Past Events: Penn State Energy and Environment Calendar Archive

Join us for a discussion on establishing new research collaborations with social scientists and engineers being led by Vijay Narayanan, Eric Donnell, and Deborah Ehrenthal March 25 at noon in 110 Henderson Building and on Zoom. Lunch will be provided to those registered for in-person attendance.

We are now taking the Science Buzz on the road, with the first stop being the EMS Museum! The Earth and Environmental Systems Institute is proud to host an event for discussing hot topics in science, new findings, sticky research challenges, and ideas for motivation and collaboration. On your way to work, stop by the EMS Museum in the Deike Building for some informal conversations over coffee and a light breakfast.

Attend the AWRA 2024 Geospatial Water Technology Conference! This conference is designed to highlight existing and new geospatial and technological tools to solve water resources-related problems.

INDABA Seminar: Building Equitable Partnerships to Support Equitable Energy Transition Around the World Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Tennyson Senior Research Fellow Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology Department University of Cambridge Cambridge, England

Many aquatic ecosystems are under threat from microplastic pollution, the smallest of which can enter the food web through consumption by fauna. Very small microplastics (< 100 microns) can be similar in size to suspended algae cells, which readily aggregate into large clumps through cohesion due to their sticky biological exudates. Aggregation greatly changes the transport properties of these particles, altering their settling speed and making them more attractive as potential food particles.

Energy Efficiency Programs for Farms and Businesses will focus on the different federal and state energy efficiency programs you might be eligible for. These programs may include grants, rebates, loans, or tax incentives. Are you an agricultural producer or a small business owner? During the Energy Efficiency Programs webinar, learn about various federal and state energy efficiency programs you may qualify for. These programs may include grants, rebates, loans, or tax incentives. Extension Educators will pro!

The Local Climate Action Program (LCAP) is built on a simple idea: cooperation can help Pennsylvania’s communities reduce emissions and become more thriving, resilient, equitable places to call home. The LCAP brings together Penn State students, faculty, local governments, community members, and experts from related fields by pairing students with PA local government partners to inventory greenhouse gas emissions and to help communities begin climate action planning.

2024 Women Advancing River Research Seminar Series All seminars will be presented online live at 11:00 a.m. ET on the third Thursday of each month. Seminar recordings will be posted later. Please register in advance for all talks. "Integrating Hydrologic Modeling and Field Data with Local Knowledge Holders" Kendra Kaiser, Boise State University (U.S.) Gene-Hua Crystal Ng, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (U.S.)

Hosted by Carnegie Mellon’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, CMU Energy Week 2024 will bring energy and sustainability leaders, including scholars, investors and entrepreneurs from across the nation to Carnegie Mellon University to combine forces and exchange ideas on the best paths to decarbonizing transportation. CMU Energy Week 2024 discussions will interrogate problems and work toward constructing an ambitious vision to reimagine how we move things, move people and move equitably in our clean-energy future.

When the world seems to be ending, what do you do in response? Where do you put your grief, your anger, your frustration, and your desire to act? What happens when we don’t have constructive channels for our emotions?

Digesters aren't only about animals and energy – they can profoundly impact cropping systems and the nutrient dynamics of our agricultural sector. Join C-CHANGE: Managing Digestate for Crop Production and the Environment to learn about new findings in this important area.

Nature is a complex, interconnected system that supports all of life. Whether we live in the city or the countryside, natural systems support is real and significant. Natural system services provide millions of dollars every year in recreational revenues and avoid costs for governments, businesses, and residents. Nature’s benefits impact our quality of life, health, cost of living, sense of place, and economy. These benefits are reliably delivered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Once lost, these benefits are expensive and difficult to replace.

Hosted by Carnegie Mellon’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, CMU Energy Week 2024 will bring energy and sustainability leaders, including scholars, investors and entrepreneurs from across the nation to Carnegie Mellon University to combine forces and exchange ideas on the best paths to decarbonizing transportation. CMU Energy Week 2024 discussions will interrogate problems and work toward constructing an ambitious vision to reimagine how we move things, move people and move equitably in our clean-energy future.

For many materials the direction (or orientation) of the crystal planes impacts the overall properties.  The simplest example is the difference between a single-crystalline and polycrystalline sample.  But even polycrystalline samples need not be completely random; some crystalline planes may preferentially align with certain directions.  Such a sample is said to be oriented or textured.

Digital health is inherently data-driven. However, data itself is not adequate. Successful digital health applications require a human-centered approach that transforms data into user experience, empathy, and inclusivity. In this talk, I will focus on how to create digital health applications by integrating a human-centered and data-driven approach. I will also reflect on two ongoing digital health projects: creating supportive financial technologies  for marginalized communities and using generative AI to provide personalized health interventions.

Hydrogen is the simplest molecule in the universe, yet efficient H2 activation, utilization and storage present considerable technological challenges that must be overcome if we are to realize the “green” energy transition.  One such phenomenon is “H spillover”, in which H2 is adsorbed (usually on a metal) and then transferred to a metal oxide or carbon surface.  Once off the metal, the H becomes highly mobile, scampering freely across the surface.  We recently provided the first quantitative measures of H spillover, which leads to the surprisi

Hosted by Carnegie Mellon’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, CMU Energy Week 2024 will bring energy and sustainability leaders, including scholars, investors and entrepreneurs from across the nation to Carnegie Mellon University to combine forces and exchange ideas on the best paths to decarbonizing transportation. CMU Energy Week 2024 discussions will interrogate problems and work toward constructing an ambitious vision to reimagine how we move things, move people and move equitably in our clean-energy future.

Rising global temperatures and the urban heat island effect can amplify heat-related health risks to urban residents. Cities are considering various heat adaptation actions to improve public health, enhance social equity, and cope with future conditions beyond past experience. We present the City-Heat Equity Adaptation Tool (City-HEAT), which suggests optimal investments for mitigating urban heat and reducing health impacts through modifications of built (cool roofs/pavements) and natural (urban afforestation) environments and reductions of people’s heat exposure (cooling centers).

Developmental transitions impact ecology and evolution by altering the way plants interact with their environment. Studies of germination and flowering show that developmental timing has significant impacts on plant fitness and performance, but very little attention has been given to the juvenile-to-adult transition: vegetative phase change. My research works to understand how the timing of vegetative phase change, and the developmental phase a plant is in when exposed to abiotic stress, impact the plant’s ability to respond to these stressors.

With the rise in forest carbon programs, the focus of some forest managers has shifted towards extending harvest rotations and focusing management on carbon sequestration at the cost of other considerations. During Having it All: Balancing Carbon, Forest Health, and Other Goals, participants will learn how forest managers can think about maintaining functioning forests while meeting multiple goals like storing carbon, creating wildlife habitat, and forest health.