UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — “In the first doctoral degree awarded by Penn State, Marsh White, a physicist, set out to disprove Einstein’s ‘mc2 business’,” said Rick Robinett, emeritus professor of physics at Penn State. “Safe to say, White wasn’t successful in proving Einstein wrong, but he did leave a legacy of scientific curiosity at Penn State.”
Robinett was joined by Tracy Langkilde, Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science, Douglas C. Orzolek, associate dean for graduate academic affairs from the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School, and Mauricio Terrones, George A. and Margaret M. Downsbrough Head of the Department of Physics, Evan Pugh University Professor, and professor of chemistry and of materials science and engineering at the Oct. 2 Science Matters Spotlight Sessions event celebrating 100 years since the first doctoral degree at Penn State was awarded, in physics.
“White's achievement marked more than a personal milestone,” Langkilde said. “As Penn State's first doctoral graduate, he helped establish a tradition of advanced scholarship and discovery that continues to shape our University. The path he helped forge has since been followed by thousands of Penn State doctoral students. The challenges have changed since White earned his doctoral degree, but the qualities required for success — intellectual curiosity, creativity, persistence, and resilience remain much the same. And the resulting research has expanded human knowledge, improved lives and fueled innovation.”
This year, Penn State is celebrating two major milestones, the awarding of the one millionth degree and 100 years since the first doctoral degree was awarded, to Marsh White in physics.
White didn’t just earn the first doctoral degree at Penn State. He also founded the third oldest chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma, the American honor society for physics and astronomy, and the Society of Physics Students. White served as a professor for the University for 40 years, during which he participated in mobile outreach lecture demonstrations across the country, led research on undergraduate education in the physical sciences, and authored many physics textbooks.
“Ten decades of doctoral education have produced scholars who broke barriers and broke new ground,” Orzolek said. “Their work spans physics, anthropology, ecology, chemistry, economics, engineering, materials science and beyond. Yet they share one common thread: a Penn State education that prepared them to expand what we know about the universe, ancient civilizations, human behavior, global industry and human health.”
The event also featured a video interview with physics alumni from the past six decades. These alumni shared their perspective on the legacy of physics at Penn State as well as their memories of the Society of Physics Students and Sigma Pi Sigma.
“In 1926, around 10,000 students graduated from Penn State, including Marsh White,” Terrones said. “Looking at a timeline of the physics department we also have Erwin Müller seeing an atom in 1955, Abhay Ashtekar forming the theory of loop quantum gravity in 1988, Jainendra Jain developing the composite-fermion theory of the fractional quantum Hall effect in 1988 — which he won the Wolf Prize for in 2025 — Doug Cowen and other Penn State scientists awarded the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for the discovery of neutrino oscillations, and in 2016 Chad Hannah, B.S. Sathyaprakash, and other Penn State scientists who were part of the original LIGO gravitational wave paper being recognized with a Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.”
During the event, Jain, Evan Pugh University Professor and Erwin W. Müller Professor of Physics and holder of the Eberly Family Chair in the Penn State Eberly College of Science, was presented with the 2026 Honorary Alumni Award.
“Jain’s pioneering research has helped establish Penn State as a global leader in condensed matter physics and quantum science,” said Reggie Bustinza, CEO of the Penn State Alumni Association.
“What is going to happen in the next 100 years?” Terrones asked. “We, ourselves, might not be here, but lots of pioneering work happens here, and will still happen here. We have the right conditions, we have great students, great faculty. So, I would like to invite everyone, just to help us make the next breakthroughs.”
A recording of the Eberly College of Science’s Science Matters Spotlight Session “Celebrating 100 Years Since Penn State’s First Doctoral Degree in Physics” can be viewed on the Eberly College of Science’s YouTube channel.
Following the session, attendees were able to view Marsh White, Sigma Pi Sigma, and Society of Physics Students memorabilia and take tours of the Society of Physics Students lounge and the Müller Exhibition.
About the Science Matters Spotlight Sessions
The Science Matters Spotlight Sessions series provides a unique opportunity for the community to engage directly with the brilliant minds working on the front lines of discovery to create positive, real-world impact. Join the college’s top scientists in candid, down-to-earth conversations that answer today’s most pressing questions — how science is shaping our lives, our society, and our future.
Watch previous Science Matters Spotlight Sessions on the Eberly College of Science YouTube channel. Additional community outreach events can be found on the college’s public events calendar.