Energy and Sustainability Engineering

News and Events

Beyond the Benchtop

A Workshop on Reimagining STEM Graduate Education in Energy & Sustainability

Friday, May 8, 2026

STEM students need not only technical skills but also training in energy justice, energy policy, communication, and community engagement in order to become effective future climate leaders. The goal of this workshop is to give faculty and students engaged in energy and sustainability work across disciplines the opportunity to interact, learn from each other, and build resources to reshape graduate training.

Find more information here, and register here!

Ask Admissions + Energy and Sustainability Engineering

Thursday, December 04, 2025  •   

Join SEAS Graduate Admissions for the official launch event of our new graduate program: the Master of Science in Engineering in Energy and Sustainability (MESE), a graduate program designed to prepare engineers to lead the transition toward a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable energy future.

The program is ideal for students with a technical background who want to specialize in energy and sustainability. With four concentration areas—Environment and Climate Solutions, Clean Energy Technology, Society and Policy, and Economics and Innovation—MESE offers the flexibility to tailor coursework to individual interests and career goals.

At this event, you will hear from the admission team about application requirements, learn about this new and exciting program from the Program Director, Dr. Lorena Grundy, and have the opportunity to ask admissions and program-related questions.

Watch the recording of the webinar below!

Philadelphia Tire Cleanup

Students Volunteer to Clean Up Local Creek

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Othman Alotaibi is a master’s student from Kuwait, where tire waste is rampant. He therefore decided to do a final project on tire recycling for Prof. Lorena Grundy’s CBE 5215 course on energy and sustainability, and was joined by Prajwal Poonacha, a CBE master’s student from India. As they researched the topic, they discovered that tire waste is also a concern in Philadelphia, and decided to volunteer to attend a cleanup event in the local Tacony Creek Park with Prof. Grundy and two of their classmates, Vyshnavi Chilla, a CBE master’s student from India, and Rithika Ramkimar, a CBE undergraduate from Maryland. With other Philadelphians, they removed 4000 tires, which saved about 80 tons of CO2e emissions, according to Othman and Prajwal’s calculations. Philadelphia, Penn, and the CBE department, including domestic students like Rithika, are enriched by the efforts of international students like Othman, Prajwal, and Rithika.