By Jill Shockey, Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK – U.S. President Barack Obama touted the importance of Penn State’s research efforts in moving the nation toward a clean energy future in a talk delivered Thursday, Feb. 3, at the Recreation Building (Rec Hall) on the University Park campus.
The president unveiled the Better Buildings Initiative, a plan to improve energy efficiency of commercial building space in the U.S. by 20 percent over the next nine years. Integral to that vision, he said, will be efforts such as those taking place at the Energy Innovation Hub for Energy Efficient Buildings at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, a federally funded research initiative led by Penn State.
“What this University is going to lead will be more than a pioneering research center or an economic engine for Pennsylvania and America for years to come: what you’re going to do is lead a modern-day incubator for what sets us apart — the greatest force that the world has ever known,” said Obama.
A brief video summarizes the president’s visit and Penn State’s research leadership at a new national Energy Innovation Hub. Five additional brief videos highlight some of the cutting-edge energy innovations being pursued today by Penn State researchers.
To see photos from the president’s speech, visit here and here online. For more information about the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster, visit online. For information about Penn State’s involvement in the GPIC hub, visit online. To read the full text of the president’s speech, visit online.