Turfgrass science students selected for US Golf Association internships

May 23, 2025

Two students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences’ turfgrass science program recently were selected for highly competitive United States Golf Association Green Section internships.

Two Penn State undergraduates named Astronaut Scholars

May 23, 2025

Penn State undergraduates Charlie Colvin and Megan von Abo were named 2025 Astronaut Scholars, earning competitive national scholarships facilitated by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The scholarships provide up to $15,000 toward education for undergraduate students pursuing careers in engineering, math, or natural or applied sciences research.

Two Penn State undergraduates names Astronaut Scholars

May 23, 2025

Penn State undergraduates Charlie Colvin and Megan von Abo were named 2025 Astronaut Scholars, earning competitive national scholarships facilitated by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The scholarships provide up to $15,000 toward education for undergraduate students pursuing careers in engineering, math, or natural or applied sciences research.

Penn State agricultural technology event aimed at ‘closing the innovation gap’

May 23, 2025

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will convene leaders from academia, industry, government and stakeholder networks for a symposium focused on accelerating agricultural innovation through cross-sector collaboration. The event will take place June 12-13 at Penn State University Park.   

Penn State Extension expands beekeeping education offerings

May 22, 2025

With growing challenges facing honey bee health, Penn State Extension is working to equip beekeepers with science-based resources to help them raise resilient colonies — from beginner publications to advanced online training in breeding techniques.

Looking to cut calories? Try adding chilies, study suggests

May 21, 2025

Throwing a little heat on your meal might be an effective strategy for cutting back on calories, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

Gavin Maxson receives 2025 Tree Award from Student Sustainability Advisory Council

May 21, 2025

Since 2012, the Student Sustainability Advisory Council recognizes a Penn State University Park student every spring semester, for their overall leadership in sustainability initiatives and for making a difference in the campus community. This year’s 2025 SSAC Tree Award recipient is agricultural engineering student Gavin Maxson.

Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate awards seed funding to five research projects

May 19, 2025

Penn State’s Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation has awarded seed grants to five interdisciplinary research projects. These grants support collaborative projects led by Penn State faculty who aim to generate innovative solutions to complex challenges in real estate and the built environment. 

In photos: Penn State students gain knowledge, serve others during spring break

May 19, 2025

This gallery of photos shows the variety of ways Penn State students enriched their education in faraway places or participated in service projects in communities around the world during spring break. From providing hurricane relief in North Carolina to gaining hands-on international reporting experience in Kazakhstan, students took advantage of numerous experiential learning and service opportunities offered through the University.

Seven-figure estate gift bolsters existing scholarship for Ag Sciences students

May 19, 2025

The Burl H. Burleigh Scholarship in the College of Agricultural Sciences provides 30 percent of in-state tuition per year for each student recipient. The scholarship is open to full-time undergraduate students in the college who are graduates of a rural public high school in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania and who have demonstrated financial need.

Does renewable energy reduce fossil fuel production in the US?

May 19, 2025

Increasing renewable energy may not reduce the use of fossil fuels in the United States, according to a study by Ryan Thombs, assistant professor of rural sociology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

In photos: Setting the stage for Penn State's commencement ceremonies

May 15, 2025

Each semester, staff across Penn State's colleges pull off what seems like an impossible task: Host the perfect ceremony to cap off every student's journey toward a degree. But commencement ceremonies are an undertaking that can't happen overnight. It takes the dedicated work of commencement coordinators and college staff to plan, prepare for and execute the biggest annual event at University Park.

VECTOR Library launches to strengthen response to vector-borne disease threats

May 15, 2025

As the United States observes Lyme Disease Awareness Month in May, public health and extension professionals across the country have a powerful new tool at their fingertips: the VECTOR Library, a centralized digital database of more than 1,400 educational materials on vector-borne diseases collected from the Cooperative Extension System across all U.S. states and territories.

Learn how to pickle safely with Penn State Extension

May 14, 2025

Penn State Extension will offer a webinar titled, “Home Food Preservation: Pickling,” from noon to 1:30 p.m. on June 2. Webinar attendees can learn safe, research-backed pickling methods, from canning basics to fermentation. Instructors will explore acid’s role, optional ingredients, and how to make refrigerator and fermented pickles with confidence in this 90-minute session.

Extension introduces Food Safety Manager Certification Prep course

May 14, 2025

Oh Penn State Extension is offering a new webinar series titled “Food Safety Manager Certification Prep Course,” designed to equip food industry professionals with the knowledge to ensure food safety and achieve certification. Sessions will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 18 and 25.

International agriculture minor program marks 40th anniversary with trip to Capitol

May 13, 2025

For 40 years, the international agriculture minor in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has enhanced students’ understanding of agriculture on a global scale by exploring diverse countries, addressing real-world issues and engaging with local communities at home and abroad

Learn about kinship care through Dean Troy Ott’s personal journey

May 13, 2025

A Penn State Extension webinar on June 18 will offer insight into kinship care through the lived experience of someone raised in a kinship family: Troy Ott, dean of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. 

Learn about water bath and atmospheric steam canning with Penn State Extension

May 12, 2025

Penn State Extension will offer “Home Food Preservation: Water Bath Canning” from noon to 1:30 p.m. on May 21, online. Explore the fundamentals of water bath and atmospheric steam canning with Penn State extension educators specializing in food, safety and quality in this 90-minute live webinar. 

Timber expo to shine spotlight on Pennsylvania forest products industry

May 9, 2025

Pennsylvania’s nearly $22 billion forest products industry will be the focus of the 2025 Forest Products Equipment and Technology Exposition, to be held June 6-7 at Penn State's Ag Progress Days site at Rock Springs.

Penn State Dairy Science Club broadens horizons in the Netherlands

May 9, 2025

Forty members of the Dairy Science Club in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences traveled to the Netherlands during spring break to learn more about global agriculture and explore a new culture.

Cultural burning by Indigenous peoples increased oak in forests near settlements

May 8, 2025

A debate continues among scientists over whether tree composition in forests in eastern North American historically have been influenced more by climate or by cultural burning, which is the intentional and controlled use of fire by Indigenous people to manage their environment. Now, a new study of southern New England forests by a team including a researcher from Penn State lends credence to the cultural burning hypothesis, suggesting that fire-tolerant vegetation — oak, hickory and pine — were significantly more abundant near Indigenous settlements over the last 5,000 years.

Manufacturing PA Innovation Program funds two Stuckeman-led research projects

May 8, 2025

While the effects of the housing crisis and the environmental impacts of debris generated in the construction sector persist in the United States, two projects led by Penn State Stuckeman School architecture professors have earned funding to develop new methods to address these challenges while also bolstering the manufacturing industry in Pennsylvania.

Webinar series to focus on parenting 3- to 5-year-olds

May 8, 2025

Everyday moments with 3- to 5-year-olds are full of adventure, fun, growth and challenges, according to organizers of “Thrive: Sprout,” a Penn State Extension webinar series designed to support parents as they foster their preschool child’s development and resiliency.

Some water conservation programs may get more value by targeting rural farms

May 7, 2025

Conservation programs aimed at boosting environmentally friendly practices by incentivizing farmers may get more bang for their buck by targeting rural farms rather than more urban ones, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State.

Common diabetes drug helps chickens lay more eggs

May 7, 2025

What do chickens and people with a common reproductive disorder have in common? More than one might think — and a widely-used diabetes medication might just be the surprising link.

Let's give a 'We Are!' to these Penn Staters — May 6

May 6, 2025

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 13 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.   

Penn State students advise researchers at HHMI's Janelia Research Campus

May 6, 2025

Three Penn State undergraduate students who have been part of the University’s Sustainable Labs Program were invited to Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus in April to help make the facility’s research labs more sustainable. Ella Clobes, Gavin Maxson and Kay Smith, all members of the program’s Sustainable Lab Consultant cohort, advised researchers on how to implement changes to evaluate and improve lab efficiency and resource management.  

Mental health counseling can boost resilience after military sexual trauma

May 6, 2025

Mental health counseling may help U.S. veterans recover and build resilience after experiencing military sexual trauma, according to a new study from research at Penn State.  

Penn State Extension offers virtual cooking class on Mediterranean eating

May 4, 2025

Penn State Extension will offer a tasty trip to the Mediterranean as part of its “Let’s Cook at Home” virtual cooking class series. “Let’s Cook at Home: Mediterranean” will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, online. Watch and learn as Penn State Extension educators prepare an authentic Mediterranean meal that is healthy and delicious.

Top pictures from the 2025 Penn State Today spring photo contest

May 2, 2025

Thank you to all who participated in the 2025 Penn State Today spring photo contest! We received an incredible selection of photos showcasing spring at Penn State. The winning photo was submitted by Bethany Stitzer, an undergraduate student studying biomedical engineering at University Park, and highlights spring blossoms surrounding Old Main on a quiet April morning. See more top submissions, as selected by Penn State Today editors, in this photo gallery. 

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)

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)