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Climate change’s impact on extreme weather events
Conceptual image of a city hit by extreme heatwave

Michael Mann, Penn’s inaugural Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and collaborators found that the effects of climate change on the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme weather events like wildfires, could lead to massive increases in all three.

(Image: iStock/Marc Bruxelle)

Climate change’s impact on extreme weather events

Michael Mann and collaborators investigated the effects of climate change on the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme weather events like wildfires, and found that “worst-case” scenario could lead to significant increases in all three.
Three things to know about a sustainable energy breakthrough
Photo of lightening striking a city at night.

“The air contains an enormous amount of electricity,” says Jun Yao, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the paper’s senior author. “Think of a cloud, which is nothing more than a mass of water droplets. Each of those droplets contains a charge, and when conditions are right, the cloud can produce a lightning bolt—but we don’t know how to reliably capture electricity from lightning. What we’ve done is to create a human-built, small-scale cloud that produces electricity for us predictably and continuously so that we can harvest it.”

(Image: iStock/Matt Grehan)

Three things to know about a sustainable energy breakthrough

Penn Engineering’s James Pikul explains how a new method of harnessing energy by using water trapped in the air is possible and discusses the implication of the research.
In MATTERS course, art materials are traced to their source
students standing on a hill of seashells

Students with Kaitlin Pomerantz and site host and Bayshore Center Facilities Manager Scott Eves in Shell Pile, New Jersey, learning about sand mining and marine aquaculture.

(Image: Lucia Thome)

In MATTERS course, art materials are traced to their source

Through an innovative new course in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, students explore the life cycles of the materials frequently used in art and design—from paints to potting soil.
Repairing fractured metals for more sustainable construction
Tensile test for welding procedure. It, also known as tension testing, is a fundamental materials science and engineering test in which a sample is subjected to a controlled tension until failure

Image: iStock Photo / Funtay

Repairing fractured metals for more sustainable construction

Mining, refining, and processing metals commonly used in construction are estimated to contribute around three billion tons of CO2-equivalent emissions. Now, researchers have developed a new metal-healing technique that fully restores previously unrepairable metals, presenting sustainable options for manufacturers.
Cross-disciplinary collaboration for a healthier planet
Four scientists speak in a dairy cow facility

Thomas Parsons of the School of Veterinary Medicine co-leads one of the Environmental Innovations Initiative’s research communities, on regenerative agriculture. The Initiative support synergizes with Penn Vet’s Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security.

(Image: Penn Vet)

Cross-disciplinary collaboration for a healthier planet

The Environmental Innovations Initiative announces a third round of funded research communities to catalyze interdisciplinary research at Penn, investigating issues from regenerative agriculture to project-based learning for global climate justice.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Caring for the campus landscape with an ecological mindset
flowers in class of 1964 garden

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Caring for the campus landscape with an ecological mindset

The Ecological Landscape Stewardship Plan, developed in 2018, offers a framework for the Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services to design, maintain, and celebrate the beauty of the campus landscape with an emphasis on its role as a balanced ecological system.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Winners of President’s Sustainability Prize are making a difference for people and the planet
community grocer team Eli Moraru won the 2022 President’s Sustainability Prize for his work with Alex Imbot on The Community Grocer (TCG). Moraru and Imbot hope to launch a new business model, revolutionizing food stamp usage by reinventing the corner store and reimagining nutritional assistance.

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Winners of President’s Sustainability Prize are making a difference for people and the planet

Springboarded by University recognition and support, the alums behind the three prize-winning projects—Baleena, The Community Grocer, and Shinkei Systems—are realizing, even surpassing, their goals.

Katherine Unger Baillie , Kristina Linnea García , Nathi Magubane

Climate scientist Michael Mann makes a home at Penn
Michael Mann on Penn's campus

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  • Q&A

    • Climate scientist Michael Mann makes a home at Penn

    Known for his “hockey stick” graph that hammered home the dramatic rise of the warming climate, the climate scientist is now making his mark on Penn’s campus, both through his science and his work on communicating the urgent need for action on the climate crisis.

    Katherine Unger Baillie