Sustainability is a strategic initiative in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Below are the most current stories showcasing our college's sustainability efforts.
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Study sheds light on how ‘forever chemicals’ travel in groundwater
01/04/2023
01/04/2023
A large family of chemicals used for decades to improve our lives — from nonstick cooking pans to waterproof clothing — are now known as "forever chemicals" because they do not easily break down in the environment and pose potential health risks as they build up in our bodies. A new study may improve our understanding of how these chemicals move in the groundwater, according to a team of scientists.
'Growing Impact' podcast focuses on air quality, health in western Pa.
01/03/2023
01/03/2023
The latest episode of the "Growing Impact" podcast features a project focused on air quality and health concerns in western Pennsylvania
Researchers encouraged to submit proposals for Earthshot Prize
12/16/2022
12/16/2022
Penn State faculty and staff are invited to submit nominations for the Earthshot Prize 2023, an international competition aimed at identifying the most promising solutions to environmental challenges.
Sloan Foundation grant to fund research on governance of the U.S. electric grid
12/16/2022
12/16/2022
Seth Blumsack, professor of energy and environmental economics and international affairs, was awarded a $1,193,307 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to sustain and expand an interdisciplinary research network focused on the regional organizations that manage the electric power transmission grid in the United States and how the governance of these regional transmission organizations (RTOs) impacts outcomes for market efficiency, sustainability, equity, reliability and resilience.
Changes in Earth’s orbit may have triggered ancient warming event
12/13/2022
12/13/2022
Changes in Earth’s orbit that favored hotter conditions may have helped trigger a rapid global warming event 56 million years ago that is considered an analogue for modern climate change, according to an international team of scientists.
GeoPEERS aims to make research experiences in the geosciences more accessible
12/06/2022
12/06/2022
The geosciences fields are at a turning point, where the jobs of the next 50 years are likely to be quite different from the jobs of the last 50 years. As the world’s dependence on energy increases, it is becoming increasingly clear that the ways in which those energy needs must be met are changing.
EarthTalks: Cody Two Bears to discuss renewable energy use in tribal communities
11/29/2022
11/29/2022
Cody Two Bears will discuss his work — and his focus on youth empowerment — in his talk "Empowering Native Communities with Renewable Energy" at 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 5.
Small percentage of globe provides critical natural benefits to most of humanity
11/29/2022
11/29/2022
A small percentage of land and coastal waters provides most of the global population with the ecosystem services needed to support human well-being, and maintaining these areas can advance the United Nations’ development, climate and biodiversity conservation goals, according to an international team of researchers.
Coffee Hour to discuss water governance conflicts linked to climate change
11/29/2022
11/29/2022
Srinivas Chokkakula, Ministry of Jal Shakti Research Chair with the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi, will give the talk “Conflicts and Complicit Climate Change: Transboundary Water Governance in South Asia” as part of the Department of Geography’s Coffee Hour lecture series
New process developed to extract high purity rare earth element oxides
11/21/2022
11/21/2022
Penn State’s Center for Critical Minerals has developed a new purification process that extracts mixed rare earth oxides from acid mine drainage and associated sludges at purities of 88.5%