Save the Date: 2020 Shale Network Workshop to take place May 14-15 in State College, Pa.

A shale gas drilling rig.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Shale Network has announced the theme and dates of the 2020 annual workshop. The theme of the 2020 workshop is “Shale Gas: Future and Developing Issues” and will include presentations on the health effects related to shale gas development by Donna Vorhees, director of energy research at the Health Effects Institute, and Joan Casey, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University. The workshop will take place May 14-15 at the Graduate Hotel in State College, Pa.

Trout Unlimited releases results of latest Watershed Snapshot Day

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Trout Unlimited has released the results of water samples taken during the latest Watershed Snapshot Day in Allegheny National Forest. Organized by Trout Unlimited, the U.S. Forest Service and Penn State, Watershed Snapshot Days bring researchers and citizen scientists together to sample dozens of streams throughout the forest for research and conservation purposes.

Watch the full video below.

Registration open for 2019 Shale Network Workshop

A gas well in the Marcellus Shale region.

Registration for the eighth annual Shale Network Workshop is now open. 

The workshop will be held May 16 and 17 at the Nittany Lion Inn in State College, Pa. The theme of this year's workshop is "Monitoring Communities and Their Environment." 

The workshop provides an opportunity for citizen scientists, researchers, government officials, energy company representatives, and environmental professionals to compare lessons learned about water and environmental issues within areas where shale energy development is occurring.

Students see green: Mock spill illustrates potential impact of wastewater leak

By Matt Carroll

SNOW SHOE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Bright green water swirled around Mariah Airey’s boots as it made its way into Black Moshannon Creek.

A freshman at State College Area High School, Airey watched as green dye trickled down a tributary, mixed with the clear water in the creek and then rushed downstream.

A group of State High students participated in a mock spill event last week simulating what might happen if a contaminate spill reached the stream. 

Speaker to discuss health data with respect to Marcellus Shale development May 7

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Brian Schwartz, professor at Johns Hopkins University and senior investigator in the Department of Epidemiology and Health Services Research at Geisinger, will speak at Penn State on health data related to Marcellus Shale development.

Schwartz will talk from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, May 7, in 112 Walker Building. His presentation, titled “Does Unconventional Natural Gas Development Affect Human Health,” is free and open to the public. The event is part of the EarthTalks series, sponsored by Penn State’s Earth and Environmental Systems institute (EESI).

Data driven dialogue: Scientists bring groups together on water quality concerns

By Matt Carroll

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It’s been a decade since the start of the Marcellus Shale gas boom in Pennsylvania, and today more than 10,000 unconventional gas wells dot the state’s hills and valleys.

The industry’s rapid development created economic opportunities for many, but also brought environmental concerns, and sometimes led to contentious conversations.

A team of researchers studying water quality around hydraulic fracturing, the process used to extract gas from rock deep underground, have found a blueprint to move those conversations forward.