The John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering

The John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) is one of five academic departments in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and is internationally recognized for excellence in education, research, and service across the energy and mineral resource spectrum. Built on more than a century of leadership across the core energy and mineral industries of mining engineering, petroleum and natural gas engineering, fuel science, and energy economics, EME is a globally recognized academic department that prepares students to shape secure, sustainable, and innovative energy systems for the future.

EME’s academic portfolio spans undergraduate, graduate, and online education, featuring ABET-accredited engineering programs in energy engineering, environmental systems engineering, mining engineering, and petroleum and natural gas engineering, alongside nationally distinctive degrees in energy business and finance, energy sustainability policy, and renewable energy and sustainability systems. Its research enterprise advances knowledge across energy systems and markets, subsurface energy engineering, next-generation energy technologies, and geosystems and critical minerals engineering, supported by strong interdisciplinary partnerships across Penn State and with industry, government, and global collaborators.

By connecting society’s demand for responsible resource development with the pursuit of sustainable energy solutions, EME prepares a diverse workforce to lead solutions to the world’s most pressing energy and environmental challenges.

Note: Events prior to the 1990s are documented in earlier historical publications (see “The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State” book by E. Willard Miller) and are intentionally not repeated here. An additional overview of the history of EME and its programs can be found on the department's website. 

  • 1988
    The Department of Mineral Engineering

    At the close of the historical timeline presented in Miller’s book, the unit is operating as the Department of Mineral Engineering (Chapter 10, p. 325), with sections in Mineral Processing Engineering (p. 328), Mining Engineering (p. 343), and Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (p. 373). Dr. Raja V. Ramani (shown here), a mining engineer known for research on mine ventilation, airborne dust control, and health and safety in mining systems, serves as Department Head since 1984 until 1998. The department’s origins predate the establishment of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, beginning with the creation of a mining engineering degree program in 1890, including and the launch of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering in 1929. The precursor to today’s Energy Business and Finance (EBF) program, the Department of Mineral Economics, is featured in Chapter 9 (p. 311), and the Fuel Science program is featured in Chapter 7 (p. 228) as part of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. 

     

    Black-and-white headshot of a man wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, facing the camera with a neutral expression against a plain background.
  • 1992
    Robert Stefanko Distinguished Achievement Award in Mineral Engineering Established

    The Department faculty establishes the Robert Stefanko Distinguished Achievement Award in Mineral Engineering to honor the memory of Robert Stefanko (’48, ’57, ’61g), an alumnus and Penn State professor who served with distinction, great productivity, and professionalism, and provided lasting benefits to our university and Department. The award recognizes achievements and leadership that enhance the mineral engineering profession. 

  • 1993
    Launch of Geo-Environmental Engineering

    The department establishes the Geo-Environmental Engineering program—the precursor to today’s Environmental Systems Engineering (ENVSE)—in response to growing national emphasis on environmental stewardship, occupational safety, and sustainable resource development.

  • 1997
    C. Drew Stahl Distinguished Achievement Award in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Established

    The Department faculty establishes the C. Drew Stahl Distinguished Achievement Award in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering to honor the 50-year academic career of C. Drew Stahl (’47, ’49g, ’54g), an alumnus and a legendary professor and mentor who inspired generations of students in the Department. The award recognizes petroleum and natural gas engineering leaders for their pursuit of excellence and for achievements which advance their profession.

  • 1998
    Department Renamed to Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering (EGEE)

    With the addition of Fuel Science faculty—previously housed in Materials Science and Engineering—and an expanding energy research portfolio, the department is renamed the Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering (EGEE), reflecting its broadened mission in energy systems and geo-environmental engineering.

  • 1998
    Alan W. Scaroni Appointed Department Head

    Alan W. Scaroni, a fuel scientist specializing in coal chemistry, combustion, and advanced fuel conversion technologies, assumes leadership of the newly renamed department, which now houses Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (PNGE), Mining Engineering (MNGE), Geo-Environmental Engineering, and Fuel Science (FSC).

    Color headshot of a smiling man with short gray hair and a trimmed beard, wearing a gray suit jacket, light shirt, and patterned tie, standing outdoors in front of leafy green foliage.
  • 2000
    Environmental Systems Engineering (ENVSE) Established

    Geo-Environmental Engineering is renamed Environmental Systems Engineering (ENVSE), aligning the program with core environmental engineering principles and ABET accreditation standards in Environmental Engineering while reflecting its comprehensive focus on managing complex environmental systems.

  • 2004
    Yaw D. Yeboah Appointed Department Head

    Yaw D. Yeboah, a chemical engineer whose research spans catalysis, combustion, emissions control, and energy conversion, becomes department head in 2004. He began his leadership overseeing a diverse academic portfolio that included Mining Engineering, Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Environmental Systems Engineering, and Fuel Science programs. His tenure spanned the final years of the Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering (EGEE) and continued into the formative early years of the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME).

    Headshot of a smiling man wearing glasses, a dark suit, white shirt, and red tie, posed against a neutral studio background.
  • 2006
    Energy Business and Finance (EBF) Integrated into the Department

    The Energy Business and Finance (EBF) undergraduate program—a nationally distinctive degree at the intersection of energy systems, economics, and finance—was established at the College level in 2004, building on the longstanding legacy of the former Department of Mineral Economics. In 2006, the program was integrated into the Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering (EGEE), strengthening the blend of technical and economic expertise available to our students.

  • 2007
    The Dawn of the Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME) Era

    The department adopts its current name, the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME), to reflect the full integration of energy, environmental systems, energy economics, and mineral engineering and to better represent the breadth of its academic and research mission.

  • 2007
    Nation’s First Energy Engineering (ENENG) Degree

    EME launches the Energy Engineering (ENENG) undergraduate major—the first program of its kind in the United States—building on Penn State’s longstanding strengths in energy conversion and fuel science. The program brought integrated energy systems design into the undergraduate engineering curriculum, and in 2011 became the nation’s first ABET-accredited Energy Engineering program, firmly establishing Penn State as a national leader in energy engineering education.

  • 2008
    Unified EME Graduate Program Created

    All resident graduate programs are consolidated into a single M.S. and Ph.D. in Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME), bringing multiple areas of specialization together under one integrated academic framework.

  • 2010
    Expanding into the Digital Frontier: Energy and Sustainability Policy (ESP) Launched

    EME launches the B.A. in Energy and Sustainability Policy (ESP), its first fully online degree in EME offered through Penn State World Campus, expanding access to energy and sustainability education nationwide. Building on the program’s success, a Bachelor of Science in Energy and Sustainability Policy was introduced in 2016 to meet evolving workforce needs.

  • 2010
    A Transformative Endowment: The Leone Family

    A generous gift from the John and Willie Leone Family endows the department, which is renamed John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering in their honor. This transformative philanthropic support strengthens the integration of energy business and engineering education while advancing the department’s teaching and research mission.

    John Leone and his wife, Willie, stand side by side with one arm around the other, dressed in semi‑formal attire—a tweed jacket with striped tie and a black sweater with festive embroidery—posed against a blue abstract background featuring a Penn State–themed graphic.
  • 2013
    Turgay Ertekin Appointed Department Head

    Turgay Ertekin, a petroleum engineer specializing in reservoir engineering, numerical simulation, and unconventional resource development, assumes department leadership during a period of heightened national focus on the subsurface driven by the Pennsylvania natural gas shale boom. He oversees a comprehensive academic portfolio that includes five distinct undergraduate majors—Mining Engineering (MNGE), Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (PNGE), Environmental Systems Engineering (ENVSE), Energy Engineering (ENENG), and Energy Business and Finance (EBF)—along with the intercollege Master of Professional Studies in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems (RESS).

    A formal studio portrait of a bearded man wearing a dark suit jacket, white dress shirt, and red‑and‑black striped tie, photographed against a neutral gray background with soft, even lighting.
  • 2013
    Professional Master’s in Renewable Energy (RESS) Launched

    The Master of Professional Studies in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems (RESS) is launched as an intercollege program designed to meet the growing demand for advanced expertise in renewable energy and sustainability among working professionals. 

  • 2014
    Historical Peak in Undergraduate and Graduate Demand

    Amid the U.S. shale boom—led in part by Pennsylvania—and a heightened national focus on domestic energy production, undergraduate enrollment reached a historic high of 1,334 students in 2014, driven primarily by Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering (PNGE) and Energy Business and Finance (EBF). The number of undergraduate degrees conferred in EME peaked at 433 in 2016. Enrollment in our resident EME graduate program had peaked earlier, in 2012, at 164 M.S. and Ph.D. students. This surge underscores the strong national recognition of EME’s expertise in subsurface energy, energy markets, and applied energy systems.

  • 2017
    Sanjay Srinivasan Appointed Department Head

    Sanjay Srinivasan, a petroleum engineer focused on reservoir characterization, geostatistical methods, and energy systems engineering, assumes leadership of the department. He leads a robust interdisciplinary portfolio that includes five resident undergraduate majors (EBF, ENENG, ENVSE, MNGE, and PNGE), two online undergraduate programs (B.A. and B.S. in ESP), the unified resident graduate program in EME, and the intercollege online RESS master’s program.

    A man with a mustache and glasses wearing a dark blazer over a light, vertically striped button‑down shirt stands outdoors, with green foliage softly blurred in the background under natural daylight.
  • 2018
    RESS Program Reorganized within EME

    The Master of Professional Studies in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems (RESS) program is restructured and formally integrated under the administration of the EME department, sharpening its focus on renewable energy and sustainability management.

  • 2019
    New Distinguished Achievement Awards Established

    The Department faculty establishes the Richard L. Gordon Distinguished Achievement Award in Mineral Economics and Energy Business and Finance to honor the memory of Dr. Richard Gordon, an energy economist and Penn State professor who served with distinction, great productivity, and professionalism. The award recognizes achievements and leadership that enhance the mineral economics and energy business professions. The same year, the faculty establishes the Distinguished Achievement Award in Energy Engineering and Fuel Science to recognize our alumni for their leadership and professionalism in all matters connected with the energy industry, as well as the Distinguished Achievement Award in Environmental Systems Engineering to recognize our alumni for their leadership and professionalism in all matters connected with the energy, environmental and safety industries.
     

  • 2022
    New ESP and RESS Distinguished Achievement Award Established

    The Department faculty establishes the Distinguished Achievement Award in Energy and Sustainability Policy and Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems to recognize our alumni for their leadership and professionalism in all matters connected with the energy sustainability field.

  • 2024
    Luis F. Ayala Appointed Department Head

    Luis F. Ayala, a chemical and petroleum engineer whose research focuses on multicomponent thermodynamics and multiphase transport in porous media, assumes leadership of the department. His tenure begins with the launch of a comprehensive self-study and strategic planning process focused on advancing interdisciplinary scholarship, strengthening community, enhancing EME’s infrastructure, and streamlining departmental operations.

    A formal head‑and‑shoulders portrait of a man wearing a dark suit jacket, light dress shirt, and patterned tie, with a small lapel pin, photographed against a plain white studio background.
  • 2025
    Our Department includes 57 faculty members

    As of July 1, 2025, the department includes

    • 33 Tenure-line faculty – 15 Professors, 7 Associate Professors, 11 Assistant Professors
    • 13 Non-tenure-line faculty – 2 Professors of Practice, 5 Associate Teaching Professors, 5 Assistant Teaching Professors, 1 Lecturer
    • 11 Emeritus Faculty

    Current leadership of the department and organization structure can be found on the department's website.