EESI EarthTalks to discuss climate-human-fire interactions and feedbacks
| news.psu.edu
David McWethy, assistant research professor at Montana State University, will discuss climate-human-fire interactions and feedbacks in temperate ecosystems during a talk at 4 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 20. The talk, which is free and open to the public, will take place via Zoom.
Sustainability Institute and Student Farm to host free film screening
| news.psu.edu
The Sustainability Institute at Penn State and the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm are co-hosting a film screening of “Kiss the Ground,” a testament to the power of regenerative agriculture, at 7 p.m. EST Sept. 15. Participants will be able to stream the documentary and participate in a panel discussion after watching.
Seminar series featuring women in energy research to launch on Sept. 16
| news.psu.edu
The first two seminars in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering's Celebrating Women in Energy and Water Research lecture series are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 16, featuring Joan B. Rose, Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University.
A recent reversal discovered in the response of Greenland’s ice caps to climate change
| scitechdaily.com
New collaborative research from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and five partner institutions, including Penn State University, reveals that during past periods glaciers and ice caps in coastal west Greenland experienced climate conditions much different than the interior of Greenland. Over the past 2,000 years, these ice caps endured periods of warming during which they grew larger rather than shrinking.
Physical distance may not be enough to prevent viral aerosol exposure indoors
| news.psu.edu
Researchers in the Penn State Department of Architectural Engineering have found that indoor distances of two meters (slightly more than six and a half feet), may not be enough to sufficiently prevent transmission of airborne aerosols. Their results were made available online ahead of the October print edition of Sustainable Cities and Society.
The pathway for producing ethylene
| news.psu.edu
New research lays out the chemical steps used by a naturally occurring enzyme to convert a common chemical compound into ethylene, an important industrial chemical and fruit-ripening plant hormone that is typically produced from natural gas and petroleum.
Researchers address need for bridges in remote Alaska as climate warms
| news.psu.edu
Bridges are increasingly critical for remote communities in rural Alaska, where global warming is causing rivers to freeze later, thaw earlier and form thinner ice. With a new grant from the National Science Foundation, researchers at Penn State plan to investigate the importance of bridges for the well-being of remote Alaskan communities and develop a protocol for these and other communities to fund, construct, monitor and maintain bridges.
Proposals for energy, environment research projects being accepted
| news.psu.edu
The Institutes of Energy and the Environment announced its 2021–22 Seed Grant Program, inviting researchers throughout the University to submit proposals by Nov. 19.
Past fires may hold key to reducing severity of future wildfires in western US
| news.psu.edu
Previous fires may hold the key to predicting and reducing the severity of future wildfires in the western United States, according to researchers from Penn State and the U.S. Forest Service.
Building expert joins national STEM diversity and inclusion program
| news.psu.edu
Esther Obonyo, director of the Global Building Network and associate professor of engineering design and architectural engineering, was recently named a fellow in the third cohort of the IAspire Leadership Academy, a leadership program aimed at helping STEM faculty from underrepresented backgrounds ascend to leadership roles at colleges and universities.
Study explores link between earthquakes, rainfall and food insecurity in Nepal
| news.psu.edu
The effects of monsoon rainfall on food insecurity in Nepal vary by earthquake exposure, with regions that experienced both heavy earthquake shaking and abundant rainfall more likely to have an inadequate supply of nutritious food, according to a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
Urban sustainability inspires students' contribution to Pittsburgh neighborhoods
| news.psu.edu
College of Agricultural Sciences student Capricia Williams said she learned something while enrolled in the City Semester Pittsburgh program that she could not find in a book, or a classroom, and it opened her eyes to the issues and realities caused by food apartheid.
Storing carbon dioxide underground could offset the record amounts of CO2 that humans emit each year. If this technology is successful, it could be an answer to climate change impacts, such as rising temperatures and acidification of the ocean. However, the process is complex and costly. A team of researchers is exploring one way liquid CO2 could be injected into rock formations, which may efficiently convert the molecule into a solid. Listen to the podcast.
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