Penn State Energy and Environment News

Three research projects receive funding via College of Engineering ENGINE grants

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The Penn State College of Engineering recently selected three projects for funding through its Engineering for Innovation & Entrepreneurship grant program.

Penn State faculty elected senior members of the National Academy of Inventors

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The National Academy of Inventors has named 66 academic inventors to the inaugural class of NAI senior members. Among these are six Penn State researchers.

Manure injection offers hope, challenge for restoring Chesapeake water quality

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Widespread adoption by dairy farmers of injecting manure into the soil instead of spreading it on the surface could be crucial to restoring Chesapeake Bay water quality, according to researchers who compared phosphorus runoff from fields treated by both methods. However, they predict it will be difficult to persuade farmers to change practices.

Changing how government assesses risk may ease extreme financial event fallout

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When the economy sinks, federal loan programs, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, typically all suffer from the financial shock. However, these programs treat risk separately. Penn State researchers suggest that assessing combined risk, rather than assessing it on a program-by-program basis, may lessen taxpayer burden and lower the chances of the need for bailouts.

Antireflection coating makes plastic invisible

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Antireflection (AR) coatings on plastics have a multitude of practical applications, including glare reduction on eyeglasses, computer monitors and the display on your smart-phone when outdoors. Now, researchers at Penn State have developed an AR coating that improves on existing coatings to the extent that it can make transparent plastics, such as Plexiglas, virtually invisible.

Interior design scholar joins College of Arts and Architecture faculty

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Mihyun Kang has been appointed as a research professor in the Stuckeman School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the College of Arts and Architecture liaison to the Sustainability Institute. Kang, who holds a Ph.D. in interior design from the University of Minnesota, comes to Penn State from Oklahoma State University, where she was a professor and the holder of the Chris Salmon Endowed Professorship in the Department of Design, Housing and Merchandising. Her research focuses on sustainable interior design and design for special populations.

Penn State chosen by Department of Energy to help modernize the power grid

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In an effort to modernize and reimagine the United States' power grid, Penn State researchers have qualified for a highly selective, innovative competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Penn State Hazleton students work on engineering project for Bellefonte

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A group of engineering students at Penn State Hazleton is already getting the opportunity to put their knowledge and skills to use on a real-world project. They are working on designing a drinking water protection system for the borough of Bellefonte on its historic Big Spring, which provides water for about 9,000 customers.

LaJeunesse and colleagues receive 2017 Tyge Christiansen Prize

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Three Penn Staters, including Associate Professor of Biology Todd LaJeunesse, his former graduate student Drew Wham, and Director of the Microscopy Facility Gang Ning, have been awarded the 2017 Tyge Christiansen Prize by the International Phycological Society, an organization dedicated to the study of algae.

Re-Imagining Energy: Generating Energy

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Penn State researchers are developing a range of innovative technologies to harvest the sustainable energy of natural processes to power our future. Part one of a five-part series.

Re-Imagining Energy: Storing Energy

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Penn State researchers are at the forefront of a revolution in materials that's enabling batteries that charge faster, last longer, and are safer than conventional batteries. Part two of a five-part series.

Fracking wastewater accumulation found in freshwater mussels' shells

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Elevated concentrations of strontium, an element associated with oil and gas wastewaters, have accumulated in the shells of freshwater mussels downstream from fracking wastewater disposal sites, according to researchers from Penn State and Union College.