UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE), in collaboration with Stewarding Our Planet's Resources leadership, announced two community forums. The two separate events aim to provide reports on existing activities and strategic opportunities as well as solicit community input and recommendations. The first of the community forums will take place from 1 to 2 p.m. on May 7 via Zoom. The second community forum will take place on from 3 to 4:30 p.m. on May 13 via Zoom. Registration is required to join the forums.
“These meetings will be a great opportunity to share and discuss strategies for the University's investments in energy, environment and stewarding our planet's resources,” said Tom Richard, director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment. “Now is an especially important time to reflect on our priorities and reimagine together how we can best harness our interdisciplinary expertise and our land-grant capabilities to address the critical challenges of our time.”
On May 7, the community forum will feature a report out on existing activities and strategic opportunities from IEE and Stewarding Our Planet's Resources, as well as colleges, institutes and centers aligned with the missions of IEE and the Stewarding Our Planet's Resources strategic-planning theme.
“Stewarding Our Planet’s Resources is inherently interdisciplinary and requires the intellectual input of faculty from the life sciences, engineering, architecture, behavioral science, communication, ethics and more,” said Michele Halsell, co-chair of the Stewarding Our Planet’s Resources steering committee and assistant director of Penn State’s Sustainability Institute. “These sessions create an opportunity for sharing expertise across disciplinary boundaries which is where creative solutions and collaborations emerge.”
The community forum on May 13 will feature community input and recommendations. Participants are encouraged to submit input or questions on strategies that they would like to discuss.
“Community input is essential in understanding the variety of stakeholder viewpoints, and it allows the opportunity for everyone's voice to be heard,” said Andrew Cole, co-chair of the Stewarding Our Planet’s Resources steering committee and director of E+D: Ecology Plus Design.