Science and Technology

Anne Clements gestures while looking at laptop during winning Open Innovation Challenge presentation

Open Innovation Challenge winner named

Ann Clements, associate professor of music education in the School of Music, wins the first annual Open Innovation Challenge, which is a high-profile speaking opportunity to present new innovative ideas about anything that enhances teaching and learning in higher education. Clements, whose idea involved creating a 3D Virtual Teaching Lab, was one of six finalists chosen from a pool of nearly 40 innovative ideas submitted to the Challenge.

Coating approach clears up fingerprints

CSI notwithstanding, forensics experts cannot always retrieve fingerprints from objects, but a conformal coating process developed by Penn State professors can reveal hard-to-develop fingerprints on nonporous surfaces without altering the chemistry of the print. "As prints dry or age, the common techniques used to develop latent fingerprints, such as dusting or cyanoacrylate -- SuperGlue -- fuming often fail," said Robert Shaler, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and director of Penn State's forensic sciences program.