Penn State Energy and Environment News

University endorses climate change letter to world leaders

| news.psu.edu

Penn State was one of 37 international universities that endorsed a letter drafted by the International Universities Climate Alliance that urged world leaders to protect humankind from climate change.

Researchers aim to 'upcycle' nutrient waste on farms using duckweed

| psu.edu

With a $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Penn State researchers will investigate how duckweed could be grown on Pennsylvania farms to limit nutrient pollution into the Chesapeake Bay.

Four College of Engineering faculty named to 2020 Highly Cited Researchers list

| news.psu.edu

Four faculty members in Penn State’s College of Engineering were recently recognized as “Highly Cited Researchers” by the Web of Science Group in 2020.

New funding program to help advance living multifunctional materials

| news.psu.edu

The Convergence Center for Living Multifunctional Material Systems has announced the inaugural Living Multifunctional Materials Collaborative Research Seed Grant Program 2021, aimed at advancing the discovery of sustainable materials that are biological or inspired by biological principles.

University community invited to participate in energy forum

| news.psu.edu

The first in a series of energy forums on Dec. 11 will discuss how Penn State can continue to strengthen its position as an energy leader. Penn State faculty, staff and students are invited to participate in the forum.

Seven Penn State faculty named AAAS Fellows

| psu.edu

Seven Penn State faculty members in areas ranging from atmospheric science and engineering to medicine and computer science have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society. This year a total of 489 individuals are being recognized with this lifetime honor, bestowed by their peers, for their extraordinary achievements in advancing science.

Chasing science, catching collaborators

| chemistrycommunity.nature.com

Oil droplets in surfactant solutions can chase each other like predators chase prey. How fast the droplets move and whether the predator will catch up can be controlled by varying the droplet's composition. This is the story of how we learned that.

Seminar to examine Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative amid state energy policy

| news.psu.edu

Daniel Mallinson, assistant professor of public policy and administration at Penn State Harrisburg, and graduate student Andrew Bell will discuss how the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative might interact with Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard and Act 129 at noon on Friday, Dec. 4. The seminar, which is free and open to the public, will be held through Zoom. Registration is required.

Architectural engineer on mission to enable zero-carbon buildings

| news.psu.edu

An assistant professor in architectural engineering, Pavlak and his team have focused in recent months on how design and control optimization can lead to benefits both for buildings and the environment in one cohesive process, known as co-design.

MRI grants to seed exploration of transformative materials research

| psu.edu

The Penn State Materials Research Institute (MRI) is offering a variety of seed grants to enable University faculty to establish new collaborations with partners outside their own units for exploration of transformative ideas for high-impact research.

Virtual seminar offers inside view of challenges to diversifying geoscience

| news.psu.edu

Vernon Morris, professor of chemistry and environmental sciences at Arizona State University and a leading proponent of the #notimeforsilence call to action, will discuss challenges to achieving equitable representation in the geosciences at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23. The talk will be broadcast via Zoom: https://psu.zoom.us/s/767635597.

Spring symposium, seed grants to promote transdisciplinary biodiversity research

| news.psu.edu

The Sustainability Institute at Penn State is hosting transdisciplinary symposia on biodiversity throughout the spring 2021 semester. The virtual series, "Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the Decade of Action," aims to expand collaborative networks and to inspire creative strategies to promote biodiversity in urban, agricultural and natural areas in order to improve human and ecological health and well-being.