Three Nittany Lions were honored as members of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 class of 2017. Associate Professor Huanyu Cheng, MD/PhD candidate Olivier Noel, and letterman/math prodigy John Urschel were featured in the 30 Under 30 Science list for their accomplishments in the field.

Cheng was named an assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State’s Materials Research Institute in August 2015. Forbes highlighted Cheng’s work on a research team that created electronic tattoos that disintegrate into the human body. The magazine also took note of Cheng’s other research efforts in “biologically-inspired electronics for use in robotics, biomedicine and energy.”

Noel is currently a MD/PhD candidate at the Hershey Medical Center. He is noted for being the co-founder of DNASimple, a company that grants scientists greater access to more DNA samples by connecting donors with research scientists. The scientists working on the genetic research have more readily-available access to DNA samples while donors are paid for their DNA, and the entire process is simplified by streamlining the donation and connection.

Urschel, a former Penn State offensive lineman, earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics at Penn State. Forbes especially emphasized his “math prowess” — he’s published six peer-reviewed mathematics papers while pursuing a PhD at MIT and playing for the Baltimore Ravens. Urschel recently returned to Penn State as the spring 2016 commencement speaker for the Eberly College of Science.

Editor’s note: The original story did not include recognition of Olivier Noel’s placement on the list. We regret the error and have updated the story to reflect his inclusion.