Penn State Cooperative Extension Names Leader for Energy Programs

Gregory Roth, professor of crop and soil sciences in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named state program leader for renewable and alternative energy for Penn State Cooperative Extension, on a half-time basis.

As state program leader, Roth will provide leadership for renewable and alternative energy extension programming in Pennsylvania, working to unify existing renewable energy extension efforts into a focused state program. He will collaborate with faculty researchers in Penn State’s Biomass Energy Center to facilitate the translation of new knowledge into extension educational programming and to develop networks with other organizations and institutions interested in renewable and alternative energy.

Roth also will help identify funding and other resources for renewable and alternative energy programs and maintain training for cooperative extension and other outreach initiatives. He will work closely with College of Agricultural Sciences administrators, academic department heads, faculty, regional extension directors, and county extension educators, as well as with academic and outreach programs in other colleges within the university.

“We felt this was a priority for the organization and chose to make changes in funding priorities to support the emerging area of renewable and alternative energy,” says Daney Jackson, associate vice-president for outreach and director of Penn State Cooperative Extension.

Roth plans to consolidate inservice training on various renewable and alternative energy activities in the college and university. Longer-term plans include developing Web-based resources and newsletters in collaboration with the Biomass Energy Center and building partnerships with state organizations with similar interests in renewable and alternative energy, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and the state Department of Environmental Protection.