Data Centers in PA Research and Extension Network

Data centers are rapidly expanding across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support growth in Artificial Intelligence (AI). To address research and extension needs, we created the Penn State Research and Extension Network for Data Centers in PA.

Background

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is experiencing rapid increases in data center development to meet the demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure and cloud computing. As new hyperscale and edge data centers are built, questions remain about water availability, energy demand, land use pressures, and tradeoffs between potential benefits and impacts to communities and the local environment. Municipalities and state agencies are increasingly facing decisions about data center proposals, often without access to science-based information to inform their decisions. Research addressing stakeholder needs and informing policies is urgently needed. Such research requires an interdisciplinary team of researchers and extension educators, with expertise across agricultural sciences, engineering, environmental science, community development, and economics. To address these research and extension needs, we created the Penn State Research and Extension Network for Data Centers in PA.

People

Thomas Beresnyak
Senior Extension Educator, Energy Team
Penn State Extension, Indiana County

Seth Blumsack, Ph.D.
Professor, Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs
Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering
Director, Center for Energy Law and Policy

Dan Brockett
Associate State Program Leader, Energy Team
Penn State Extension, Venango County

Nilanjan Ray Chaudhuri, Ph.D.
Professor of Electrical Engineering
Department of Electrical Engineering

Jon Duncan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Hydrology
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
Director, Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center

Lara Fowler, J.D.
Professor of Teaching, Penn State Dickinson Law
Director of Outreach and Engagement, Center for Energy Law and Policy
Leadership Fellow, Social Science Research Institute
Affiliate Faculty, Penn State School of International Affairs

Rômulo Meira Goes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Department of Electrical Engineering

Tyler Groh, Ph.D.
Assistant Research Professor
Watershed Management Extension Specialist
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management

Zhongyang He, Ph.D.
Assistant Teaching Professor of Energy, Business, and Finance
Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering

Michael Helbing, J.D.
Adjunct Professor of Law, Penn State Dickinson Law
Staff Attorney, Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy

Rachel Housego, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Geosciences
Department of Geosciences

Margot Kaye, Ph.D.
Professor of Forest Ecology
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management

Jim Ladlee
State Program Leader, Emerging & Advanced Technology
Penn State Extension, Centre County

Zhen Lei, Ph.D.
Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics
Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering

Lauren McPhillips, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Ecological Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Renee Obringer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Energy and Mineral Engineering
Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering

Dana Ollenryke
Extension Program Manager, Energy Team
Penn State Extension, Centre County

Natalie Rae, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Learning, Design, and Technology
Department of Learning and Performance Systems

Chris Scott, Ph.D.
Maurice K. Gooddard Chair and Professor
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management

Matthew Svetz
Educational Program Specialist, Energy Team
Penn State Extension, Crawford County

Arash Dahi Taleghani, Ph.D.
Professor, Petroleum Engineering
Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering

Nathaniel Warner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Hannah Wiseman, J.D.
Associate Professor of Law, Penn State Dickinson Law
Wilson Faculty Fellow, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences 

Andy Yencha
Extension Educator, Renewable Natural Resources
Penn State Extension, Cumberland County

Wangda Zuo, Ph.D.
Professor of Architectural Engineering
Department of Architectural Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Publications

He, Z., Smith, T.W., Lei, Z., and Taleghani, A. 2026. Repurposing abandoned mine lands for cooling data centers. Resources, Conservation, and Recycling, 225:108640. DOI:10.1016/j.resconrec.2025.108640

McHale, M. and Wiseman, H. January, 2026. Nine Ways to Address the Energy Impacts of AI Data Centers. Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator, Vanderbilt University. 

Wiseman, H.J and McHale, M., Governing the Energy Bottleneck. March 01, 2025. Penn State Dickinson Law Research Paper No. 6-2025, Available at SSRN. DOI:10.2139/ssrn.5202388

Penn State Resources

SAFES Data Centers in PA Seminar Series

Extension Webinars

Extension Articles

Extension Shortform Videos

Events and Webinars

Upcoming Events

Other Resources