Representatives from Penn State Extension, the College of Agricultural Sciences, and the Pennsylvania 4-H State Council had the unique opportunity to attend the annual turkey-pardoning ceremony at the White House on Nov. 25.
“Growing Impact” highlights PlantVillage, an innovative project that leverages the power of smartphones, artificial intelligence and cloud computing to help millions of farmers across Africa, Asia and the Americas.
Pollutants known as “contaminants of emerging concern” or chemicals that could potentially harm human health and have been found in the environment, including pesticides, ingredients from personal care products, pharmaceuticals and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are increasingly found in streams and lakes. A team led by researchers at Penn State recently demonstrated the accuracy and utility of a new method to find even very low levels of these substances in surface waters. They reported their findings in the Science of the Total Environment.
Phosphorus, a nutrient in soil essential for sustaining most forms of life, is increasingly disappearing from land as it is washed into waterways throughout the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.
Michael Jacobson, professor of forest resources in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, co-led the second Collaborative Learning School, a year-round virtual networking community of faculty, students and early career professionals that culminates in a two-week summer field workshop with U.S. and African scientists and practitioners. The school, which was held in Uganda last year, is funded by a five-year, $2 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant and is an initiative of the SustainFood Network.
Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant nutrition, retired this fall after an innovative and impactful 33-year career in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, focused on conducting research to alleviate world hunger and enhance crop production by subsistence farmers in developing countries.
Three first-year students from the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in the College of Agricultural Sciences were inspired to pursue summer internships by their experiences in AG 150: First-Year Seminar at Penn State Altoona.
One of the most traditionally time-consuming, labor-intensive processes of apple production is blossom thinning, which involves manually pruning flowers so that remaining blooms can reclaim the plant’s resources to grow better fruit. More recently, the process has shifted to broad chemical spraying, which can have harmful environmental impacts. To assist producers and mitigate environmental harm, the USDA has awarded a three-year, $601,125 grant to a team of Penn State researchers for the development of a robotic precision spraying system.
New findings from long-term research underscore the challenges managers face when trying to conserve Penn’s Woods.
Mark Brennan, professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State, was recently awarded the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Janusz Korczak Jubilee Medal at a special ceremony in Poland.
Three Penn State research teams have received awards totaling $1.78 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture to investigate climate-smart approaches to pest control in agriculture.
Baking in the test kitchens at The Hershey Company. Studying the effects of space weather on satellite communication with NASA. Working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., as a congressional intern. Planning events at the Arboretum. These activities are just a few of the many experiential learning and professional development opportunities that Penn State students gained through internships this summer.
Weeds are a major factor limiting yield in organic vegetable and other horticultural crop systems, and the lack of effective biological weed-management solutions is a significant obstacle to the adoption of organic farming practices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a four-year, $1 million grant to a team led by plant scientists and an economist from Penn State to investigate anaerobic soil disinfestation, a microbial-driven process to manage weeds, to support transitioning from conventional to organic production systems.
Nine Penn State researchers have been named fellows of the Institute of Energy and the Environment for 2024. The program recognizes and assists the exceptional achievements and unparalleled research impacts of highly successful researchers in the areas of energy and the environment. Nominees for the fellowship were submitted by the University community.
Camryn Hornbaker, a Penn State senior majoring in forest ecosystem management, was part of a wildland firefighting crew that spent two weeks supporting firefighting efforts in eastern Montana.
Ram Neupane, a doctoral student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, received a $10,000 research award given by the Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Foundation.
Two Penn State-led research teams have received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for projects investigating the ways microbiomes — the microorganisms in a particular environment, such as in soil or a living organism — can affect disease dynamics in agriculture.
Several faculty members and graduate students associated with Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently received awards at the 70th annual North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture Conference in Wooster, Ohio.
A bottle of water sampled from a lake or river can reveal what fish, amphibians insects and bacteria are present, thanks to environmental DNA, the genetic material shed by organisms. This way of measuring transforms scientists’ ability to determine the extent of aquatic life in various water bodies, according to a team led by Daniel Allen, assistant professor of aquatic ecology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
Ag Progress Days brought thousands of visitors to the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center from Aug. 13-15 for demonstrations, exhibitions and talks on every aspect of the agricultural industry. Visitors learned about wildlife, farm equipment, hot air balloons and even virtual reality as they wandered through the center's booths and stages.
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences offers unique opportunities for hands-on learning, such as the soil judging team, which provides students interested in soil science with a way to develop field interpretation skills while having fun.
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, through its departments of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences and Animal Science, collaborated with VCA Metzger Animal Hospital and Mars Inc. to establish the Penn State-Mars preveterinary student internship.
John Hayes, professor of food science and director of the Sensory Evaluation Center in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been appointed to the external scientific advisory board of the newly established National Smell and Taste Center at the National Institutes of Health.
Farmers and others involved in production agriculture looking to explore the latest agricultural goods, services, equipment and technology can find everything they need at Penn State’s 2024 Ag Progress Days.
László Kulcsár has been appointed senior associate dean of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, effective July 1.
When Sloan Householder, of Richmond, Virginia, decided to pursue higher education in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, she was understandably nervous about navigating a large university. A first-year seminar class created with first-generation students like her in mind made all the difference during Householder’s first year.
Multiple states since March 2024 have reported dairy herds displaying symptoms caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza, raising questions about how the virus spreads, how producers can protect their animals, the risk of infection in people, and the safety of milk and meat supplies. Extension veterinarian Ernest Hovingh, clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences, answers these and other questions related to the this avian flu outbreak in dairy cattle.
Troy Ott, interim director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, has been named dean of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, effective July 1.
A new study by Penn State researchers has found that using not one but multiple pest treatments may help honey bees survive the winter and make it to spring.
Jeffrey Hyde, most recently a professor and administrator at Texas A&M University, has returned to Pennsylvania to become director of Penn State Extension and associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences. He started in his new role on April 25.
