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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The effects of climate change are sometimes difficult to grasp, but now a virtual reality forest, created by geographers, can let people walk through a simulated forest of today and see what various futures may hold for the trees.
"The main problem that needs to be addressed is that climate change is abstract," said Alexander Klippel, professor of geography, Penn State. "Its meaning only unfolds in 10, 15 or 100 years. It is very hard for people to understand and plan and make decisions."
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The measures instituted in April to help curb the spread of COVID-19 across the United States may hold clues for improving air quality, according to researchers.
The scientists examined the pandemic’s effects on two key pollutants – nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter -– and human mobility. They found that as individuals limited their travel, nitrogen dioxide levels fell significantly while levels of fine particulate matter rose in certain parts of the country. They report their findings in the Bulletin of Atmospheric Science and Technology.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For many, seeing is believing. That is what Alex Klippel and his team have been investing in since the creation of the Penn State's Center for Immersive Experiences. It is also what some energy and environment researchers have been exploring to better communicate their science.
Spring 2021
GEOG 530 Seminar in Human–Environment Interactions: Nexus Approaches to Societal Resource Systems (Water, Climate Change, Food, Agriculture, Biodiversity, Land) and Justice at Expanding Interfaces with Energy
- Semester: Spring 2021
- Instructor: Karl Zimmerer
- Office: 309 Walker Building
- E-mail: ksz2@psu.edu
- Office hours: TBD
- Class time: TBD
Description
The expanding nexus of society-environment relations and justice issues is becoming concentrated at the nexus with energy transitions. This intersection involves such nexus-influenced resource systems as land/food/biodiversity, water/climate change, urbanization, and environmental conservation. The seminar will focus on this intersection using a new generation of integrative “nexus approaches” that provide advances beyond technical FEWS frameworks. This focus will incorporate combined geographic and interdisciplinary perspectives. Graduate students and advanced undergrads are welcome to enroll in this seminar.
The short videos on this page address frequently asked questions (FAQs) about admissions to the resident graduate program in the Department of Geography.
Video FAQs
- How selective is the application process?
- What should I include in my personal statement?
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — If you have viewed short documentary films about the 19th amendment on The New York Times website or national monuments on The Washington Post website this year, you have seen the work of Penn State alumna Megan Ruffe, a Schreyer Scholar who graduated in 2013, earning degrees in film production and geography.
Now based in Brooklyn, New York, Ruffe is a co-producer at Florentine Films, Ken Burns’ documentary company.
October 23, 2020
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries will observe GIS Day — an annual event celebrating the technology of geographic information systems (GIS) — with a virtual event from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12.
Date
July 21, 2025
Time
10:27 pm to 10:27 pm
Description
Mapping and Surveying Alaska – America’s Last Frontier
About the talk
In 2008, after an alarming number of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) aviation accidents, the FAA was threatening to disallow commercial aviation over Alaska because the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of Alaska did not satisfy minimum safety requirements for flying under conditions of poor visibility using instrument flight rules (IFR). Because its topographic base layer was also not accurate enough to support orthorectification of aerial or satellite imagery, Alaska was the
Cost
Free
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The brownish-grey algae that darken the Greenland ice sheet in summer cause the ice to melt faster, but only recently have scientists measured these blooms in the field, and only at few sites. To measure algal blooms across large regions and understand their effects on melting over time, scientists are now turning to space.