Institute renamed to reflect holistic approach to energy, environmental research | Penn State University

History

Since its inception on March 1, 1963 — in addition to changing names multiple times — the institute has transformed into what society needed it to be. In its early days, the focus was on conservation and involved subjects like highway impact studies and spray irrigation. As society’s needs changed, so did the research. In the ’80s, research focused on challenges such as acid rain and toxic waste. In the 2000s, there was an expanded effort on environmental topics, including biodiversity and ecosystems; coastal and marine environments; climate change; industrial ecology and green engineering; and natural disaster impact reduction. In 2007, energy was added to the portfolio.

The 1963 iteration of the institute was called the Institute for Research on Land and Water Resources. It was an early effort that, as the unit’s 1974 annual report put it, “served as a point of contact for agencies, organizations and individuals seeking assistance from the University and provided an institutional framework for the conduct of intercollege research programs.” 

In 1964, Gov. William W. Scranton designated Penn State as the official educational institution in the commonwealth to carry out the provisions of the Water Resources Act of 1964. The Institute for Research on Land and Water Resources was then named to coordinate water research activities in Pennsylvania. Research included pollution control, renovation of wastewater, management of watersheds to increase water yields, control of plant growth in streams, and hydrologic and hydrogeologic studies.

In a 1982 newsletter, John Frey, the founding director of the Institute for Research on Land and Water Resources, said that the idea for the institute originated with a College of Agriculture (now the College of Agricultural Sciences) study of agricultural adjustment problems.

“It was initially planned as a land resources institute under the College of Agriculture,” said Frey in 1982, “but when we talked to the vice president for research, he called attention to some legislation that was being introduced for water programs and suggested making the organization an institute for land and water. He also suggested making the program an intercollege research program to encourage the participation of other colleges.”