Past Events: Penn State Energy and Environment Calendar Archive

How novel species introduction alters various aspects of niche distribution for an individual and population Dr. Lauren Pintor, Ohio State University February 22, 2019 @ 02:30 pm to 03:30 pm 107 Forest Resources Building University Park Ecology Spring Seminar Series 2019 “Behave like an Ecologist: Research Exploring Behavioral Ecology” Fridays 2:30-3:30 ~ FRB 107

Sarah Ficken, Agriculture Educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County Climate change presents a series of challenges that farmers must respond and adapt to in order to remain profitable. The talk will focus on how the Adaptation Workbook and other Climate Smart Farming tools can provide an important framework when thinking about a farm level response to climate change.

Penn State University College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Extension Farm Safety are excited to unveil our 2nd Annual Agricultural Safety Expo! Free to participants, the event will feature agricultural safety demonstrations and other displays, with opportunity for hands-on participation.

Abstract: Considerable conceptual, theoretical and empirical work has been done exploring how genetic information is used by an organism to mediate the expression of phenotypes. More precisely, how phenotypic variation maps onto genotype or genotypic variation. While the representations of both intermediate (gene expression, cellular, tissue and developmental) and adult phenotypes are often suitably complex, the abstractions for genotype usually only consider the consequences of the focal genetic change (i.e. a particular mutation).

Mort Webster, Professor of Energy Engineering, John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering gives a talk on work being done on Modeling Hydroelectric Generation for Large-Scale Regional Electricity Grid Resilience Studies: Methods and Challenges. Food and beverages will be served. Also available via Zoom: https://psu.zoom.us/j/440746219

Ecology Spring Seminar Series 2019 “Behave like an Ecologist: Research Exploring Behavioral Ecology” Fridays 2:30-3:30 in 107 Forest Resources Building On Feb 15, Dr. Jill Pruetz, Texas State University will present Environmental pressures that influence primate behavior.

Interpersonal relationships are an important part of personal and social health, which makes understanding how to facilitate these connections a major public health issue. Join us online (Zoom) or in person to learn more about research into the dynamics of relationships. Clio Andris, an assistant professor of geography and Penn State Institute for CyberScience (ICS) faculty associate, will discuss how geographic information systems (GIS) are helping to investigate ways of building communities that foster relationships and social life.

The Arboretum at Penn State is pleased to invite the public to attend a seminar by Stacy Levy, the artist who designed the Ridge and Valley sculpture in the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens. The inspiration for this educational work of art was the desire to celebrate rainwater and its importance to all life. Ms. Levy’s academic training was in sculpture, forestry, and architecture. Her  environmentally-focused installations have been showcased across the country.

Do you understand the public access requirements for your NSF-funded research? Under NSF's public access policy, publications based on NSF-supported research must be deposited in the NSF Public Access Repository no later than 12 months after initial publication. Join Ana Enriquez, Scholarly Communications Outreach Librarian, for a brief overview of grant recipients' obligations, with time for questions.

Internationally recognized climate scientist Dr. Richard B. Alley will speak as part of a series of discussions sponsored by the State College chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby. It is free and open to the public. Dr. Alley is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the London-based Royal Society, Dr. Alley is well-known to the general public as author of the book, Earth: the Operator’s Manual. That book spawned the PBS television series of the same name for which he was presenter and science editor.

Ecology Spring Seminar Series 2019 “Behave like an Ecologist: Research Exploring Behavioral Ecology” Fridays 2:30-3:30 in 107 Forest Resources Building On Feb. 8, Dr. Barbara Helm, University of Groningen will present Timing of Behavior: Keeping Pace with a Changing World

first community conversation focused on the Musser Gap to Valleylands project

At the molecular level, the survival of organisms depends upon the precise control of gene expression. Understanding the control of gene expression is a fundamental problem in Biology with numerous practical applications. One important way in which gene expression is controlled is via small regulatory RNAs. Small RNAs function to bring various protein complexes into proximity with targeted messenger RNAs, with the typical consequence repression of the target gene's expression.

Sridhar Anandakrishnan has returned from his research trip to Antarctica, where he conducted research on two glaciers: Rutford Ice Stream and Thwaites Glacier. Sridhar will share photos and stories from his time down south, along with the science goals for this season. “Seals and Skua and Penguins, Oh My!” Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Professor of Geosciences Wednesday, February 6th, 7:00 pm Elk Creek Cafe and Aleworks, 100 Main St, Millehim PA

Many principles underlying the design of restructured electricity markets that are in-use today were developed over three decades ago when power systems were considerably different than today’s and tomorrow’s systems are. Systems of the past typically relied on large dispatchable thermal generators to supply energy. This can be contrasted with power systems today, which are experiencing rising penetrations of weather-dependent renewable energy sources that have limited dispatchability.

Impacts to water quality from excess nutrients and sediment are among the most complex and pervasive environmental problems faced today, not only in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania but across the nation and the globe. In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Pennsylvania is faced with finding a path forward to meet requirements of the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for nutrients and sediment.

The evolution of high-crowned cheek teeth (hypsodonty) in herbivorous mammals during the late Cenozoic is classically regarded as an adaptive response to the near-global spread of grass-dominated habitats. Precocious hypsodonty in middle Eocene (B38 million years (Myr) ago) faunas from Patagonia, South America, is therefore thought to signal Earth’s first grasslands, 20 million years earlier than elsewhere.

Upland catchments are important drinking water source areas in Ireland, representing areas with lower potential for contamination and, therefore, treatment costs. However, in recent years, issues with the selective herbicide, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid (MCPA), and exceedances of the EU Drinking Water limit (0.1 µg L-1) in the raw surface water supply, have become a concern.

CIDD lunch Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics Jason Rasgon, Penn State February 4, 2019 @ 12:00 pm to 01:00 pm W-201 Millennium Science Complex University Park

The goal of this presentation is to introduce a Science to Solutions activity at Arizona State University (ASU). ASU’s new Knowledge Exchange for Resilience (KER) aims to build capacity both within the university and to broader civil society to address real, current issues of community resilience. We conceptualize community resilience in broad terms, that is: in terms of people responding to profound social, economic, and environmental change.