Penn State Energy and Environment News

Invasive round gobies may be poised to decimate endangered French Creek mussels

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The round goby — a small, extremely prolific, invasive fish from Europe — poses a threat to endangered freshwater mussels in northwestern Pennsylvania's French Creek, one of the last strongholds for two species of mussels, according to researchers.

NSF supports new technology that increases employee mobility and blood flow

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The National Science Foundation has provided funding to a team of design professionals, including Penn State Stuckeman School faculty member Mihyun Kang, to develop a seating solution that improves the blood flow and mobility of workers who are required to sit for long periods of time.

Stuckeman School, College of Medicine to host Wearing the Future Workshop

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Faculty members from the Stuckeman School and the Penn State College of Medicine have come together to organize the Wearing the Future Workshop from 9:30 a.m.to 4 p.m. on Monday, March 25, at the Hilton Garden Inn Hershey, located at 550 E. Main St. in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania.

Researchers look for successful end to power grid failures

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Anyone who has experienced an extended power outage knows that the effects can go well beyond inconvenient and become outright dangerous. Luckily, with the help of a $999,000 NSF Cyber Physical Systems grant, Nilanjan Ray Chaudhuri, assistant professor in electrical engineering, is working on research to prevent failures in the power grid and enable a quick recovery when they do occur.

Seminar to offer better understanding on AI technology and real-world uses

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C. Lee Giles will present a seminar on AI and machine learning and its current uses in real-world cases as part of Penn State's Institute for CyberScience seminar series.

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.