Join us on May 9 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the EMS Energy Institute (C213 Coal Utilization Lab) for our 2024 Energy Xchange Seminar Series. This presentation will feature Joshua Robinson, Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research (Acting), with his presentation titled, "Silicon Carbide: The Critical Semiconductor for the Energy Transition." This event is free and parking is available at the Institute at 4 p.m.
Abstract:
Past Events: Penn State Energy and Environment Calendar Archive
You're viewing an archived collection of past energy and environment events from around Penn State and beyond. Please visit our Event Calendar to view current and upcoming events.
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences is hosting the Technologies for Agriculture and Living Systems Symposium at the University Park campus on May 7-8, 2024, to initiate and foster the productive partnerships necessary for the integration of emerging and advanced technologies to address the complex challenges we face with climate change, resource protection (soil, water, air), biodiversity losses, rural and urban health, and social and economic shifts within our communities.
In the spirit of the Café, 45 students are competing for the top prize by pitching their research in two minutes or less. Topics range from polymer recycling, color science, medicine, energy, materials, and much more. This is a great opportunity to scout for new collaborations while enjoying a cup of coffee. The competition starts at 10:00 in the 3rd floor Café Commons of the MSC Bldg. and will be setup like a poster session to enable attendees to individually engage the pitch competitors.
Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences is hosting the Technologies for Agriculture and Living Systems Symposium at the University Park campus on May 7-8, 2024, to initiate and foster the productive partnerships necessary for the integration of emerging and advanced technologies to address the complex challenges we face with climate change, resource protection (soil, water, air), biodiversity losses, rural and urban health, and social and economic shifts within our communities.
Pennsylvania has identified over 150 invasive plants, insects, pathogens, and animals that significantly impact both the environment and agricultural production, resulting in annual economic losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. The Pennsylvania Invasive Species webinar is committed to addressing this critical issue. Throughout the session, we will highlight some of the most problematic invasive species found in Pennsylvania, examine their methods of establishment, and discuss effective strategies to mitigate their spread.
To conclude this series, we will have several brief presentations exploring potential future scenarios for the people, forests, wetlands, and wildlife of Ukraine post-war. These presentations will be succeeded by an extensive panel discussion, featuring experts from our previous webinars, who will address questions from attendees. Participants can expect insights from professionals in forestry, urban forestry, arboriculture, research, and various other fields.
Please join us via Zoom on Friday May 3rd from 10am-11:30am for a seminar on metadata tools and development. This seminar will focus on live demos and discussion of metadata development tools and approaches and will provide time for Q&A from attendees.
Please RSVP to: pasda@psu.edu
Speakers:
Discover forest carbon ownership in the US, including its distribution among public, private, and tribal owners, the extent of carbon within protected areas, and practical applications of resulting datasets and maps.
Flathead catfish (Pylodictis olivaris) is an aquatic invasive species in Eastern Pennsylvania that poses a major threat to a number of different rivers and aquatic ecosystems. It is also a popular sportfish and commonly eaten, but due to the habits of this species it tends accumulate toxins at a higher level than smaller species of fish. These toxins include per-/poly- fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are "forever" chemicals that do not breakdown in nature, can bioaccumulate, and can be dangerous to humans.
Biomanufacturing uses biological systems, including plants and microbes, to create new materials or alternatives to existing everyday materials like plastics, chemicals, fabrics, and nutraceuticals. By some estimates, up to 60% of materials in the global consumer product supply chain could be produced biologically, resulting in domestic economic growth while lowering embodied carbon emissions and reducing environmental pollution.
The final edition of the Millennium Café for the spring semester will be a unique panel discussion.
Pandora’s Box: Legislation, Regulation, and Neurotech
Panelists:
During Ukraine Series: Forests and the Frontlines, participants will hear from two experts about how the war is damaging forests, forest loss, and how foresters and families are impacted by the war. These unique presentations will be from two award winning Ukrainian foresters, both of whom are shaping forest policy and the future of Ukrainian forests. Dr. Andrii Bilous will be presenting while fighting on the frontlines of the war.
Melissa Marshall, founder of the science communications consulting company Present Your Science, will give the 2024 A. Dixon and Betty F. Johnson Lectureship in Scientific Communication on April 25 at 6:30 p.m. in 100 Thomas Building on the Penn State University Park campus. The free public lecture is open to the Penn State community.
Join Penn State Sustainability, in partnership with State College Borough, for the regular end-of-semester celebration of the extraordinary student work among classes participating in the Sustainable Communities Collaborative (SCC). Hear how students have conducted applied research on behalf of communities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to help them advance their sustainability goals, whether environmental, social, or economic.
What is the role of the structural engineer in her and his collaborations with architects and artists? Notable structural engineers from Ove Arup to Fazlur Khan have acted at times as consulting facilitator and brilliant technician and other times as lead designers. What critical concepts that can account for the creative contributions of the actors in key works of architecture? And what civic roles do engineers play in addressing the pressing needs of cities both in the climate crisis but also in the case of transformative events such as 9/11?
In the 2019 Watershed Implementation Plan (WIP), the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) rolled out a "local and specific" strategy to reduce its pollution burden on the Chesapeake Bay by 2025. Counties with land within the Chesapeake Bay watershed were encouraged to engage with local stakeholders to develop localized plans to achieve reduction goals for nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment loads impairing their local waters and the Bay downstream.
Energy code requirements continue to introduce challenges and complexity to the residential construction industry. As building professionals continue to weigh options to achieve code compliance, the various energy code compliance paths that are written into the PA Uniform Construction Code (UCC) should be considered. This webinar will focus on the varying levels of “performance” paths that are available to permit applicants in the UCC.
The Earth and Environmental Systems Institute invites you to their annual Earth Day Celebration event! This event will include a showing of the documentary Photographer, featuring National Geographic photographers, Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier. During the catered lunch, attendees will also hear lightning talks presented by three of our EESI Environmental Scholars, Sam Cohen, Fran Meyers, and Alexander Massa, and learn about a new curation at Penn State’s Eberly Family Special Collection Library based on the 1899 Harriman Alaska Expedition that included John Muir and Edward Curtis.
This seminar presents two distinct but complementary vignettes exploring innovative approaches to address the mitigation of climate change. The first vignette introduces the GARF algorithm, a novel computational method that integrates a genetic algorithm with random forest machine learning to discover superior metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for methane adsorption. By using only basic information about molecular building blocks and crystal structure as input, the GARF algorithm efficiently identifies high-performing MOFs without the need for computationally intensive simulations.
As concern over climate change spreads, radical ideas are in the air. If cuts in greenhouse gas emissions fall short, some have proposed dimming the sun by reflecting sunlight directly back to space or by making marine clouds brighter. These and other proposed technical fixes often overlook the political, ethical, and social consequences of intervening in the climate system. This presentation examines the long and checkered history of weather and climate control and asks, What could possibly go wrong when “fixing the sky” becomes a dangerous experiment with our future?