Latest News

April 15, 2019

GreenBriq, a student venture aimed at turning the biomass of invasive water hyacinth plants into affordable fuel briquettes for Kenyan families, recently won the $7,500 first-place prize in the Ag Springboard pitch contest. The competition, the eighth held since 2011, is a signature event of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, which teaches and nurtures an entrepreneurial mindset for student success across majors and career paths. Each student team must have at least one member enrolled in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

April 4, 2019

Consuming unsafe food is a major public health threat globally, but the continent bearing the most burden is Africa, where more than 91 million people fall ill and 140,000 die each year from foodborne diseases, according to the World Health Organization.

April 3, 2019

Mark Guiltinan, professor of plant molecular biology, and Siela Maximova, research professor of plant biotechnology, both in the College of Agricultural Sciences, are the recipients of Penn State's 2019 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award.

March 27, 2019

An ideal world for Jayne Ulrich is one in which everyone -- from individuals to organizations to governments -- would take an active role in protecting, preserving and restoring the Earth’s natural resources. She’s doing her part not just personally, but also professionally as an environmental engineer with Mondelēz International, a multinational confectionery, food and beverage company known for making snacks such as Oreo and Chips Ahoy! cookies.

March 14, 2019

The link between gender and innovative energy use for food preparation is explored in a new book, “Recovering Bioenergy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Gender Dimensions, Lessons and Challenges,” co-edited by Ruth Mendum, assistant research professor for gender initiatives in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, and Mary Njenga, research scientist at the World Agroforestry Centre.

March 4, 2019

Under the “Academic Mobility Program for Scientific Knowledge Transfer to Rural Communities for Peace,” students and faculty from Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina in Bogotá, Colombia (Areandina University), and La Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano (UTADEO), visited Penn State as part of a reciprocal exchange program through the College's Office of International Programs Ag2Americas initiative.

February 28, 2019

Pests and diseases are taking a substantial bite out of the world’s five major food crops — in some cases, up to 40 percent — according to a recently released publication, one of the first to inventory the impact on a global scale. “Declining crop health affects everyone — farmers, consumers and communities — by reducing food supplies, driving up costs, and sometimes even causing the misuse of pesticides and herbicides,” said Paul Esker, assistant professor of epidemiology and field crop pathology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

February 7, 2019

Because of significant labor shortages, Pennsylvania's dairy farms rely on Spanish-speaking immigrants as a key source of labor. However, cultural differences and language barriers can leave employers and workers lost in translation, affecting workers' well-being and community connection, and ultimately, farm viability.

January 27, 2019

Two students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are the recipients of the Guyton Award, a global learning scholarship established recently by Bill Guyton, an agricultural economist and internationally recognized expert in sustainable development.

January 23, 2019

Ketja Lingenfelter, of the College of Agricultural Sciences Office of International Programs, received a "We Are" shout-out because of her outstanding contribution to the Penn State community.

January 9, 2019

Every year, thousands of Penn State students enrich their academic experience and expand their view of the world by studying abroad. For students who haven't yet reaped the benefits of international learning — and even for those who have — Penn State's Office of Global Programs will showcase education-abroad opportunities during Study Abroad Week, slated for Jan. 14-18 at various times and locations on the University Park campus

December 20, 2018

Faculty in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are spearheading an initiative that will provide selected doctoral students with the opportunity for extensive study on gender and its relationship to agricultural production.

December 8, 2018

As a youngster growing up on a dairy farm in Perry County, Thomas Gabel's world didn't extend beyond the borders of Pennsylvania. "It was hard for me to imagine making a road trip a couple states over, let alone boarding a plane and traveling to another country," said Gabel, now a freshman majoring in agricultural and extension education in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

December 8, 2018

Michael Jacobson, professor of forest resources in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, will help lead the college's Ag2Africa programming, as well as collaborate with Penn State's Office of Global Programs in its efforts to build a Water, Energy, Food Systems (WEFS) initiative in Africa.

November 29, 2018

In the culmination of more than a decade of research on root traits conducted by Penn State plant scientists, about three tons of seed for common bean plants specifically bred to thrive in the barren soils of Mozambique will be distributed there Dec. 11.

November 15, 2018

November 12, 2018

A group led by David Hughes, associate professor of entomology and biology, will pursue an innovative global health and development research project, titled "Pest and Disease Surveillance via High-Resolution Satellites."

November 1, 2018

Jacob Johnson, a doctoral candidate in forest resources and in international agriculture and development (INTAD) in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has received a Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Award in recognition of his service to others.

October 29, 2018

Boubou Sangho and Gladys Freeman, recipients 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.

September 10, 2018

Growing up in an urban area near Pittsburgh, Martha Pangburn had few interactions with those working in agriculture. "There aren't many farms where I live, so I never thought much about agriculture or farming," said the Quaker Valley High School senior. "Actually, I believed stereotypes like it's a simple, not-very-exciting way of life."

September 8, 2018

Imagine being on a rubber plantation in Malaysia, just a few feet away from a farmer as he prunes low-hanging branches on a rubber tree, or watching a food scientist at a cacao bean cooperative in Honduras as she demonstrates how cacao beans become chocolate.

August 31, 2018

Kerry Kaylegian, assistant research professor of dairy foods and extension specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, was inducted into the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers New World Chapter on July 28 in a ceremony held in association with the American Cheese Society's annual meeting in Pittsburgh.

August 28, 2018

Studying for her dual-title doctoral degree in rural sociology and in international agriculture and development at Penn State, Paige Castellanos learned about the plight of families living in western Honduras, where many eke out a living in an economy marked by high poverty rates and subsistence agriculture.

August 17, 2018

Between 650,000 and 750,000 of Kyrgyzstan's 5 million citizens work outside of the country, making it one of the most remittance-dependent countries in the world, according to lead investigator Guangqing Chi, associate professor of rural sociology and demography and public health sciences in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education.

July 17, 2018

Developing lasting solutions to the problems of poverty, hunger and social injustice is the cornerstone of a new partnership between Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and Oxfam America, the U.S. affiliate of Oxfam, the global organization working to end the injustice of poverty in 90 countries around the world.

June 22, 2018

An international team of researchers has discovered evidence of 27 previously unknown viruses in bees. The finding could help scientists design strategies to prevent the spread of viral pathogens among these important pollinators.