Penn State Energy and Environment News

SustainaLions, new Employee Resource Group announced 

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Q&A: Decarbonizing steel manufacturing

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David Mazyck, professor and head of Penn State’s School of Engineering Design and Innovation, and Daniel Whisler, associate professor of engineering design, were awarded a three-year, $1.33 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to explore ways to decarbonize the steel and iron manufacturing industry.

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.

Behrend graduate HanBin Lee receives Alumni Achievement Award

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HanBin Lee, a 2014 graduate of Penn State Behrend, was recently honored as one of 11 Penn State Alumni Achievement Award recipients. He is the first Korean person to receive the honor, which recognizes alumni 35 years of age and younger.

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.

Clive Randall named Evan Pugh University Professor

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Clive Randall, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering and director of the Materials Research Institute at Penn State, has been named an Evan Pugh University Professor. The Evan Pugh University Professorship is the highest distinction bestowed upon faculty by Penn State.

ICDS associate director aims to enhance collaboration in new role

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Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, whose mission is to foster a collaborative, interdisciplinary scholarly community, is working to continue that vision through the work of their leadership, including new Associate Director Christelle Wauthier, who is also an associate professor of geosciences. Wauthier started the associate director position on April 1.   

Firefly population expected to dip, PSU professor says

| wtaj.com

Penn State Professor Christina Grozinger says to expect a dip in firefly populations this year but adds that the average person can help. This article and broadcast TV segment features Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology.