PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Geochemist Kevin Rosso appointed a Battelle Fellow

The highest honor bestowed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recognizes leadership and scientific accomplishment

Geochemist Kevin Rosso appointed a Battelle Fellow
2025-01-13
(Press-News.org) RICHLAND, Wash.— Geochemist Kevin Rosso, a senior scientific leader at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been named a Battelle Fellow, the highest recognition at PNNL for leadership and accomplishment in science. He joins six other current Battelle Fellows at PNNL in an honor that less than 0.5% of PNNL scientists achieve during their careers.

Rosso is internationally known for his fundamental research on how energy flows among minerals, solutions and microorganisms. These complex processes center on the key role that interfaces—which are shared boundaries—play in controlling how charge is stored and released, in the form of electrons, throughout the environment. This essential flow of energy controls the chemistry of the subsurface, aquatic systems and the very ability of our planet to support life. Rosso’s research for over three decades has led to essential understanding of the role of minerals in the storage, movement and release of energy from atomic to continental scales through scholarship and the publication of more than 430 influential research articles.

In December 2024, he was named a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the largest Earth and space science organization in the world, with roughly 60,000 members. AGU fellows are recognized for their “exceptional contributions to Earth and space science through a breakthrough, discovery, or innovation in their field.” This recent recognition is one of the numerous professional accomplishments that punctuate Rosso’s expansive career, which began at PNNL in 1998 after he received his master’s degree (1994) and doctoral degree (1998) in geochemistry from Virginia Tech.

From the beginning, Rosso has mined rich scientific challenges to be found at the junction points where different scientific disciplines meet. Not content to master only a single specialized area of science, Rosso has pushed the boundaries of what is possible when exploring how different scientific disciplines can combine to reveal more than possible when staying within a narrow specialization. His broad research interests have attracted more than three dozen doctoral and postdoctoral scientist trainees, who have studied with his guidance and mentorship over the years. He currently leads a research group of 38 staff scientists, postdoctoral fellows, doctoral students and interns.

Recognizing the centrality of iron to both life on Earth and to mineral dynamics, Rosso set out to understand how the cycling of energy in the form of electrons through iron controls environmental systems. His studies showed how different forms of iron influence carbon and nutrient movement in natural and engineered environments. Furthermore, he discovered that electrical conductivity in minerals is influenced by the shape of the mineral crystals, a finding that is recognized across several fields of research as being essential to understanding semiconductor behavior.

“I am especially pleased this honor has been bestowed on a scientist who has spent his entire career at PNNL,” said Laboratory Director Steven Ashby. “Kevin is a world-renowned expert in molecular geochemistry—a field he helped create through pioneering research on the reactivity of mineral surfaces, with applications ranging from carbon sequestration to geothermal energy systems.”

Rosso recently undertook a new substantial challenge in leading the Center for Understanding Subsurface Signals and Permeability (CUSSP), an Energy Earthshot Research Center supported by the Department of Energy. CUSSP is charged with developing a working framework to allow controlled fluid flow through large-scale subsurface rock fracture networks. The team’s goal is to develop sustainable geothermal energy systems that can support electricity generation for decades of continuous use. This complex undertaking, which has national and global implications for energy sustainability well into the 21st century, draws on Rosso’s decades of expertise in the modeling and simulation of geochemical dynamics as well as his understanding of how rocks interact with fluid in dynamic settings over time.

He has been called on for his expertise to advise leaders from U.S. Congress and the Department of Energy on matters concerning geothermal energy production, carbon sequestration, stress corrosion cracking in alloys and the design of semiconductor materials for solar cells, among other topics.

Rosso is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geochemical Society, the Mineralogical Society of America and the European Association of Geochemistry. In addition, he is a member of the Washington State Academy of Sciences and has received honors and awards from several other professional societies, including the Mineralogical Society of America, the European Association of Geochemistry and the Geochemical Society.

# # #

About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in sustainable energy and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://www.energy.gov/science/. For more information on PNNL, visit PNNL's News Center. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Geochemist Kevin Rosso appointed a Battelle Fellow

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

NIH-funded study finds cases of ME/CFS increase following SARS-CoV-2

2025-01-13
What: New findings from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative suggest that infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may be associated with an increase in the number of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) cases. According to the results, 4.5% post-COVID-19 participants met ME/CFS diagnostic criteria, compared to 0.6% participants that had not been infected by SARS-CoV-2 virus.  RECOVER is NIH’s national program to understand, diagnose, prevent, and treat Long COVID. The research team, led by Suzanne D. Vernon, Ph.D., from the Bateman Horne Center in Salt Lake City, ...

Biophotovoltaics: A step forward in sustainable energy technology

2025-01-13
In a groundbreaking study published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, researchers have advanced our understanding of biophotovoltaic (BPV) systems—innovative devices that merge photosynthetic microbes with electrochemical systems to convert sunlight into electricity. Using the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, the study provides critical insights into the molecular mechanisms driving this green energy technology. Central to BPV systems is the process of extracellular electron transfer (EET), where electrons generated during photosynthesis are harvested by an electrode via mediators such as ferricyanide. The research reveals that EET ...

Experimental blood test for pancreatic cancer undergoing clinical development and evaluation

Experimental blood test for pancreatic cancer undergoing clinical development and evaluation
2025-01-13
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Jan. 13, 2025) — An experimental blood test for pancreatic cancer that was developed by Van Andel Institute and University of Pittsburgh scientists is being evaluated by a commercial laboratory, an important milestone toward making the test available for patients. A recent double-blinded, peer-reviewed analysis published in Cancer Letters revealed that the experimental test correctly identified 71% of pancreatic cancer samples in the lab compared to only 44% correctly identified by the current gold-standard test. Teams led by ...

Polygamy is (not) for the birds

Polygamy is (not) for the birds
2025-01-13
Researchers at Rice University have uncovered new insights into the evolution of bird behavior, revealing why certain mating systems persist while others disappear over time. In a recent paper published in the journal Evolution, Rafael S. Marcondes and Nicolette Douvas reveal that lekking — a mating system where males display for females without forming lasting bonds — is an evolutionarily stable strategy. In contrast, resource-defense polygamy, where one sex — usually but ...

Hubble reveals surprising spiral shape of galaxy hosting young jet

Hubble reveals surprising spiral shape of galaxy hosting young jet
2025-01-13
The night sky has always played a crucial role in navigation, from early ocean crossings to modern GPS. Besides stars, the United States Navy uses quasars as beacons. Quasars are distant galaxies with supermassive black holes, surrounded by brilliantly hot disks of swirling gas that can blast off jets of material. Following up on the groundbreaking 2020 discovery of newborn jets in a number of quasars, aspiring naval officer Olivia Achenbach of the United States Naval Academy has used NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to reveal surprising properties of one of them, quasar J0742+2704. "The biggest surprise was seeing the distinct ...

Study: US methamphetamine mortality 61 times higher in '21 than 1999

Study: US methamphetamine mortality 61 times higher in 21 than 1999
2025-01-13
OXFORD, Miss. – Methamphetamine deaths in the U.S. rose 61-fold from 1999 to 2021, according to a new study, highlighting a growing crisis in addiction and public health.  Looking at the gender breakdown of these deaths could improve harm-reduction efforts and outcomes for patients suffering from addiction, said Andrew Yockey, University of Mississippi assistant professor of public health and co-author of the study.   “We know that, across the board, men are more likely to use every substance except tranquilizers than women, and we found that to be true here,” Yockey said. “Especially if we're thinking about methamphetamine, ...

Atop the Oregon Cascades, UO team finds a huge buried aquifer

Atop the Oregon Cascades, UO team finds a huge buried aquifer
2025-01-13
THIS PUBLICATION IS EMBARGOED UNTIL 3 PM EASTERN TIME ON JANUARY 13, 2025. Oregon’s Cascade Range mountains might not hold gold, but they store another precious resource in abundance: water.  Scientists from the University of Oregon and their partners have mapped the amount of water stored beneath volcanic rocks at the crest of the central Oregon Cascades and found an aquifer many times larger than previously estimated — at least 81 cubic kilometers.  That’s almost three times the maximum capacity of Lake Mead, ...

Bay Area community leader champions CPR education and heart health on national platform

2025-01-13
DALLAS, Jan. 13, 2025 — Corey Bentley, an American Heart Association local volunteer and marketing professional in the San Francisco Bay Area, is the Association’s 2024 National Leaders of Impact™ Winner. In the fall of 2024, more than 300 local leaders in 60 communities volunteered to improve heart health while raising funds to fuel the lifesaving mission of the Association, through its nationwide Leaders of Impact campaign. The head-to-head competition doesn’t just focus on raising critical funds. It also supports access to equitable health in local communities given that health inequities related to uncontrolled high blood pressure rates, tobacco ...

Aston University and Birmingham Children’s Hospital study shows diagnosis and treatment of preschool wheeze needs improvement

2025-01-13
Preschool wheeze is a common condition in children under six, affecting 30-40% of children Aston University’s Dr Gemma Heath led a study into parents’ experiences of managing preschool wheeze, including confusion and psychological distress They identified problems with inconsistent terminology and uncertainty around diagnosis and say a unified approach is needed. A study led by Aston University’s Dr Gemma Heath and  Dr Prasad Nagakumar from Birmingham Children’s Hospital, has shown that treatment and diagnosis for preschool wheeze needs more effective ...

Manure management in China cuts river antibiotic pollution but raises groundwater contamination risks

2025-01-13
A recent study published in Environmental Science and Ecotechnology reveals significant changes in antibiotic pollution patterns in China’s water systems over the past decade, driven by evolving manure management practices. Conducted by researchers from China Agricultural University and Wageningen University, the study developed the MARINA-Antibiotics (China-1.0) model to track antibiotic flows from livestock manure into rivers and groundwater across 395 sub-basins between 2010 and 2020. The study found a 59% decrease in antibiotic pollution in rivers, primarily due to improved manure recycling and reduced direct manure discharge into waterways. However, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Direct discharge electrical pulses for carbon fiber recycling

Scientists uncover rapid-acting, low-side-effect antidepressant target

Diamond continues to shine: new properties discovered in diamond semiconductors

Researchers find the key to Artificial Intelligence’s learning power – an inbuilt, special kind of Occam’s razor

Genetic tweak optimizes drug-making cells by blocking buildup of toxic byproduct

University of Birmingham researchers awarded grant to tackle early-stage heart disease in chronic kidney disease

Researchers harness AI to predict cardiovascular risk from CT scans

Samsung takes top spot in U.S. patents for third year running while TSMC rises into second place; after four-year falloff, grants increase nearly 4%

HKU ecologist highlights critical gaps in global wildlife trade monitoring

Smoking may lead people to earn less

Hiroshima flooding: A case study of well usage and adaptive governance

New survey finds over half of Americans are unaware that bariatric surgery can improve fertility

World’s oldest 3D map discovered

Metabolomics-driven approaches for identifying therapeutic targets in drug discovery

Applications of ultrafast nano-spectroscopy and nano-imaging

Study links PFAS contamination of drinking water to a range of rare cancers

Scientists explain how a compound from sea sponge exerts its biological effects

Why older women are embracing the open road

Shift to less reliable ‘natural’ contraception methods among abortion patients over past 5 years

Tobacco advertising + sponsorship bans linked to 20% lower odds of smoking

Vascular ‘fingerprint’ at the back of the eye can accurately predict stroke risk

Circulation problems in the brain’s seat of memory linked to mild cognitive impairment in older adults

Oregon State receives $11.9 million from Defense Department to enhance health of armed forces

Leading cancer clinician, researcher Dr. Jenny Chang to lead Houston Methodist Academic Institute

Engineering quantum entanglement at the nanoscale

Researchers develop breakthrough one-step flame retardant for cotton textiles

New study identifies how blood vessel dysfunction can worsen chronic disease

Picking the right doctor? AI could help

Travel distance to nearest lung cancer facility differs by racial and ethnic makeup of communities

UTA’s student success strategy earns national acclaim

[Press-News.org] Geochemist Kevin Rosso appointed a Battelle Fellow
The highest honor bestowed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory recognizes leadership and scientific accomplishment