The chemicals and materials industry (CMI) is a major economic driver across the world and its products are essential for our well-being. However, this industry is responsible for 30% of direct greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to ecological degradation due to products such as plastics, artificial fertilizers, and novel chemical entities.
Penn State Energy and Environment Calendar
A collection of upcoming energy and environment events from around Penn State and beyond.
Microplastics, small plastic particles ranging in size from 1 to 5000 microns, are present in diverse environmental matrices and pose significant threats to human health and ecosystems. The Environmental Contaminants Analytical Laboratory (ECAL) and the Materials Characterization Laboratory (MCL) will review physical and chemical characterization techniques for microplastics in a wide range of environmental and biological matrices.
Discover how invasive European earthworms are reshaping North American ecosystems in this compelling one-hour webinar with Dr. Sam Reed. Learn how these silent invaders, combined with white-tailed deer browsing, create powerful disturbances that ripple through entire landscapes—threatening native plants, wildlife, and forest health. Explore the latest research on this ecological synergy, its far-reaching impacts, and strategies to mitigate these dual threats.Who is this for?
Dr. Maureen Reed is Distinguished Professor and UNESCO Chair in Biocultural Diversity, Sustainability, Reconciliation and Renewal in the graduate School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. Dr. Reed is a geographer by training and now identifies as a transdisciplinary scholar. She conducts research with Indigenous, rural, and local communities in support of sustainable and equitable rural livelihoods and development.
The Penn State Interdisciplinary Environmental Research Symposium (PIERS) is a student-led symposium that brings together researchers from diverse fields related to environmental studies. Graduate and undergraduate students from all institutions are invited to present posters and oral presentations in disciplines such as biology, chemistry, engineering, policy, sociology, and beyond.In addition to student presentations, the symposium will feature:
Quentin Ramasse, SuperSTEM Laboratory and University of Leeds, UK
Josh Murray, post-doctoral researcher at Columbia University, will present on "Palaeozoic ophiolite obduction and weathering as a control on steady-state climate".
Geography Coffee Hour: Richard Alley - Penn State Geosciences
The Penn State Department of Geography’s GeoGraphics Lab will host its first Community Mapping Day on Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Walker Building at University Park. The event, free and open to the public, will kick off with an optional breakfast at 8 a.m. and bring together students, faculty and community members for a day of hands-on mapping, creative geospatial storytelling and collaborative problem-solving centered on sustainability and local climate action.
The Penn State Eberly College of Science’s Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics is hosting a visit to the Jennifer Chalsty Planetarium at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Saturday, April 5, as part of the Spring 2025 Johnson Lecture in Scientific Communication. The event will include a reception from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. and a presentation on the science outreach and educational opportunities of using an immersive planetarium immediately following until 7:30 p.m.
The Penn State Interdisciplinary Environmental Research Symposium (PIERS) is a student-led symposium that brings together researchers from diverse fields related to environmental studies. Graduate and undergraduate students from all institutions are invited to present posters and oral presentations in disciplines such as biology, chemistry, engineering, policy, sociology, and beyond.In addition to student presentations, the symposium will feature:
Meryl Mims is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech and an affiliated faculty member with Virginia Tech's Global Change Center and Invasive Species Collaborative. Meryl received her PhD from the University of Washington in 2015 and held a postdoctoral fellowship with the U.S. Geological Survey before joining the faculty at Virginia Tech. Along with members of her lab, Meryl studies how species' traits interact with the environment to influence populations and communities of organisms and their vulnerability to climate change.
For 2025's annual Colloquium on the Environment, Penn State Sustainability is excited to welcome sociologist, scholar, and author Eric Klinenberg. His latest work looks at the COVID pandemic and other social crises and examines the sociological factors that contributed to better outcomes, highlighting the importance of social capital and social networks in keeping us healthy, happy, and better adapted to cope with disasters.
Join Penn State CTSI’s Science Communication Workshop. This session will cover:Overview of Science CommunicationPresenting Results with VisualizationMastering the Media: How to Communicate Your Research with Clarity and ConfidenceGuest presenters include:
Franklin M. Orr, Jr., Keleen and Carlton Beal Professor Emeritus in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at Stanford University, will give the 2025 G. Albert Shoemaker Lecture in Energy and Mineral Engineering at Penn State. His talk, “Transforming Global Energy Systems to Mitigate Climate Change,” will be held at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 11, in 22 Deike Building at Penn State University Park and online via Zoom. A reception will precede the lecture at 3:00 p.m. in the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
Join the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, along with state partners, for the 2025 Pennsylvania Rural Community and Public Health Conference. This year’s conference, "Pennsylvania Public Health Matters! People, Strategies, and Policies to Advance Healthy Communities," will take place April 15 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College.
Ianna Gomez Mendez is a PhD Student/Research Assistant at the Flow in Porous Media Research Group in the Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University. She earned a Specialist Degree in Nuclear Energy Technological Applications from Balseiro Institute and Buenos Aires University. She holds a BS in Geophysical Engineering from Technological University of Havana.
OverviewThe biorenewables symposium brings together researchers, industry, and stakeholders interested in developing new opportunities for bioenergy, biomaterials, and related products for the emerging bioeconomy. Join us for a technical tour, keynote presentations, panel discussions, networking, and a poster session.Sponsored by Penn State's Center for Biorenewables (CBR), the Institute of Energy and the Environment (IEE), and the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science (iSAFES).Who Should Attend?
OverviewThe biorenewables symposium brings together researchers, industry, and stakeholders interested in developing new opportunities for bioenergy, biomaterials, and related products for the emerging bioeconomy. Join us for a technical tour, keynote presentations, panel discussions, networking, and a poster session.Sponsored by Penn State's Center for Biorenewables (CBR), the Institute of Energy and the Environment (IEE), and the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science (iSAFES).Who Should Attend?
The April Climate Conversations Café will host Brianna Craft, a climate justice researcher and author, for a discussion on diplomacy, climate-change negotiations and storytelling. Craft, a senior research associate with ODI Global’s Climate and Sustainability program, will speak from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, in 312 Earth and Engineering Sciences Building. Her presentation will be titled “Storytelling for Climate Justice.”The event is free and open to the public, with a light lunch provided and a Zoom option available. Registration is required.