Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences adds five new faculty members

October 9, 2017

Five new faculty members have joined the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Penn State launches interdisciplinary Center for Security Research and Education

October 9, 2017

Penn State has announced the creation of a new center designed to bring together the University’s many strengths in all aspects of national, homeland and global security. The new Center for Security Research and Education incorporates 10 Penn State colleges, schools and research units to focus a broad range of academic endeavor on society’s most critical threats.

Ag Sciences student explores global food practices, nutrition

October 9, 2017

Emily Seiger, a community, environment and development major in the College of Agricultural Sciences, is gaining insight into problems related to food safety, hygiene and food security around the world.

Career day helps senior land dream internship with Land O’Lakes

October 5, 2017

Agribusiness management major Kayli Kumanchik found the internship she wanted with Land O' Lakes, Inc., after meeting with representatives at Ag Sciences Career Day in 2016. This year's event will take place on Oct. 10 in the Bryce Jordan Center on the University Park campus of Penn State.

Ag Sciences students to represent Penn State at World Food Prize Symposium

October 5, 2017

Five students enrolled in College of Agricultural Sciences programs will represent Penn State at the 2017 Borlaug Dialogue, one of the events planned during the annual World Food Prize International Symposium.

Webinar to focus on commercial small-scale liquid natural gas

October 4, 2017

What is liquefied natural gas, or LNG, and how is it made? What are its benefits compared to other energy sources? How is it transported, stored and consumed? And what are the markets for LNG? Those questions and more will be answered during a web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension.

Graduate training program in pollinator ecology gets a boost with USDA grant

October 4, 2017

A grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will enhance an innovative Penn State graduate training program in entomology and ecology aimed at helping to solve the multifaceted problem of pollinator decline.

The Arboretum at Penn State to host pumpkin festival Oct. 8 and Oct. 13-14

October 3, 2017

Creative pumpkin carvers will craft scores of imaginative jack-o'-lanterns and compete for ribbons as The Arboretum at Penn State hosts its annual Pumpkin Festival, Oct. 8 and Oct. 13-14. Festivities will take place in the Arboretum's H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens, at the corner of Bigler Road and Park Avenue on the University Park campus. Admission is free.

Warming unlikely to have major impact on animal agriculture in Northeast

October 3, 2017

Climate change will not significantly impair animal agriculture in the Northeast region of the United States, according to a multidisciplinary team of researchers, who point out there are many variables in the future scenario they envision.

Penn State student explores the economic impact of disaster relief in Nepal

October 3, 2017

Kelli Herr, senior in community, environment and development in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, spent her break a long way from home in Thulo Pakhar, Nepal. She worked with a group called All Hands Volunteers, a U.S.-based nonprofit disaster relief organization.

Penn State hosts 15 new NSF graduate researchers

October 3, 2017

The Graduate School at Penn State is pleased to host 15 new National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) award recipients for the 2017-18 academic year.

Extension offers home-study course on livestock grazing practices

October 3, 2017

Pennsylvania livestock producers looking for information on how to make their livestock enterprises more profitable through pasture and grazing management can take advantage of a home study course offered by Penn State Extension this fall.

Cathy Bowen: Penn State Faculty Profiles in Diversity and Inclusion

October 2, 2017

Cathy Bowen, professor of agricultural and extension education and consumer issues, has spent nearly 30 years at Penn State helping Pennsylvanians and students to become financially literate, and manage their resources.

Partnership targets farm safety among region’s Amish population

September 29, 2017

Beyond the picturesque barns and horse-drawn buggies that define Pennsylvania Dutch Country lurk farm dangers that can land children in the hospital.

New mobile app diagnoses crop diseases in the field and alerts rural farmers

September 29, 2017

Researchers who developed a new mobile application that uses artificial intelligence to accurately diagnose crop diseases in the field have won a $100,000 award to help expand their project to help millions of small-scale farmers across Africa. David Hughes, associate professor of entomology and biology, Penn State, leads the project with James Legg, of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture.

Networking event promotes microbiome research collaborations

September 29, 2017

Those interested in learning about or participating in microbiome research at Penn State are invited to attend a networking event Oct. 3 sponsored by the University's Microbiome Research Center.

Ag Department, Penn State seek public input on state Pollinator Protection Plan

September 28, 2017

Farmers, gardeners and other Pennsylvanians concerned about the health of pollinators — given their critically important role in growing and producing food — now have the chance to comment on a draft of the state’s proposed Pollinator Protection Plan. The plan, developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State, is designed to protect bees and other insects that pollinate nearly 75 percent of the Commonwealth’s food crops.

Alumnus' gifts to support 4-H, Penn State Extension and agricultural engineering

September 22, 2017

Wayne Martenas, a Penn State alumnus in agricultural engineering, and his wife, Marian McKeegan Martenas, have pledged $250,000 in gifts, which will be divided among a new endowment, an existing endowment, a new building and an existing scholarship fund.

New faculty member aims to support the growth of agricultural education

September 22, 2017

Kevin Curry Jr. recently joined Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences as an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education.

Ag Sciences Career Day will take place Oct. 10 at Bryce Jordan Center

September 22, 2017

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will host its annual Ag Sciences Career Day on Oct. 10. The event draws nearly 200 exhibitors, recruiters and academic program representatives from agricultural and related industries annually.

New biomaterial could replace plastic laminates, greatly reduce pollution

September 20, 2017

An inexpensive biomaterial that can be used to sustainably replace plastic barrier coatings in packaging and many other applications has been developed by Penn State researchers, who predict its adoption would greatly reduce pollution.

Pate named Nationwide Insurance Associate Professor of Agricultural Safety

September 20, 2017

Michael Pate has been appointed Nationwide Insurance Associate Professor of Agricultural Safety and Health in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

CHAPS open house offers rare view of Penn State’s equine science programs

September 20, 2017

Sept. 30 will mark the fifth annual Penn State Horse Barn Open House, hosted by the Collegiate Horseman’s Association at Penn State (CHAPS) and the Penn State Equine Research Team at the equine science facilities' “Old Barn,” directly across from Beaver Stadium, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be held in connection with the third annual Celebrate Agriculture Day at Beaver Stadium, an event designed for Penn Staters to honor the agricultural roots and history of the University.

Whole food diet may help prevent colon cancer, other chronic conditions

September 20, 2017

Colorful fruits and vegetables -- like the purple potato -- may contain compounds that help fight some types of cancer. An international team of researchers studied the anti-cancer effects of purple potatoes in pigs. This could be another step in finding prevention strategies and cancer treatments for patients.

$4.92M gift to Penn State for industrial biotechnology education, research

September 19, 2017

CSL Behring, a global specialty biotherapeutics leader, has committed $4.92 million to Penn State over the next six years to transform biotechnology education and research across Pennsylvania and beyond.

The Final Ag Frontier: Plant sciences student looks to the skies

September 15, 2017

Plant sciences student Laura Reese spent her spring semester working for NASA in Cape Canaveral, Florida. She performed research in conditions meant to emulate growing plants in space.

Grant supports research to enhance epithelial barrier function, immune response

September 15, 2017

A faculty member in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $7.3 million grant for innovative research on a cellular protein that could be a target for enhancing immune function in response to a variety of diseases and environmental toxins. Gary Perdew, John T. and Paige S. Smith Professor in Agricultural Sciences, received the award from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Fifth annual Rural Studies Conference to be held Oct. 27-28

September 14, 2017

Penn State's Rural Sociology Graduate Student Association (RSGA) will host the 5th Annual Rural Studies Graduate Student Conference on Oct. 27-28 at the HUB-Robeson-Center on the University Park campus. This conference welcomes undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines and all institutions who study rural areas and topics, both domestically and internationally.

College of Agricultural Sciences hosts Mandela Washington Fellow

September 14, 2017

Aïssata Abdou Gado, a recipient of the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, spent six weeks of professional development at Penn State's University Park campus in August and September. She worked with faculty and staff from across the College of Agricultural Sciences on issues related to food security, livestock and women's empowerment.

Forest experts: All signs point to a banner year for Pa.'s foliage display

September 14, 2017

The rainy summer in Pennsylvania has set the stage for what could be an awesome autumn foliage display, according to forest ecologists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Media Contacts

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Media Contacts

  • Senior Public Relations Specialist/News Editor
  • Associate Director of Communications
  • Public Relations Specialist/Science Writer
  • Science and News Writer
  • Penn State Extension Writer (Marketing Communications Specialist)