IEE faculty, staff, and projects in the news
Institute renamed to reflect holistic approach to energy, environmental research
| psu.edu
The newly named Institute of Energy and the Environment has rebranded to better communicate its current structure and collaborative approach to solving energy and environmental challenges.
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How will carbon chemistry change in warmer and drier Rocky Mountain streams?
With drought in the West and decades of declining snowpack in the Rockies, there is less and less water in Rocky Mountain streams. Although water quantity is being discussed, drier, warmer conditions are also impacting water quality.
Authors
Climate change strains Pa. farmers with extreme heat, floods, droughts
| lehighvalleylive.com
Hugh McPherson, a fifth-generation farmer in southeastern York County, has stopped growing the perennial favorite McIntosh apple and has switched to varieties that fare better in warmer climates. This article quotes Erica Smithwick, a distinguished professor of geography.
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'Growing Impact' podcast discusses fungi as a possible plastic waste solution
| psu.edu
Season 4 of the “Growing Impact” podcast opens with an episode that dives into plastic waste, specifically plastic film, and a potential biological solution of upcycling the material with fungi.
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Seed Grant Projects
Growing Impact: Upcycling plastics with fungi
Plastic is everywhere. It's part of our homes, our clothing, our vehicles. It wraps our food, and it's part of virtually every technology. It really is an amazing, versatile, and affordable material. And a highly used plastic is plastic film—as in garbage bags, grocery bags, and plastic wrap. Generally, plastic film is a one-time use material. After that one use, it's usually thrown into a landfill, which comes to nearly 6 million tons every year. Enter our team of researchers who found inspiration from a Netflix documentary. That inspiration? The amazing fungus. Now the team is exploring if fungus could help us manage our plastic waste economically.
Guests
Seed Grant Projects
Microplastics may increase riverbed sediment movement, erosion
| psu.edu
An international team of researchers have confirmed that microplastics impact how sand travels along riverbeds, which could increase riverbed erosion and have effects on river habitats.
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Striking gold with molecular mystery solution for potential clean energy
| psu.edu
With some luck and a lot of work, Chandler said, a Penn State-led research team has discovered how and why hydrogen spillover occurs and provided the first quantitative measurement of the process. They published their findings in Nature Catalysis.
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Penn State professor to lead DOE climate study in Baltimore area
| arm.gov
An upcoming field campaign supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will study surface-atmosphere interactions around Baltimore, Maryland, to see how they influence the city’s climate. Ken Davis, professor of atmospheric and climate science at Penn State, is the principal investigator for this new campaign, called the Coast-Urban-Rural Atmospheric Gradient Experiment (CoURAGE). Campaign operations are expected to start as early as October 2024 and run through September 2025.
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Kenneth Davis
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Lisa Iulo
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Natasha Miles
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John Peters
John Peters -
Scott Richardson
Penn State professor to lead field campaign to study climate in Baltimore area
| psu.edu
Kenneth Davis, professor of atmospheric and climate science at Penn State, will lead a team of 23 investigators from 13 research institutions in a new field campaign supported by the U.S. Department of Energy to study surface-atmosphere interactions around Baltimore, Maryland, to see how they influence the city’s climate.
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Kenneth Davis
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Lisa Iulo
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Natasha Miles
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John Peters
John Peters -
Scott Richardson
The 2023 Energy & Environment Power 100
| cityandstatepa.com
Meet the people making a difference in the sector – and our future. This article features IEE director Bruce Logan, and IEE faculty member Sanjay Srinivasan.
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Bruce Logan
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Sanjay Srinivasan
Department Head and Professor, John and Willie Leone Department of Energy & Mineral Engineering (EME)
Penn State researcher says fiber optic cables could give early warnings about sinkholes, like the one at Eisenhower Parking Deck
| radio.wpsu.org
A Penn State researcher says already existing fiber optic cables under University Park’s campus could help detect sinkholes before they happen, like the one last week in Eisenhower Parking Deck.
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Pennsylvania research targets cow burp emissions
| post-gazette.com
Researchers believe cows hold a key to reducing air pollution — and it starts in their stomachs. That’s why the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research will spend $750,000 to support one man’s quest to lower enteric emissions, also known as the amount of methane cows expel when they burp. This article mentions Alexander Hristov, Distinguished Professor of Dairy Nutrition, and his work resulting from an IEE Seed Grant.
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