Penn State is the newest member of the LearningWell Coalition, a national network of colleges and universities that promote flourishing in and beyond college.

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 21 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.

For Sierra Hill, a recent trip to Indiana helped bring the next phase of a climate science career into focus. Hill, a master’s degree student in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State, spent two weeks at FluxCourse, an intensive training program focused on measurement, synthesis and modeling of land-atmosphere carbon, water and energy fluxes.

After years of near misses, Penn State’s meteorology team has reclaimed the top spot in WxChallenge, the national collegiate forecasting competition that rewards precision, consistency and a deep understanding of the weather.

Twenty-one years ago, long before federal agencies began requiring researchers to openly share data, Penn State faculty were voluntarily making their data publicly available.

From discovering planets beyond our solar system and analyzing samples returned from asteroids, to understanding the large-scale structure and evolution of the cosmos, Penn State researchers are helping to address fundamental questions about the universe — How did life begin? What is humanity’s future in space? What are the origins and fate of the universe? — while also leading some of today’s key advancements in space-related innovation and instrumentation.

Jenni Evans, a world-renowned meteorologist whose research transformed the scientific understanding of tropical cyclones and strengthened storm forecasting worldwide, earned a slew of accolades in her decadeslong career. But, colleagues said, the late Penn State faculty member considered her students’ success her proudest accomplishment.

Despite being difficult to comprehensively observe, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, known as the boundary layer, is critical to weather forecasting, according to a team of meteorology and atmospheric science researchers at Penn State. Historically, researchers have used weather balloons launched twice a day from about 100 locations across the U.S. to observe the boundary layer, but the layer changes hourly, leaving large swatches of the layer unobserved.

Accurate measurements are the foundation of effective environmental management and decision-making. Through advanced monitoring networks and computer models, Ken Davis, professor of meteorology and atmospheric science in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, and his research group are helping scientists, communities and policymakers better understand urban heat, greenhouse gas emissions and air quality.

Penn State has announced academic promotions for tenured and tenure-line faculty members at Penn State, effective July 1, 2026.