Virtual seminar offers inside view of challenges to diversifying geoscience
| news.psu.edu
Vernon Morris, professor of chemistry and environmental sciences at Arizona State University and a leading proponent of the #notimeforsilence call to action, will discuss challenges to achieving equitable representation in the geosciences at 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23. The talk will be broadcast via Zoom: https://psu.zoom.us/s/767635597.
Spring symposium, seed grants to promote transdisciplinary biodiversity research
| news.psu.edu
The Sustainability Institute at Penn State is hosting transdisciplinary symposia on biodiversity throughout the spring 2021 semester. The virtual series, "Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the Decade of Action," aims to expand collaborative networks and to inspire creative strategies to promote biodiversity in urban, agricultural and natural areas in order to improve human and ecological health and well-being.
Biochar from agricultural waste products can adsorb contaminants in wastewater
| news.psu.edu
Biochar — a charcoal-like substance made primarily from agricultural waste products — holds promise for removing emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals from treated wastewater. That’s the conclusion of a team of researchers that conducted a novel study.
Air quality data during COVID-19 may help improve models, guide interventions
| news.psu.edu
The measures instituted in April to help curb the spread of COVID-19 across the United States may hold clues for improving air quality. Researchers examining the effects of the pandemic on two key pollutants found that as individuals limited their travel, levels of nitrogen dioxide fell significantly while levels of fine particulate matter rose in certain parts of the country.
Virtual reality forests could help understanding of climate change
| news.psu.edu
The effects of climate change are sometimes difficult to grasp, but now a virtual reality forest, created by geographers, can let people walk through a simulated forest of today and see what various futures may hold for the trees.
University center advances energy, environmental knowledge via virtual reality
| news.psu.edu
The Center for Immersive Experiences provides energy and environment researchers virtual platforms to better communicate their science.
Researchers develop sensors that detect human biomarkers and toxic gas
| news.psu.edu
A new understanding of nanomaterials, sensor design and fabrication approaches could help advance stretchable, wearable gas sensors that monitor gaseous biomarkers in humans and toxic gas in an exposed environment, according to Penn State researchers.
EESI EarthTalks: A conversation about diversity in law, environmental science
| news.psu.edu
Danielle Conway, dean of Dickinson Law, and Lee Kump, dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, will join EarthTalks for a conversation about initiatives to increase diversity among the faculty, staff and students in their respective colleges, on Nov. 9, via Zoom.
Virtual seminar examines legal environment surrounding greenhouse gas initiative
| psu.edu
Daniel Walters, assistant professor of law, will discuss the legal issues surrounding Pennsylvania's journey to joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, at noon on Friday, Nov. 6. The seminar, which is free and open to the public, will be held through Zoom. Registration is required.
Researchers use minerals from ancient soils to reconstruct past climate
| news.psu.edu
When the geological epoch known as the Paleocene ended and the Eocene began nearly 56 million years ago, Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide levels ranged between 1,400 and 4,000 parts-per-million (ppm). An international team of scientists, including Penn State's Timothy White, measured the heat and humidity caused by these high CO2 levels using tiny minerals called siderites.
Virtual seminar examines legal environment surrounding greenhouse gas initiative
| news.psu.edu
Daniel Walters, assistant professor of law, will discuss the legal issues surrounding Pennsylvania's journey to joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, at noon on Friday, Nov. 6. The seminar, which is free and open to the public, will be held through Zoom. Registration is required.
New sulfur dioxide conversion method may transform current industrial techniques
| news.psu.edu
A single-step, plasma-enhanced catalytic process to convert sulfur dioxide to pure sulfur from tail gas streams may provide a promising, more environmentally-friendly alternative to current multistage thermal, catalytic and absorptive processes, according to scientists at Penn State.
Once a frozen haven, climate-driven rising temperatures are rapidly thawing the Arctic permafrost, posing a major threat to communities and infrastructure. Researchers are investigating how these changes will transform rivers, with potential consequences for erosion, sediment transport, and the entire Arctic landscape. Additionally, their project incorporates art to communicate these critical findings in an engaging way. Listen to the podcast.
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