Penn State expands WEF nexus activities through Colombian partnership
The University’s partnership with UTADEO under the water-energy-food nexus reaches a new level after a visit in October. View a summary of the four day meeting with slides of the presentations here.
Penn State receives improved STARS sustainability performance rating
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education rating places University first among all Big 10 institutions.
Fulbright Scholar exploring conservation and communities in the Galapagos
Carter Hunt, associate professor of recreation, park and tourism management and anthropology, is working with the Charles Darwin Foundation to understand how tourism in the islands affects the well-being and livelihoods of communities that live in protected area.
Penn State and UTADEO faculty partner to support rural development in Colombia
The Water-Energy-Food Nexus Colombia seed grant program has announced the selection of three research projects led by faculty from Penn State and Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano (UTADEO), in Bogotá, Colombia, to support research and development work with three departments in Colombia.
Researchers aim to ‘upcycle’ nutrient waste on farms using duckweed
With a $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Penn State researchers will investigate how duckweed could be grown on Pennsylvania farms to limit nutrient pollution into the Chesapeake Bay.
Water-energy-food research event to explore US-Colombian partnership
As part of Penn State’s ongoing support of research in the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, an online information session focused specifically on WEF nexus efforts in Colombia will be held.
Research team to study food resilience in the face of catastrophic global events
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all become aware of how a global crisis can affect our access to food. But imagine the food security impacts of an even worse scenario… (Read More)
New institute to help address complex food-energy-water-land challenges
The seed for Penn State’s Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science was planted well before the COVID-19 outbreak. The concept had been growing in the College of Agricultural Sciences for about two years when the pandemic emerged.
Penn State recognized as sustainability leader in global impact ranking
Penn State was ranked third in the U.S. and 35th in the world out of 767 international institutions that participated in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings. The global rating is a broad multidimensional assessment of a university’s research, community outreach and education and campus operations.
Professor to study food-energy-water decision-making
Caitlin Grady, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and research associate in the Rock Ethics Institute at Penn State, will examine the influences and interconnections between food, energy and water (FEW) systems thanks to a prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award.
Student and faculty researchers explore food-energy-water system at solar farm
From the edge of the farm, the completed solar arrays and those under construction seemed to never end. In reality, they occupied only a small area of Pennsylvania land in rural Franklin County, but the arrays possessed a much larger potential, which a group of Penn State faculty and graduate students had traveled two hours to see.
Councils showcase sustainability efforts at first Sustainability Spotlight
Over 100 attendees gathered at Stuckeman Family Building on Jan. 15, for the Sustainability Institute’s (SI) first annual Sustainability Spotlight event, providing individuals from across multiple colleges and units with an opportunity to learn about ongoing efforts by Sustainability Councils that advance sustainability at their college and throughout Penn State.
Spring speakers for Coffee Hour lecture series announced
The Department of Geography Coffee Hour lecture series resumes on Friday afternoons beginning Jan. 31 through April 24 for the spring 2020 semester on Penn State’s University Park campus.
Penn State Smeal to open Center for the Business of Sustainability in 2020
The Penn State Smeal College of Business will launch the Center for the Business of Sustainability (CBoS) in 2020 to support how business meets the growing demand for resources in a socially just and environmentally sustainable manner.
Penn State researchers lead the way in Water-Energy-Food research in Africa
Rachel Brennan, in the College of Engineering, and Mike Jacobson and Brian Thiede, in the College of Agricultural Sciences — recently received $250,000 in University Strategic Plan seed funding to address global Water-Energy-Food (WEF) challenges.
Mathematical geosciences conference focuses on food, energy, water nexus
More than 175 researchers, students and industry professionals from companies and universities around the world gathered at Penn State’s University Park campus Aug. 10-15 for the 20th Annual Conference of the International Association for Mathematical Geosciences (IAMG).
Housing and Food Services taking next steps on path to sustainability
Penn State’s Office of Housing and Food Services (HFS) is making strides toward a more sustainable Penn State community, including the new position of sustainability coordinator, now held by alumna Anna Sostarecz.
Interdisciplinary research proves essential when working on Food-Energy-Water
Penn State researchers from all disciplines are getting involved in the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus. Considering the intricate nature of FEW, many researchers believe that an interdisciplinary approach is critical.
Energizing the food-energy-water nexus: the fortuitous tale of duckweed
For Rachel Brennan, associate professor in the College of Engineering, water has long been important. How interesting that her upbringing in southern New Mexico and a tiny aquatic plant would influence her work in sustainability and the food-energy-water (FEW) nexus.
Larger cities have smaller water footprint than less populated counterparts
Global sustainability is important now more than ever due to increasing urban populations and the resulting stress it can have on natural resources. But increased populations in cities may lead to greater efficiency, as a team of Penn State researchers discovered when they analyzed the water footprint of 65 mid- to large-sized U.S. cities.
Water-Energy-Food nexus workshop held in Nigeria
On June 26 and 27, representatives from Penn State, including Vice Provost for Global Programs Michael Adewumi, traveled to Ibadan, Nigeria to participate in the first WEF (water, energy, food) workshop hosted by Penn State and its core partners in West Africa.
NSF funds $3 million graduate training program focused on Food-Energy-Water
The National Science Foundation has awarded a $3 million grant to an interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers to create a new graduate program that will train students to find solutions to real-world problems facing Food-Energy-Water (FEW) systems.
NSF grant to help create sustainable fuels through artificial photosynthesis
A grant totaling $1.2 million over three years has been awarded to researchers at Penn State and Cornell University by the National Science Foundation to identify a material that can most efficiently separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, to collect hydrogen as a sustainable fuel source.
