Annual Reportof Research

Activity FY 2006

OFFICE OF THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH

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Overview.............................. 3

Statistical Snapshot ............. 4Sponsored Research Highlights

Making a Difference ............ 6Research That Impacts Lives

Technology Transfer .......... 12Seven Units, One Mission

Innovation Park ................. 14A Place to Grow

Contacts ............................ 15

As one of the nation’s leading research universities, Penn State

impacts the region, the Commonwealth, and the nation in

many different ways.

From its land-grant charter, Penn State has always emphasized

“translational” research: the work that turns basic discoveries into

real-world applications. In the twenty-first century, one important

focus of this translation is economic development, as universities

help to strengthen and revitalize their surrounding economies with

the power of innovation. Penn State’s number-two national ranking

in industry-sponsored research expenditures is one measure of our

commitment to this role.

In broader view, Penn State researchers are facing and solving

the complex problems of our common future—from developing

sources of renewable energy to improving homeland security.

Increasingly, doing so requires thinking and acting across disparate

disciplines and seeing beyond traditional boundaries.

At Penn State, this interdisciplinarity is strong and growing

stronger. Two projects highlighted in this report make particularly

good examples. In one, materials scientists and entomologists are

working together on an environmental sensor inspired by the

exquisite sensitivity of a moth’s antennae. In another, a biochemist

and a geoscientist, jointly investigating an obscure undersea mi-

crobe, have uncovered both a new theory to explain life’s origins

and a potential source of energy.

A sampling of other research accomplishments are included in

these pages, along with a breakdown and summary of Penn State’s

research activity during FY 2006. Whether the impact is local or

global, the goal of these efforts remains the same: To create new

knowledge that improves people’s lives.

Eva J. Pell, Senior Vice President for Researchand Dean of The Graduate School

WELCOME

Cover: A scanning electron micrograph (SEM)image shows smell receptors (dark pits) on amoth’s antenna. Penn State researchers areincorporating antennae arrays into a highlysensitive biosensor that can detect, discrim-inate, and locate unexploded land minesand other ordinance, drugs, and toxins.See page 10.Credit: Susumu Nishinaga / Photo Researchers, Inc.

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Total research expenditures at PennState increased by three percent inFY2006, moving from $638 million

to $657 million. Included in this total was$372 million in funding from federal agencies,up from $365 million a year ago. Fundingfrom the Department of Defense increased2.5 percent to $149 million. Funding fromthe Department of Energy increased 48 per-cent to $20 million. Research expendituressupported by the Commonwealth of Pennsyl-vania were up 15 percent to $46 million.

An important component in Penn State’ssuccess is the wide-ranging quality of theUniversity’s research program. Accordingto National Science Foundation data for2004, the latest year available, Penn Stateranked 9th overall among all U.S. universi-ties in R&D expenditures, up from 11th in2003, and tied with Johns Hopkins withmore top-ten rankings for individual fieldsof study (14) than any other school in thetop 20. As another measure of this breadth,Penn State ranked first in both materialsand sociology.

At a time when industry sponsorship ofresearch has declined nationally, Penn State’sindustry-sponsored research increased

seven percent to $92 million, placing PennState second in the nation in this importantcategory. Last year the University engagedin 799 research projects with 371 companiesin Pennsylvania totaling $31.6 million, andover 3,104 projects with over 1,151 com-panies nationwide. In addition, Penn Stateactively supports economic development inthe state and beyond through its offices oftechnology transfer, whose activities aredetailed on pages 12 and 13 below.

The University’s relationships with indus-try reflect Penn State’s core philosophy asthe nation’s second-largest land-grant insti-tution, and benefit from its historic strengthsin science and engineering. These relation-ships take many forms, from master agree-ments with large multi-national corpora-tions to small-scale problem-solving forindividual inventors.

Penn State currently has master agree-ments with some 35 companies inside andoutside Pennsylvania, including LockheedMartin, Bayer Materials Science, Air Products,Kennemetal, Eastman Kodak, and Pratt &Whitney. The latter is a key partner in a newCenter for Advanced Power GenerationResearch to be located at the Philadelphia

OVERVIEW

Navy Yard, one of a number of initiativesPenn State is pursuing as part of the NavyYard’s redevelopment as a key economicengine for the city of Philadelphia (seepage 11).

Closer to University Park, the I-99 Inno-vation Corridor (see page 6) provides plen-tiful opportunities for small- and medium-sized companies seeking access to PennState facilities and expertise.

Another increasingly important way theUniversity fosters economic development isthrough commercialization of its intellec-tual property in start-up companies. Overthe past five years, an average of five newcompanies has been created annually. In2005, a new program called Discovery@PennState was initiated to identify additionalstart-up opportunities.

All of these economic-development acti-vities, local, regional, and national, arenatural outgrowths of the University’s land-grant mission, stresses Eva J. Pell, senior vicepresident for research. “We’re national lead-ers in industry-sponsored research,” Pellsays, “because we know how to do it so well.”

Aerial view of the Philadelphia Navy Yard, with the Delaware River in the foreground and Center City Philadelphia in the background. Penn State is pursuing several newresearch-based economic development initiatives as part of the Navy Yard’s redevelopment.

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Total Research Expenditures, 1987-2006

Fiscal year

Millions

of

dollars

8887 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06

194226

263 275288 293

317344 348 353

374393

440

472

507

545

607

638657

173

8887 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06

107 116137 147

154 163174

190 192 186 188 201 228

248

284307

350 365 372

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Federal Research Expenditures, 1987-2006

Fiscal year

Millions

of

dollars

STATISTICAL SNAPSHOT

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DRRU$149,325,000

Expenditures from Federal AgenciesSources of Research Funding

Industryand Other$92,968,000

Commonwealthof Pennsylvania$87,883,000

University$104,148,000

USDA$16,504,000

DOE$20,192,000

NASA$11,064,000

NSF$52,185,000

Other$23,878,000

Department ofDefense$148,639,000

Departmentof Health andHuman Services$99,173,000

Commerce = $1,903,000Education = $2,499,000EPA = $2,559,000Interior = $1,162,000Transportation = $4,473,000Other Federal = $11,282,000

Other Commonwealth Colleges$20,914,000Arts & Architecture = $1,240,000Communications = $106,000Education = $7,569,000Information Sci & Tech = $6,388,000Law = $149,000Smeal College of Business = $5,462,000

AgriculturalSciences$81,670,000

Defense RelatedResearch Units$149,325,000

Other$11,296,000

Earth & MineralSciences$71,223,000

Engineering$96,505,000

Medicine$76,633,000

Health & HumanDevelopment$39,895,000

EberlyCollegeof Science$87,830,000

Altoona College = $843,000Behrend College = $4,287,000Berks-Lehigh Valley College = $196,000Capital College = $3,297,000Great Valley = $310,000Penn College = $1,126,000Other Commonwealth

Campus = $1,237,000

FY2006 Total - $656,634,000

FY2006 Total - $656,634,000 FY2006 Total - $371,635,000

Liberal Arts$21,343,000

Other

Federal$371,635,000

Applied Research Lab = $118,507,000Electro-Optics Center = $30,818,000

Expenditures By College

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I-99 MEANS INNOVATIONLike many states that flourished during theindustrial era, Pennsylvania has struggled toadapt to a post-industrial global economy.An aging population, outmigration of youngworkers, and a lack of high-wage job oppor-tunities are a few of the challenges theCommonwealth is facing.

One powerful asset for addressing theseissues is the cutting-edge knowledge pro-duced at the state’s institutions of higherlearning. In 2004, Gov. Edward Rendell es--tablished the Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ)program, which joins these institutions withcompanies and communities to promoteeconomic development on a local andregional scale.

One such partnership is the I-99 Innova-tion Corridor, which joins Penn State’sUniversity Park campus with the economicdevelopment organizations of the threecounties that border the new north-southinterstate: Bedford, Blair, and Centre.

The region offers numerous advantagesto both new and established companies,according to Stephen McKnight, director ofcorporate services and governmental affairsfor the Altoona-Blair County DevelopmentCorporation. With a cost of living far lowerthan that of nearby metropolitan areas,“This is a pretty cost-efficient place to dobusiness,” McKnight explains. “When youadd to that the relationship with the Univer-sity, with its workforce training potential,

faculty engagement, and industrial researchexperience, there are very few places in thecountry where you can get that combination.”

As a lead partner in the I-99 InnovationCorridor, Penn State strives to boost region-al economic growth both by helping existingcompanies compete and by launching newtechnology companies through Discovery@Penn State, a program established in 2005to identify Penn State technologies with com-mercial potential and accelerate commerci-alization through start-up opportunities.

A central focus is Penn State’s uniquestrength in materials science and engineer-ing. At Innovation Park, adjacent to theUniversity Park campus, companies have

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

access to the Penn State NanofabricationFacility, a $32 million user facility dedicatedto the rapid advancement of nanoscalescience and technology.

“The University’s strength in materialshas enabled us to reach out to a breadth ofindustrial sectors,” notes McKnight. “Andthe College of Information Science andTechnology is an important value-add tocutting-edge industry—as are Penn State’sexperts in supply-chain management andlogistics.

“It’s really the integration of all thesethings,” he says, “that is so attractive.”

To learn more, see: www.i99corridor.org

To protect the nation from terrorist attacksand natural disasters, the Department ofHomeland Security (DHS) faces the dauntingchallenge of analyzing patterns in vast amountsof complex heterogeneous data, includingtext, photographs, emails, and satelliteimages. The DHS’s ability to create predic-tive models based on these data is critical tothe country’s preparedness—and fortunate-ly, they don’t have to face this task alone.

With the 2004 creation of the NationalVisualization and Analytics Center (NVAC)five universities, including Penn State, havebeen tasked with developing a new generationof visualization and analysis tools for crisisresponse.

Alan MacEachren, E. Willard and Ruby S.Miller professor of geography, is the lead re-searcher of the North-East Visualizationand Analytics Center (NEVAC) at Penn State.

“We’re the only one of the five regional

centers with a primary focus on geographicinformation,” MacEachren says. Penn State’sNEVAC team has two other crucial assets,he adds. “Our approach is very interdiscipli-nary and our GeoVISTA Center—in exis-tence since 1998—has a history of workingclosely with colleagues in Information Scien-ces and Technology, cognitive science, andother disciplines.

Making critical information more access-ible to emergency responders is a key partof NVAC’s mission. “Look at the HurricaneKatrina situation,” says MacEachren. “Therewas a pretty good national response plan butit didn’t really get followed, partly because—for the average, on-the-ground emergencymanager—it’s not a very accessible document.I’m working with Prasenjit Mitra in IST todevelop automatically generated ‘conceptmaps’ to visually represent and providereal-time access to these kinds of documents.

MAKING THE INVISIBLE VISIBLEThe goal is to take complex texts and make iteasy to visualize the people, places, and or-ganizations described and how they’re con-nected—and to leverage this information inresponse to the evolving situation.”

Although all five of the university-basedcenters (the others are at Stanford, Purdue,a collaboration between UNC-Charlotteand Georgia Tech, and the University ofWashington) are doing basic research, “wehave a goal to make our projects relevantperhaps more quickly than with most basicscience,” notes MacEachren. Due to thehighly critical nature of the issues faced bythe DHS, “there’s the expectation that someof the research will get turned into usefulproducts in a one- to two-year time frame.”

To learn more, see: www.geovista.psu.edu/NEVAC

The I-99 Innovation Corridor, which joins Bedford, Blair, and Centre counties.

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A NEW THEORY OF LIFEBeneath the kelp beds off the coast ofsouthern California, in an oxygen-free andcarbon-monoxide rich environment, an ob-scure undersea microbe called Methanosarcinaacetivorans is thriving, due to its uniquemetabolism.

While other microbes make methane fromcarbon monoxide, researchers have shownthat this species also produces acetate—commonly known as vinegar—in a uniquemetabolic process that may shed new lighton the evolution of life and lay the founda-tion for a new source of clean fuel.

“The bug,” as microbiologist J. GregFerry calls the microbe, “is very ancientindeed. It is quite possible that it representsthe first metabolic cycle on the planet.”

Ferry, Penn State’s Stanley Person profes-sor of biochemistry and molecular biology,discovered and named M. acetivorans 20years ago and has been immersed in thefield of anaerobic microbes since then. Inthe June 2006 issue of Molecular Biology andEvolution, he and assistant professor of geo-sciences Christopher House publishedresults of a study that not only unlocks thebiochemistry of how M. acetivorans producesacetate but also inspired them to constructa fundamental new theory of the origin oflife on Earth.

This new, “thermodynamic” theory ofevolution proposes a central role for energyconservation during early evolution, based

on a simple three-step biochemical mech-anism. “It reshapes the two previous theoriesof life’s origin, it shows how they overlap,and it extends both of them significantly,”Ferry says.

The road to this discovery was paved in2001 when Ferry and others urged colleaguesat MIT’s Whitehead Institute to sequencethe microbe’s genetic code. Less than a yearlater, they handed him the results of thesequencing. “For the first time we were see-ing the details of how the bug works,” saidFerry. “It was almost overwhelming, actually.”

Anaerobes comprise nearly one-fourth ofall living protoplasm on earth and themethane by-product of their metabolismmay represent a renewable, clean-burningenergy source. The Department of Energyand the NASA Astrobiology Institute bothhave sponsored Ferry’s research.

“Methanosarcina and other anaerobes areour ancestors,” reminds Ferry. “They laiddown the metabolism for life as we know ittoday.”

To learn more, see: www.science.psu.edu/alert/Ferry5-2006.htm

Despite detailed nutrition labels, diet pills,and fitness clubs on every corner, our nationis getting heavier—and children are not ex-empt from this trend. “Over the past threedecades, obesity has skyrocketed amongAmerican youth, says Leann Birch. “In fact,the number of obese children has doubledfor preschoolers and adolescents and hastripled for children between the ages of 6and 11.”

Birch, distinguished professor of humandevelopment and family studies, has led astrong, interdisciplinary response to thisepidemic. Last year, within the College ofHealth and Human Development, and withadditional support from the Penn State’sChildren, Youth and Families Consortium(CYFC), Birch established the Center forChildhood Obesity Research (CCOR),which brings together many of the leading

BATTLING CHILDHOOD OBESITYPenn State researchers with an interest inthis critical issue.

To date, there are thirty primary collabo-rators from numerous departments andcolleges at Penn State involved in CCOR.Together they’ve begun to conduct researchthat will create an evidence base—“some-thing that hasn’t really existed before”—fordeveloping successful interventions to preventchildhood obesity. The Center’s missionalso includes the development of collabora-tions with public health professionals andPennsylvania communities in the design andimplementation of childhood obesity preven-tion programs around the Commonwealth.

Birch is the Center’s first director and,under her leadership, researchers have cen-tralized their efforts to obtain funding fromfoundations, industry, and federal govern-ment. So far, they have obtained several

grants totaling more than $6 million to fundstudies examining such areas as the develop-ment of eating behaviors in girls 5-15 yearsold; infant feeding and sleeping patterns;and the effects of energy density and portionsize on pre-school children. Many of thesestudies are being conducted in Pennsylvania.

The CYFC strongly supports the CCOR’sefforts as well and has contributed approxi-mately $150,000 towards the Center’s activi-ties, including funding for a post-doctoralfellow.

Says Birch, “These efforts of the Children,Youth and Families Consortium and theCenter for Childhood Obesity demonstratethe leading role a land-grant university canplay in furthering our understanding ofcritical social issues and serving the needsof the community.”

To learn more, see: www.hhdev.psu.edu/ccor

A live culture of Methanosarcina acetivorans, the ancient microbe that has inspired a “thermodynamic” theoryof evolution.

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THE DIABETIC EYEDiabetic retinopathy—a condition thatcauses the eye’s light-sensitive retina toswell and hemorrhage—is the leadingcause of blindness among 25-74 year-olds inthe industrialized world. Anyone with type1 or type 2 diabetes is at risk for this eyedisease and 45 percent of persons with dia-betes already have some form of it.

With the incidence of diabetes predictedto double over the next 30 years, researchersare more committed than ever to findingnew approaches to prevention and treatmentof diabetic eye disease. At the Penn StateMilton S. Hershey Medical Center and theCollege of Medicine, that commitment hasgenerated a promising new therapy. ThomasGardner, professor of ophthalmology andcellular and molecular physiology and vicechair for ophthalmology research at theCollege of Medicine, is enthusiastic aboutthe new approach.

“Diabetic retinopathy is often not treateduntil the late stages of the disease and thereis a limit to what laser surgery can achieveat that point,” says Gardner. “We know thatinsulin helps retinal neurons survive,” hecontinues, “but giving intensive insulintherapy to the patient systemically creates ahigh risk of hypoglycemia.”

To reduce the risk of hypoglycemia yetstill deliver the benefits of intensive therapy,Gardner explains, required a long-lasting,localized drug-delivery system. “We knewwe needed something that was easy to ad-minister and offered sustained-release the-rapy, because things like injections and dailyeye drops discourage patient compliance.”

Gardner and colleagues turned to Tao LuLowe, assistant professor of surgery, bio-en-gineering, and materials science and engi-neering at the College of Medicine, for help.Lowe’s focus is the development of innova-tive drug-delivery systems. She respondedto the needs of the retinopathy researchersby creating a non-toxic polymer hydrogel—“a little gel capsule” says Gardner—thatcould be implanted under the surface of theeye with a simple in-office procedure, andoffer continuous low-dose insulin directlyto the retina for six to twelve months.

“We’ve been doing rat studies on thisapproach for over a year to validate ourconcept,” Gardner says. “I’d be happy tosee human trials within the next five years.”

To learn more, see: http://retina.cbio.psu.edu

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

ENERGY FROM BIOMASSIt hardly needs saying: Energy is one of ourmost pressing issues for the coming century.Among the possible alternatives to dwindlingfossil fuels, the use of crops such as corn,switchgrass, trees and manure for so-calledbiofuels represents a promising new avenue.

To explore their potential Penn Staterecently created the Biomass Energy Center.

Biomass is both carbon neutral and renew-able, and it can be produced domestically,notes Tom Richard, associate professor ofagricultural and biological engineering andthe Center’s director. Its conversion to en-ergy can be accomplished in many ways.“While biomass cannot solve all our energyneeds, it can provide a third of our transpor-tation fuel needs and a significant amountof our other energy needs,” Richard estimates.

That won’t happen overnight, of course.As Richard allows, huge societal changes willbe needed to break the country’s dependenceon imported oil. “Tens of thousands oflandowners must change the way they arefarming and managing their forests to pro-vide not only our food, fiber, and recreation,but also biomass that will produce energy,”he explains. The transition to a 21st-centurybio-based economy will take decades.

“In terms of production, we need to de-

velop cropping systems that provide foodand fiber at levels at least equivalent to today,but also come up with energy-producingcrop rotations such as cover crops to growbetween food crops,” Richard says. “We needto use land more intensively but use theland in an environmentally sound way. Andwe must develop the technology to makefuels from huge amounts of bio-mass suchas switchgrass and small-diameter trees.”

Penn State is well-positioned to contrib-ute to this vast effort, he says. “The Univer-sity has strong research programs on usingthermal, chemical, and biological mechanismsto convert biomass to electricity, transporta-tion fuels, chemicals, stationary power, andheat,” he notes. “More than 50 faculty mem-bers at Penn State currently are involved inresearch related to biomass energy.”

The Biomass Energy Center will seek tocoordinate their efforts. An interdisciplinaryinitiative involving the College of AgriculturalSciences, the Eberly College of Science, theCollege of Engineering, and the College ofEarth and Mineral Sciences, the Center willbe housed in the College of AgriculturalSciences’ Environment and NaturalResources Institute.

To learn more, see: www.bioenergy.psu.edu

Proliferative retinopathy, an advanced form of diabetic retinopathy, occurs when abnormal new blood vesselsand scar tissue form on the surface of the retina.

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Solar power is the ultimate energy solution:clean, renewable, and evenly distributedaround the globe. The hold-up has alwaysbeen cost.

“Solar cell technology is still predomi-nantly silicon solar cells,” explains CraigGrimes, professor of electrical engineeringand materials science and engineering.Cylindrical boules of silicon are slowlygrown then sliced into wafers, an energy-intensive—and therefore costly—process.

More recently, researchers have experi-mented with relatively inexpensive andeasily fabricated solar cells based on thinfilms and light-absorbing dyes instead ofbulk silicon. Grimes and his group havetaken a different approach: making cells oftitanium dioxide nanotube arrays.

First, they coat a piece of glass with tinoxide and then sputter on a layer of titani-um. They then anodize the layer by placing

it in an acid bath with a mild electric current,and by this means grow vertically oriented,highly ordered arrays of titanium dioxidenanotubes. The tubes are then heated inoxygen until they crystallize and becometransparent. Coated with a commerciallyavailable dye, the nanotube array becomesthe cell’s negative electrode. A positiveelectrode seals the cell which contains aniodized electrolyte.

When sun shines through the glass, theenergy falls on the dye molecules and anelectron is freed. If this electron and othersmake their way to the negative electrode, acurrent flows. The tube structure of thetitanium dioxide allows an order of magni-tude more electrons to make it to the elec-trode than with particulate coatings,Grimes notes.

Their initial attempt, funded by the De-partment of Energy, produced about three

percent conversion of solar energy to elec-tricity, they reported in a paper in NanoLetters. More recently, Grimes and his teamreported a photoconversion efficiency of7.2 percent in a paper in Solar EnergyMaterials & Solar Cells, and Grimes says theyare poised for an even greater jump. A keyis to grow longer titania nanotubes withwhich they get better conversion rates—“conceivably about 18 percent is within ourreach,” says Grimes. “And that’s with arelatively easy fabrication system that iscommercially viable.”

Funding from the Pennsylvania EnergyDevelopment Authority will provide theequipment needed to make thicker titani-um coatings, the first step to making longernanotubes. Notes Grimes: “There is still agreat deal of optimization of the designthat needs to be done.”

To learn more, see: www.ee.psu.edu/grimes

AFFORDABLE SOLAR CELLS

Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) image of a titanium oxide nanotube array produced in Craig Grimes’s lab.

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Penn State has long been known for itsexcellence in both materials and defense-related research. Now, in the interest ofhomeland security, researchers in bothareas are exploring the territory wheretheir expertises overlap.

Penn State’s Applied Research Labora-tory has been serving the nation’s defense-related research needs since World War II,and currently brings in over $118 millionannually in Defense Department funding.In 1999, the Electro-Optics Center (EOC)was created as an outgrowth of ARL activi-ties. Both ARL and the EOC do extensiveresearch in advanced materials, says TomDonnellan, ARL associate director, andtheir areas of expertise are complementary.

“ARL’s materials technology program isfocused on structures and systems, Donnellanexplains, including composites that mightsoon be used to improve protective armorfor both military vehicles and personnel.

Sensor system technology is a second areaof intense activity. A third is the developmentof coating technologies that can withstandthe tough environmental conditions facedby military aircraft, ships, and tanks.

The EOC, true to its name, has focusedon electro-optics technologies—which, inaddition to being important in consumerproducts from remote control clickers tocomputer screens, are the basis for imaging,weapons, and communications technolo-gies that impact our national defense.

Increasingly, as they push the high-techenvelope, ARL and EOC researchers col-laborate with Penn State’s broader materi-als-research community, Donnellan says.That’s how fundamental studies of carbonnanotubes being conducted at the Univer-sity’s Materials Research Institute can beadapted by ARL scientists for possible usein lightweight body armor.

In the area of sensors, the challenge of

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

detecting biological and chemical agentshas brought together ARL sensor systemexpert Dave Swanson with materials scien-tists David Allara and John Badding andentomologists Tom Baker and Jim Tumlin-son in a multi-disciplinary effort to designsensors inspired by the exquisite sensitivityof moth antennae.

Ultimately, this breadth and depth ofavailable expertise, both applied and funda-mental, gives Penn State what Donnellancalls a continuum of capability. “It allows usto develop and transition materials solutionsfor defense applications very effectively,” hesays. “We can go quickly from fundamentalresearch to demonstrated materials capabi-lities to prototype components or devices.This kind of vertical integration is uniqueamong universities.”

To learn more, see: www.arl.psu.edu/capabilities/mm.html

MATERIALS FOR DEFENSE

Boeing X-32 Joint Strike Fighter during flight testing. Penn State ARL’s materials technology program develops advanced composites and coatings for military aircraft,ships, and tanks, as well as sensor and olectro-optics technologies for numerous defense applications.

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EXPLORING PLACEFor twenty Pennsylvania teachers, the sum-mer of 2006 will be remembered for a five-day seminar they attended as part of an out-reach program of the Penn State Institutefor the Arts and Humanities (IAH) withsupport from the National Endowment forthe Humanities (NEH).

The interdisciplinary class, “ExploringPlace through Writing and Photography,”got participants out of their seats for hiking,canoeing, and photography expeditions—in addition to reading and writing assignments—to show educators how to “build visual andwritten literacy inthe high-school classroom.”

Team-taught by Robert Burkholder, asso-ciate professor of English, and SusanneHackett, master’s candidate in art education,the seminar’s emphasis on the natural en-vironment stems largely from Burkholder’sexpertise as a specialist in the AmericanRomantics.

Says Burkholder, “Ralph Waldo Emersontells his audience that ‘few adult personscan see nature’ and he encourages his read-ers to ‘Turn the eyes upside down, by look-ing at the landscape through your legs.’ Wewanted to teach the seminar participants tochange their angle of vision, in an Emerson-ian sense, and see the world in a new way.”

Seminar students read theoretical textsfrom a wide range of writers, from JohnDewey to Leslie Marmon Silko, viewed filmssuch as Rives and Tides: Working with Timeabout environmental sculptor Andy Golds-worthy, and then put pedagogy into practiceon outings such as a mountain hike anddaylong canoe trip on Bald Eagle Creek.Hackett and Burkholder hope these experi-ences will inspire participants to take theirown students on outings related to localecology and history.

“As both teachers and learners,” explainsHackett, “exploring our place in the naturalworld is essential in understanding our ownidentities and helps us share that depth ofunderstanding with our students.”

For their students, the combination ofscholarship and field trips was “an invigora-ting experience that challenged the conceptof the traditional classroom,” according toJeff King, a tenth-grade English teacher.

Marica Tacconi, executive director ofIAH, agrees, adding, “We are committed tooffering similar summer programs in theyears ahead.”

To learn more, see: www.outreach.psu.edu/pst/ExploringPlace

A NEW NAVY YARDThe 1995 closing of the Philadelphia NavyYard marked the end of a long, proud era.Fewer than ten years later, a promising newera has begun.

In 2000, 1,000 acres of the 1,200-acrewaterfront site were acquired by the non-profit Philadelphia Industrial DevelopmentCorporation (PIDC). Redevelopment ofthis prime location as a haven for high-techindustry has become a central focus of thecity’s economic development plan.

Penn State has been involved with theNavy Yard since the mid-1990s, most recent-ly serving on the reuse task force. In March2005, when the Yard was designated a Key-stone Innovation Zone (KIZ), the Univer-sity was named a partner along with PIDC,the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)Philadelphia, Ben Franklin TechnologyPartners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, andthe Philadelphia Department of Commerce.Penn State’s research strengths in physicalsciences and engineering will anchor plansfor technology transfer to companies bothon site and throughout the region.

“In terms of materials science, Penn Stateis one of the strongest research institutionsin

the world,” notes John Conley, PIDC vicepresident, “and their work in fuel cells andadvanced power generation technologiesdovetails very nicely with what the Navy isdoing.”

In addition to pursuing the creation of aClean Fuel Systems Laboratory and a Centerfor Advanced Power Generation Researchat the Navy Yard site, Penn State is involvedin a number of other initiatives there. Sincethe fall of 2005, Penn State Great Valley hasoffered master’s degree programs in systemsengineering at the Navy Yard, with 27 stu-dents currently enrolled.

In collaboration with Mack-Volvo, PennState is also proposing construction of aHeavy-Duty Engine and Hybrid PowertrainResearch Center that would complementexisting NAVSEA facilities.

These projects represent only a first phase,says Paul Hallacher, director of researchprogram development at Penn State. “Thisis part of our land-grant mission, to trans-late our expertise through innovation intoeconomic benefit for the Commonwealth.”

To learn more, see: www.navyyard.org

A main gate at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

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T ranslating new knowledge into pro-ducts and processes that benefitsociety is one of the central missions

of a land-grant university. At Penn State,this technology transfer is handled throughthe integrated efforts of seven units, five un-der the purview of the Office of the SeniorVice President for Research and two in theUniversity’s Outreach division. Togetherthese units cover every aspect of the commer-cialization process, from linking industrialresearch sponsors with faculty; to patentingand licensing intellectual property; to assist-ing start-ups with incubation and advice; toproviding financing, counseling, technicalassistance, and convenient physical facilitiesfor companies large and small.

Like those of most universities, Penn

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

State’s early efforts in technology transferfocused mainly on pursuing patents andlicensing its intellectual property to existingcompanies. In recent years, the Universityhas devoted increasing attention to a com-plementary approach, looking to createstart-up companies to produce and marketits inventions. Since 1999, Penn State hashelped spin off 45 start-ups, either throughlicensing or equity exchange. With a goal ofdoubling the number of start-ups formedeach year, in 2005 Penn State launchedDiscovery@Penn State to proactively screenemerging technologies, identifying themost suitable candidates.

At the same time, Penn State has acted tofurther strengthen its economic develop-ment efforts across the state by adopting a

Pennsylvania First strategy that gives priorityin technology transfer to enhancing thecompetitiveness of existing Pensylvania firms,growing new companies which create newjobs, and helping to attract industries to theCommonwealth.

Last but not least, the opportunity to dorelevant and commercially useful researchforms an important component of the edu-cational experience for many Penn Statestudents, both graduate and undergradu-ate. These students are then well–preparedto play their parts in building a high-techeconomy for the future—one more waythat at Penn State research, education, andservice combine to benefit the people ofPennsylvania.

To learn more, see: www.techtransfer.psu.edu

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IDEA

PATENT

START-UP

INCUBATOR

SCALE-UP

SMALL COMPANY

PRODUCTPRODUCT

PENNTAPTechnical

Assistance

Intellectual Property OfficeManages, protects, and licenses intellectual property Research

Commercialization OfficeCreates spin-offcompanies from university research

Small Business Development CenterFree one-on-one consultation for entrepreneurs

Ben Franklin Technology CenterProvides research for PA's high-tech economy

INNOVATION PARK • 118 acres designed for business development

IndustrialResearchOffice

Discovery@ Penn State

Matches faculty expertise to industry needs

Screens inventions for market potential

PENN STATE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER • FROM IDEA TO PRODUCT

LICENSE

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Intellectual Property OfficeThe Intellectual Property Office is respon-sible for managing, protecting, and licensingthe intellectual property of faculty, graduatestudents, and staff at all Penn State locations.This includes assessing the commercial po-tential of approximately 200 University in-ventions per year, formulating and imple-menting patent and marketing strategies,and negotiating license agreements.

In calendar year 2006, director Ron Hussand his technology licensing officers filed116 U.S. patent applications, and 37 patentswere awarded, including one for a methodthat uses surfactants to prevent lung compli-cations from cancer chemotherapy, anotherfor a method for treating diabetes usingtrans-fatty acids, and a third for an environ-mentally-friendly thermoacoustic refrigera-tor that uses sound waves to cool.

Not including the equity Penn State holdsin 29 start-up and established companies,Penn State intellectual property generatedrevenues of $3.3 million. “We’re not allabout making money,” Huss says, “althoughthe financial aspect is inseparable fromwhat we do. We’re here to help professorswhose work may have some public benefit.”

Industrial Research OfficeThe Industrial Research Office is a catalystfor partnerships. By reaching out to a di-verse community of corporate clients, IROidentifies new opportunities and aligns themwith the appropriate intellectual resourcesat Penn State. Whether the result is a solutionto a specific problem or an ongoing masteragreement, “Our goal is to develop linkagesthat lead to mutually beneficial long-termrelationships,” says director Tanna Pugh.

During FY 2006, IRO staff facilitated 174projects generated by 56 companies,totaling $12.5 million in industry-sponsoredresearch. Nineteen of these companies and57 of the projects were Pennsylvania-based.

To cite only a few examples, NPC, a high-volume printing company located in Clays-burg and one of the top suppliers for theU.S. Government Printing Office, is workingwith Penn State engineers on information-management strategies. ChromBA, a smallState College-based chromatography sup-plier, turned to Penn State scientists forhelp with sample-preparation techniques.And one factor in outdoor outfitter REI’sdecision to relocate a major distributionfacility in Bedford County was Penn State’sexpertise in logistics and supply-chainmanagement.

ResearchCommercialization OfficeThe mission of the Research Commercial-ization Office is to assist Penn State facultyand staff as they create new companies basedon University research and technologies.

Working in partnership with Penn State’sIntellectual Property Office and the recentlyestablished Discovery@Penn State intitiative,the RCO screens inventions for patentabil-ity and market potential, and helps identifysources of early stage capital such as seedfunding programs, angel investors, and ven-ture capital funds. In addition, RCO aids inidentifying mentors and potential manage-ment-team members and in finding spacefor start-up companies in the InnovationPark at Penn State or at the Penn StateZetachron Center.

Examples of recent start-ups reflect thebroad range of Penn State’s expertise. Theyinclude DIApedia, which makes therapeuticshoe insoles for diabetics with foot compli-cations; QuantumBio Inc., which createssoftware that models how small moleculesinteract with proteins, useful for drug devel-opment; and VideoMining, which createssoftware that analyzes in-store video andreveals customers’ behavioral patterns. (Formore on Penn State start-ups, see “Start MeUp,” a Fall 2006 article in The Penn Statermagazine, available on the Web atwww.coolblue.psu.edu. )

Ben Franklin TechnologyPartners of Central andNorthern PennsylvaniaBen Franklin Technology Partners of Centraland Northern Pennsylvania (BFTP/CNP) isone of four regional centers of the Common-wealth’s Ben Franklin Technology Develop-ment Authority, a statewide network thatpromotes economic growth and job oppor-tunities through investments in high-techinnovation. The program provides opera-tional assistance, entrepreneurial support,and investment capital to emerging technol-ogy-based companies and small manufac-turing businesses.

In 2005/2006, the Center’s board of di-rectors approved investments totaling morethan $6 million in a variety of industry sec-tors, including digital processing equipment,IT/software development, anti-terrorism/security devices, manufacturing, and nano-technology, as well as in the infrastructurethat supports innovation, including businessincubators, workforce development projects,and university-based centers of excellence.

“Our relationship with Penn State hasallowed both the Center and the companiesin its portfolio to benefit from the vast arrayof expertise housed in a university notedfor its world-renowned capabilities,” saysSteve Brawley, BFTP/CNP president.

Penn State’s Technology Transfer units also include the Pennsylvania Technical AssistanceProgram (PENNTAP) and the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), both housedin the University’s Outreach division. PENNTAP provides technical assistance for smallcompanies, and SBDC provides one-on-one consultation for entrepreneurs in Centre andMifflin counties. For more information on these units, see: www.penntap.psu andwww.research.psu.edu/spdc/

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In its twelfth year of operation, PennState’s Innovation Park continues togrow in its mission to facilitate collabo-

rations between business and Universityresearch that will result in new technologiesand boost the region’s economy.

With 118 acres of land designated forbusiness development adjacent to the Uni-versity Park campus at the interchange of I-99 and U.S. Route 322, Innovation Park isthe central locus of the I-99 InnovationCorridor, which joins Penn State’s UniversityPark campus with the economic develop-ment organizations of the three counties—Bedford, Blair, and Centre—that borderthe new north-south interstate (see page 6).

Buildings completed and currently underconstruction total 750,000 square feet, andat its capacity the Park can accommodateabout 1.4 million square feet of develop-ment. New construction completed in 2006included the second multi-tenant buildingof the park’s third phase at 330 InnovationBoulevard, developed by Innovation CapitalPartners, a private partnership.

Eva J. Pell, senior vice president for re-search and dean of the graduate school,

comments, “The goals of the Park are tech-nology transfer, economic development,retention and recruitment of entrepreneur-ial faculty, and the formation of partnershipswith business that will result in sponsoredresearch opportunities and workforcedevelopment.”

“Ultimately,” adds Pell, “these activitieswill contribute to job creation and strength-ening of the economic base of the region.”

They are already doing so. A total of 50tenants now make their headquarters in In-novation Park, with 1,320 employees suppor-ting their activities. The park’s close proximi-ty and involvement with the University con-fers benefits on both the corporate tenantsand the student body. In the past year, In-novation Park-based companies gave 103Penn State students internships and hired25 Penn State graduates for permanentpositions.

In 2006, Innovation Park director DanLeri started the “Cool Blue” campaign todraw attention to the park’s advantages andattract potential investors, particularly PennState alumni who, now successful in theircareers, might want to return to the area.

INNOVATION PARK

An article and corresponding full-pageadvertisement in the alumni magazine ThePenn Stater, detailed this effort, and des-cribed some recent success stories of busi-nesses created around Penn State research.(Both article and ad are on the Web at theURL below.)

As part of the campaign, the Park hasadopted “The Cool Blue Lab Journal,” ahow-to manual for inventors written by “en-trepreneurial professor” and technologyindustry executive Wendy Kennedy, as a“step-by-step toolkit for faculty, students,and local entrepreneurs to assess and arti-culate the business value of their leading-edge ideas,” Leri says. The book “solves aspecific problem for those of us in the com-mercialization field,” says Leri. “That prob-lem is the gap between good ideas andgreat commercial opportunities.”

As it grows into the 21st century, Innova-tion Park continues to fulfill its promise,serving as a remarkable catalyst for success-ful collaborations between the Universityand the private sector.

To learn more, see: www.coolblue.psu.edu.

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Aerial view of Innovation Park at Penn State

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Eva J. PellSenior Vice President for ResearchDean of the Graduate School304 Old Main, University Park, PA 16802-1504814-863-9580ejp@psu.edu

Ronald J. HussAssistant Vice President for Research andTechnology TransferDirector, Intellectual Property Office814-865-6277rjh22@psu.edu

Jay MoskowitzVice Dean for Research, College ofMedicineAssociate Vice President for HealthSciences Research717-531-7199jmoskowitz@psu.edu

David W. RichardsonAssistant Vice President for Research,Director of Sponsored Programsphone 814-865-3396dwr14@psu.edu

INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH

Ann C. CrouterDirector, Social Science Research InstituteDirector, Children, Youth and FamiliesConsortium814-865-3876ac1@psu.edu

William E. EasterlingDirector, Penn State Institutes of Energyand the Environment814-863-0291wee2@psu.edu

Peter J. HudsonDirector, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. LloydHuck Institutes of the Life Sciences814-863-3650pjh18@psu.edu

Edward G. LiszkaDirector, Applied Research Laboratory814-865-6343egl4 @psu.edu

Carlo G. PantanoDirector, Materials Research Institute814-863-8407cgp1@psu.edu

Marica S. TacconiExecutive Director, Institute for the Artsand Humanities814-865-0495mst4@psu.edu

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

Stephen P. BrawleyPresident/CEO, Ben Franklin TechnologyCenter of Central and Northern Pennsylva-nia, Inc.814-865-8669spb4@psu.edu

Ronald J. HussAssistant Vice President for Research andTechnology TransferDirector, Intellectual Property Office814-865-6277rjh22@psu.edu

Daniel R. LeriDirector, Innovation Park and ResearchCommercialization814-865-5925DanLeri@psu.edu

Tanna M. PughDirector, Industrial Research Office814-865-2878tannapugh@psu.edu

PUBLICATIONS

David PacchioliDirector, Research Publications814-865-3477dap1@psu.edu

CONTACTS

For more information, visit ourWebsite at www.research.psu.edu.

This publication is available in alternate media on request.The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics notrelated to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by Univer-sity policy or by state or federal authori-ties. It is the policy of the University to maintain an academic and work environ-mentfree of discrimination, including harassment. The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or hand-icap,national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Discrimination or harassment against faculty, staff, or students will not be tolerated at The Pennsylvania State University.Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Af-firmative Action Director, The Pennsyl-vania State University, 201 Willard Build-ing, University Park, PA 16802-2801; Tel 814-865-4700/V, 814-863-1150/TTY. U.Ed. RES 07-40