UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Executive Vice President and Provost Nick Jones welcomed leading climate solutions researchers to the University Park campus for the first international conference on “Research to Action: The Science of Drawdown” on Sept. 16 at the Penn Stater Conference Center and Hotel.
“Penn State is committed to a culture of innovation, discovery, and excellence,” Jones said in his remarks, titled “Addressing Climate Change: Penn State’s Commitment to Impact”.
“By marshaling the University’s vast expertise in a wide range of disciplines, we will tackle the global climate change crisis head-on.”
As part of the University’s strategic plan through 2025, titled “Our Commitment to Impact,” Jones shared that Penn State has funded 43 strategic proposals to steward natural resources, including developing carbon-neutral technologies to integrate with existing energy infrastructures; an initiative to meet local and global food, energy, and water needs; and a partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe to improve global energy efficiency in the built environment.
“These initiatives and many others reveal Penn State’s dedication to partnerships of all kinds with that will help to transform research into climate change solutions,” Jones said. “Together, we can make impacts – locally and around the world – that would not occur without such intentional collaboration.”
Jones concluded by affirming the importance of institutions of higher education in finding solutions to the world’s most important questions.
“Universities must be agents of social adaptation and transformation, developing critically engaged citizens whose endeavors will support the public good, now and into the future,” Jones said.
“Penn State has the breadth, depth, and reach to empower resilient solutions across the full range of contemporary challenges, including addressing economic and social inequalities and injustices, promoting healthcare affordability, ensuring global food security and sustainable energy transitions, and combating climate change.”