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Researchers in Penn State’s Department of Geography have been awarded $12,000 in funding from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS) Sustainability Council for their project, "Youth Perspectives on Sustainability in the College of EMS."

The Erickson Discovery Grant, which funds independent research projects for undergraduate students, has been awarded to 43 recipients this year including geography student Camilla Baumer.

The Canadian wildfires of June 2023 exposed a large portion of the Northeastern United States to unprecedented levels of smoke. A new model that combines wildfire smoke forecasts and data from ground-based sensors may help public health officials plan targeted interventions in areas most at risk for the negative health effects of unexpected smoke events and air pollution, according to a team led by Penn State scientists.

Karl S. Zimmerer, professor of geography and member of the ecology and rural sociology programs, has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Geography major Brenden Franks has been named the college’s science honor marshal, the top graduate in a non-engineering discipline.

Paul Nicklen, the award-winning nature photographer and conservationist, will be the keynote speaker for Penn State’s Climate Solutions Symposium. His presentation is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14, at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center.

Samuel Cohen, a graduate student in the Department of Geography at Penn State, saw the real-life impact of his research during a summer internship at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As a physical science student trainee during the summer of 2023 at EPA’s Athens, Georgia, location, Cohen explored the complexities of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Jennifer Hesterman, alumna and retired colonel in the U.S. Air Force, will deliver the commencement address for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences’ spring 2024 baccalaureate degree commencement ceremony. The ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 4, in the Pegula Ice Arena on Penn State's University Park campus.

Geography undergraduate student James Schafer is applying his geography education to address local issues, particularly around food sustainability and social empowerment, through volunteering at Taproot Kitchen.

Just a few hours before Renee Gibson receives her baccalaureate degree from the College of the Liberal Arts via Penn State World Campus, Clare will graduate from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences with a degree in meteorology and atmospheric sciences with minors in climatology and geography.