Past Events: Penn State Energy and Environment Calendar Archive

Deadly Markets: Ecological and Social Issues Related to the International Trade in Wildlife by David Wilcove, Princeton University */

Southeast Asian pitcher plants and their inquilines: the role of plant traits and elevation in community assembly

EME Energy for the Future Seminar: Risks in Power Systems presented by Daniel Kirschen, Donald W. and Ruth Mary Close Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington

The Ecology Institute will hold 3 separate planning meetings to promote dialogue and community consensus around the Institute's priority themes and activities. We will share survey results and identify both "big" and "little" ideas we could promote uniquely through our Institute. All are welcome! Thursday, February 13 from 12:30-2 p.m. in 519 Wartik Lab Tuesday, February 18 from 12:30-2 p.m. in W201 Millennium Science Complex Thursday, February 20 from 12:30-2 p.m. in 519 Wartik Lab Pizza and drinks will be provided.

Meteorology and Atmospheric Science Colloquium: Mass-independent fractionation of oxygen isotopes during ozone formation and its implications for Proterozoic O2 levels presented by Dr. James Kasting, Evan Pugh Professor, Department of Geosciences and Meteorology, Penn State

Conflict has recently emerged as a key barrier to development in developing countries.  Unlike other well-understood barriers that development policies have historically sought to address, the role of conflict in development is not well understood. Conflicts range from simple (e.g., protests, demonstrations, riots & electoral violence), complex (e.g., kidnappings, ethnic violence, & pastoral violence) and wicked (e.g.

Earth System Science Center (ESSC) Brown Bag Series: Stunted from the start: Early-life climate and child undernutrition in Ethiopia presented by Dr. Heather Randell, Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, Penn State

This webinar will provide information on the following topics: (1) how prescribed fire can be used as a management tool, (2) the laws regarding prescribed fire in PA, (3) who is currently conducting prescribed fire in PA, (4) findings of a recent study examining landowner interest using prescribed fire on their lands, and (5) findings of a recent study examining public attitudes towards prescribed fire in PA.

Rick Abegg from Chevron will present Scientific Bias in Petroleum Geology

Laura Mydlarz, Professor of Biology, University of Texas, Arlington

Andrew Warner, Director of the Penn State Water Consortium Penn State. What is Penn State Water?

The Spring 2020 EarthTalks series titled "Societal Problems, EESI Science towards Solutions" features Christopher H. House presenting “Positive societal impacts of origin of life and space sciences research”

Phytophthora blight, caused by the soilborne oomycete pathogen Phytophthora capsici, is a devastating disease of squash and pepper. Options for host resistance in these two crops vary drastically. In squash, no cultivars are commercially available with resistance to Phytophthora blight, although research at Cornell has led to the development of breeding lines with reduced root and crown rot symptoms compared to commercial checks.

Joyce Chery, Penn State University

In 2013, the School District of Philadelphia, under the state-run School Reform Commission, recommended closing 32 public schools following a report by a no-bid consultant.

Addressing Alaska’s environmental challenges through microbial, plant, and human community building by Mary Beth Leigh, University of Alaska Fairbanks */

With climate change, the frequency of extreme weather and disaster events is increasing and social inequality magnifies their impact. Many universities, apart from experiencing disaster in their own back-yards, have also become first responders. Beyond organizing donation drives for disaster victims, universities may use service-learning initiatives to deploy assistance to impacted communities, researchers may travel to disaster-stricken areas to collect perishable data, and instructors may construct study abroad opportunities where the disaster becomes a classroom.

White mold of soybean, caused by the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Barry, is the 2nd most destructive disease of soybeans globally, and accounts for 4% yield loss in North America. Since 1996, there has been documented economic losses in soybean in Pennsylvania in all but three years. However, white mold epidemics are not homogenous across the state and the risk of white mold is hard to predict due to microclimatic conditions and variable frequency of infection in fields, regardless of having a history of white mold or not.

Adrienne Correa, Ph.D., Rice University

Seminar: The known knowns and known unknowns of darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) presented by Aaron Smith, Purdue University