The United States will need to make dramatic advances to increase its technical- and skilled-labor workforce to power its green energy future and to become less reliant on foreign nations for securing materials used in both everyday devices and critical national security applications. According to the United States Geological Survey, about 80% of these materials are imported from China.

That was the message Barbara Arnold, professor of practice in mining engineering in the Penn State College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, told a U.S. congressional committee in September.

Alexandra Klass, the James G. Degnan Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, will give the talk, “Repurposed Energy,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, in 112 Walker Building on the University Park campus. Talk will also be available via Zoom.

Electronics like cell phones, laptops, tablets, home appliances and office electronic equipment often end up in landfills at the end of their lifecycle. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), electronic waste, or e-waste, is the fastest-growing waste stream globally and expected to more than double by 2050, exacerbating pollution and contamination issues tied to landfill disposal. 

As a part of its mission to educate and train industry partners and students on computed tomography (CT) scanning, the Center for Quantitative Imaging (CQI) recently supported a three-day additive manufacturing practicum for industry professionals to gain hands-on experience in using 3D X-ray CT scanning. The center offers CT scanning, which allows users to see the internal make-up of an item as large as a grizzly bear skull to the tiny electrical connections within a smartwatch.

Thandazile Moyo, assistant professor of energy and mineral engineering at Penn State, will give the talk, “Aligning with Recycling as a Strategy for Reliable Critical Metals Supply: Policies, Challenges, and Opportunities in the U.S.,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 28, in 112 Walker Building on the University Park campus. The talk will also be available via Zoom.