Six Penn State researchers were recognized with Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) Research Awards at the IEE reception on January 18, 2023 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center. Three two-person teams, Donghai Wang and Adri van Duin, Laura Leites and Allyson Muth, and Siela Maximova and Estelle Couradeau, were nominated by the Penn State community for their collaborative, interdisciplinary research efforts and mentorship.
In addition, Li Li, the Barry and Shirley Isett Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State, was the 2023 recipient of the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s Person of the Year Award.
We are thrilled to recognize the outstanding achievements of these esteemed researchers at Penn State. The collaborative efforts of our award recipients highlight the transformative impact of interdisciplinary research.
Director, Institute of Energy and the Environment
Six researchers recognized with Institute of Energy and the Environment Awards
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Person of the Year Award
This award celebrates an exceptional researcher whose accomplishments in energy or environmental research have yielded notable successes over the past year. In addition to research excellence, the IEE Person of the Year Award recognizes leadership, mentoring, and service.
Li's research accomplishments include a groundbreaking study published in Nature Climate Change that shed new light on how climate change is affecting rivers and aquatic life. Li's work is helping to close this knowledge gap and inform future actions.
Beyond her scientific contributions, Li is a strong advocate for women in STEM. She co-founded Women Advancing River Research (WARR), a global monthly seminar that specifically uplifts women scientists. This initiative addresses the challenges women in science face, such as reduced citations and speaking opportunities. By providing a platform for women researchers and fostering collaboration, WARR is empowering women to make significant contributions in the field of hydrology and related disciplines.
Advancement of Knowledge Award
This award recognizes a team of two or more Penn State faculty whose interdisciplinary research in one of the five IEE themes has led to a significant advance in science, as shown by a peer-reviewed article.
Wang and van Duin received the award for their paper "Stable metal anodes enabled by a labile organic molecule bonded to a reduced graphene oxide aerogel," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2020. Their collaborative effort addressed a critical challenge in energy research in lithium battery technologies, which addressed uneven metal plating and stripping at metal anodes. Their work not only advanced battery development, but it was also made possible by engaging students from several different departments and colleges.
Translational Research Award
This award recognizes a team of two or more Penn State faculty researchers for their collaborative, interdisciplinary research efforts on a topic within one of the five IEE themes that have benefited society.
The collaboration between Leites and Muth addressed potential impacts of climate change through educating nursery professionals and landowners on how changes can impact seed source selection strategies to maintain climate-adapted, resilient forests. Highlights of their outreach include delivering several presentations to the public and publishing a climate-smart seed sourcing educational guide.
Research Guidance Award
This award recognizes the efforts that a faculty member may make in demonstrably helping a pre-tenured or non-tenured faculty member begin studying a research topic relevant to at least one of the five IEE themes.
This recognition highlights the successful partnership between Maximova and Couradeau and Maximova’s guidance toward the team’s collaborative achievements since 2021. Most significant examples of these achievements include co-organizing the inaugural Penn State Microbiome Center Symposium funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy, and adopting an interdisciplinary approach for groundbreaking microbiome research in Colombia and the Andean region funded by the National Science Foundation, Division Of Environmental Biology.
Award Committee
The 2023 awards process was guided by IEE’s Award Committee, which is led by Christopher Gorski. The committee members are Ying Gu, Jessica Myrick, and Christopher Scott.