Penn State Energy and Environment News

Virtual seminar examines legal environment surrounding greenhouse gas initiative

| psu.edu

Daniel Walters, assistant professor of law, will discuss the legal issues surrounding Pennsylvania's journey to joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, at noon on Friday, Nov. 6. The seminar, which is free and open to the public, will be held through Zoom. Registration is required.

Virtual EarthTalks seminar examines anti-racism reckoning in higher education

| news.psu.edu

Gary King, professor of biobehavioral health and African American studies at Penn State, will discuss the diversity, equity and inclusion paradigm and the anti-racism reckoning in higher education at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2. The talk, which is free and open to the public, will be broadcast via Zoom.

Penn State, University of Freiburg to deepen ties at Virtual Materials Day

| news.psu.edu

Penn State and the University of Freiburg will showcase their close collaboration in the field of living materials during the upcoming Materials Day on Nov. 10-11, an annual event organized by the Materials Research Institute to highlight materials-related interdisciplinary science and engineering research at Penn State.

EESI EarthTalks: Lessons from decade of mentoring underrepresented groups

| news.psu.edu

Sonya Legg, Princeton University, and Colleen Mouw, University of Rhode Island, will share lessons learned from a decade of mentoring underrepresented groups as part of the Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention program. The virtual seminar begins at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, via Zoom.

Virtual EarthTalks seminars to discuss diversity in environmental sciences

| news.psu.edu

The EESI EarthTalks series “Changemaking made EESI: Fostering inclusive research communities in the Earth and environmental sciences” will explore new perspectives on initiatives that could increase diversity in environmental fields, with a particular slant toward Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. The seminars, which are free and open to the public, take place at 4 p.m. on Mondays via Zoom.

More precise nitrogen recommendations for corn to help farmers, cut pollution

| psu.edu

Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have developed an important component of a new system that corn growers can use to adjust nitrogen fertilizer applications based on site-specific measurements of cover crops and soil organic matter.

Climate impacts could put major fishery, food security at risk in East Africa

| news.psu.edu

Climate change could put a major fishery at risk in one of the world’s most vulnerable regions. Lake Tanganyika is home to small pelagic fish that feed millions of people in East Africa, but certain climatic changes could threaten fish stocks and regional food security, according to researchers.

Penn State Harrisburg to hold Faculty Research Day

| psu.edu

The Office of Research and Outreach at Penn State Harrisburg will hold Faculty Research Day from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. via Zoom. Ann M. Schlenker, director of the Center for Transportation Research at Argonne National Laboratory, will deliver the keynote address.

Schreyer grant to enhance mechanical engineering undergrad curriculum

| psu.edu

In their mission to ensure a cutting-edge and impactful undergraduate curriculum, faculty in the Penn State Department of Mechanical Engineering have received a grant from the University’s Schreyer Institute of Teaching Excellence.

Four new faculty members join Department of Chemical Engineering

| psu.edu

Four new researchers are joining the faculty of Penn State’s Department of Chemical Engineering. 

Harvesting vegetation on riparian buffers barely reduces water-quality benefits

| news.psu.edu

Allowing farmers to harvest vegetation from their riparian buffers will not significantly impede the ability of those streamside tracts to protect water quality by capturing nutrients and sediment — and it will boost farmers’ willingness to establish buffers.

Fracking bill analysis reveals how states may influence each other's policies

| news.psu.edu

Even though State governments routinely rely upon interest groups to help them as they craft legislation, researchers found that certain peer-leader states, like Pennsylvania and Colorado, have greater influence in shaping states’ fracking policies, in a study led by Penn State Professor of Geography Jennifer Baka.