Drawdown Scholars Program

Students working with a mentor

Penn State partnered with Project Drawdown through the 2019 Drawdown Scholars Research Experience for Undergraduates program.

Approximately fifty undergraduates from across the United States participated in the program, working on drawdown modeling, feasibility analysis, and curriculum development. These Drawdown Scholars spent eight weeks in an in-depth research experience with Penn State’s faculty and staff from units across the University. Many of the Drawdown Scholars are presenting and playing other key roles in the Research to Action: The Science of Drawdown conference. Fundraising is now underway for the 2020 Drawdown Scholars program. 

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2019 Drawdown Scholars Projects

The projects are being mentored by a diverse team of faculty from eight campuses and colleges. The project titles are below.

  • Afforestation In Eastern United States And Its Influences On Carbon Dioxide Assimilation And Regional Climate
  • Building Soil Carbon And Reducing Nitrogen Fertilizer Use With Cover Cropping
  • Characterization Of Alternative Binders: A Case Study Of Clayey Floridian Soils
  • Community Level Feasibility Analysis For Electric Bicycles
  • Costs And Benefits Of The Kigali Amendment To The Montreal Protocol
  • Country-Specific Models Of Women's Education And Fertility
  • Developing An Engaging And Inclusive Wind Energy Course
  • Development Of Distributed Control Methods For Distributed Storage Devices In Micro Grids
  • Digging Deep, Exploring The Possibilities Of Some Drawdown Agricultural Solutions
  • Educational Materials On Mitigating Climate Change Through Creation Of Walkable Cities
  • Educational Modules For Trainings On On Gender Equality In Agriculture
  • Energy Yield Estimation For Rooftop Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems
  • Enhancing The Impact Of Gen Ed-Level Environmental Science At Penn State Using Local Land-Use Drawdown Solutions
  • Estimating Energy Savings And Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Through Substitution Of Penn State Harrisburg's Water Source
  • Feasible Policy Solutions For Addressing Inequality Arising From Labor-Displacing Technology And Climate Change
  • Forest Ecosystem Services At Penn State's Living Filter
  • Full-Circle Nutrient Management For Regenerative Agriculture In A Local Watershed.
  • Highly Efficient Solid State Refrigeration With Zero Greenhouse Gas Emission
  • Incorporation Of Project Drawdown Elements Into A Cornerstone Engineering Design Course
  • Land-Atmosphere Interactions And Carbon Management
  • Life Extension For Li-Ion Batteries In Home Energy Storage
  • Lowering Nitrous Oxide Emissions From Animal And Green Manure Additions To The Soil
  • Making Land-Use Change Worth In The Chaco Region Of South America
  • Microbe Power: The Promise And Potential Of Methane Digesters For Negative Carbon Renewable Energy
  • Modeling Heat Flux Through Green Roofs Under The Environmental Conditions Of Season, Saturation, And Vegetative Establishment
  • Operation And Control Of Distributed Energy Sources In A 45 Kw Plug-And-Play Microgrid Testbed
  • Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Systems
  • Policy Instruments For Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation And Countries’ Preferred Social Cost Of Carbon
  • Producing Pennsylvania-Themed Podcasts For Project Drawdown
  • Reshaping The Netload Of Buildings With PV Considering Ramping And Carbon
  • Revamping ME300-Engineering Thermodynamics
  • SDG Curriculum Modules For Engineering First-Year Seminars
  • Simulating Building-Level Carbon Capture Systems
  • Sliding Mode Real-Time Control Of Renewable Solar Energy Generation Systems
  • State Level Feasibility Analysis For Electric Vehicles
  • The Benefits Of Conservation Agriculture To Draw Down The Greenhouse Effect
  • The Congestion Cost And Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impacts Of Rapid Photovoltaic Expansion
  • The Role Of Climate In Addressing Integrated Pest Management Solutions For Hispanic/Latinx Mushroom Farmworkers In Pennsylvania.
  • Waste Plastics As A Source Of Fuel; A Catalytic Pyrolysis Process