Our graduate students are integral to the research we conduct, and they also are dedicated to making a difference in communities. Learn more about their research, outreach efforts, and other projects below.
Coffee Hour to discuss diversifying ag systems, increasing agrobiodiversity
10/26/2022
10/26/2022
Kaitlyn Spangler, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Geography at Penn State, will discuss issues with the diversity of crops in her talk "Beyond corn, soy and wheat? Re-imagining a diverse U.S. agricultural landscape.”
EarthTalks: Dzade to discuss engineering for enhanced thin-film solar cells
10/26/2022
10/26/2022
Nelson Dzade will discuss advances in thin-film solar cells in his talk titled "The interface is still the device: engineering it for enhanced thin film solar cell performance."
Witzig named director of Penn State's Center for Security Research and Education
10/25/2022
10/25/2022
Lisa Witzig has been appointed director of Penn State’s Center for Security Research and Education.
NSF graduate fellow looks deep within caves for answers to origin of life
10/20/2022
10/20/2022
Dani Buchheister, a doctoral student in geobiology and astrobiology, is among Penn State’s 21 new National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program recipients — six in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences — for the 2022-23 academic year.
Penn State GIS Day celebrates a world of possibilities, Nov. 14–15
10/19/2022
10/19/2022
Penn State University Libraries will observe GIS Day — an annual event celebrating the technology of geographic information systems (GIS) — with a two-day event Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 14 and 15.
EarthTalks: Lexie Hain to discuss agricultural integration and solar facilities
10/19/2022
10/19/2022
Lexie Hain, director of agrivoltaics and land management at Lightsource bp, will introduce solar grazing as an agrivoltaic practice, and discuss ecosystem service considerations, as well as aspects of performance, professionalism, and potential implementation in her talk "Agricultural integration and solar facilities: Agrivoltaics in context" at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24.
Electric discharges on leaves during thunderstorms may impact nearby air quality
10/18/2022
10/18/2022
When thunderstorms rumble overhead, weak electrical discharges — called corona — can occur on tree leaves. A new study found coronas create large amounts of atmospheric chemicals that could impact air quality around forests, according to a team of Penn State scientists.
EarthTalks lecture to discuss large-scale solar trends, impacts and implications
10/12/2022
10/12/2022
Tom Murphy, director of the Marcellus Center for Outreach and Research at Penn State, will give the talk "Utility Scale Solar and Pennsylvania – Trends, Impacts, and Implications" at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17, in 112 Walker Building at University Park.
Women in energy and water research seminar to feature Susan Altman on Oct. 13
10/11/2022
10/11/2022
The fall 2022 Celebrating Women in Energy and Water Research seminar series continues on Thursday, Oct. 13, with two seminars by Susan Altman, deputy to the Energy and Homeland Security Portfolio at Sandia National Laboratories, a Department of Energy national lab.
Computer games may be a key to ecological learning, study says
10/11/2022
10/11/2022
Computer games are an effective way to teach ecological issues and build pro-environment policy support, according to published research by an interdisciplinary group of Penn State scholars.