Water Events

In this talk, Stewart will discuss how his laboratory investigates one of the most transformative events in the history of life: the water-to-land transition of vertebrates. This transition set the stage for the rise of tetrapods, the group of animals that includes amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. In the first part of the talk, Stewart will focus on the fossils of Tiktaalik roseae and its close relatives.

It is existentially important (I would argue) for academia to bridge its immense (I would argue) divide with the general public. Many long‑standing institutional norms and processes—including promotion and tenure criteria—effectively discourage research that prioritizes meaningful societal impacts ahead of traditional scholarly outputs. Let’s discuss concrete, responsive + proactive steps that can be taken to help shape an academic culture that remains rigorous while becoming more deeply engaged with the broader world it serves.

Department of Geosciences Colloquium Series Spring 2026 Joel Rowland Los Alamos National Laboratory Host: Anastasia Piliouras

Protecting soil on agricultural lands is vital to both food production and environmental sustainability. Around the world, soils are eroding faster than they are forming, and conventional practices can accelerate this loss. Bare or highly disturbed soils are especially vulnerable to wind and water erosion, allowing nutrients and sediments to wash into nearby waterways. What happens on Pennsylvania farms directly affects the health of the Chesapeake Bay.

"From Microbes to Mountains: Collaborative Research on Páramos Resilience and Ecosystem Services" presented by Dr. Jose Luis Machado"The Dry Island Effect in the Andes Paleo Record: Implications for Future Water Resources in a Warming World" by Jaime Escobar

In this session, Andrew Schroeder—one of the leading national figures in humanitarian data, community resilience analytics, and rapid disaster intelligence—will share how Crisis Ready and Direct Relief are transforming disaster preparedness and response around the world.

Research scientist Matthew Goldberg will present “Strategic climate communication research for real-world impact” at 4 p.m. on Feb. 24 in the Foster Auditorium of Paterno Library.

Hydrogen and methane play vital roles in producing food and energy, but to slow climate change, they must be made and used in ways that release little or no carbon dioxide. This talk explores two new “green” methods for producing hydrogen without relying on fossil fuels when using electricity from renewable sources, and a method to make renewable methane. These technologies offer promising ways to produce clean hydrogen and renewable methane, helping reduce carbon emissions and move toward more sustainable energy systems.

Extreme weather conditions, induced and intensified by a global climate emergency, increasingly impact communities across the world. In the face of climatic threats (including heatwaves, droughts, fires, and flooding) and its impacts across spatial scales - from the body to the neighborhood - designers and residents alike spend mounting energy and resources to reshape their surrounding built environments and protect lives and livelihoods against such extremes.

Extreme weather conditions, induced and intensified by a global climate emergency, increasingly impact communities across the world. In the face of climatic threats (including heatwaves, droughts, fires, and flooding) and its impacts across spatial scales - from the body to the neighborhood - designers and residents alike spend mounting energy and resources to reshape their surrounding built environments and protect lives and livelihoods against such extremes.

Mark your calendar for the 2026 Climate Solutions Symposium, taking place May 18–20, 2026, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. In 2026, we’re expanding to a three-day format to create more space for sharing ideas, fostering collaboration, and building innovative solutions together.

Mark your calendar for the 2026 Climate Solutions Symposium, taking place May 18–20, 2026, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. In 2026, we’re expanding to a three-day format to create more space for sharing ideas, fostering collaboration, and building innovative solutions together.

Mark your calendar for the 2026 Climate Solutions Symposium, taking place May 18–20, 2026, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center. In 2026, we’re expanding to a three-day format to create more space for sharing ideas, fostering collaboration, and building innovative solutions together.