Growing Impact: Cooling high-performance buildings
| Featuring Wenjie Li, Herschel Pangborn, Na Liu, Kaelea Hayes
Cooling is energy-intensive, with air conditioning consuming a significant portion of electricity in homes and commercial buildings, while also contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. This creates a cycle of increasing energy demand for cooling. However, innovative materials that cool when strained offer a promising, sustainable solution for various applications.
Isotopes map hailstones’ paths through clouds
| eos.org
Hailstones have been said to bounce up and down through clouds as they grow. A new study found that many stones take much simpler paths. This article quotes Matthew Kumjian, professor of meteorology.
Master Watershed Steward Christine Boyle makes a splash in Luzerne County
| psu.edu
After Christine Boyle retired in 2018, she began thinking about ways to remain active, keep learning and give back to her Luzerne County community. Penn State Extension’s Master Watershed Steward program checked all the boxes.
Climate change is here. Philadelphia isn't ready
| phillymag.com
Heavier rainfalls that lead to deadly flash floods. Droughts that spark wildfires. Soaring summertime temperatures. And a federal government content with doing nothing. Think Philadelphia is safe from the worst the planet has to offer? Think again.
Penn State’s Youth Food Lab attends UN Science, Technology, Innovation forum
| psu.edu
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences was represented on the global stage as faculty and students participated in the United Nations’ 10th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, held at U.N. headquarters in New York City earlier this month.
Arts and Architecture alumna explores LA River’s past, future in exhibition
| psu.edu
A multimedia artwork created by Lauren Schoth, an alumna of the Penn State World Campus digital multimedia design program, is on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Andrew Read leads conversation on executive actions and their impact on research
| psu.edu
Senior Vice President for Research Andrew Read led an interactive discussion with the Penn State community focused on executive actions and their impact on research.
Huck seed grant program now accepting proposals
| psu.edu
The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State has launched its 2025-26 seed grant program, issuing a call for proposals from Huck-affiliated researchers across the University. Huck seed grants aim to foster innovative, interdisciplinary and collaborative life sciences research. Proposals are due on July 15.
Biology professor, Huck associate operations director to retire
| psu.edu
After a decade of service to the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and a distinguished academic career spanning four decades, James Marden, professor of biology and associate director of operations, will retire from Penn State at the end of June.
Cicadas, a land lobster to humans and delicacy for animals and fish, to emerge in Pa.
| ydr.com
Brood XIV cicadas are expected in Pennsylvania in 2025 and here's what people, animals, birds and fish should expect in May and June. This article quotes Michael Skvarla, assistant research professor of arthropod identification.
Why glaciologists believe the Birch Glacier collapsed, burying a nearby Swiss town
| abcnews.go.com
A village in the Swiss Alps has been buried beneath ice, rock and mud after a massive piece of a nearby glacier collapsed. This article quotes Sridhar Anandakrishnan, professor of geosciences.
Penn State announces tenure-line faculty promotions, effective July 1, 2025
| psu.edu
The following is a list of academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, effective July 1, 2025.