Keynote Speaker: Dr. Gregory Jenkins
Undergraduate Research: The First Step for Addressing Community, National and Grand Challenges
Undergraduate research provides a window into a lifetime of an inquiring mind. While many students want to publish, a more important process occurs related to the development of solving important challenges. Some of these grand challenges include climate change, plastic pollution, innovation, air quality, and food and water insecurity.
About Dr. Gregory Jenkins
Dr. Gregory Jenkins is a professor in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State University and director of the Alliance for Education, Sciences, Engineering and Development in Africa (AESEDA). He also serves as the director to the EnvironMentors program at Penn State.
A native of Philadelphia, he received his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Lincoln University and his Master’s Degree and Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Space Sciences from the University of Michigan.
A recipient of the NSF Career award; the 2007 Alumni Merit Award in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan; and the Charles E. Anderson Award for mentoring diverse students in international research, Jenkins was also named a Fulbright Senior Research Fellow in 2003/2004 in Senegal, a Fellow of the American Meterological Society and is a member of the HistoryMakers.
His areas of research are in weather, climate, air quality, and the connections to public health of West Africa.