Penn State Energy and Environment News

Penn State announces 2024 University-wide faculty and staff awards

| psu.edu

Each spring, Penn State recognizes outstanding faculty and staff with annual awards in teaching and excellence. These awards highlight many of the University's faculty and staff who go above and beyond in their work at Penn State.  This year's honorees will be recognized at an invitation-only awards ceremony at noon on Thursday, March 28, in Presidents Hall at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. 

Buck named recipient of Barash Award for Human Service

| psu.edu

Peter Buck, affiliate faculty and associate director of Climate and Sustainability Education at Penn State Sustainability, is the 2024 recipient of the Barash Award for Human Service. Created in 1975 by the family of the late Sy Barash, the award honors a full-time member of the faculty or staff or student body on the University Park campus who, apart from their regular duties, has contributed the most to human causes, public service activities and organizations, or the welfare of fellow humans.

Gil, Molloy, O’Connor named 2024 Penn State Teaching Fellows

| psu.edu

Juan Gil, professor of mathematics at Penn State Altoona; Sonia Molloy, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State York; and Jacqueline O’Connor, professor of mechanical engineering in the College of Engineering, have received the Alumni/Student Award for Excellence in Teaching and have been named 2024 Penn State Teaching Fellows.

Six faculty members receive 2024 Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching

| psu.edu

Six Penn State faculty members have received the 2024 George W. Atherton Award for Excellence in Teaching. They are Sommar Chilton, associate teaching professor of communication sciences and disorders in the College of Health and Human Development; Linda Istanbulli, Caroline D.

Six Penn State faculty members receive 2024 Faculty Scholar Medals

| psu.edu

Six Penn State faculty members have received 2024 Faculty Scholar Medals for Outstanding Achievement.

Scientists reveal all-day cooling tech that also generates clean electricity

| interestingengineering.com

The dual cooling and power strategy can work round the clock and deliver savings of 30 percent electricity compared to only using solar cells. This article mentions Penn State research.

Strategies to grow research enterprise among March updates to trustee committees

| psu.edu

Four Penn State Board of Trustees committee held virtual off-cycle meetings on March 21. An update from Andrew Read, interim senior vice president for research, on the continued growth of Penn State’s research enterprise was among the presentations heard by the board committees.

Q&A: Greener power solutions for communities

| psu.edu

Jim Freihaut, professor and interim head of Penn State’s Department of Architectural Engineering, was recently awarded a three-year, $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy that advances distributed energy systems in communities.

Climate Solutions Symposium announces call for climate posters

| psu.edu

The Penn State Climate Solutions Symposium will host a poster session, offering a platform to showcase climate change efforts and highlight innovative solutions.

Critical minerals’ role in green energy topic of 2024 Shoemaker Lecture

| psu.edu

Edward  C. Dowling Jr., president and chief executive officer and board of directors member at Compass Minerals, will give the 2024 G. Albert Shoemaker Lecture in Mineral Engineering at Penn State. His talk, “Challenges and Opportunities of the Critical Minerals Revolution,” will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, April 19, in the Hub-Robeson Center’s Freeman Auditorium and online via Zoom. A reception will follow the lecture at 5:30 p.m. in Alumni Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Research Support Transformation Project moves forward, feedback solicited

| psu.edu

Over the past several months, the Research Support Transformation Project core team and its executive sponsors have been documenting and analyzing current processes and engaging stakeholders, including faculty and staff members, through a series of interviews to learn about their experiences. Now, they are sharing progress to date and inviting all faculty and staff members to provide input to help inform the project’s future directions. 

Stuckeman architecture graduate awarded international dissertation prize

| psu.edu

Farzad Hashemi, who graduated in 2023 from Penn State with a doctorate in architecture, was recently named the recipient of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium Dissertation Award. He is the second recipient of the prestigious research award in as many years from the Stuckeman School.