Latest News

September 5, 2023

A team of Penn State researchers has received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to spearhead a new initiative to create novel monitoring systems for insect populations, many of which are experiencing dramatic changes across the globe due to changes in land use, pollution and climate change.

September 5, 2023

A diet including a carefully selected assortment of microgreens may help address an individual’s nutritional deficiencies, according to a Penn State researcher who led an international team that evaluated the mineral content in young specimens of many different plant species.

August 28, 2023

A protein in mouse ovaries regulates the formation of the ovarian follicle reserve, which comprises a mammal’s lifetime supply of egg cells and surrounding support cells, according to new study conducted by a U.S.-Canadian team.

July 3, 2023

Masting — the unpredictable boom-and-bust cycle of seed production — can have profound consequences for plant populations and the food webs that are built on their seeds. But the complex relationship between seed-production cycles and seed consumers and dispersers has been poorly understood.

July 3, 2023

Penn State’s Center for Pollinator Research hosted the 2023 International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy at University Park from June 3–6. Approximately 250 people from 15 countries, spanning universities, government agencies, industry, non-profit organizations and stakeholder groups, traveled to University Park to attend the conference.

June 29, 2023

“MPAs unquestionably help improve the health of reefs and fisheries and, in some cases, may positively impact the well-being of coastal communities,” study co-author and Penn State University PhD candidate in rural sociology Sara E. Bonilla-Anariba said in a statement.

May 31, 2023

A collaboration between scientists from Penn State and the country of Georgia is enhancing research and extension ties while helping the former Soviet republic to protect crops essential to its economic well-being.

May 30, 2023

Catherine Nettles Cutter, Penn State Extension assistant director for food safety and quality programs, received the prestigious Fellow Award from the International Association for Food Protection in recognition of her exceptional contributions to food safety.

May 30, 2023

Three global education leaders in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have contributed their expertise to a new book. The trio wrote a chapter in “Sustainable Education Abroad, Striving for Change,” which is part of a book series spearheaded by the national nonprofit, Forum on Education Abroad.

May 23, 2023

A group of Penn State undergraduate students recently traveled to the nation’s capital to meet with governmental and nonprofit leaders in the international agricultural sector. The visit was an opportunity to learn about current issues from those actively working in the industry.

May 19, 2023

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is awarding a $4.96 million grant to Penn State's PlantVillage to help increase food production for smallholder farmers who face pests and disease of their crops across sub-Saharan Africa. The research project, called Delphi, will create a modeling platform that can be used by researchers globally to improve the speed and accuracy of efforts to identify emerging threats.

April 25, 2023

Penn State student Julia Burton, in the College of Agricultural Sciences, is among the first Peace Corps volunteers to return to overseas service since the agency’s unprecedented global evacuation in March 2020.

April 25, 2023

Nutrition labels can help guide consumers toward making healthier food choices, but new research suggests that a lack of knowledge about how to use them may be contributing to nutrition gaps between people in urban and rural China.

April 10, 2023

Penn State Global has announced the 2022-23 recipients of its annual awards that recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and academic programs at Penn State who have helped to advance the University’s global engagement goals. Six out of the ten awards presented were awarded to members of the College of Agricultural Sciences.

April 3, 2023

First-generation college students at Penn State traveled to Costa Rica as part of an embedded course, ERM 499: Costa Rica Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources.

March 28, 2023

Emma Luksic, a fourth-year biological engineering major with a minor in environmental engineering, recently traveled with classmates to Chile and the Patagonia region of South America, where she learned about environmental conservation efforts aimed at protecting Chile’s ecosystems.

March 22, 2023

Over spring break, a group of 14 Penn State faculty visited the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education (BFREE) to explore opportunities to develop long-term collaborative research, education and outreach projects. The multidisciplinary group included faculty from the College of Agricultural Sciences, Eberly College of Science, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, and School of International Affairs.

March 22, 2023

Sarah Kunkel, who graduated in 2020 with a major in animal science and a minor in equine science, is working on her master’s degree at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. However, she currently is interning in Sagalla, Kenya, for the Elephants and Bees Project, part of the Save the Elephants organization’s Human-Elephant Coexistence program.

March 22, 2023

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is hosting two visiting scholars from Ukraine during the spring semester, through efforts of a University-wide task force.

March 22, 2023

A new discovery, reported today in a global study that encompassed more than a decade of research, could lead to the breeding of corn crops that can withstand drought and low-nitrogen soil conditions and ultimately ease global food insecurity, according to a Penn State-led team of international researchers.

March 15, 2023

Representatives from Penn State, Meru University of Science and Technology, and Meru County in Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding in a ceremony in Kenya to formally commence their new partnership.

March 1, 2023

The Amazon-funded project in Colombia’s Chingaza National Nature Park will promote water security in Bogotá and support 6,500 residents from 11 municipalities in the Chingaza area.

March 1, 2023

A new online textbook for undergraduate students titled, “Everyone Needs to Eat: An Introduction to Food Security and Global Agriculture" has been written by graduate students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. The book is an in-depth examination of the ecological, economic, social, political and technological factors that influence whether a person, community or nation is considered food secure.

February 28, 2023

The Global Teach Ag Network at Penn State is partnering with the University of Tennessee at Martin on a new project to help empower small-farm owners with sustainable agriculture practices.

February 28, 2023

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is hosting a webinar series to share on-the-ground perspectives on the war on Ukraine. The presentations will take place from 11 a.m. to noon on Thursdays from March 16 through May 4 via Zoom.

February 14, 2023

For those interested in learning about how beekeeping is practiced in different parts of the world, Penn State Extension is offering a free, seven-week webinar series.

February 6, 2023

The Perreault Fellows Program, an international internship program funded by an endowment given by Paul and Beverly Perreault, is entering its third year at Penn State.

February 1, 2023

To help ease costs related to preparing for education abroad, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has established the Ag Sciences Global Gear Closet — a resource for students that provides donated items that might be helpful while studying abroad.

February 1, 2023

Specialty mushrooms such as oyster are relatively easy to grow on a small scale, making them attractive to those looking to diversify a farm, engage in a hobby or launch a small business. Research-based information from Penn State about producing specialty mushrooms also may benefit people from a war-torn region of Africa.

February 1, 2023

The alliance, called GCUA, is a network of more than 15 universities worldwide with a shared vision of contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through international collaboration and research.