Sen. Casey touts PSU rare earth element research as critical to competing with China
| wjactv.com
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey stopped by the Penn State Center for Critical Minerals on Thursday to highlight the federal funds they received to further develop a "novel" technique to recover rare earth elements from acid mine drainage.
The Doorstep | Geopolitics of electricity, with Chiara Lo Prete
| carnegiecouncil.org
The global energy crisis, greener energy, and the expansion of renewables are many of the reasons electricity grids are making headlines. Chiara Lo Prete, associate professor at the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, joins "Doorstep" co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to explain our cross-border electric grid connections and the need to re-frame global geopolitical risks.
Public invited to attend ‘Compassion Week’ events at Penn State
| psu.edu
On April 12 and 13, the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State will host free, public events featuring nationally recognized experts on public health, mindfulness and compassion.
Convenience, control among benefits that inspire automated feature use
| psu.edu
People often complain about the occasional misfires of automated features, such as autocorrect in writing programs, but users generally enjoy interacting with the tools, according to researchers, who added that focusing on certain benefits of automated features may help developers build automated tools that people use more and complain about less.
Wetlands, water quality in Chesapeake Bay focus of Van Meter NSF CAREER Award
| psu.edu
Kimberly Van Meter, assistant professor of geography, received a $644,595 NSF CAREER Award to study water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.
Digging into the past: Forgotten soil samples are opportunity for new research
| psu.edu
Penn State researchers recently opened sealed jars of soil samples collected on campus in 1915 and 1933. Because the samples were taken before many of the changes in agricultural and industrial practices throughout the past century, they offer scientists the chance to study how these changes have affected the microorganisms that live within the soil.
Soil nutrients affect how attractive plants are to bees from the ground up
| psu.edu
Pollination is vital for many plants, and nutrients present in the soil before these plants even sprout may affect how attractive they eventually are to pollinators, according to Penn State-led research.
Foundation grant to fund research on reducing methane emissions from livestock
| psu.edu
The Foundation for Food and Agriculture has awarded a grant to a team in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences to fund research aimed at reducing enteric, or intestinal, methane emissions from cows and sheep, using plant and fungal sources.
Improving your science through the IEE labs
| by Odette Mina
The shared core facilities at Penn State are communal, open-access laboratories, which include the labs of the Institute of Energy and Environment. They provide meaningful and essential support for Penn State’s researchers.
EarthTalks: NASA researcher to discuss search for life in the solar system
| psu.edu
Lu Chou, a postdoctoral research associate at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, will present an overview of NASA’s search for extraterrestrial life using techniques for finding “life as we don’t know it” April 10 in 112 Walker Building on Penn State's University Park campus. Chou’s talk is part of the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute's Spring 2023 EarthTalks speaker series, “Exploration of our Solar System.”
Judges still needed for Undergraduate Exhibition on April 10-12
| psu.edu
Judges are still needed for the Undergraduate Exhibition on Research, Inquiry, and Creative Activity, to be held April 10-12. Faculty, emeriti faculty, staff, postdocs and doctoral students trained as researchers are encouraged to volunteer.
Bipartisan Pa. bill would authorize community solar projects
| penncapital-star.com
The measure would green light more than 230 projects in 48 counties, backers said. This article mentions Penn State research.
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. Listen to the podcast.
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