IEE faculty, staff, and projects in the news
Stuckeman architecture graduate awarded international dissertation prize
| psu.edu
Farzad Hashemi, who graduated in 2023 from Penn State with a doctorate in architecture, was recently named the recipient of the Architectural Research Centers Consortium Dissertation Award. He is the second recipient of the prestigious research award in as many years from the Stuckeman School.
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Farzad Hashemi
Farzad HashemiFormer Graduate Student
Nature's ecosystems constantly share energy to achieve balance
| earth.com
The researchers propose that nutritional quality likely plays a major role in maintaining this ecosystem balance. This article features Penn State research.
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Engaging locally in water quality planning
To address pollution concerns in the Chesapeake Bay, communities throughout the watershed have been engaging stakeholders in an effort to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads, which are responsible for harmful algal blooms and turbid waters.
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Architecture professor co-edits book on reducing carbon emissions of buildings
| psu.edu
Rahman Azari, associate professor of architecture in the Stuckeman School and founding director of the Resource and Energy Efficiency Lab in the school’s Hamer Center for Community Design, co-edited “The Routledge Handbook of Embodied Carbon in the Built Environment,” a handbook exploring the materials and greenhouse gas emissions associated with material manufacturing, construction, maintenance and demolition of a building.
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Penn State advancing Implementation Science through education and research
| psu.edu
The next Implementation Science Seminar will be held on Thursday, March 28, 1–3 p.m. in the Smeal Business Building, Room 217, and on Zoom. As part of the two-part, interactive seminar, Erika Crable will provide a 1-hour presentation describing the foundations of implementation science.
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Deborah Ehrenthal
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Max Crowley
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Kathryn Brasier
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Andrew Read
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Andrew Schwartz
Andrew Schwartz
Sun and space: Harnessing cold universe and solar power for renewable energy
| psu.edu
As traditional energy methods increase in cost and take their toll on the environment, Penn State researchers are turning to two underutilized renewable resources, the sun and outer space, for solutions to generate electricity and passively cool down structures. A mechanical engineering research team developed and tested a dual cooling and power strategy that simultaneously harvests solar energy in a solar cell and directs heat away from Earth through radiative cooling.
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Seed Grant Projects
Forest, stream habitats keep energy exchanges in balance, global team finds
| psu.edu
Forests and streams are separate but linked ecosystems, existing side by side, with energy and nutrients crossing their porous borders and flowing back and forth between them. For example, leaves fall from trees, enter streams, decay and feed aquatic insects. Those insects emerge from the waters and are eaten by birds and bats. An international team led by Penn State researchers has now found that these ecosystems appear to keep the energy exchanges in balance — a finding that the scientists called surprising.
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Eco-poet ties narratives of protecting insects to larger themes of resilience
| psu.edu
Penn State Sustainability is hosting eco-poet and author Heather Swan, March 20-23, to explore the importance of insects and the work of those trying to protect them, as well as how these efforts can model more productive narratives about our global future.
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Mark Ortiz
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Shannon Cruz
Shannon Cruz
Seed Grant Projects
How air pollution can make it harder for pollinators to find flowers
| sciencenews.org
Certain air pollutants that build up at night can break down the same fragrance molecules that attract pollinators like hawk moths to primroses. This article quotes José Fuentes, professor of meteorology and atmospheric science.
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Researcher works to lower cost of hydrogen production
| psu.edu
Penn State doctoral candidate Arash Emdadi and his lab mates are working to improve the hydrogen production method to make it more cost effective and environmentally friendly. Emdadi recently took the concept through the Invent Penn State regional NSF I-Corps short course program, which helps researchers gain valuable insight into entrepreneurship and develop valuable skills in connecting with customers.
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Hollowed out: How EQT’s expansion in West Virginia set 4 families reeling, while regulators trusted the company to answer their complaints
| alleghenyfront.org
Pittsburgh gas giant EQT pledges to tackle climate change and flexes political muscle. Communities in its frack path face stark realities. This article quotes Jose Fuentes, professor of meteorology and atmospheric science.
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Penn State-hosted summit highlighted collaboration on climate-smart ag projects
| psu.edu
At the inaugural “Pennsylvania Partners for Climate Smart Commodities Summit,” held in February on Penn State’s University Park campus, a diverse group of stakeholders came together to discuss how climate-smart agriculture offers innovative solutions to help farmers adapt and safeguard their livelihoods.
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Matthew Royer
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Armen Kemanian
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Blair Siegfried
Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education, College of Agricultural Sciences
