Penn State Energy and Environment News

Electrical engineering professor selected as 2024-25 Fulbright Scholar for Peru

| psu.edu

Julio Urbina, professor of electrical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, has been selected as a Fulbright Scholar for the 2024-25 academic year. He will spend a semester conducting research and teaching in Lima, Peru.

Winners announced in Penn State Hazleton Undergraduate Research Symposium

| psu.edu

Penn State Hazleton’s Undergraduate Research committee has announced the winners of the campus’ 2024 Undergraduate Research Symposium. Held from April 1 to 5 at the Mary M. and Bertil E. Lofstrom Library, the symposium showcased student research or scholarly work performed with Penn State Hazleton faculty members. Works were submitted in two categories: arts, humanities and social sciences and science, technology, engineering and math.

Power, pipeline corridors are becoming wildlife habitat

| bayjournal.com

No one particularly likes electric transmission lines and gas pipelines marching through communities and fragmenting forests. But some believe these linear strips collectively offer the last best hope for fostering fast-disappearing pollinator insects and grassland birds. This article quotes Carolyn Mahan, professor of biology and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona.

Penn State Extension to host agricultural conservation conference June 4-6

| psu.edu

Individuals working in agricultural conservation can dive into professional development opportunities by attending the “ACAP Ag Conservation Con,” June 4-6 at Toftrees Golf Resort, located at 1 Country Club Lane in State College.

Type of plastic film on high tunnels can filter sunlight, influence plant growth

| psu.edu

High-tunnel growing systems, sometimes called hoophouses, have gained popularity for their ability to enhance growth conditions and extend the growing season of horticultural crops. Now, a team led by Penn State researchers has demonstrated that growers can select various plastic film coverings on the structures — depending on their desired light-filtering properties — to protect plants and enhance their health.

NSF CAREER Award enables Penn State scientist to study new 3D printing materials

| psu.edu

An agricultural engineer in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is embarking on research to explore using plant-based materials for 3D printing, thanks to support from the U.S. National Science Foundation.

April 22 EarthTalks: Sustainable and climate-resilient urban solutions

| psu.edu

Ashish Sharma, climate and urban sustainability lead for the Discovery Partners Institute at the University of Illinois, will give the talk, “Climate Science to Actionable Urban Solutions,” at 4 p.m. Monday, April 22, via Zoom.

The Cicadapocalypse is nigh. 7 cicada facts to know before it hits

| yahoo.com

Trillions of cicadas are about to emerge. This article, originally published by Popular Science, quotes Michael Skvarla, assistant research professor of arthropod identification.

Growing Impact preview: Investigating thawing permafrost

| youtube.com

Episode release date: May 1, 2024 Once a frozen haven, climate-driven rising temperatures are rapidly thawing the Arctic permafrost, posing a major threat to communities and infrastructure. Researchers are investigating how these changes will transform rivers, with potential consequences for erosion, sediment transport, and the entire Arctic landscape. Additionally, their project incorporates art to communicate these critical findings in an engaging way.

Arboretum demonstration shows ways to prevent lethal bird-window collisions

| psu.edu

Each year, hundreds of millions of birds in the United States are killed when they collide with windows. Visitors to the Arboretum at Penn State can learn about simple ways to help prevent collisions at a demonstration on April 18.

Penn State celebrates the 2024 Sustainability Award winners

| psu.edu

Penn State Sustainability has announced the 2024 recipients of its sustainability awards. These accolades, including the John Roe Sustainability Impact Award, the Student Sustainability Advisory Council Tree Award, and the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium Campus Sustainability Champion Award, commend the extraordinary contributions of students in spearheading sustainability initiatives.

Forest, stream habitats keep energy exchanges in balance, global team finds

| thedailyreview.com

Forests and streams are separate but linked ecosystems, existing side by side, with energy and nutrients crossing their porous borders and flowing back and forth between them. This article features Penn State research and quotes Daniel Allen, assistant professor of aquatic ecology.