What sort of questions can I ask?
This initiative aims to enable organizations to prepare for the completion of the Shell Ethylene Cracker Plant. Questions should be limited to the fields of oil, gas, plastics, and the supply chains, economic impacts, sustainability, and environmental impacts relevant to those fields. Questions should be limited in scope so that students can answer them with 10-20 hours of research time at the most. If your question is too large in scope, you may be asked to narrow or divide it.
Who is asking, and who is answering?
Question submission is limited to businesses and government entities. Contact email addresses must be professional. Questions will be researched and answered by students from several Penn State University campuses. Students will be overseen by faculty members. The program as a whole is administered by Jake Marsh (JakeMarsh@psu.edu), and the principal investigators are Amy Bridger and Dr. Ivor Knight.
How long should I expect to wait for an answer?
This will vary depending on the nature of the question, the availability of students with the relevant skills and knowledge, and the scope of the question itself. Answers may come in as little as a week, or they may take several weeks.
How will I know that my question is being researched?
You will be notified by email when students begin researching your question.
Can I interact with the students while they work on my question?
Remotely, yes. Please indicate on the question submission form how much you wish to interact with the students as they research your question. Understand that less-involved questions may be answered swiftly and without much interaction with students.
What do I do if I my answer is insufficient?
You have two options if you think that your answer is incomplete or if it requires refinement or expansion. You can submit a followup question indicating specific details that you want addressed. You can contact the administrator, Jake Marsh (JakeMarsh@psu.edu), and discuss additional work.
Why should I mark my question as public?
Economic development is not a one-player game. Please consider sharing your question and its answer with the world. In addition to sharing knowledge, Penn State University will be holding conference-like events throughout the course of the next two years to cooperatively discuss the most engaging questions and topics.
What does it mean to keep my question anonymous?
If you request that your question be kept anonymous, we will not publicly reveal who asked the question. This can allow your question and its answer to be made publicly available without drawing any connection to your company.
How can I help?
Ask interesting and valuable questions. Make your questions public. Attend conferences. Spread the word to companies and organizations that you know will benefit from this program. Lastly, please complete the survey that will be provided after your question is answered.
I’m a student and I want to answer questions. How do I get involved?
Contact Jake Marsh at JakeMarsh@psu.edu. Be sure to indicate your interest, your year, your major, your campus, and the name of the chair of your program. Researcher positions are paid, but limited in number.