Blog

Russell Composto talks leading Penn Forward’s Undergraduate Education and Innovation working group

Penn’s undergraduate experience has evolved greatly since initiating academic exercises in a former church building at Fourth and Arch streets in the 18th century, today supporting upwards of 10,000 enrolled students in West Philadelphia. This intellectually and demographically diverse student body represents more than 100 nations and all 50 states. Looking ahead, the University, through Penn […]

Congratulations to Colby Snyder – 2025 Goldwater Scholar!

Colby Snyder, a third-year undergraduate in the Composto Lab, has been named a 2025 Goldwater Scholar—one of just 441 students selected nationally from over 1,300 nominees across 445 institutions. The prestigious award recognizes exceptional students pursuing research careers in science, engineering, and math. Colby’s achievement was supported by Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. […]

Professor Composto Appointed Co-Director of the Bozza Family Penn First Plus Faculty Directorship

Professor Russell Composto, a distinguished professor of materials science and engineering and the Howell Family Faculty Fellow, has been appointed as a co-director of the Bozza Family Penn First Plus Faculty Directorship. In this role, he works alongside Fayyaz Vellani to support Penn First Plus (P1P), a transformative initiative that empowers first-generation and modest-income students […]

Highlighting Undergraduate Research: Isa Pan, Colby Snyder & Julia Chiang Present at the 4th Annual Frontiers of Energy Research Poster Session

The Composto Lab was represented with enthusiasm and innovation at the 4th Annual Frontiers of Energy Research Poster Session, where three standout undergraduates, Isa Pan, Colby Snyder, and Julia Chiang, showcased their forward-thinking research projects. This poster session was co-hosted by the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology and the Vagelos Integrated Program in […]

Fall 2023 in Review…

As the new year rolls around, the Composto group would like to celebrate highlights of our group’s fall 2023: PhD Candidate Weiwei Kong Completes a Summer Internship at META We are happy to highlight the completion of a summer internship at META by PhD candidate Weiwei Kong. Weiwei is researching polymer kinetics within confined spaces […]

Professor Composto leads half of decade of collaborative climate research at UPenn

Russell Composto is the associate dean of undergraduate education at the School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). Kristin L. Field is the director of education and program coordinator for the Penn-based SoftAE Program, a National Science Foundation Research Traineeship program.  In their recent article for the Perry World House’s Global Shifts […]