Research Centers and Institutes

The center’s mission is to catalyze integrated research and engagement related to the impacts of land use and management on water and the environment.

The mission of the Biomass Energy Center is to coordinate and facilitate research and outreach across Penn State, building teams to address the complete value chain of biomass energy systems.

In 2005, Penn State researchers and facilities united as a center of excellence to promote collaborative research and graduate education in chemical and molecular ecology.

Penn State's Center for Economic and Community Development helps create new opportunities for people living throughout Pennsylvania.

The Center for Mastitis Research conducts innovative mastitis research aimed at developing practical dairy herd preventive medicine programs, safe and effective animal health products, and improved management techniques for the dairy industry.

The center focuses on applied research, education and outreach to students, forest landowners, the forest-products industry, loggers, conservation districts, agencies, land trusts, nongovernmental organizations and the public.

Home of "Teach Ag!" at Penn State, the center is committed to the operation of a comprehensive program of professional personnel development for career and technical education.

The Center for Sports Surface Research at Penn State is dedicated to the improvement of all sports surfaces. Through cooperative scientific inquiry the center's members expect to improve performance and safety on all sports surfaces.

The Penn State Center for Turfgrass Science has been at the forefront of cutting edge turfgrass research for decades.

The Center is the largest repository for E. coli strains in America. It holds more than 70,000 strains collected over the last 50 years from animals, humans, birds and environment.

The Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES) establishes a novel environment for accelerating solutions to persistently "wicked" landscape-level challenges centered on agriculture, food, and the environment.

One of four federally-funded regional centers coordinating rural development research in the United States, the NERCRD coordinates the initiatives of the rural development faculty from the 15 land-grant institutions in the Northeast region.

The Northeast Regional Center of the Sun Grant Initiative is a national network of universities and national labs partnering to help build a bio-based economy.

At The Schatz Center, state-of-the-art research is conducted in forest genetics, genomics, and related areas. The Center provides training opportunities for undergraduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and visiting scientists. The Center also sponsors a colloquium, held biennially at Penn State's Mont Alto campus, which brings together researchers and practitioners from industry, government, and academia to discuss the science of current issues in tree genetics.

The College of Agricultural Sciences is among eight colleges participating in the Huck Institutes, which includes a network of institutes and centers of excellence, instrumentation facilities, and advanced graduate programs.

Faculty, staff, and students from the College of Agricultural Sciences lead and contribute to the important IEE work of advancing the University’s energy and environmental research missions.

Penn State's MRI is a catalyst for multidisciplinary education and innovation in materials.

The Center for Agricultural and Shale Law conducts agricultural and shale law research and outreach activities with a specific focus on those issues of importance in Pennsylvania.

This institute addresses critical human and social problems at the local, national, and international levels by bringing together researchers from different disciplines.

The Rock Ethics Institute promotes engaged ethics research, ethical leadership, and literacy at Penn State, and public outreach to address today’s moral challenges.