The Climate Solutions Symposium is where bold ideas and real-world action come together to tackle the climate crisis. From cutting-edge research to community-driven solutions, it’s a space for people across disciplines, sectors, and perspectives to connect and collaborate. More than an invitation to attend, the symposium is a call to join a growing community committed to climate action, because the more people working together, the greater the chance of uncovering solutions and driving meaningful change.
Directors of the Penn State Climate Consortium, Erica Smithwick, Jacqueline O’Connor, and Janet Swim, share what they’re looking forward to at this year’s symposium and why showing up matters.
Erica Smithwick, Director
The most important thing to know about climate change is that we have to talk about it! More than 75 out of every 100 Americans say they believe climate change is real, but 66 out of 100 say they rarely or never talk about it. The Climate Solutions Symposium is a way to have these conversations across sectors, cultures, disciplines, and perspectives.
I research wildfires and how they are reshaping ecosystems. Most of this work has been out West, and I never thought I’d be studying wildfire risk in the East. And yet, last fall we had extensive drought and broke records for wildfires in Pennsylvania, so it’s clear that climate-driven wildfires are on our doorstep too. The symposium is a place where researchers can work with partners in society to identify research frontiers like this.
I’m so excited to feel the energy in the room at this year’s symposium. We are making connections that span the globe while helping our local Pennsylvania communities mitigate and adapt to climate change. This is incredibly rewarding work to be doing.
At this year’s symposium, our theme is that we are imagining, innovating, and implementing together. We can’t solve climate challenges alone, but we can solve them together.
Join the conversation! Find a new colleague or partner. Or, just come to learn. You are part of the solution.
Jacqueline O’Connor, Associate Director
Penn State’s climate research community is both wide-reaching and deeply collaborative, and the Climate Solutions Symposium is where it all comes together. I’m thrilled for this opportunity to reconnect, share our work, and build stronger partnerships to tackle climate challenges head-on.
My research focuses on developing technologies to reduce emissions in hard-to-decarbonize sectors like aviation and marine. These areas often require close collaboration with industry to translate research into real-world impact. One thing I particularly value about the symposium is the chance to engage with colleagues not just in climate technology, but also in policy, community outreach, and systems thinking. These cross-sector conversations help me shape more impactful, integrated research.
This year, I’m especially excited to be hosting a panel on Harnessing the Entrepreneurial Mindset. Our panelists bring a wealth of experience as both educators and entrepreneurs, and I can’t wait for them to share how researchers can think beyond the lab. The goal is to spark a shift from focusing solely on discovery to also considering how our work can scale and be implemented. This mindset is essential for accelerating change.
Climate solutions don’t happen in isolation. While strong research is the foundation, solutions are built through collaboration, especially with business and industry partners who help bring ideas to market. I see the symposium as a unique space where we can form those critical connections and break down silos between academia and the private sector. By building these networks and focusing on translational thinking, we can amplify our collective impact.
I’m looking forward to meaningful conversations, new connections, and fresh ideas at the Climate Solutions Symposium. Let’s get to work, together.
Janet Swim, Associate Director
For decades, I’ve watched climate research grow and evolve at Penn State. Each year, the Climate Solutions Symposium reflects the expanding breadth and depth of this work, bringing together voices from across disciplines and communities to explore real, actionable solutions. It’s a space that both grounds and galvanizes, reminding us of the power of collaboration.
My research focuses on the social, cognitive, and emotional factors that influence how people prioritize climate change as a national issue and support environmental policies. For example, on a social level, perceiving that others support environmental policies can increase one’s own support. Cognitively, recognizing that water policies not only benefit the environment but also enhance community well-being can further boost support. These social and cognitive factors influence policy support in part because they increase hope about the effectiveness and outcomes of such policies.
At this year’s symposium, I’m especially eager to hear from our keynote speaker, Nemonte Nenquimo. Her leadership in protecting the Amazon and advocating for Indigenous communities is both courageous and visionary—an example of how local action can resist global injustices. I’m also drawn to panels focused on governance and rural initiatives in central Pennsylvania, where Penn State’s reach and partnerships can play a unique and vital role.
These discussions—whether about the Amazon or Appalachia—are all part of a shared, urgent story. Climate action cannot succeed without understanding the human elements: emotion, communication, trust, and community. The symposium is where these threads are brought together, and where new connections spark new ideas.
Please join us. You’ll leave inspired by the ingenuity and heart of those working on climate solutions—right here in Pennsylvania and across the world.
Erica Smithwick, distinguished professor of geography, is a landscape and ecosystem ecologist. Her research aims to support sustainable land management decision-making under climate change, with particular focus on forest resilience to wildfire, natural carbon sequestration strategies, and Indigenous knowledge systems. She is the director of the Climate Consortium and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute and an associate director of the Institute of Energy and Environment, all of which foster interdisciplinary environmental research.
Jacqueline O'Connor is a professor of mechanical engineering and the director of the Reacting Flow Dynamics Laboratory. Her research efforts focus on decarbonization solutions for hard-to-decarbonize sectors like aviation, marine transport, and dispatchable power generation.
Janet Swim a professor of psychology who uses experimental and survey research to examine the psychological underpinnings of people’s willingness to engage in personal and collective pro-environmental actions and support policies that affect natural processes and, by extension, all life. She works in collaborative, interdisciplinary teams composed of natural scientists, social scientists, artists, and educators.
