Pennsylvania counties face tough choices on spending $2B opioid settlement funds
| theconversation.com
Local governments have a lot of freedom on how to spend the funds, but there’s also confusion and a feeling of moral responsibility to spend wisely after so many lives have been lost.
Mapping a new frontier with AI-integrated geographic information systems
| psu.edu
With the advent of artificial intelligence, researchers have developed an independent “agent” capable of performing geographic information system functions with minimal human oversight. It's the latest paradigm shift for the technology that turns location data into maps and insights about how places and people interact.
Defunct Pennsylvania oil and gas wells may leak methane, metals into water
| psu.edu
Researchers at Penn State surveyed 18 abandoned wells in and near the Allegheny National Forest and found that they leak methane not only into the atmosphere but also into the adjoining groundwater. Some of the sites’ groundwater also exhibited high concentrations of dissolved iron and arsenic.
$13.9M grant to investigate how fire, climate, people shaped Africa’s landscapes
| psu.edu
Sarah Ivory, associate professor of geosciences, is part of an international team awarded a six-year, $13.88 million grant to investigate how human activities, climate and wildfire have shaped landscapes and biodiversity across Africa and Arabia.
Needs salt: Table seasoning enables new nanomaterial development
| psu.edu
For the first time, researchers have made metallic nanotubes with stable, predictable properties, a long-sought goal in advanced materials science that could lead to advances in electronics, quantum computing and electricity transport.
Everyday People: Divya Tyagi
| pennstatermag.com
A 100-year-old theory in wind energy went unchallenged until grad student Divya Tyagi reimagined it.
Data center growth: Pennsylvania lawmakers and researchers weigh benefits and risks
| wgal.com
Pennsylvania's data center boom brings $1.36B in tax revenue in 2023; however, new proposals raise concerns about power grid strain, especially in vulnerable areas like the Susquehanna Valley.
Verallia taps LionGlass for low-carbon glass packaging for consumer products
| psu.edu
A bottled beverage might soon come with a lower carbon footprint thanks to a new partnership between one of the world’s leading glass manufacturers and scientists at Penn State.
Penn State launching two neuroscience undergraduate degrees
| psu.edu
Penn State has launched two new majors in neuroscience, degrees that will prepare students to tackle cross-disciplinary questions and problems related to the brain; the nervous system and its interactions with the body and environment; behavior; and health.
Couple channels environmental passion into Master Watershed Steward service
| psu.edu
Starting from a humble interest in gardening and preserving the integrity of a stream on their property, Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward program volunteers Jane and Erich Neal, of Doylestown, have taken that interest and applied it to improving Doylestown’s Central Park.
College of Ag Sciences students harvest global insights at World Food Forum
| psu.edu
Students from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences participated in the World Food Forum, held Oct. 10-17 at the Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome, Italy.
Proposed all-climate battery design could unlock stability in extreme temps
| psu.edu
Despite lithium-ion batteries’ role as one of the most widely used forms of energy storage, they struggle to operate at full power in low temperatures and sometimes even explode at high temperatures. Researchers at Penn State, however, have proposed a novel design that could hold the key to effective and stable power storage in a variety of climates.