AI models produce skillful weather forecasts, including for some extreme events. However, forecasting the strongest events that are so rare they did not exist in the training set (the so-called gray swans) remains a major concern for these models’ operational use, especially as climate change introduces unprecedented conditions. Here, we train a state-of-the-art AI weather model after removing Category 3-5 tropical cyclones from its training set and test it on Category 5 storms. The model could not accurately forecast these unseen cyclones.
Past Events: Penn State Energy and Environment Calendar Archive
You're viewing an archived collection of past energy and environment events from around Penn State and beyond. Please visit our Event Calendar to view current and upcoming events.
Maruf Morshet, assistant teaching professor in energy business and finance at Penn State, will give the talk, "Are Biofuels More Environmentally Friendly? The GHG Emissions Impacts of Increased Biofuel Production,” at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 29, in 157 Hosler Building on the University Park campus. His talk is part of the spring Initiative for Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy (EEEPI) seminar series.
The widespread use of road salt and other ice melters during winter has become a cornerstone of maintaining safety on roadways and sidewalks, but it comes at a cost. While these substances effectively lower the freezing point of water, they are corrosive to infrastructure and pose significant environmental risks. Winter salts can accumulate in the soil and runoff into watersheds, impacting ecosystems, human health, and water quality.
Enjoy a pizza lunch while listening to a panel discussion from the COP29 delegation, moderated by Mark Ortiz and Peter Buck. Learn about the outcomes of COP29 and hear from the panel on their key takeaways.
Chemical synthesis is responsible for significant emissions of carbon dioxide worldwide. These emissions arise not only due to the energy requirements of chemical synthesis, but since hydrocarbon feedstocks can be overoxidized or used as hydrogen sources. Using renewable electricity to drive chemical synthesis may provide a route to overcoming these challenges, enabling synthetic routes which operate at benign conditions and utilize sustainable inputs.
The Center for Nanoscale Science, Penn State’s NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, will compete for renewal in 2025, with the preproposal due at NSF in June. I will briefly describe (1) the internal down-select competition to become one of the Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs) in the renewal proposal, (2) the events, people, and resources that will be available through the winter and early spring to help teams in generating compelling IRG white papers, and (3) the key measures of a successful IRG proposal.
The built environment impacts nearly every area of our lives, from the air we breathe and the natural light we enjoy to the resources we consume and the spaces we inhabit. However, the future of real estate faces significant challenges in adapting to the demands of a rapidly changing world including growing energy demands, extreme weather events, urbanization, resource scarcity, and the need for resilient infrastructure.
Building the science of scientific impact, the EIC studies how to create research infrastructure and tools to enhance the relevance of academic discovery for external partners. Learn about opportunities and resources from the Penn State Evidence-to-Impact Collaborative and discuss opportunities for integrating social science into earth and environmental sciences.
Pennsylvania hosts a rich industrial technical assistance ecosystem with a mix of state, federal, nonprofit, independent, and university organizations and partnerships. Hear from the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Energy Programs Office (i.e., the State Energy Office) and the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PennTAP) about the Commonwealth’s technical and financial assistance programs and how they work together to advance manufacturing energy management, decarbonization, and economic benefits.
In 2018, the California Legislature adopted a pair of bills that require the State to begin building microplastics management strategies for both drinking water and California's aquatic ecosystems. The passing of these bills initiated a burst of collaborative activity in California to provide a scientific foundation for these legislative mandates.
Dr. Warren Washington was a pioneer in more ways than one, and his contributions to climate knowledge are quite remarkable. As a 1964 graduate of Penn State, Warren Washington and Akira Kasahara developed the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) General Circulation Model at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Warren assisted in pushing forward innovation through improvements in ocean and sea ice components for Earth System Models (ESMs) and used massively parallel supercomputers to increase wall-clock time.
In the late 1990s, many states opted to restructure their electricity industry to introduce competition at the wholesale and retail levels. Texas designed competitive wholesale and retail markets that were far different from those developed in Pennsylvania and other states. How well has the Texas approach worked?
Rodrigo Vargas is a Professor at the University of Delaware's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences. He is an ecosystem ecologist who examines how nature-based solutions can help address global environmental change in terrestrial and coastal ecosystems. He has contributed to developing decision support systems and policy-relevant applications and received multiple national and international recognitions.
Speakers:
Kristen Kurland, Carnegie Mellon University
Join us for an insightful webinar panel featuring representatives from leading forest carbon payment programs, including the Family Forest Carbon Program (FFCP), Finite Carbon, and Climate Action Reserve, along with a verification auditor who will share their expertise on the complexities of forest carbon markets and payment programs.
2025 Women Advancing River Research Seminar SeriesAll 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.Hot water: Integrated modeling for watershed fire impacts and in stream thermal habitatsXingyuan Chen, Pacific Northwestern National Laboratory, U.S.Alison Appling, U.S. Geological Survey
Join the Penn State Computed Tomography (CT) Users Group, hosted by the Center for Quantitative Imaging (CQI). This group is open to faculty, students, and researchers across all Penn State campuses who are interested in harnessing the power of computed tomography for their work. All experience levels are welcome, from novice to expert.
The users group meets on the third Wednesday of the month.
What is Computed Tomography?
Pollution from farms poses significant environmental challenges, yet many farmers are eager to address this issue despite tight profit margins. C-CHANGE's groundbreaking research provides a novel solution by making ecosystem services economically viable beyond traditional incentives. By integrating these practices with renewable natural gas (RNG) production, the Grass2Gas pathway offers a promising strategy to reduce agricultural pollution.
Join the Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s first lunchtime learning webinar to discuss the vision for the CTSI affiliates program.
Not yet an affiliate? Submit the brief application here! In this session, we will cover:
Digesters represent a significant upfront investment, but when operated effectively, they can lead to long-term savings for farms. This webinar will explore various strategies to optimize digester performance, including pretreating and recirculating digestate, as well as selecting the right feedstocks and their optimal proportions. Join us to learn about the research conducted by C-CHANGE, which evaluates multiple options for digester projects, providing insights into what approaches yield the best economic outcomes across different scenarios.