SustainaLions, new Employee Resource Group announced
| psu.edu
New Employee Resource Group to focus on educating, engaging and connecting with Penn State employees to promote and support sustainability across the University.
University to provide $10.2M to centrally fund faculty promotions in FY25, FY26
| psu.edu
As part of an ongoing commitment to investing in faculty and staff, Penn State will be contributing more than $4.8 million toward faculty promotions in the fiscal year 2024-25 budget and $5.4 million in fiscal year 2025-26. Along with support for tenure-line promotions, the University will now also fund non-tenure-line faculty promotions at all campuses centrally starting in fiscal year 2024-25 — meaning these promotions and salary increases will not be funded out of individual college, institute or campus budgets.
Engineering researcher awarded IEE 'Person of the Year' for 2023
| psu.edu
Li Li, the Barry and Shirley Isett Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State, is the 2023 recipient of the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s Person of the Year Award.
Penn State Extension praised by state for native plant gardens in Philadelphia
| psu.edu
The Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward program in Philadelphia County, in partnership with the Friends of Wharton Square Park, recently received a Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence, presented annually by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Video series shares sustainability lessons from trip to New Zealand, Australia
| psu.edu
If a picture is worth a thousand words, Annie Taylor hopes videos will bring an invaluable experience — an opportunity to learn about sustainability — to everyone, without traveling far from home. Last year, Taylor, senior assistant dean for distance learning in the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and Kaitlin Farnan, a business instructor at Penn State Altoona, led 20 Penn State students on a trip to New Zealand and Australia to learn about sustainable business practices.
S. Shyam Sundar named Evan Pugh University Professor
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S. Shyam Sundar, the James P. Jimirro Professor of Media Effects, director of the Penn State Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence and founding director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory, has been named an Evan Pugh University Professor, the highest honor that Penn State bestows on a faculty member.
Five faculty members honored with Evan Pugh University Professorships
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Five Penn State professors have been named Evan Pugh University Professors, the highest honor bestowed upon faculty at the University, effective July 1: Réka Albert, distinguished professor of physics and biology; Suresh Canagarajah, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Applied Linguistics, English, and Asian Studies; Vijaykrishnan Narayanan, A. Robert Noll Chair Professor of Computer Science and Engineering; Clive Randall, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering; and S. Shyam Sundar, James P. Jimirro Professor of Media Studies.
'Growing Impact' podcast explores a thawing Arctic and its impacts
| psu.edu
The latest episode of the Growing Impact podcast discusses how thawing Arctic permafrost, a result of rising global temperatures due to climate change, is affecting rivers, landscapes and communities, according to a Penn State research team.
Applications now open for Community-Engaged Research Fellowship program
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Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute's Community-Engaged Research Core is accepting applications for the 2025-26 Community-Engaged Research Fellowship Program now through Oct. 1. The program offers training and a mentorship network to scientists interested in advancing their community-engaged research expertise across Penn State campuses.
Growing Impact: Investigating thawing permafrost
| Featuring Roberto Fernández, Anastasia Piliouras, Talley Fisher
Once a frozen haven, climate-driven rising temperatures are rapidly thawing the Arctic permafrost, posing a major threat to communities and infrastructure. Researchers are investigating how these changes will transform rivers, with potential consequences for erosion, sediment transport, and the entire Arctic landscape. Additionally, their project incorporates art to communicate these critical findings in an engaging way.
Award-winning photographer, conservationist to headline climate symposium
| psu.edu
Paul Nicklen, the award-winning nature photographer and conservationist, will be the keynote speaker for Penn State’s Climate Solutions Symposium. His presentation is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14, at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.
The first Arctic researchers
| by Hester Blum
For millennia, Inuit communities have served as stewards of the Arctic, intimately attuned to its rhythms. Their observations and adaptations offer invaluable scientific insights. When researchers join forces with these communities, a more comprehensive understanding of climate change emerges.