Conference explores role of institutions of higher education in extreme weather
| psu.edu
The “RISE CONFERENCE 2019: Transforming University Engagement In Pre- and Post-Disaster Environments: Lessons from Puerto Rico," to be held at the State University of New York-Albany Nov. 18-20, will bring together researchers and educators from across the nation, including several from Penn State, to explore how higher education can strengthen preparedness, response, and recovery in the face of growing threats posed by climate change and extreme weather.
New director to increase Penn State’s impact on today’s water challenges
| news.psu.edu
Andrew Warner has joined the Institutes of Energy and the Environment as the director of a new University-wide initiative designed to elevate Penn State’s prominence as a center of excellence in water.
The new geographers: Six faculty hires are driving the future of the field
| psu.edu
Six new tenure-line geography faculty started this fall in the Department of Geography. They conduct research on a wide variety of subjects including water, climate change, natural hazards, remote sensing, social networks, data mining, economics, and inequality and diversity.
Engineering faculty, staff, alumni to be honored for exceptional contributions
| psu.edu
Faculty, staff and alumni of the Penn State College of Engineering will be recognized for their outstanding teaching, research, advising and service at a 2 p.m. ceremony on Oct. 21 in the Hintz Family Alumni Center on Penn State's University Park campus.
Hurricane Dorian devastates Bahamas; scientists explain storm's unique evolution
| psu.edu
Hurricane Dorian's unusual evolution represented a worst-case scenario for the Bahamas, according to experts at Penn State.
Penn State researchers lead the way in Water-Energy-Food research in Africa
| psu.edu
Three Penn State researchers — Rachel Brennan, in the College of Engineering, and Mike Jacobson and Brian Thiede, in the College of Agricultural Sciences — recently received $250,000 in University Strategic Plan seed funding to address global Water-Energy-Food challenges.
Data assimilation method offers improved hurricane forecasting
| psu.edu
Operational models for severe weather forecasting predicted Hurricane Harvey would become a Category 1 hurricane in 2017, according to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Instead, it became a massive Category 4 just before it made landfall, tying Hurricane Katrina for the costliest hurricane on record.
Researchers develop novel process to fabricate battery materials
| psu.edu
By discovering a way to combine lithium salts with ceramics, researchers in the Penn State College of Engineering and the Penn State Materials Research Institute may have created a new class of materials for longer-lasting batteries. According to researchers, the composite nature of the batteries could make recycling easier, reducing landfill waste.
Historic Greenland melt is a "glimpse of the future"
| scientificamerican.com
A major heat wave pushed melting into areas of the ice sheet that normally stay frozen year-round
Extreme ice melt in Greenland threatens coastal communities across the world, scientists warn
| cnbc.com
Greenland is the biggest contributor to sea level rise, which threatens to destroy property value in coastal regions, displace residents and eventually impact global markets.
How to restore a coral reef
| psu.edu
New guidelines drafted by a consortium of concerned experts could enable corals to adapt to changing environments and help restore declining coral populations in the Caribbean. The guidelines provide a definitive plan for collecting, raising and replanting corals that maximizes their potential for adaptation.
Accomplished plastics pollution researcher joins Penn State Behrend
| psu.edu
Sam Mason joined Penn State Behrend at the start of the spring 2019 semester as the college's sustainability coordinator. The Texas native is known for her groundbreaking research on plastics pollution.