Penn State Energy and Environment News

Disparities in sleep health and insomnia may begin at a young age

| psu.edu

Children and teens from racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by persistent insomnia symptoms that begin in childhood and continue through young adulthood, according to a study led by Penn State researchers. This study is one of the first to look at how childhood insomnia symptoms evolve over the long-term and investigate how the trajectory of insomnia differs between racial and ethnic groups.

'Growing Impact' podcast looks at climate youth leadership

| psu.edu

The latest episode of the "Growing Impact" podcast explores how the younger generation is getting involved in climate research and how the Global Youth Storytelling and Research Lab aims to become a pivotal transnational research hub.

Penn State Harrisburg to host Research and Discovery Day on April 10

| psu.edu

Penn State Harrisburg’s Office of Research and Outreach will host Research and Discovery Day on Wednesday, April 10. This event intends to showcase current areas of research and scholarly activities at the college. 

Stuckeman architecture doctoral candidate recognized for refugee camp research

| psu.edu

A native of Jordan, Dima Abu-Aridah focused her architecture doctoral thesis in the Stuckeman School on examining how Syrian refugees in Jordan live in the Zaatari camp — a settlement for more than 80,000 Syrian refugees. She was named the recipient of the 2024 Alumni Association Dissertation Award for her efforts. 

Scientists face uncertainty while examining health consequences of microplastics: 'We need to act before we have all the answers'

| yahoo.com

While the full health effects of microplastics are still a mystery, early signs point to potential risks.

Duke ecologist Emily Bernhardt to talk coastal impacts of climate at 'Coffee Hour'

| psu.edu

Emily Bernhardt, ecosystem ecologist and biogeochemist at Duke University, will present "Resist, adapt or retreat? The consequences of rapid climate change for coastal landscapes and communities," at the Department of Geography's Coffee Hour lecture series. 

‘Gamechangers’ series highlights two women making a difference with Penn State

| psu.edu

Two Penn State leaders, Tracy Langkilde and Karen Thole, were selected for the GameDay Couture “Gamechangers” series. The series highlights women who are breaking down barriers and making history in their fields.

Stuckeman School lab to hold pop-up exhibition on embodied cognition

| psu.edu

Researchers in the Stuckeman School’s Immersive Environments Lab within the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing are holding a hybrid public pop-up exhibition on embodied cognition April 9-10. Titled “XRe-Cognition,” the exhibit will feature work by artists and designers, faculty and students in the College of Arts and Architecture who are using extended reality technology to design and experience creating things, space and place.

‘Surprising’ hidden activity of semiconductor material spotted by researchers

| psu.edu

New research suggests that materials commonly overlooked in computer chip design actually play an important role in information processing, a discovery which could lead to faster and more efficient electronics. Using advanced imaging techniques, an international team led by Penn State researchers found that the material that a semiconductor chip device is built on, called the substrate, responds to changes in electricity much like the semiconductor on top of it.

New sunflower family tree reveals multiple origins of flower symmetry

| psu.edu

A new sunflower family tree, using skimmed genomes to increase the number of species sampled, revealed that flower symmetry evolved multiple times independently. The research team was led by Hong Ma, Huck Chair in Plant Reproductive Development and Evolution and professor of biology in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State.

NSF grant awarded to manage salt contamination of tidal river water supplies

| psu.edu

Salt contamination of water supplies in tidal rivers is a growing problem around the world, threatening the safe drinking water of billions of people, according to researchers at Penn State. Those researchers are part of a multi-institution team of scientists and engineers who were recently awarded funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation to develop tools to help monitor and manage decision-making to address this critical issue.

Learning Factory to host engineering showcase in person and virtually

| psu.edu

The Penn State College of Engineering’s Learning Factory will host its end-of-semester showcase for senior engineering students to present their capstone design projects and first-year engineering students to present their cornerstone design projects with both in-person and virtual formats.