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Four Penn State researchers have been selected as 2025 fellows of the Institute of Energy and the Environment (IEE). The IEE Fellowship Program recognizes researchers whose work has significantly advanced energy and environmental research and provides support to further their efforts. Nominees for the fellowship were submitted by University deans and department heads. 

Forecasting the weather can be a precarious venture. One change to a data point can have cascading effects. Astute forecasters need to adapt. That’s exactly what Chase Epps, a senior majoring in meteorology and atmospheric science, did when his planned summer internship fell through.  “I thought I was out of luck and just then I saw this email that NASA was in need of forecasters, and I thought, wow, this sounds like a great opportunity,” Epps said.

Freshwater tidal marshes, critical for wildlife and coastal protection, are now serving as microplastic catch basins, according to a team of researchers at Penn State. They recently found that these marshes trap large amounts of diverse plastics, with concentrations and ecological risks increasing downstream. 

No single weather moment drew Luke Snyder to meteorology, but an early obsession with the Weather Channel and a knack for science and math guided them toward it. An internship with one of the biggest news outlets in the world this summer sealed the deal.  Snyder is a senior double majoring in broadcast journalism and meteorology and atmospheric science. In less than five years, the Moon Township, Pennsylvania, native went from a nervous high school student searching for a career path to an intern for CNN’s weather team.

Members of the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences won four 2025 Professional Keystone Media Awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association. The winning entries submitted by three faculty members and one recent graduate won first place in two categories and second place in two categories. Winners will be honored at the Keystone Media Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 16, in Harrisburg.

Penn State’s Weather Camp has been a summer staple for self-professed “weather geeks” for 25 years.  William Syrett, an associate teaching professor at Penn State, has been involved in Penn State's Weather Camp since it began in 2000. More than 1,400 students have participated in the course.

Data that has been lost in the weeds — or more accurately the turfgrass — could help improve estimates of carbon dioxide emissions from urban areas, according to a team led by scientists at Penn State.

 Penn State Sustainability has announced the 2025 recipients of its annual awards. These accolades, including the John Roe Sustainability Impact Award, the Student Sustainability Advisory Council Tree Award and the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium (PERC) Campus Sustainability Champion Award, commend the extraordinary contributions of students in spearheading sustainability initiatives.  

David Titley, Penn State alum, retired U.S. Navy rear admiral and retired University professor, will give the commencement address for the spring 2025 baccalaureate degree commencement ceremony for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. The ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, in the Pegula Ice Arena on Penn State's University Park campus.  

Penn State’s chapter of EnvironMentors held its annual research symposium on April 26 at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center at Penn State University Park. The EnvironMentors program partners high school students with faculty and undergraduate student mentors in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to plan and conduct environmental research projects. Students then present their results at the annual symposium.