Penn State Energy and Environment News

Energy and mineral engineering to host annual research showcase Oct. 3

| psu.edu

The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering will host its annual research showcase, “Rising to the Challenge,” from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Graduate State College Regency Ballroom in State College.

Two Penn State researchers join Institutes of Energy and the Environment

| psu.edu

Penn State researchers Jose D. Fuentes, professor of meteorology, and Feifei Shi, assistant professor of energy engineering, have joined the Institutes of Energy and the Environment. Both are faculty members in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

Penn State researchers lead the way in Water-Energy-Food research in Africa

| psu.edu

Three Penn State researchers — Rachel Brennan, in the College of Engineering, and Mike Jacobson and Brian Thiede, in the College of Agricultural Sciences — recently received $250,000 in University Strategic Plan seed funding to address global Water-Energy-Food challenges.

Researchers develop novel process to fabricate battery materials

| psu.edu

By discovering a way to combine lithium salts with ceramics, researchers in the Penn State College of Engineering and the Penn State Materials Research Institute may have created a new class of materials for longer-lasting batteries. According to researchers, the composite nature of the batteries could make recycling easier, reducing landfill waste.

Historic Greenland melt is a "glimpse of the future"

| scientificamerican.com

A major heat wave pushed melting into areas of the ice sheet that normally stay frozen year-round

Extreme ice melt in Greenland threatens coastal communities across the world, scientists warn

| cnbc.com

Greenland is the biggest contributor to sea level rise, which threatens to destroy property value in coastal regions, displace residents and eventually impact global markets.

Penn State-led Global Building Network at forefront of building performance

| psu.edu

A large-scale interdisciplinary effort led by Penn State, called the Global Building Network, is underway to create high-performance buildings, which are buildings capable of achieving net-zero carbon-based energy usage while increasing occupant performance and reducing health risks.

How to restore a coral reef

| psu.edu

New guidelines drafted by a consortium of concerned experts could enable corals to adapt to changing environments and help restore declining coral populations in the Caribbean. The guidelines provide a definitive plan for collecting, raising and replanting corals that maximizes their potential for adaptation.

New IEE leaders mindful of energy, environmental challenges

| psu.edu

Bruce Logan and Erica Smithwick have been named associate directors for the Institutes of Energy and the Environment.

Penn State promotions in academic rank, effective July 1, 2019

| psu.edu

The following is a list of academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, effective July 1.

Harvesters of Light

| psu.edu

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.—They fan out into lily-pad-shaped disks, branch haphazardly like the antlers of deer, and hold fast to the sea floor in squat little spheres. Corals come in many shapes and sizes—and this diversity in form is driven by sunlight.

Penn State EnvironMentors team wins first place in national competition

| psu.edu

A team of Penn State faculty, students and local high schoolers took first place at the 2019 EnvironMentors National Science Fair in Washington, D.C. EnvironMentors is a program that pairs university faculty and undergraduates with underrepresented high schoolers who want to gain research experience before college.