As our team reflects on 2024, we celebrate a year filled with meaningful collaborations, innovative programs, and remarkable achievements. Our mission to support students, engage communities, and foster sustainability has continued to thrive. Here are the highlights of an impactful year.
Students Success Programs and Partnerships
City Semester Pittsburgh
The 10th semester of City Semester brought together six Penn State students across four colleges for an immersive summer experience in Pittsburgh. Students explored themes in sustainability during the EARTH 412 Urban Sustainability course hosted at the Center and put their classroom knowledge into practice during internships with community partners. They also took field trips to some of Pittsburgh’s greenest buildings, including Tree Pittsburgh, Frick Environmental Center, and Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscapes, which is one of the greenest buildings in the world. City Semester student and landscape architecture major Madeleine Ryan interned with Riverlife and got to help with projects and planning to celebrate the city’s riverfronts.
High-Performance Building 3-Week Summer Program
For the third summer in a row, Penn State students joined 10 students and faculty from South West College in Northern Ireland in Pittsburgh for the High-Performance Building Summer Program. This year, four Penn State students from the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, College of Arts and Architecture, and College of Engineering participated in the program. They explored energy-efficient building design and construction practices — with a focus on Passive House standards — through hands-on activities, guest speakers, and field trips, visiting several world-renowned green sites in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Connect: Penn State Student Networking Summit
More than 90 students from nine Penn State campuses gathered for the second annual Pittsburgh Connect event over fall break — a collaboration between Penn State Outreach and Career Services at Penn State. The day kicked off with workshops on topics like professional branding and building a career in sustainability, and included an industry panel and networking sessions with more than 25 local employers and organizations. The event exemplified the power of connecting students with Pittsburgh’s thriving workforce and building Pittsburgh’s future talent pool.
Other Higher Ed and K-12 Student Partnerships This Year
- Pittsburgh Robotics Network Discovery Day: Several Penn State groups and campuses participated in the Pittsburgh Robotics Discovery Day this fall to highlight the university’s robotics programs and innovative research and applications.
- Penn State Presidential Leadership Academy: More than 60 students and staff from the Presidential Leadership Academy visited the Center in September and learned about the LEED Platinum renovation of the Energy Innovation Center and the historic negative impact of Urban Renewal in the Lower Hill District community.
- Student Sustainability Design Challenge: The team spoke with more than 50 middle and high school students about sustainability career paths during the 2-day kickoff for the Student Sustainability Design Challenge hosted by The Consortium for Public Education.
- Readiness Institute Collaboration: Director Tom Bartnik joined the Readiness Institute Summer Discovery program to teach three cohorts of 15 high school students about sustainable development, green building practices, and the legacy of Urban Renewal in the Hill District and lead a tour of the LEED Platinum Energy Innovation Center.
Community Collaboration and Collective Impact
Green Infrastructure Workforce Training
David Himes, Sustainable Communities Manager, instructed the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program for 30 Landforce crew members, supporting the organization’s workforce development efforts. This initiative was supported by an EPA Brownfields Job Training grant.
CIVIC NSF Grant to Predict Geohazards
The Center continued to partner on the NSF-funded CIVIC project to advance geohazard prediction using fiber optic technology. By combining geospatial analysis with community input, the initiative addresses hazards like flooding, landslides, and sinkholes in Pittsburgh.
Alumni Open House
We partnered with the Penn State Alumni Association – Greater Pittsburgh Chapter to welcome more than 70 alumni and friends to an open house celebrating our new space, honoring the late Franco Harris. During the night, the Alumni Association presented a $50,000 check with Dana Harris for the Franco Harris Memorial FastStart Program Endowment.
Spark 2050: Decarbonizing Pennsylvania
Our team assisted in convening a group of over 50 energy leaders, who came ready to discuss their honest thoughts on the process of energy decarbonization strategies in Pennsylvania, assuming that the desired outcome is a net-zero energy system in Pennsylvania by 2050 or sooner. Led by Lara Fowler, Penn State’s Chief Sustainability Officer, the event featured a keynote and fireside chat, engaging panel discussions and breakout sessions.
Landforce EPA Grant Partnership
Pittsburgh-based Landforce and Philadelphia-based PowerCorpsPHL, along with local partners (including the Pittsburgh Center), were awarded a $15.3 million EPA Community Change Grant to create and expand two woody biomass workforce development campuses, strengthen the urban lumber and biochar market, and deploy soil-remediating biochar in both cities, including opportunities for Penn State student engagement.
Hosting other Penn State Units
The Center served as a hub for activities hosted by various Penn State units, including Industry Xchange, Justice and Safety Institute, College of Arts and Architecture, and World Campus, furthering interdisciplinary collaboration.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we close 2024, we look forward to building on these successes in the year ahead. Our focus will remain on fostering meaningful connections between Penn State students and Pittsburgh’s dynamic industries, creating new opportunities for collaboration, and driving innovation in sustainability and workforce development.
Thank you to our partners, students, and staff for making this year unforgettable!