Earth and Mineral Sciences

Seminar series featuring women in energy research to launch on Sept. 16

Joan B. Rose, Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research, Michigan State University Credit: ProvidedAll Rights Reserved.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new seminar series has been established by the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences to celebrate women conducting energy and water research, to highlight their successes, to engage women students and to provide an opportunity for faculty to establish and expand their professional network and mentoring relationships.

The first two seminars in the new Celebrating Women in Energy and Water Research lecture series, one experimental and the other technical, are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 16, featuring Joan B. Rose, Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University. 

The experiential seminar and interactive session, “Sinking, Swimming, and Floating: My Life In Water Science,” will be delivered in 157 Hosler Building and online via Zoom webinar at 10:45 a.m. 

A technical seminar, “From Polio to COVID: Environmental Virology at its Best,“ will follow at 4 p.m. in 401 Steidle Building and online via Zoom. A networking event in the Steidle Lobby will succeed the presentation.

Admission is free for both seminars and registration is required. The lectures are open to Penn State faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students.

“We are very excited to launch the series,” said Chiara Lo Prete, associate professor of energy economics and associate department head for diversity, equity and inclusion. “The upcoming lectures will help broaden the perception of women’s contributions in energy and help students feel more confident about pursuing a career in the field.”

The experiential seminar will focus on Rose’s career as an expert in water microbiology, water quality and public health safety Attendees will be able to ask questions and engage directly with Rose throughout the interactive session.

The technical seminar will explore how environmental virology attempts to understand the disease risk by monitoring viruses in wastewater, fresh and marine waters. The lecture will discuss Rose’s current project, funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for the state’s Wastewater Surveillance for COVID-19 program, and how the advent of molecular tools and high throughput sequencing technologies can address global challenges, including the implementation of world-wide vaccination programs.  

The Celebrating Women in Energy and Water Research Lecture Series was established in 2021, with  support from the  Equal Opportunity Planning Committee.

Rose is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and a Fellow to the International Water Association. She has published more than 300 manuscripts, was awarded the Stockholm Water Prize in 2016 and chaired the International Water Association's COVID-19 task force in 2020.

The series will include both experiential seminars aimed toward a broad, interdisciplinary audience and technical seminars dedicated to the speaker’s research. Recordings of the seminars will be made available at the EME’s YouTube channel.

Last Updated September 14, 2021

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