Penn State Energy and Environment News

Children’s book by Master Gardeners teaches kids about the spotted lanternfly

| psu.edu

Penn State Extension Master Gardeners have released a new children’s book designed to educate youngsters about the invasive spotted lanternfly, which has wreaked havoc in landscapes across Pennsylvania and beyond.

American soil losing more nutrients for crops due to heavier rainstorms, study shows

| msn.com

Phosphorus, a nutrient in soil essential for sustaining most forms of life, is increasingly disappearing from land as it is washed into waterways throughout the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

Fuller family offers $23.3 million gift, stewardship of historic property

| psu.edu

A gift from Mort and Sue Fuller, valued at $23.3 million, has set in motion a transition in stewardship of property now to be known as "Penn State Fullers Overlook" and will provide opportunities for cutting-edge research, facilitate engaged learning and enable collaborative partnerships with sustainability-oriented organizations.

Penn State mourns the loss of climate science pioneer, Warren M. Washington

| psu.edu

Warren M. Washington, acclaimed climate science pioneer and Penn State alumnus, died on Oct. 18 at the age of 88. He graduated with his doctorate in meteorology from Penn State in 1964 and was the second African American to earn a doctorate in meteorology nationwide.

New approach improves models of atmosphere on early Earth, exo-planets

| psu.edu

A new approach for modeling important atmospheric chemical reactions, developed by a team led by scientists at Penn State, may improve our understanding of the atmosphere on early Earth and help in the search for habitable conditions on planets beyond our solar system.

American soil losing more crop nutrients due to heavier rainstorms, study shows

| psu.edu

Phosphorus, a nutrient in soil essential for sustaining most forms of life, is increasingly disappearing from land as it is washed into waterways throughout the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

Students, alumna leveraging hands-on learning in outdoor, commercial recreation

| psu.edu

Recreation, park, and tourism management students and alumni are leveraging experiential learning they received at Penn State to make an impact in animal conservation, environmental education and event management.

Federal and local authorities call for expanded bird flu testing in wake of farm worker infections

| post-gazette.com

Federal and local authorities are calling for expanded testing for the presence of H5N1 bird flu amid growing evidence of infections of dairy farm workers. This article quotes Ernest Hovingh, clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences.

SustainaLions Employee Resource Group unites employees in sustainability efforts

| psu.edu

The new SustainaLions Employee Resource Group allows members across the University to come together, share insights, and deepen their understanding of challenges and opportunities in achieving sustainability. Whether you're interested in campus sustainability initiatives or simply looking for ways to adopt greener practices in your life, employees from all corners of the University are invited to join the growing SustainaLions community.

Undergraduates can now apply for an Erickson Discovery Grant

| psu.edu

Undergraduates from all Penn State majors and campuses can now apply for an Erickson Discovery Grant to fund summer 2025 opportunities. Applications close Feb. 16. 

Penn State water-energy-food nexus project takes a global approach

| psu.edu

Michael Jacobson, professor of forest resources in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, co-led the second Collaborative Learning School, a year-round virtual networking community of faculty, students and early career professionals that culminates in a two-week summer field workshop with U.S. and African scientists and practitioners. The school, which was held in Uganda last year, is funded by a five-year, $2 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant and is an initiative of the SustainFood Network.

The search to replace a critical semiconductor

| psu.edu

China recently limited the export of gallium nitride, a type of semiconductor used to manufacture a variety of consumer power electronics, such as cell phones and computers, as well as medical devices, cars, wind turbines, solar farms, LED lightbulbs and more. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Patrick Lenahan, distinguished professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, $1 million to investigate the possibility of replacing gallium nitride-based devices with boron nitride.