Penn State Energy and Environment News

O’Connor receives Air Force Young Investigator grant

| psu.edu

Jacqueline O’Connor, assistant professor, mechanical engineering, was awarded a three-year grant through the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Research Program.

NASA awards $30M grant to Penn State to help answer climate questions

| psu.edu

Penn State will lead a five-year, $30 million mission to improve quantification of present-day carbon-related greenhouse gas sources and sinks. An improved understanding of these gases will advance our ability to predict and manage future climate change.

Marcellus drilling boom may have led to too many hotel rooms

| psu.edu

Drilling in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale region led to a rapid increase in both the number of hotels and hotel industry jobs, but Penn State researchers report that the faltering occupancy rate may signal that there are now too many hotel rooms.

Joint Center for Energy Research promotes U.S.-China collaboration

| psu.edu

With the goal of promoting global cooperation in clean energy research and education, Penn State and Dalian University of Technology (DUT) in China established an international Joint Center for Energy Research (JCER) in 2011 as a part of global engagement efforts at both universities.

Students travel 'down under' to explore New Zealand’s energy technologies

| psu.edu

Last May, a group of twelve undergraduate students embarked on a fourteen-day research expedition across New Zealand exploring the country’s energy technologies and this past December wrapped up the course with group presentations of their final projects.

Two engineers win National Science Foundation CAREER Awards

| psu.edu

Two Penn State engineering faculty members were recently awarded National Science Foundation Early Career Development Awards. The faculty members are Gordon Warn, assistant professor of civil engineering, and Tak-Sing Wong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering.

Data Commons connects researchers through data sharing

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In order to promote open access to research data, many funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), require that research data generated by publicly-funded projects be made publicly available. In addition, some journals require authors to make materials, data and associated protocols promptly available to readers as a condition of publication. Researchers can now more easily comply with these policies by utilizing the services of Penn State’s Data Commons.

Researchers study how to accurately measure a city's greenhouse gas emissions

| phys.org

If a community wanted to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and decided to take steps to do it, how would it know if the steps it was taking worked?

Promotions in academic rank, effective July 1, 2016

| psu.edu

The following is a list of academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, effective July 1, 2016.

Science Seminars: Jan. 21 to 27

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Science Seminars for Jan 21 to 27

Video: Coal may be the bridge to ushering in new energy technology

| psu.edu

Through the 20th century, the world relied on fossil fuels, most notably oil and coal, to supply its growing energy needs. Now, while the world ponders its energy future, coal remains a plentiful and a reliable means to meet much of today's energy demands. Rather than oil, this other "dark fuel" -- if burned more efficiently and cleanly -- just may be the bridge needed to usher the world fully into the next generation of energy technology.

Hydrogen: The future fuel

| psu.edu

Beyond petroleum Is hydrogen the answer? "I will get right to the point," declared Nobel laureate Richard Smalley, speaking before Congress. "Energy is the single most important problem facing humanity today. We must find an alternative to oil. We need to somehow provide clean, abundant, low-cost energy to the six billion people that live on the planet today, and the 10-plus billion that are expected by the middle of this century."