Penn State Energy and Environment News

Stefano Terlizzi joins nuclear engineering department at Penn State

| psu.edu

Stefano Terlizzi joined the Ken and Mary Alice Lindquist Department of Nuclear Engineering as the John and Jean M. Brennan Clean Energy Early Career Professor on July 22. In this Q&A, Terlizzi talks about his research background and interests, why he chose Penn State and more.

Panel discussion to highlight art and science collaborations

| psu.edu

Faculty and postdoctoral scholars exhibiting their work in the “Synergies in Art and Science” exhibition at the Borland Project Space will participate in a panel discussion, open to the public, on Friday, Nov. 8, noon–1:30 p.m., in 125 Borland.

New initiative in Law, Policy and Engineering trains state governor’s fellows

| psu.edu

Faculty and staff in Penn State’s Law, Policy, and Engineering (LPE) initiative were recently tapped by the governor’s office to lead a two-day training program in September in Harrisburg on science and technology policy. The faculty and staff are part of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Science and Technology Policy Program, which is run by LPE and aims to improve public and environmental health, economic and social equity, and public scientific discourse in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Nominations now open for Penn State Global awards

| psu.edu

Penn State Global is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Advancing a Global Penn State Awards, including the Penn State Global Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the annual W. LaMarr Kopp International Faculty Award and the Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Awards.

Invasive catfish impacting Susquehanna's food chain

| gettysburgtimes.com

The invaders are voracious and have become the apex predators in the river; some specimens are known to grow more than 4 feet long and nearly 70 pounds in Pennsylvania waters. This article features Penn State research.

Deep Chakraborty discusses future of solar power on 'Dare to Disrupt' podcast

| psu.edu

In the latest episode of Invent Penn State’s "Dare to Disrupt" podcast, host Ryan Newman interviews alumnus Deep Chakraborty, the co-founder and CEO of Enact Systems, a leading software platform revolutionizing the solar and energy storage industry.

EarthTalks: Klass to discuss potential for ‘repurposed energy’ on Nov. 4

| psu.edu

Alexandra Klass, the James G. Degnan Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, will give the talk, “Repurposed Energy,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, in 112 Walker Building on the University Park campus.

Rock Ethics Institute's 2025–26 Faculty Fellowship application period opens

| psu.edu

The Rock Ethics Institute invites applications for its 2025–26 Faculty Fellows program. The program offers a one-course release from teaching during a single academic year to support ethics-related research projects by Penn State faculty.

Bacterial protein discovered, engineered to better separate rare earth metals

| psu.edu

A newly discovered protein naturally houses an unusual binding site that can differentiate between rare earth elements, and researchers at Penn State have made it even better. Rare earth elements are key components used in everything from modern tech to gasoline production. The protein, called LanD, enriches neodymium and praseodymium over other similar rare earth elements and has the potential to revolutionize industrial mining, researchers said.

Microplastics increasing in freshwater, directly related to plastic production

| psu.edu

Microplastics have been steadily increasing in freshwater environments for decades and are directly tied to rising global plastic production since the 1950s, according to a new study by an interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers.

Climate Science Research Experience for Undergraduates wraps with symposium

| psu.edu

Penn State's 2024 U.S. National Science Foundation-funded Climate Science Research Experiences for Undergraduates ended on a successful note, with 16 students presenting posters on their summer research projects.

Nov. 6 EEEPI talk: Do dams and groundwater mitigate economic impact of drought?

| psu.edu

Sheila Olmstead, professor at the Brooks School of Public Policy at Cornell University, will give the talk, “Do Dams and Groundwater Mitigate Drought’s Economic Impact?,” at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 6 , in 157 Hosler Building on the University Park campus.