March 29, 2023
The Penn State Microbiome Center, in coordination with the lab of David Koslicki, is offering free access to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes to all Penn State faculty, staff and students.
March 27, 2023
Microbes may be tiny, but they play a big role in shaping the world. Seth Bordenstein, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Endowed Chair in Microbiome Sciences and professor of biology and entomology at Penn State, will offer insights into his research on microbiomes and their impact on the world in his talk, “Why We Look Down (To the Microbes) For Wonder, Impact and Discovery,” on March 31.
March 23, 2023
U.S. college students’ knowledge of bees focuses primarily on honey bees and pollination services, according to Penn State researchers, who said findings from their recent study could help in designing campaigns to generate support for protecting threatened pollinators.
March 23, 2023
North American ground beetles play important roles in agriculture. Their response to climate change will largely depend on species traits and habitats and could have significant implications for conservation efforts, according to new research led by Penn State.
March 22, 2023
A novel study by a Penn State-led research team suggests that “manureshed” management in the Susquehanna River basin could make a big difference in the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay.
March 22, 2023
Penn State student Emma Luksic 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 21, 2023
Six members of the Department of Entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received awards for excellence in research, teaching and extension from the Eastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America.
March 20, 2023
Over spring break, a group of 14 Penn State faculty visited the Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education 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 19, 2023
Concrete is as ubiquitous in cities as it is impervious. Amid worsening storms due to climate change, it only deflects runoff toward the drain, threatening sewer capacities. Lauren McPhillips is partnering with researchers across the commonwealth to engineer stormwater solutions using nature to replace hard surfaces and help control the flow.
March 16, 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 13, 2023
Janet Currie, Henry Putnam Professor of Economics and Public Affairs at Princeton University, will speak at Penn State University Park on Friday, March 24, at 2 p.m. as this year’s M.E. John Memorial Lecture speaker.
March 13, 2023
The recently released documentary “Plastic Earth” features Penn Staters Judd Michael, professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and Sherri Mason, associate research professor, director of sustainability at Penn State Behrend, and a leading researcher of freshwater plastic pollution.
March 13, 2023
"Flavor Madness" — in which 16 Penn State Berkey Creamery ice cream flavors compete to become the year’s “scoop champion” — will begin March 13 and run four full weeks. Voting opens each Monday at 10 a.m. and closes each Friday at noon.
March 10, 2023
A new interactive “carbon calculator” tool can help dairy farmers see sustainability principles in action and improve farm management decisions related to climate change. The carbon calculator expands on the existing “virtual farm” website developed by researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Extension, in partnership with several universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an industry partner, the Dairy Innovation Center, and the creative services team at WPSU.
March 9, 2023
Pennsylvania certified foresters looking for ways to earn continuing education credits can take advantage of the wide variety of options provided by Penn State Extension.
March 9, 2023
Studying abroad is the dream of many students, and one Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences alumna used her undergraduate study abroad experiences as the foundation for her continued academic studies and a once-in-a-lifetime internship.
March 9, 2023
Neonicotinoid insecticides used to control spotted lanternflies have the potential to harm pollinators, but the degree of risk depends on multiple factors, such as application timing, type of neonicotinoid, the species of tree being treated and pollinator species sensitivity, according to entomologists at Penn State.
March 8, 2023
Vitamin D plays an integral role in regulating immune function, and Penn State researchers have identified immune cells in mice that can be differentiated by whether or not they have vitamin D receptors — a finding that could lead to a better understanding of the link between vitamin D status and autoimmune diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
March 8, 2023
With a four-year, $2.3 million National Institutes of Health grant, Penn State researchers aim to create a completely non-invasive, tunable method for treating tendinopathies with focused ultrasound.
March 7, 2023
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed a 7.1% funding increase for Penn State’s 2023-24 general support appropriation and for Pennsylvania College of Technology, and a 2% funding increase for Penn State Agricultural Research and Cooperative Extension, during his first budget address as governor, which was delivered March 7 during a joint session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
March 7, 2023
Habitat split limits movement of organisms between environments. According to new research, this environmental fragmentation impacts amphibian disease immunity, likely due to changes in the composition of skin microbial communities, disruptions to normal immune system development, and increased stress.
March 7, 2023
For family members unexpectedly taking care of a relative’s child during the opioid crisis, it can be difficult to navigate the legal waters of assuming custody. The process may be easier — and come with more support — if these caregivers have personal connections to local resource institutions, according to a study conducted by a Penn State faculty member.
March 7, 2023
The climate affects everything — weather, agriculture, health, the economy, travel and supply chains — and climate change will have intergenerational impacts, according to organizers of a March 15 Penn State Extension land-use webinar.
March 6, 2023
An interdisciplinary team of educators and faculty from Penn State Extension and Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is investigating methods to improve skill sets and increase diversity in the livestock production workforce, with the goal of eliminating workforce barriers and enhancing secure food animal production. As part of this work, Penn State Extension is offering a free monthly workshop series, from March to May, focused on workforce development in animal agriculture.
March 6, 2023
To help better understand and support healthy soil function, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has an advanced characterization facility — the Soil Research Cluster Lab — under the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.
March 3, 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 2, 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. This collaboration also will involve the Technical University of Denmark.
March 2, 2023
After a successful career in food packaging, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences alumnus Doug Peck has committed $200,000 from his future estate to create the Douglas R. Peck Food Packaging Endowment in Food Science. The program endowment will support opportunities and efforts in the Department of Food Science related to food packaging programming.
March 1, 2023
As the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, turn that tartness into little translucent balls in which to grow your young.” At least, that’s how the saying goes for a tiny insect called a cynipid wasp, whose larvae were recently discovered inducing plant growths called galls that contained acidity levels akin to lemons.
February 28, 2023
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize seven Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
