Shoemaker Lecture

Given LecturersAnna Marzec, 1990

Leo J. Lynch, 1991

John W. Larsen, 1992

Jan de Leeuw, 1993

Robert H. Essenhigh, 1994

Leon M. Stock, 1995

Donald F. McMillen, 1996

Dalway J. Swaine, 1997

Frank J. Derbyshire, 1998

Bradley C. Bockrath, 1999

Colin E. Snape, 2000

Adel F. Sarofim, 2001

Isao Mochida, 2002

Randall E. Winans, 2003

Shoemaker LecturersB. R. Brown, 1992

Victor G. Beghini, 1993

Jay S. Pifer, 1994

H. Douglas Dahl, 1995

Milton H. Ward, 1996

John T. Ryan III, 1997

E. Linn Draper, Jr., 1998

Richard L. Lawson, 1999

Thomas V. Falkie, 2000

Thomas J. O’Neil, 2001

Richard M. Whiting, 2002

Stanley C. Suboleski, 2003

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We celebrate the accomplishments of our students bypresenting them the scholarships, fellowships, and awards whichthey have earned through their scholastic achievements. Weaward those graduate students who have performed superbly asteaching assistants. The Outstanding Graduate TeachingAssistants this year are:

George W. Alexander (GEOEE)Marielle R. Narkiewicz (GEOEE)

Scott K. Berkhous (General Education)Brian C. Senger (General Education)

James J. Strohm (FSc)Yi Yang (General Education)

Jose S. Zaghloul (PNGE)

The C.C. Wright Award for Excellence in Graduate Studiesis based on a combination of academic achievement, performancein examinations, scholarly publications and service to the FuelScience program. This year’s recipients are Angelique Adams andJames Szybist, both Ph.D. candidates in Fuel Science. We recog-nize accomplished faculty and emeritus faculty. We applaud staffmember Kelly Henry, who has demonstrated excellence in serviceto the Department. We thank and recognize our distinguishedShoemaker Lecturer, David D. Lauriski; and the Given Lecturer,Sir John Meurig Thomas. We bestow upon two distinguishedalumni the Department’s highest award, the DistinguishedAchievement Award: Steven B. Hinchman, 2004 C. Drew StahlDistinguished Achievement Award in Petroleum and Natural GasEngineering; and Jan M. Mutmansky, 2004 Robert StefankoDistinguished Achievement Award in Mineral Engineering.

Barbara Arnold, President of Prep Tech, Inc. was presentedwith the GEMS Appreciation Award. GEMS is an alumni societymade up of graduates of the College of Earth and MineralSciences. Barb served on the GEMS Board for 11 years as anEGEE representative and held numerous offices during hertenure.

A core group of undergraduates is recognized for theirdedication and support in their role as EGEE Ambassadors. Themission of the EGEE Ambassadors is to promote the Departmentand its programs, as well as its interests and goals, among future,current and past students and friends of Penn State. Each ofthese students brings a unique perspective to the group,fostering excitement and pride within EGEE and Penn State.

It is truly a privilege for the Department’s faculty and staffto play a role in the education of our students. We are confidentthat our students will obtain successful professional careers andknow that they will uphold the tradition of excellence establishedby their predecessors. Upon graduation our students will join aloyal and supportive alumni group, and we hope that they willmaintain their ties with the Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering, the College of Earth and MineralSciences, and Penn State, so that we can share in the joy that willaccompany their professional achievements. After all, “We arePenn State!”

Kelly Henry, EMS Director of Public Information

Scholarship RecipientsMojisola S. Abiola, PNGE

Katherine L. Blansett, ENVSEBryan J. Boskovich, MNGE

Kimberly M. Breese, ENVSEEric K. Chastain, ENVSE

Mui Kristy Chau, IHSAmy M. Costenbader, ENVSE

Bradley A. Davis, PNGEDavid A. Domalakes, PNGE

Courtney H. Falconer, ENVSEGary M. Galley, MNGE

Zachary J. Hershey, MNGEGregory H. Holland, MNGE

Christopher A. Hook, ENVSERichard A. Jenkins, PNGEKavya P. Kasturi, ENVSEMathew V. Kepler, ENVSE

Joshua A. Kesselman, PNGEScott O. Kilgore, ENVSEAlicia L. Koval, PNGECarly L. Koval, PNGE

Steven C. Lauper, PNGETerrence L. Loeper, PNGE

Daniel S. Lopus, MNGEJohn L. McCabe

Scott M. McShea, PNGEErick E. Navas, PNGEJames L. Pahel, PNGE

Christopher J. Pecora, MNGETemitope I. Phillips, PNGEAsha Ramgulam, PNGENicole J. Reed, ENVSERebecca L. Roell, PNGE

Richard W. Saadeh, PNGEErica B. Schrim, PNGE

Amber M. Schweitzer, ENVSEMatthew J. Sebastian, ENVSE

Brian C. Senger, FScCheryl L. Spellman, MNGE

Bradley J. Stanzione, MNGEJames J. Strohm, FScLee M. Stuchell, PNGE

Kevin M. Swartzell, ENVSEJames P. Szybist, FSc

Joshua M. Taron, ENVSEPaul D. Vuljanic, MNGEBrian E. Watters, MNGE

Benjamin M. Wingard, PNGEJames T. Wise, PNGE

Michael D. Woinsky, PNGEBenjamin M. Wood, ENVSELauren M. Ziatyk, ENVSE

Steven B. HinchmanSenior Vice President ofWorldwide Production

Marathon Oil Corporation

2004 C. Drew StahlDistinguished Achievement

Award in Petroleum andNatural Gas Engineering

Jan M. MutmanskyProfessor Emeritus of

Mining Engineering

2004 Robert StefankoDistinguished Achievement

Award in MineralEngineering

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[email protected] Service Activities Help Keep

Attendees on the Cutting EdgeThe Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engi-

neering has a commitment to offering educational and trainingprograms to help those in the energy and mineral industriesmaintain lifelong learning. Three recent courses, held in thesummer of 2004 and led by EGEE faculty, have attracted industryleaders interested in performance improvement and new opportu-nities in their fields.

On June 10-11, 2004, Dr. Mercedes Maroto-Valer conductedthe Coal Combustion By-Products Workshop: TraditionalMarkets and Emerging Utilization Trends. This workshop, held atPenn State, offered state-of-the-art presentations and discus-sions on current markets and upcoming opportunities for coalcombustion by-products (CCB) utilization. A research-needsdocument was produced based on the workshop discussions andis planned to be used as a tool for establishing cooperation

Attendees of the Coal Combustion By-Products Workshop taketime for discussion between presentations.

opportunities and funding. The workshop had approximately 35participants, including employees of utilities and other compa-nies producing CCB, marketers or brokers of CCB, users of CCB,including producers and manufacturers of cement and concrete,and academic, government and other professionals working ontopics related to CCB.

On July 19-22, the Acoustic Emission Working Group(AEWG) held its 47th annual meeting, co-chaired by Profs.Maochen Ge and H. Reginald Hardy, Jr. The AEWG is an organi-zation, founded in 1967, devoted to the field of Acoustic Emis-sion (AE) and the advancement of AE technology through

exchange of information. The AEWG meetings are intimate (40-60persons) technical “get togethers” where those involved inresearch, application, equipment development and manufacturinghave an opportunity to share problems and discuss possiblesolutions. This year’s meeting was no exception, and the 40attendees were treated to two full days of technical presenta-tions, as well as the traditional “primer” day. This one-day “shortshortcourse” gives participants the opportunity to attend aseries of basic presentations on a variety of AE topics presentedby a number of well known experts. These presentations allow“new comers” to the field to develop their knowledge of thesubject and established persons to update their expertise or gainan appreciation of AE techniques in unfamiliar materials andapplications. This year attendees were also invited to take a boattour of local attraction Penn’s Cave, and they were entertainedwith banjo music at the Barbeque Dinner and Awards Presenta-tion. More information on the AEWG can be found online athttp://www.aewg.org/.

On August 11-12, 2004, Dr. Andrew Schissler chaired thefirst meeting of the “Industry Summit on Mining Performance:How to Improve It, How to Sustain It, How to Reduce Costs” atthe Wyndham Pittsburgh Airport Hotel. The conference gatheredindustry leaders in key mining sectors - coal, metals, and non-metallic minerals - as well as customers, suppliers, and others todiscuss performance improvement issues, opportunities, andchallenges in the extractive industries. The conference keynotespeaker was Glen Barton, Chairman and CEO (retired) of Caterpil-lar. Industry leaders presented 18 papers on a variety of perfor-mance improvement topics for the industry, including:

• Getting started with performance improvement

AEWG meeting attendees were treated to banjo playing duringthe Barbeque Dinner and Awards Presentation.

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On the HorizonUpcoming EGEE Short Courses

Ninth Mine Health and Safety SeminarThis seminar, co-sponsored by industry and government stakeholders, isthe premier opportunity of the year to enhance the safety managementskills of front-line supervisory mine personnel. The seminar features timelypresentations by industry and government safety leaders on such topicsas: supervisory safety management development programs; cost impact ofsafety management; innovative training and problem-solving approaches;MSHA CLR procedures; supervising crane operations; and using rootcause analysis to improve the safety system. For further information,please visit the following web site:http://www.egee.psu.edu/safetysem9/Being Held January 19-20, 2005

Second Industry Summit on Mining PerformanceThis conference will be a gathering place to discuss performanceimprovement issues, opportunities, and challenges, and will includepresentations from industry leaders in key mining sectors - coal, metals,and non-metallic minerals - as well as from customers, suppliers, andothers with a keen interest in mining industry performance. For furtherinformation, please visit the following web site:http://www.egee.psu.edu/ShortCourses/short_course.htmBeing Held September 2005

Twelfth Pennsylvania Drilling and Blasting Conference isfor underground and surface blasters, engineers, suppliers, and otherprofessionals associated with drilling, blasting, and explosives. Theconference will cover new products and equipment, recent developmentsin blasting practice, safety, improved fragmentation, vibration control, aswell as changes in compliance and homeland security regulations. Forfurther information, please visit the following web site:www.outreach.psu.edu/cnf/Blasting/Being Held November 10-11, 2005

11th U.S./North American Mine Ventilation SymposiumPapers on all ventilation topics are invited: characterization and control ofgases, aerosols, heat and humidity in mines; airflow and networks; mineventilation systems, computer applications; mine emergencies; casestudies. Special emphasis is planned for coalbed methane drainage andcontrol of diesel emissions. For further information, please visit the followingweb site: www.egee.psu.edu/USMVS2006/Being Held June 5-7, 2006

Attendees of the August 2004 Industry Summit on MiningPerformance heard from a variety of speakers.

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• High performance teaming to improve performance• Strategies to sustain performance levels, and next

steps to improve performance, after significant performance improvement has been achieved

• Business communications, information sharing, andconnectivity

• “Transactional” opportunities to improveperformance

• Performance measurement and management• Utilizing consultants, academia and institutes

The conference had 60 paid attendees and was judged agreat success based on a written post-conference survey. Theconference will be held again next September in Denver with theexpectation of fielding at least 100 attendees.

This summer’s courses provided valuable learning oppor-tunities for attendees, as well as the chance to interact withcolleagues and friends. Both components, technical and social -help ensure that participants stay at the top of their fields.

EGEE can tailor a course for yourorganization too!

Let us help address your technical training needs.For further information on how EGEE can be ofservice to you, please contact:

Rachel Altemus(814) [email protected]

116 Hosler Building, University Park, PA 16802

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Faculty AttributesWilson Excellence in Research AwardTurgay Ertekin, Professor of Petroleum and Natural GasEngineering, is the recipient of the 2004 Wilson Award forExcellence in Research. Turgay is the first faculty member in EMSto receive all three Wilson Awards for excellence in teaching,research, and service.

Eric J. Barron, EMS Dean, and Turgay Ertekin, recipient ofthe 2004 Wilson Excellence in Research Award

Wilson Award for Outstanding ServiceAlan W. Scaroni, Professor EGEE and Associate Dean forGraduate Education and Research, was awarded the 2004 WilsonAward for Outstanding Service.

Kwadwo Osseo-Asare, Professor ofMetallurgy in the Departmentof Materials Science andEngineering and Professor ofGeo-EnvironmentalEngineering in theDepartment of Energy andGeo-EnvironmentalEngineering, was recentlynamed a member of theNational Academy ofEngineering (NAE).

Osseo-Asare was cited for his contributions to the fundamentalunderstanding of interfacial phenomena in leaching and solventextraction.

Wilson Research Initiation GrantsAngela Lueking, Assistant Professor of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering, was awarded a Wilson ResearchInitiation Grant for her proposal entitled, “Kinetic Modeling ofHydrogen Spillover.”

Andrew Schissler, Assistant Professor of MiningEngineering, was awarded a Wilson Research Initiation Grant forhis proposal entitled, “Respirable Coal Mine DustCharacterization, Mitigation and Control in the Shield Air Circuitin High-Performance Longwalls.”

George H. Deike, Jr. Research GrantVladislav Kecojevic, Assistant Professor of MiningEngineering, was awarded a George H. Deike, Jr. Research Grantfor his proposal entitled, “Optimization of Drilling and Blasting inSurface Mining by a Multi-Criteria Decision Model.”

Chunshan Song, Professor of Fuel Science, has beenawarded a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award from the U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission. Song is one of four people whoreceived the award this year. It will support him while he spends ayear with the Department of Chemical Engineering at ImperialCollege in London. Song was recognized for his work in catalyticchemistry in fuel processing and desulfurisation for ultracleanfuels and fuel cells, as well as chemicals synthesis by shape-selective catalytic conversion of polycyclic hydrocarbons.

Jonathan Mathews, Assistant Professor of Energy andGeo-Environmental Engineering, was awarded the Gladys SnyderEducation Grant for his proposal, “Give Me Back My Chalk!:Enhancing Online Education with Asynchronous ‘Live’ VoiceAnnotated Virtual Chalkboards.”

Jan Mutmansky, Professor Emeritus, Mining Engineering,was awarded the Old Timers Club Faculty Award for 2003 at adinner meeting at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh, PA, by Dr. H.Douglas Dahl, President of the Old Timers Club. The award isgiven annually to a mining engineering faculty member who hasbeen an inspiration to students and devoted his career to thedevelopment of mining engineers.

Christopher J. Bise, Professor and Chair of MiningEngineering and Industrial Health & Safety, was awarded theFriend of the Commonwealth Award. This award is presentedannually by Penn State’s Council of Commonwealth StudentGovernments (CCSG) to the person who has provided“outstanding service, commitment, and dedication to the 40,000Penn State students at non-University Park campuses.”

EMS Faculty Mentoring AwardPhillip Halleck, Associate Professor of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering, has received the 2004 EMS FacultyMentoring Award for his excellence in recruiting and mentoringundergraduate students in EGEE.

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Staff Focus2003 OUTSTANDING STAFF AWARD

WE WELCOME NEW FACULTY TO EGEELuis F. AyalaAssistant ProfessorPetroleum & Natural GasEngineering

212 Hosler BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802814-865-8473 (voice)814-865-3248 (fax)[email protected]

Education:Ph.D., Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, The PennsylvaniaState University, 2004M.S., Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, The Pennsylvania StateUniversity, 2001B.Sc., Petroleum Engineering, Summa Cum Laude, Universidad deOriente, Venezuela, 1999B.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Summa Cum Laude, Universidad deOriente, Venezuela, 1997

Prior to his appointment as Assistant Professor, Ayala served as anInstructor in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering at Penn State. Hehas also been an Instructor in the Chemical Engineering and PetroleumEngineering Departments at Universidad de Oriente (Venezuela).Currently, he also serves as the Faculty Contact Person for the on-lineMaster of Engineering in Oil and Gas Engineering Program (OGEM).

His principal research interests are natural gas engineering, combiningboth reservoir applications (such as exploitation of unconventionalnatural gas resources from hydrate reservoirs, behavior of gascondensate fluids in naturally fractured formations, and artificial neuralnetwork studies) and surface production operations (such as naturalgas pipeline transportation in complex distribution networks,multiphase flow, and flow assurance problems). His research work hasbeen published in technical journals and proceedings, and has beenpresented in national and international meetings. Dr. Ayala is a memberof the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and a member of Colegiode Ingenieros de Venezuela.

Maochen GeAssociate Professor and GraduateProgram ChairMining Engineering

201 Hosler BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-5000814-865-5861 (voice)814-865-3248 (fax)[email protected]

Education:Ph.D., Mining Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, 1988M.Sc., Mining Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines &Technology, 1982B.Sc., Surface Mining Engineering, China University of Mining &Technology, 1977

Dr. Ge has over 20 years of experience in teaching and research. Hisfocus during the past twelve years has been on basic and appliedresearch to make the acoustic emission/microseismic technique anindustrial tool for mine ground control and non-destructive testing. Themonitoring theory, approach and method developed by Dr. Ge werewidely adopted by the Canadian mining industry for the dailymonitoring purpose. His major research interests include: rockmechanics, ground control, acoustic emission/microseismic technique,rockburst, underground void detection, mapping of fracturing processunderground, and non-destructive testing and real-time based healthmonitoring of industrial structures.

Timothy ConsidineProfessorNatural Resource Economics

125 Hosler BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-5000814-863-0810 (voice)814-865-3248 (fax)[email protected]/cpw

(continued on page 13)

Timothy J. Considine is a Professor of Natural Resource Economics.He has nearly 25 years professional experience in energy andenvironmental economics. Prior to joining Penn State in 1986, heworked as an Economist at Bank of America forecasting oil prices andinterest rates. Prior to that he was an analyst with the U.S.Congressional Budget Office, where he wrote two reports to theCongress about decontrolling natural gas prices in the early 1980s. Heteaches courses in energy economics, energy and mineral finance,industrial ecology, quantitative analysis in earth sciences, and next yearwill be teaching a course on the international evolution of the oilindustry. His research includes applied econometrics, industrialorganization, energy economics, economics of metals and materials, andindustrial ecology.

Professor Considine’s current research includes the economics ofmaterial flows in the stainless steel industry, world oil markets and therole of strategic reserves, the economics of the North American steelindustry, the economics of life-cycle environmental analysis of steelversus aluminum in automotive applications, and the economics andenvironmental dimensions of nanotechnology.

Tim is originally from Chicago and lives in State College with his wifeDonita, two daughters Lucy and Sabrina, son Tim, and dog Rosie. Healso has three other children, Nick, Molly, and John who live inBoalsburg. Considine stays out of trouble by playing squash, liftingweights, gardening (aka picking weeds) and on occasion getting waistdeep in cold water, hoping to catch fish.

Education:Ph.D., Natural Resource Economics, Cornell University, 1981M.S., Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, 1977B.A., Economics, with Honors, Loyola University, 1975

The following faculty members have joined EGEE since the last faculty profile piece, in the January 2002 newsletter.

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Professional Society News

ASEE Best Paper NominationThe American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) haschosen a paper authored by EGEE (and Geography) facultymembers Sarma Pisupati, Jonathan P. Mathews,David DiBiase, and Alan W. Scaroni, entitled, “AnAssessment of Active and Project Based Learning in EnergyConservation Education for Non-Technical Students,” as thebest paper nomination at their June 2004 Conference. The paperalso received the Energy Conversion and Conservation DivisionAward for one of the three best papers of the Division.

Haight Recognized by the AmericanSociety of Safety Engineers

Joel Haight receives the award for first place in the2004 ASSE Professional Paper Awards from

ASSE President, Skipper Kendrick

Joel Haight, Assistant Professor of Industrial Health andSafety, was awarded the ASSE (American Society of SafetyEngineers) Engineering Practice Specialty Safety Professionalof the Year Award in October 2003. The Safety Professional of theYear award, voted on by his peers, is given annually to the mostoutstanding safety professional for their accomplishments andcontributions in the field of occupational safety, health andenvironmental engineering. The ASSE Engineering PracticeSpecialty is a best practices group for safety professionalsworking in the engineering field.

Joel was also awarded first place in the 2004 ASSE ProfessionalPaper Awards for his article, “Human Factors and the Challengesof an Aging Workforce,” which examines the impact of a grayingworkforce on job safety and issues of which safety, health, andenvironmental professionals must be aware to effectivelyrespond to this trend.

AIHA Best Graduate Student Modeling PosterBalaji Kamalakannan won the American Industrial HygieneAssociation Best Graduate Student Modeling Poster Award for herposter entitled, “Predictive Models for Estimating Metabolic andPhysical Workload Based on Individual’s Recorded Heart Rate andPhysical Characteristics,” (B. Kamalakannan, A. Freivalds, W.Groves) at the 2004 American Industrial Hygiene Conference andExpo in May 2004.

Pramod Thakur (‘74 M.S.,Ph.D., Mining Engineering, andM.A., Applied Mathematics)was awarded the 2004 HowardL. Hartman Award at the Societyfor Mining, Metallurgy, andExploration’s U.S. MineVentilation Symposium. Theaward, established in 1989,recognizes distinguishedcontributions in practice,teaching or research in the field

SME Howard L. Hartman Award

of underground ventilation engineering. Dr. Thakur’s citation reads,“In recognition of distinguished contributions in practice, teachingor research in the field of underground ventilation engineering.”

ACS Storch AwardHarold Schobert, Director of the Energy Institute andProfessor, Department of Energy and Geo-EnvironmentalEngineering, has been awarded the American Chemical Society FuelChemistry Division Storch Award. This award is given biannuallyto an individual who has made an outstanding contribution toresearch in the field of fuel science, including research on all aspectsof the chemistry and utilization of all hydrocarbon fuels, with theexception of petroleum. Dr. Schobert was thanked by the FuelChemistry Division for his contributions to fuel science, as well asappreciation for his leadership in the field and his mentorship ofstudents and colleagues over the years.

Careers in Coal MembershipChristopher J. Bise, Professor and Chair of MiningEngineering and Industrial Health & Safety, was recentlynominated for membership in Careers in Coal (CI-Coal), a societyof coal industry professionals, formed in 1962, known for theiryearly awards to mining students. Dr. Bise accepted theirnomination and will attend an induction ceremony in Spring 2005.

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Where Everybody Knows Your Name

EGEE Alumni gather at the reception held at the SPE Annualmeeting in San Antonio in September 2002.

Upcoming Alumni Receptions

2005 SME Annual Meeting and Exhibit -February 28-March 2, 2005 in Salt Lake City, UTThe PSU alumni reception: Tuesday, March 1, 2005,from 5:30-7:00 PM in the Wasatch 2 Room in thePrime Hotel, Salt Lake City Convention Center.

230th National Meeting of the American ChemicalSociety - August 28-September 1, 2005 inWashington, DCThe PSU alumni reception: details yet to be set.

2005 SPE Annual Technical Conference andExhibition - October 9-12, 2005, in Dallas, Texas.The PSU alumni reception: details yet to be set.

Z.T. “Richard”Bieniawski, ProfessorEmeritus of MineralEngineering, has earned thedistinction of having a lecturehall named after him by theUniversity of Madrid, Spain.His research specialty at PennState was the design andconstruction of tunnels andunderground mines, and hedeveloped a rock mass ratingsystem for this purpose that iscurrently used throughout theworld. Bieniawski was also

Spanish Auditorium Named for Bieniawski

honored by the University of Madrid with the award of DoctorHonoris Causa and membership for life in the professorialclaustro extraordinario.

Professional society meetings are the place to showcasenew research, learn about developments in ones field, andreconnect with ones alma mater. That’s right, you could verywell catch a glimpse of Happy Valley at the next national meetingof your favorite professional society. In the past year EGEE hashosted alumni receptions at the annual meetings of the Societyfor Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc. (held February 23-25, 2004 in Denver, CO), the American Chemical Society (heldAugust 22-26, 2004 in Philadelphia, PA), and the Society forPetroleum Engineers (ATCE 2004 held September 26-29, 2004 inHouston, TX). Each event was well attended and heartilyenjoyed by the various alumni and friends of EGEE who had thechance to get together and reminisce about days gone by atPenn State.

Two EGEE Faculty to be Honored atthe SME Spring 2005 Meeting

Subhash Chander,Professor of MineralProcessing and Geo-Environmental Engineering,was awarded the 2004 AntoineM. Gaudin Award “for hisoutstanding contributions tothe interfacial electrochemistryof sulfide minerals.” Dr.Chander will be recognized atthe Society of Mining,Metallurgy, and Exploration,Inc.’s annual meeting in SaltLake City, Utah in Spring 2005.

Christopher J. Bise,Professor and Chair of MiningEngineering and IndustrialHealth & Safety, is therecipient of the 2004 HowardN. Eavenson Award. He will berecognized at the Coal &Energy Division luncheon onMarch 1, 2005 at the SMEAnnual Meeting. The HowardN. Eavenson Award, firstpresented in 1969, is given fordistinguished contributions tothe advancement of coalmining.

Subhash Chander

Christopher J. BiseInvitations are typically sent out to EGEE alumni to

advertise the upcoming receptions, and details about alumnievents are also provided on most society meeting websites. Wehope to see you at the next meeting!

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Research in Motion

In the wake of the Quecreek Mine rescue, the U.S. Congressappropriated $10 million for mine mapping and void detectionresearch. Researchers in Penn State’s Department of Energy andGeo-Environmental Engineering recently received $759,838 toinvestigate detection of mine voids.

The project, headed by Dr. Maochen Ge, associate professorof mining engineering and principal investigator, is titled “In-Seam Seismic Method Based Mine Void Detection Technique.”The researchers will conduct seismic investigations at a numberof mines – primarily the coal mines in Pennsylvania.

Man-made seismic signals from small blasts passing throughthe mine walls and being reflected back will allow the Penn Stateengineers to locate and record voids near existing coal minetunnels. The Quecreek flooding occurred because a previouslyundetected, water-filled void existed very near the active miningtunnel. Locating voids goes hand in hand with the state ofPennsylvania effort to map existing underground mine tunnels,which was also funded by this initiative.

The Penn State researchers on this project include Ge; Dr.Andrew Schissler, co-principal investigator and AssistantProfessor of Mining Engineering; Dr. H. Reginald Hardy Jr.,Emeritus Professor of Mining Engineering; Dr. Raja Ramani,

Penn State Receives Funds toInvestigate Mine Voids

A memorial now stands at the Quecreek mine sitewhere 9 trapped miners were rescued last year.

Center for Environmental Kinetic Analysis Receives $6.7 Million Grant

Emeritus Professor of Mining Engineering and Geo-Environmental Engineering; Dr. Mark Radomsky, Director, FieldServices, Miner Training Program; and Hongliang Wang and JinWang, graduate students in Mining Engineering.

A’ndrea Messer and Vicki FongDepartment of Public Information, Penn State

The National Science Foundation has awarded a 12-personteam of Penn State researchers, including EGEE faculty membersMercedes Maroto-Valer, Assistant Professor of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering, and Kwadwo Osseo-Asare,Professor of Metals Science and Engineering and Geo-Environmental Engineering, $6.7 million to establish a new centerfor the study of environmental kinetics.

Led by Susan L. Brantley, Director of the Earth andEnvironmental Systems Institute, the Center for EnvironmentalKinetics Analysis will bring together chemists, geochemists,biochemists, soil scientists and engineers to measure andsynthesize kinetic data for environmental systems and topromote modeling of the temporal evolution of such systems.The group will try to answer jointly the question, “How fast dopollutants and natural salts react with minerals in soils andaquifers?” The center will emphasize the problem of how toanswer this question using laboratory or computer experimentsand then how to scale the answer to natural systems. CEKAhypothesizes that training students to think about environmental

problems at several scales of analysis will promote betterapproaches for analysis of environmental systems.

As an Environmental Molecular Science Institute, the centerhas as part of its mission to create broad interdisciplinaryeducational opportunities. To accomplish this, CEKA willincorporate postdoctoral research, graduate and undergraduatetraining, and public outreach components.

The Penn State team will be joined by DOE scientists from LosAlamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who willhost Penn State students in their labs.

Additional information about CEKA can be found athttp://www.ceka.psu.edu

A’ndrea Messer and Vicki FongDepartment of Public Information, Penn State

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Angela LuekingAssistant ProfessorEnergy and Geo-EnvironmentalEngineering


Education:Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2003M.S.E., Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, 1998M.S.E., Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, 1998B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Nebraska, 1996

Prior to her appointment as Assistant Professor, Dr. Lueking served asan Instructor at the University of Michigan, and she worked withProcter and Gamble as an Environmental Engineer. Her principalinterests are hydrogen storage in carbon nanotubes, hydrogen spillover,synthesis of carbon nanofibers and nanotubes, metal oxide catalysis,and environmental sustainability. She is a member of the AmericanInstitute of Chemical Engineers and the American Chemical Society.

NEW FACULTY... (continued from page 9)

Andrew SchisslerAssistant ProfessorMining Engineering


Yaw YeboahProfessor and Dept. HeadEnergy and Geo-EnvironmentalEngineering


Education:Sc.D., Chemical Engineering, MIT, 1979S.M., Chemical Engineering, MIT, 1975S.B., Chemical Engineering, MIT, 1975S.B., Management, MIT, 1975S.B., Chemistry, MIT, 1975

Dr. Yeboah comes to Penn State from Clark Atlanta University inAtlanta, Georgia, where he served as Professor of Chemical Engineeringand Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. His researchareas of expertise include combustion and emission control; catalysis;hydrogen from biomass; nanotechnology; oilfield scale formation; flowvisualization; fuel cells and fossil fuels. Dr. Yeboah joined ClarkAtlanta in January 1995 as Professor of Chemical Engineering andTechnical Director of the Research Center for Science and Technology.

Prior to joining Clark Atlanta University, Dr. Yeboah worked at theResearch Institute of the University of Petroleum and Minerals inDhahran, Saudi Arabia, and at the General Electric Corporate Researchand Development Center in Schenectady, New York. Dr. Yeboah holdsfour U.S. patents for his work with General Electric.

Zuleima KarpynAssistant ProfessorPetroleum & Natural GasEngineering


Education:Ph.D., Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, The PennsylvaniaState University, 2004M.S., Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, The Pennsylvania StateUniversity, 2001B.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Universidad Central de Venezuela, 1997

Prior to her appointment as Assistant Professor, Dr. Karpyn served asan Instructor in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering at Penn State.Her principal teaching interests are reservoir engineering, single andmulti-phase flow in porous media, enhanced oil recovery, and flow infractured porous media. She is a member of the Society of PetroleumEngineers, the American Geophysical Union, the Society of WomenEngineers, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers.

Education:Ph.D., Mining and Earth Systems Engineering, Colorado School ofMines, Golden, CO, 2002M.B.A., Regis University, Denver, CO, 1992B.Sc., Mining Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO,1975

Prior to his appointment as Assistant Professor and Member of theGraduate Faculty, Dr. Schissler served as Instructor at the ColoradoSchool of Mines. He worked for 28 years domestically andinternationally in the mining industry in positions ranging from minerto Vice President.

His research interests are mine ventilation and rock mechanics,homeland security for tunnels and subways, respirable dust control forhigh performance longwalls, long life design for passive acid minedrainage, and employee motivation in business process improvement.Dr. Schissler is a registered professional engineer in two states and acertified mine foreman in three.

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Student VoiceIndustrial Health and Safety Earns

ABET Accreditation The Applied Science Accreditation Commission (ASAC) ofthe Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)recently held its 2004 Summer Meeting to act on the programevaluations conducted during 2003-2004. Among the programsevaluated was the EGEE Industrial Health and Safety Program.

ABET specifically noted, “The curriculum is well designed andhas an excellent technical component, which favorably compareswith the best safety and health programs in the United States. Astrength of this program is the opportunity for interdisciplinarystudies and research with the related departments on campus....”“Faculty members are well-rounded, competent professionalswith strong credentials, including professional certification.”“...students interviewed are motivated and enthusiastic about theprofession. They complimented their IHS professors and saidthey find them to be very accessible and caring bothprofessionally and personally.”

For more information on the program, please visitwww.egee.psu.edu and click on Industrial Health and Safety.

New Industrial Health and SafetyScholarship Established

ChevronTexaco’s Gayle Hunting and Larry Goodheart met withDepartment Head, Yaw Yeboah, and IHS faculty to present thecheck for the new ChevronTexaco IHS Scholarship. From left toright: Prof. Christopher Bise, Prof. Joel Haight, Prof. YawYeboah, Gayle Hunting, Larry Goodheart, and Prof. WilliamGroves.

2004/2005EGEE Professional Society Officers

Society of Environmental SystemsEngineers:

http://www.ems.psu.edu/egee/ProfessionalSocieties/SESEsoc.htmlStudent President: Amber Schweitzer, [email protected]

Faculty Advisor: Mark Klima, [email protected]

Penn State Mining Society:http://www.ems.psu.edu/egee/ProfessionalSocieties/mngsoc.html

Student President: Zachary Hershey, [email protected] Advisor: Christopher Bise, [email protected]

Society of Petroleum Engineers:http://www.ems.psu.edu/egee/ProfessionalSocieties/spesoc.html

Student President: Mojisola Abiola, [email protected] Advisor: Zuleima Karpyn, [email protected]

Industrial Health and Safety Society:http://www.ems.psu.edu/egee/ProfessionalSocieties/IHSsoc.html

Student President: Lucy Sciallo, [email protected] Advisor: Joel M. Haight, [email protected]

Students studying Industrial Health and Safety have a newpotential source of funding thanks to ChevronTexaco. The new“ChevronTexaco Annual Scholarship in Industrial Health andSafety” has been established to attract academically talentedstudents to the Industrial Health and Safety major in theDepartment of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering. Theprimary requirement for eligibility for the award is a superioracademic record or the promise of outstanding academicsuccess.

The first $2500 check was presented to the department byGayle Hunting, Senior Industrial Hygienist, and Larry Goodheart,Manager of ChevronTexaco’s Loss Prevention, Health,Environment and Safety Group, during their visit to Penn State inSummer 2004.

With the rising cost of tuition and related expenses,scholarship funds are an important resource for current andincoming students. Thanks to the generosity of our alumni andfriends, the Department of Energy and Geo-EnvironmentalEngineering is able to award over 32 different scholarships eachyear. For the 2004/2005 academic year, EGEE is dispersing over$150,000 to 47 students in awards ranging from $250 to $6000.

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Crystal RenaudStaff Assistant


Education:A.S.B., Computerized Office Specialist, South Hills School ofBusiness and Technology, 2004

Crystal joined the Department of Energy and Geo-EnvironmentalEngineering in September 2004, shortly after graduating fromSouth Hills School of Business & Technology with anAssociates Degree as a Computerized Office Specialist with abackground in Business Administration Management. She isalso currently pursuing a B.A. in English at Penn State and hasfuture plans to study Law. Crystal lives in Milesburg with a fullfamily of pets - two dogs, two cats, and fish.

Rachel AltemusWriter/Editor and AlumniCoordinator


Education:B.A., English, The Pennsylvania State University, 1996

Rachel comes to EGEE after almost five years within the Collegeof Earth and Mineral Sciences. She was previously the IndustryProjects Manager in the Department of Geosciences, and theAssistant to the Director of the Alliance for Earth Sciences,Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA). Rachel hasseveral family members, including a little sister, who are alumni ofEGEE, and she feels very much at home in our department.

NEW STAFF IN EGEEReal ANGELsReal ANGELsReal ANGELsReal ANGELsReal ANGELs

Two EGEE faculty members took top prizes in a recentcontest to judge which faculty are best utilizing PennState’s course management system. That system is ANGEL(A New Global Environment for Learning) - software thatenables faculty, instructors, and teaching assistants to usethe Web to enhance their courses. ANGEL is designed tobe used in any academic discipline without imposing aparticular teaching methodology on instructors andstudents.

The award for BEST SCIENCE course went to Prof.Sarma V. Pisupati for “EGEE 102: Energy Conservation forEnvironmental Protection,” and the award for BESTOVERALL course went to Prof. Jonathan P. Mathews for“EGEE 101: Energy and the Environment.”

The contest, which required that students submitnominations for courses they believe have effectivelyused ANGEL, was designed to further knowledge on howthe system is being used to improve University teachingpractices. Over seventy courses were nominated, fromalmost every Penn State campus, and a panel of judgesdetermined which of the nominations best combinedANGEL’s assortment of tools to maximize student learning.

Dr. Mathews used a combination of weekly quizzes,discussion boards, drop boxes, posted lecture material,multimedia files, and a detailed syllabus and calendar.Following are comments from some of his students.

“Dr. Mathews used audio files and videos to go with the‘lecture’ material online. This allowed him to really SHOWthe class what he was talking about, as well as allow thestudents develop a relationship with the professor theyonly see twice a year.”

“The content was in a very user-friendly format. Thedownloads and audio files were quite informative. Theonline quizzes and tests were very convenient and offeredquick feedback.”

“Every tool used by the instructor is vital. No single toolcan be considered the most useful. They work together tocreate and foster an ANGEL learning environment unlikeany other class I have taken before.”

Sarma Pisupati(left) andJonathanMathews (right)won top prizes inthe ANGELcontest.

EGEE Degree Programs

Undergraduate: Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering; MiningEngineering; Environmental Systems Engineering; and IndustrialHealth and Safety (all ABET accredited)

Graduate: Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering; MiningEngineering ; Industrial Health and Safety; Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering; Mineral Processing, and the On-lineMaster of Engineering in Oil and Gas Engineering Management

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2004/2005 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

ConnectionDepartment of Energy and Geo-Environmental EngineeringCollege of Earth and Mineral SciencesThe Pennsylvania State University110 Hosler BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-5000

January 10 Spring 2005 Classes Begin

February 26 EMEX—Earth and Mineral Sciences ExpositionOpen House

February 28- Society of Mining, Metallurgy, and Explora-March 6 tion, Inc. Annual Meeting—Salt Lake City, UT

NOTE: Penn State Alumni Reception,Tuesday, March 1, 5:30-7:00 PM,Prime Hotel - Wasatch 2 room

March 7-11 Spring Break

April 1 EGEE Scholarships, Fellowships andAwards Applications Due

April 18 and 20 The Twentieth Annual GraduateExhibition

April 11-15 Peter H. Given Lectureship in Coal Science

April 15 G. Albert Shoemaker Lectureship inMineral Engineering

April 15 EGEE Student Awards Banquet—PennStater Conference Center Hotel

April 17 Wilson Awards Banquet—Nittany Lion Inn

April 23 Blue/White Game

April 29 Spring 2004 Classes End

May 13-15 Spring 2005 Commencement

May 16 Summer 2005 Classes Begin

May 30 Memorial Day Holiday - No Classes

June 17-24 GEMS Alaska CruiseNOTE: for more information please visitwww.clippercruise.com/pennstate/alaska.asp

July 4 Independence Day Holiday - No Classes

August 10 Summer 2005 Classes End

August 13 Summer 2005 Commencement

Documents

Penn State EME Connection Newsletter, Summer 2005