Levent Taylan Ozgur Yildirim, Ph.D. candidate in energy and mineral engineering, spent his summer in New Mexico at the Los Alamos National Lab researching pipeline optimization for carbon transportation.
After working for eight years at the National Oil and Gas Company of Turkey, he returned to Penn State to pursue research on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), with a focus on storage. The internship was an opportunity to expand his knowledge beyond his research expertise.
Why did you choose to study geological CO₂ storage and geothermal energy?
I’m passionate about addressing climate change through sustainable energy solutions. These fields combine my interests in geology and engineering while offering practical ways to reduce carbon emissions and utilize clean, renewable energy from the Earth’s subsurface.
What did a typical day at your internship look like?
I had a regular nine-to-five schedule with a weekly progress meeting with my manager. Most days, I would be at the computer reading research literature, discussing the concept of transportation with my mentor, and performing the research. Since my internship involved both geological applications and economic analysis, it required me to study, find, and review research literature to understand these concepts in relation to carbon transportation.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in college so far, and how has that helped you during your internship?
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in college is the value of persistence and adaptability—research often involves unexpected challenges, so being patient and flexible while continuously learning is key to making meaningful progress.
Since I had no prior experience with CO2 transportation, I had to learn a great deal while performing my research tasks. I even had to learn new software. Since I knew how to adapt, I successfully broadened my research perspective and gained a deeper understanding of the transportation aspects of CCUS, which is particularly beneficial for my thesis.
What drew you to an interdisciplinary department like the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME)?
Growing up, some of my parents’ friends were geologists, and I even ended up graduating from the same department as they did. Now, my younger sister is also a geologist. I wanted to pursue a thesis that utilized my geoscience background and took an interdisciplinary approach to exploring geological carbon storage, as energy and geology are closely linked. Most of the professors in EME encompass multiple disciplines, such as chemical engineering, petroleum engineering, and economics, in their research, making EME the ideal fit for my current studies and future career.