Insights and Innovations is a column featuring brief essays, Q&As, op-eds, and expert commentary on energy and environmental topics. Contributors include faculty, graduate students, and researchers from across Penn State.

Illustration of women working together

Women empowering women in STEM

The path to a successful career in science can be challenging. Finding one's passion can also be difficult. Fortunately, there are people who can offer their guidance and help along the way to both a successful career and fulfilling one. Li Li reflects on her journey and the many women who walked it with her.

Ford F-150 Lightning/Credit Ford Motor Company

Will buying a new electric Ford F-150 Lightning help save the world from climate change?

The Ford F-150 is the most popular vehicle in the U.S., so interest is high on the electric vehicle "Lightning" model. But are EVs really better for the environment than internal combustion engine vehicles?

Farmers walking through a field

How are we adapting? A nexus approach for addressing food-energy-water vulnerabilities in the face of climate change

In 2021, the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the sixth assessment report, highlighting how climate change shapes our environmental futures with more frequent and intense extreme events such as drought, floods, and sea-level rise. These natural hazards impact the ability of society to access food, energy, and water resources and introduce risks to human survival and wellbeing.

Flooded house

A change in season, a change in water?

For many households, a change in the season could mean a change in their water supply. What impacts household water supply for one family, however, might not affect another in the same way.

roadway flooding during storm

Redressing a flood of historic injustices

Penn State’s recent entry into the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) design competition demonstrates how students may play a significant role in identifying ways to redress historic injustices and as importantly, not perpetuate past racist policies as communities adapt to changing sea levels.

spring water

Making the Invisible Visible: Groundwater and water insecurity in Pennsylvania

  • Profile Photo
    Name
    Andrew Warner

March 22 is World Water Day, and this year’s theme—Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible—has Water Initiative Director Andrew Warner thinking of home… that is, Pennsylvania.

Hikers walking on a trail

How a walk in the park could save the environment

  • Profile Photo
    Name
    Timothy Mateer

The dual mandate of providing for both human health and ecological health becomes a fine line to walk for outdoor recreation managers in the United States. However, there could be a potential pathway to understanding how outdoor recreation may support both human and environmental well-being.

Cracked cement reveals rusty steel

Nuclear waste's need for a new kind of cement

Storing spent nuclear fuel rods has long been a challenge. But a new material that is being developed may help store nuclear waste more safely and for a longer time. It may also reduce carbon emissions by replacing an ingredient in concrete, a major greenhouse gas generator.

Two MAP team members closely examine artifacts coming out of a test pit in the Namonte region of Southwestern Madagascar. (photo credit: Garth Cripps)

Indigenous knowledge is key to a sustainable future

Traditional ecological knowledge held by Indigenous groups around the world is key to understanding resilience and cultural survival in the face of intensifying climate change. In fact, there are hundreds to thousands of years of knowledge that can be an important component of future climate research.

Technician spraying foam insulation

Hydrofluorocarbons saved the ozone layer but are warming the earth

Switching to hydrofluorocarbons led to ozone recovery, but there are drawbacks to hydrofluorocarbons, specifically global warming. Some in the building industry have taken notice of this issue and switched to a different chemical to apply insulation.