Growing Impact

Resilient power grid planning

As electricity demand grows and becomes harder to predict, power grid planners face a difficult question: how do they build for a future shaped by extreme weather, renewa

Managing India's groundwater crisis

India is the world's largest groundwater-based economy, with more than half its 1.5 billion population depending on agriculture for their livelihoods — making groundwater

Microplastics in the marsh

Microplastics are turning up in unexpected places, including tidal freshwater marshes. Researchers are uncovering how these ecosystems trap plastics before they reach the

Decoding wildfire smoke forecasts

Long-distance wildfire smoke is emerging as a serious health risk in the Northeast U.S., where many residents have little experience navigating hazardous air. Conflicting

Energy saving smart windows

How do you keep a building comfortable without wasting energy? A Penn State team is tackling that question with an innovative smart window. Using a responsive polymer, th

Indigenous communities and Amazon oil

The Amazon, home to rich biodiversity and vital carbon-storing ecosystems, is also the ancestral land of Indigenous communities who are grappling with the devastating eff

Climate change, extreme heat, and infant health

Heat significantly affects pregnant women and infants, increasing risks like dehydration, heat exhaustion, and developmental issues in children. Expectant mothers are mor

Cooling high-performance buildings

Cooling is energy-intensive, with air conditioning consuming a significant portion of electricity in homes and commercial buildings, while also contributing to greenhouse

Measuring nitrous oxide emissions

Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas with nearly 300 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide, making even small emissions highly impactful. Agriculture, particu

PFAS and human health

PFAS, synthetic chemicals found in countless everyday products, have made their way into humans and animals around the globe. Although their health effects remain unclear

Seismic sensing with fiber optics

The Earth can shift suddenly, with sinkholes and landslides posing serious risks to people and property. Scientists are now using existing fiber optic cables in cities to

Low-carbon cement from farm waste

Cement, a major component of concrete, is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions. Researchers are exploring agricultural waste as a potential alternative to

Feeding a changing world

Smallholder farmers are the unsung heroes of our food system. Tilling tiny plots, they produce a staggering one-third of the world’s food and up to 80% of the food supply

Visualizing flood risk

Flooding is the world's most devastating natural disaster, causing widespread destruction and loss of life. Millions of Americans live in high-risk flood zones, with the

Converting CO2 into fuel

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is abundant and stable, making it difficult to convert into something useful without a lot of energy. Researchers are using advanced computational mo

Growing Impact: Season 5

Our planet is at a critical crossroads. In Season 5 of Growing Impact, we delve into groundbreaking research with the power to transform our world. This season offers a d

Floating offshore wind energy

Wind power has come a long way from its humble beginnings as water pumps and windmills. Today, it's a major contributor to our electricity generation. While onshore wind

Evaluating lighting efficiency

Before the early 20th century, light measurement lacked a standard, repeatable approach. At that time, scientists developed a spectral sensitivity curve, representing the

Underground carbon storage

Storing carbon dioxide underground could offset the record amounts of CO2 that humans emit each year. If this technology is successful, it could be an answer to climate c

Investigating thawing permafrost

Once a frozen haven, climate-driven rising temperatures are rapidly thawing the Arctic permafrost, posing a major threat to communities and infrastructure. Researchers ar