UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Thirteen Penn State engineering students from the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences took home several awards and scholarships from the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and the American Association of Drilling Engineers (AADE) this spring.
The scholarships and awards recognize the exceptional efforts, dedication and achievements of SPE and AADE student members within the SPE Pittsburgh and AADE Appalachian Basin Sections.
Rosemary Tosanwumi, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in energy and mineral engineering, joined SPE eight years ago as an undergraduate.
Her research focuses on using artificial intelligence (AI) to make energy extraction, such as geothermal energy, more efficient, cleaner and safer while also enabling the secure storage of carbon dioxide underground.
This was her first time submitting a poster for a SPE competition, and only the second poster competition she’s ever entered. She credited her experience at Penn State for helping her take second place.
“I am passionate about leveraging AI to solve energy problems, and I believe in its transformative potential,” Tosanwumi said. “The rigorous coursework and hands-on research at Penn State have helped me hone my expertise, while the mentorship and community have been key to developing my problem-solving and collaboration skills. Together, I have the experience to be a catalyst for translating advanced technologies into practical, scalable solutions that benefit people and the planet — and win some poster competitions, too.”
Last fall, Nicolas Bueno won the EME Student Research Poster Contest with a previous iteration of his poster, “A Generalized Theory of Ostwald Ripening in Porous Media.” His work focuses on reducing emissions by using hydrogen as an energy carrier for fuel-based and renewable energy options via hydrogen storage and carbon sequestration. This year he won first place in the AADE Appalachian Basin poster award competition.
Bueno said he believes his experience working on the five-minute presentation required for the earlier EME student poster contest set him up for success with both presenting his poster and navigating the numerous questions he received from the judges.
“When I met the judges, I could instantly tell they had a lot of questions because my research is not common for these types of events,” Bueno said. “Experiences like the poster content and the events EME holds throughout the year are important because you don’t just know how to ‘communicate,’ it’s a skill you develop and constantly practice.”
Bueno said his goal is to pursue a faculty position where he can continue to innovate. According to Bueno, learning how to explain your research and why your idea deserves funding is essential in academia and the key to thinking outside the box.
“As engineers, we need to find ways of providing that energy while reducing emissions,” Buenos said. “Joining organizations that introduce you to new ideas and challenge you to constantly find new ways to think and talk about your research is the only way we can find the solutions to meet the 2050 net-zero goals.”
Hamid Emami-Meybodi, chair of the petroleum and natural gas engineering program and faculty adviser of the Penn State SPE student chapter, views these achievements as a testament to the exceptional talent of the Penn State students and their active involvement within the University and the broader professional societies.
“We are incredibly proud of our students for receiving these awards, and their exceptional talents and achievements in petroleum engineering are truly inspiring,” Emami-Meybodi said. “Our interdisciplinary department enables students to test ideas and develop research and soft skills for successful careers as leaders in the energy sector. These achievements exemplify the excellence of our community and underscore our commitment to maintaining one of the premier petroleum engineering programs in the nation.”
The Penn State recipients of the 2025 SPE Pittsburgh and AADE Appalachian Basin Sections scholarships and awards are:
- SPE Pittsburgh Scholarships
- Gabrielle Miller
- Nathan Sutton
- SPE Pittsburgh Student of the Month Awards
- Fres Albishil
- Qasi Alenazi
- Ahmad Alguydi
- Faisal Alqahtani
- Waad Alnoaim
- Shahad Alsadoon
- Najd Alshamali
- Khaled Al Turaif
- Luis Mesquita
- SPE Pittsburgh Poster Award
- Second Place: Rosemary Tosanwumi
- AADE Appalachian Basin Poster Awards
- First Place: Nicolas Bueno