e-newsletter - fall 2007
New Faces
The PSIEE collaborates with affiliated colleges to hire faculty in strategic research areas to leverage large-scale interdisciplinary research. The most recent new hires are listed below. For information on all of the new hires to-date, please see: http://www.psiee.psu.edu/psie_people/new_faculty.asp.
Seth Blumsack, assistant professor of energy policy and economics
Department of Energy and Mineral
Engineering
His research interests include energy and electric power systems, network and graph theory, regulatory economics, antitrust and competition policy, industrial organization, and the economics of infrastructure. He joined Penn State in August from a post doctoral position at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Reed College in 1998; his M.S. in Economics in 2003 and his Ph.D in Engineering and Public Policy in 2006, both from Carnegie Mellon University.
For more information, please visit: http://www.eme.psu.edu/Faculty/blumsack.html.
Michael Gooseff, assistant professor of civil engineering and Hartz Family
Career Development
Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
His research interests include stream solute generation, transport, and fate modeling using deterministic physical hydrologic modeling; and quantifying hydrologic influence on nutrient cycling and geochemical reactions. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Georgia Tech; his M.S. in 1998 and his Ph.D, in 2001, both in Civil Engineering from the University of Colorado.
For more information, please visit: http://www.engr.psu.edu/ce/directory/mng2.html.
Michael Hickner, assistant professor of material science and engineering
Department of Materials
Science and Engineering
His research and teaching interests include all aspects of polymeric materials, polymer micro- and nano-structure, transport characterization, electrochemistry, and new materials for energy applications. He received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) and a M.S. and Ph.D.in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).
For more information, please visit: http://www.matse.psu.edu/fac/profiles/hickner.html.
Erica Smithwick, assistant professor of geography
Department of Geography
Smithwick works at the interface of landscape and ecosystem ecology, focusing on the influence of spatial pattern on ecosystem function. More generally, her research cuts through traditional disciplinary bounds to ask synthetic questions about ecosystem function through space and time. She received her B.S. in Geological Sciences/Environmental Studies from Tufts University; her M.S. in Resource Conservation from the University of Montana; and her Ph.D.in Forest Science/Ecology Option from Oregon State University.
For more information, please visit: http://www.geog.psu.edu/people/smithwick/.