Past Events: Penn State Energy and Environment Calendar Archive

The University Libraries present an online talk by Natalia Norori, a global health professional, in celebration of Open Access Week. Norori will speak on the topic, "Opening Knowledge Equitably in an Inequitable System." In order to open knowledge equitably, open research should enable people from all backgrounds to learn about and contribute to topics important to them and their communities. However, this is not always the case.

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.

In this talk, Dr. Jan Drgona introduces a differentiable programming methodology for domain-aware learning of surrogate models and constrained control policies for nonlinear dynamical systems. In particular, he presents a differentiable predictive control (DPC) methodology as a data-driven solution to multiparametric programming problems emerging from explicit nonlinear model predictive control (MPC).

Families are embedded in larger contexts that have implications for family relationships and well-being. A large body of research by family scholars has documented the impacts of multiple dimensions of the broader social environment−including cultural, economic, and political contexts−on family functioning. Less attention has been paid to how dimensions of the physical environment may affect families, including factors that protect families and promote their resilience in the face of change and challenge.

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.

Dr. Mary E. Lidstrom, The University of Washington School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, presents "Microbiological Approaches to Atmospheric Methane Mitigation"

The need for more resilient, sustainable, and intelligent water distribution systems (WDSs) are becoming increasingly urgent, due to the challenges imposed by rapid urbanization, depleting water resources, aging infrastructure, and climate change. However, the performance of WDSs is often difficult to monitor and model due to the size, complexity, underground location, and the large amount of data needed to fully grasp how systems function.

Families are embedded in larger contexts that have implications for family relationships and well-being. A large body of research by family scholars has documented the impacts of multiple dimensions of the broader social environment−including cultural, economic, and political contexts−on family functioning. Less attention has been paid to how dimensions of the physical environment may affect families, including factors that protect families and promote their resilience in the face of change and challenge.

The resource nexus was initially conceived to address potential trade-offs in resource demands. Though the concept emerged from the water sector, it has now come to consider multiple, synergistic (or competing) cross-sectoral interactions. Scott et al. (2018) advanced thinking on water, energy and food security interactions mediated by institutions operating at the nexus, though invariably incapable of crossing resource domains, jurisdictional boundaries, or substantively accounting for ecological dynamics.

Planning and managing the green infrastructure of street trees, parks, and open spaces will help any municipality safely take advantage of the many benefits these assets provide. With proper planning and management, these assets appreciate and pay us back with time.

Abstract: With the rapid increase of renewable electricity and electrical transportation, in the next a few decades fossil fuel based energy will be transformed into electron energy for a low or zero carbon energy world. Non-equilibrium plasma provide a promising solution to the challenges of large intermittency of renewable electricity, the lack of gigawatt scale of electricity storage, and carbon emissions from fossil fuels by using plasma aided green chemical manufacturing and energy conversion.

Fall Invited Speaker Series: Dr. Orin Robinson Robinson is Research Associate, The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 

Join us for the Soundings water film series co-presented by Penn State’s Sustainability Institute, Penn State’s Water Council, and WPSU. This series explores the intersecting issues surrounding water conservation and the innovative research and policy solutions addressing these issues around the world.

CEE Virtual Seminar Series: George Deodatis Combined Effects of Sea Level Rise and Hurricanes on NYC’s Built Infrastructure: Optimal Adaptation Strategies 

The Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MOST) has been the theoretical foundation for understanding the atmospheric surface layer since its inception. However, it has been known since the late 1950s that a number of important surface layer statistics do not conform to MOST. Since the early 1970s much effort has been devoted to resolving this issue. In 2015 we proposed a revised theory, the multipoint Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MMO), which overcomes the major limitations of MOST.

This webinar will explore the agricultural side of land-use decision-making by introducing planners to PA Farm Link. In addition, participants will get an inside look at the PA Farm Link land-linking database. Many communities choose to prioritize agriculture in community land use, Livingston noted. As beginning farmers seek land opportunities — both traditional transition from older farmers as well as "creative farming opportunities" — the process is important to the success of communities. 

Many private wells and most springs test positive for coliform bacteria. During this Water Webinar Series: Coliform Bacteria and E.coli Bacteria in Water Wells and Springs session, you will learn what this means, and steps you can take to keep bacteria out of your drinking water. About the Series

Planning and managing the green infrastructure of street trees, parks, and open spaces will help any municipality safely take advantage of the many benefits these assets provide. With proper planning and management, these assets appreciate and pay us back with time.

Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy Initiative Speaker Series presents Individualized Water Rates: Strategic Behavior and Equity Concerns with Steven Smith, Assistant Professor of Economics and Business, Colorado School of Mines

Dr. Julio Urbina, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Penn State, presents "Electromagnetic remote sensing: From tracking election to bees" as part of the Fall 2021 ESSC Brown Bag Series.