Name changed to Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment

The name of the Penn State Institutes of the Environment has been changed to the Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment, effective immediately, as approved by the Board of Trustees. William E. Easterling has served as director of the institutes for the past five years and will continue as director with an expanded agenda.

In January, Eva J. Pell, senior vice president for Research and dean of the Graduate School, charged an Energy Task Force consisting of energy experts from across Penn State to assess the University's current assets in energy science and engineering and to recommend a course of action that would strengthen those assets. The Energy Task Force recommended five major areas for new investment by the University: efficient fossil energy extraction and conversion, bio-energy systems, hydrogen energy, nuclear energy, and solar energy, especially photo-system conversion of light energy to clean fuels such as hydrogen. The Energy Task Force also recommended that a new structure be formed to integrate these new areas across the University.

The structure should partner the tightly coupled areas of energy and environmental science and engineering. The logical step in fulfilling this recommendation was to expand the scope and mission of the current Penn State Institutes of the Environment to formally include energy science and engineering.

The Penn State Institutes of the Environment was launched in September 1999 to increase the visibility of Penn State's environmental research and education programs, facilitate the ability of faculty and students to address opportunities that require interdisciplinary interaction and collaboration, and engender new research and education directions. The administrative offices are located at 101 Land and Water Research Building, University Park. For information, call (814) 863-0291.