UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State will be sending its second delegation of students and faculty to the United Nations’ annual climate meeting known as the Conference of Parties, or COP. This year’s conference, COP29, will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from Nov. 11–22. COP is the main decision-making body for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. 

"Each year, sending a delegation to COP allows us to merge our research and practices with global efforts, empowering faculty and students to witness the impact of international collaboration on climate solutions,” said Erica Smithwick, director of the Penn State Climate Consortium. “Through networking, policy development and resource-sharing, we contribute to a united front addressing the climate crisis." 

This year’s attendees are Olivia DiPrinzio, an undergraduate student in College of Earth and Mineral Sciences (EMS); Robert Nicholas, associate research professor of meteorology and atmospheric science and director of Penn State Center for Climate Risk; Abbie Robinson, graduate student in rural sociology and dual title in demography; Brandi Robinson, associate teaching professor of energy and mineral engineering; Janet Swim, professor of psychology and associate director of the Climate Consortium. Additionally, this year will feature a Penn State alumnus, Shah Chowdhury, founder of Footsteps Bangladesh. 

“The Climate Consortium is pleased to support an annual delegation and is planning to increase faculty and student participation in future years,” Smithwick said. “There will be an event in December to learn about the outcomes of COP29 and hear from a panel of the delegation on their key takeaways.” 

Mark Ortiz is an assistant professor of geography and the director of the Global Youth Storytelling and Research Lab, which is partnering with the Penn State United Nations Associations chapter and the Climate Consortium to host post-COP engagement activities. 

“These events are designed to enhance student understanding of and engagement with global climate governance processes,” Ortiz said. “Children and young people are increasingly recognized as critical partners and solution-builders in climate and sustainable development efforts at all scales. Penn State is a recognized leader in climate and environmental research, and we are excited to grow our involvement as a University in international policy processes and continue to develop the student-centered outreach components of our climate work.” 

DiPrinzio, who is part of the delegation attending COP29, said she looks to increase youth awareness and understanding about COP29 and its impacts.  

“We want to promote youth engagement in this space, both on the global stage as well as at Penn State,” DiPrinzio said. “Youth participation is critical in climate work, and we are looking to empower students to do just that. After already achieving this goal through our pre-COP sessions, we are excited to continue to promote this growth by providing live COP updates and supporting GYSRL's policy tracking sessions during COP as well as participating in a post-conference debrief session with the Climate Consortium.  As a student, I am so excited to be working to create a collaborative environment for my peers to gain information and skills relevant to the nature of COP.”