Past Events: Penn State Energy and Environment Calendar Archive

Traditional satellite meteorology has relied on flagship satellites such as the NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) and EUMETSAT’s MetOp to acquire high resolution multispectral imager, infrared sounding, and microwave sounding. The introduction of low-cost launch, commodity small satellite platforms, and most recently Optical Intersatellite Links, now enable weather observations form a hybrid space architecture of government and commercially owned satellites.

The Roosevelt Project’s Southwest Pennsylvania Case Study examines the viability of an “all-of-the-above” approach to low carbon energy transition by considering technology options, workforce dynamics, and evolving economic composition. The research team, which includes faculty and students from Harvard, MIT, Boise State, and Carnegie Mellon University finds that embracing this diversified path to a climate-secure future will require breaking down barriers and orchestrating unprecedented cooperation and coordination among diverse actors in the southwestern Pennsylvania region.

Kyle Imhoff, Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, Penn State; Pennsylvania State Climate Office; presents "Overview of the Pennsylvania State Climate Office and mesonet development" as part of the Fall 2021 ESSC Brown Bag Series.

Jean-Philippe Avouac, California Institute of Technology, presents "From Kinematic to Dynamic Modeling of Earthquakes and Slow Slip Events" as part of the ​Department of Geosciences Colloquium Series.

The National Academies’ Committee to Advise the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) (“the Committee”) is using its convening authority to support USGCRP’s engagement with a wide range of potential users in its work.

Water Insights is an interdisciplinary seminar series on water science, water management, and water policy sponsored by the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES). Speakers include researchers, water managers, and water policy makers from Penn State, other universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations.

An American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held at the Millennium Science Complex on Tuesday, November 9, 2021. Time and location:

Fires burn in all terrestrial ecosystems on the globe, and wildfires are getting larger, more destructive and deadly. Both humans and climate are contributing to this trend. The Fall 2021 EESI EarthTalks series, “Fire in the Earth System,” will address humanity’s long relationship with fire, how humans and climate create conditions conducive to megafires, and how policy makers and land managers can address the fire problem. The seminars, which are free and open to the public, take place from 4 – 5 p.m. on Mondays via Zoom.

This event is part of the Women Advancing River Research series.

The Biden Infrastructure plan proposes $2 trillion investments in new infrastructure throughout the United States [1]. It is building on economic theories of public spending that predate today’s lingering neoliberalism [2]. It proposes projects specifically addressing environmental conservation, climate change mitigation and adaptation [3]. However, the place of tribes and Indigenous nations in this new public spending initiative is uncertain.

Picture a Scientist panel, followed by a reception in Keeney Commons. Panel moderated by Elsa Sánchez, featuring: Wendy Hanna-Rose Zoubeida Ounaies Erin Connolly Lynette Yarger

The number of zeolite materials discovered and then the translation of them (about 10% of what is discovered) into commercial use for catalytic and separations applications continues to expand. The transition away from a traditional petroleum cracking activity into more selective reactions (increasingly involving other feedstock sources) to generate fuels and petrochemicals continues to build on the understanding of the key parameters in the zeolite part of the catalyst system.

Urbanization degrades stream health and water quality due to multiple interacting physical and chemical impacts. Sources of salinity and nutrients are elevated in urban streams due to winter deicing, fertilizer use, and discharge of wastewater effluent. At the same time, degradation of stream corridors due to channelization, armoring, and straightening reduces the potential for natural attenuation. Here, Lautz investigates the degree to which undisturbed stream corridors in urban watersheds attenuate concentrations and loads of urban contaminants.

Dr. Christopher Blaszczak-Boxe is a lifelong educator that uses numerical-modeling platforms to assess the atmospheric evolution of planets on various timescales. For Earth, he focuses on air quality modeling. On the experimental front, he participates in field and laboratory studies that assess the abundance of potentially toxic substances in indoor/outdoor environments and their potential impacts on human health. The majority of his field work takes place in New York and Pennsylvania.

In this documentary, leading women scientists discuss the inequalities they've faced as they set out to create a new formula to make STEM open to all. Cookie mixer to follow.

Michelle Gore, Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, Penn State, presents "Connecting large-scale meteorological patterns to extratropical cyclones in climate models using self-organizing maps" as part of the Fall 2021 ESSC Brown Bag Series.

Participants will learn a variety of ways that the Digital Preservation Program is a center of expertise and a resource for the University community and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for long-term preservation of digital cultural heritage content. Event highlights will include discussion of the Libraries’ digital preservation policy and its digital repository pilot program, a demonstration of how the Libraries can use software emulation to provide access to obsolete digital objects, and a workshop on the environmental impact of digital preservation.

Jeremy Caves Rugenstein, Colorado State University, presents "Silicate Weathering Feedback Constraints on Past and Future Earth System Processes" as part of the ​Department of Geosciences Colloquium Series.

Nature, including trees, is an important aspect of climate resilience - including stormwater management and temperature regulation. Nature also conveys a host of physical and mental health benefits. And yet, due to the ongoing legacy of structural racism, Black neighborhoods in U.S. cities often have the least amount of nature. This talk will review the relationships between structural racism and present-day urban nature, the links between urban nature and mental health, and make the case for investment in Black neighborhoods as a climate resilience strategy.

Water Insights is an interdisciplinary seminar series on water science, water management, and water policy sponsored by the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES). Speakers include researchers, water managers, and water policy makers from Penn State, other universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations.