Why are the new climate normals abnormal?
| by Emily Pakhtigian
Each decade the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) releases a new set of U.S. Climate Normals, providing thirty-year temperature and precipitation averages that contain insight about both current weather and patterns in the near future. In early May, NOAA released the Climate Normals for 1991-2020, revealing the warmest recorded period to date.
Jefferson Science Fellows Program
| sites.nationalacademies.org
Tenured academic scientists and engineers from U.S. institutions of higher learning are eligible for selection to be Jefferson Science Fellows. Each Fellow spends one year at the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for an onsite assignment in Washington, DC.
Scholars sought to participate in One Health program
| news.psu.edu
Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply to the Penn State One Health Scholars Program, a cross-disciplinary applied-training program in which a cohort of scholars will work closely with faculty whose research, teaching and practice involve One Health.
Interdisciplinary projects awarded seed grants from IEE
| news.psu.edu
The Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) has awarded seed grants to 22 groups of interdisciplinary researchers for the 2020-21 award cycle. This year, seed grants were awarded to proposals focusing on at least one of IEE’s five strategic research themes — Climate and Ecosystem Change, Health and the Environment, Integrated Energy Systems, Urban Systems, and Water and Biogeochemical Cycles.
Searle Scholars Program
| psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
The Searle Scholars Program gives grants to support independent research in medicine, chemistry, and the biological sciences for exceptional early-career scientists who have recently begun their appointment at the assistant professor level, and whose appointment is their first tenure-track position. The Searle Scholars Program Scientific Advisory Board is primarily interested in the potential of applicants to make innovative and high-impact contributions to research over an extended period of time. Internal Submission Deadline: Wednesday, July 28, 2021, at 4:00 pm
Biodiversity seed grants support innovative collaborations across Penn State
| psu.edu
Seven Penn State faculty teams have received seed grants for biodiversity research as part of the 2021 “Mainstreaming Biodiversity in a Decade of Action” symposium, developed by Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research, in collaboration with Penn State’s Sustainability Institute.
New flooding risk tool developed for the state of Pennsylvania
| news.psu.edu
A new flood risk tool for the state of Pennsylvania that allows users to see their flood risk status using the latest flood mapping data from FEMA was developed by Penn State and its partners.
Novel study looks at nitrogen credit trading to spur growth of riparian buffers
| news.psu.edu
Watershedwide nutrient credit trading has been suggested as a mechanism for reducing pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay, but a new study by Penn State researchers suggests that the high cost of producing nitrogen credits through the establishment of riparian buffers on Pennsylvania farmland currently does not provide an incentive for buffer establishment.
Climate change a bigger threat to landscape biodiversity than emerald ash borer
| news.psu.edu
The invasive emerald ash borer will continue to impact forests in the eastern and midwestern parts of the United States, but climate change will have a much larger and widespread impact on these landscapes by the year 2100, according to researchers.
PlantVillage team lauded for projects to protect food supply amid COVID, locusts
| psu.edu
Penn State researchers responsible for PlantVillage, a mobile app that helps farmers diagnose crop diseases and monitor pests, have been lauded for their work to help African farmers overcome challenges related to desert locusts and COVID-19.
Biological engineering student selected for Cargill Global Scholars Program
| psu.edu
Rising second-year biological engineering major Vancie Peacock was selected to be part of the Cargill Global Scholars Program, an international leadership program sponsored by global food corporation Cargill.
Growing Impact: Unlocking a world of energy
| Featuring Mohamed Badissy
Some countries in Africa and Asia have been locked into contracts that prevent improvements to existing electricity systems. Mohamed Badissy and his team are examining these contracts to find ways that could make these systems more efficient, sustainable, and cleaner. Transcript INTRO: It doesn't matter how normal electricity becomes a part of our daily lives, it's still a surprisingly complex marketplace.