Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences mourn the loss of John A. Dutton, who died on Feb. 13, at the age of 89.

Lee Kump, the John Leone Dean of the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, has announced that he will step down from his role as dean at the end of June 2026. Kump has served as dean for nine years and is celebrating 40 years of service to the college and Penn State in 2026. Kump will remain on the faculty of the College of EMS as professor of geosciences.

The Penn State Eberly College of Science hosted a free screening of the award-winning film “Contact” on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the State Theatre. A Q&A featuring experts in the field of extraterrestrial intelligence, moderated by Jennifer Macalady, geomicrobiologist in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and director of the Penn State Ecology Institute, was immediately after the film’s screening.

Elisa Alonso, assistant chief for the Minerals Intelligence Research Section at the U.S. Geological Survey, delivered a public talk, titled “Increasing Transparency for Critical Mineral Commodity Supply Chains from Deposit to End-use in an Uncertain and Opaque Market,” on Monday, Nov. 17, as part of the EarthTalks seminar series.

Penn State researchers and collaborators are forging a reforestation plan to counter climate-related disasters: deadly rainstorms, landslides and mudslides that have ravaged infrastructure, homes, farmland and livestock in recent years.

The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences has announced the appointment of two new members to the Graduates of Earth and Mineral Sciences (GEMS) board of directors, and four new members to the college’s Development Council.

Christina Lopano from the National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Research and Innovation Center, presented “Characterizing the Critical: REE and CM Speciation in Fossil Energy Waste Materials,” on Monday, Dec 1st as part of the EarthTalks series.

Gale Blackmer, the Pennsylvania state geologist and director of the Bureau of Geological Survey in the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, delivered a public talk on Monday, Dec. 8. as part of EarthTalks seminar series.

The sudden extinction of the dinosaurs dramatically altered the North American landscape, according to a recent study published by a multi-institutional team including researchers from Penn State. 

As humanity prepares to take its first steps on Mars, a comprehensive report released Dec. 9 from the National Academies and steered by scientists including James Kasting lays out a detailed science strategy to guide the initial human missions to the red planet.