Changes Ahead

Penn State’s commonwealth campus system will be reshaped with the closure of seven campuses in 2027. Read the full story.

In Short

 
RESEARCH INSTITUTE LAUNCHES

Penn State is launching the National Security Institute, a research institute aimed at enhancing contributions to defense and national security. The institute will substantially increase Applied Research Laboratory-adjacent research, focusing on areas such as infrared-signal and radiation detection, energy storage, and robotics and aerospace technologies development and manufacturing.

ESTATE FUNDS AG SCI SCHOLARSHIP

Burl Burleigh ’70 Bus has left the entirety of his seven-figure estate to Penn State to bolster the undergraduate scholarship in the College of Agricultural Sciences that he established in 2022. In the coming academic year, funds from the scholarship will offer support to nearly 20 students, providing 30% of in-state tuition per year for each recipient.

$8.5 MILLION ESTATE GIFT

An anonymous Penn State alumnus who earned their degree in the 1960s and built a successful career in the chemical industry has pledged an $8.5 million estate commitment to the Department of Chemical Engineering, funding multiple initiatives that will support the growth of students and faculty in the department for generations to come. 

Biological Physicist Earns High Honor

Réka Albert, Evan Pugh University Professor and professor of physics and biology, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences this spring for her work in the field of network science, mapping complex biological systems through computational modeling. Her research provides new insights into complex systems, from cellular processes to societal interactions, which has impacted fields such as medicine, environmental science, and public health.

“Being elected to the National Academy of Sciences is a profound honor and a reflection of the wide-reaching impact of network science across scientific disciplines,” said Albert, who is affiliated with the Eberly College of Science and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. She is one of 120 U.S. members and 30 international members elected by the National Academy of Sciences this year, and her election brings Penn State’s representation to 26 members. 

Albert pioneered network science, a method that involves studying systems as networks, where individual components—like people, proteins or genes—are represented as “nodes,” and their interactions are depicted as “edges.” This approach led to new ways to visualize and analyze the intricate web of connections in various systems. 

Engineering Gift to Behrend

A $565,000 gift from William ’62 Eng and Wendy Korb ’62 Sci will create a permanent fund for research and innovative teaching in Penn State Behrend’s School of Engineering. The funding will develop new teaching approaches, support research initiatives and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, and improve research and teaching labs.

To recognize the continued support of the Korbs, Penn State Behrend has named the lobby of the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Center the Korb Family Atrium. The two-story space is a gateway to Behrend’s Knowledge Park, an innovation hub that is home to 20 companies and nearly 500 employees.

The endowment extends a tradition of giving by the Korbs, who have long supported the School of Engineering at Behrend and the College of Engineering at University Park. “We have always felt that an investment in education is one of the best you can make,” said William Korb, an Erie native who retired as president and CEO of Marconi Commerce Systems.