Fungicides intended to suppress turfgrass diseases may damage fairways

Golf course managers have much more insight into which fungicides to use to suppress turfgrass diseases, such as the common and costly dollar spot disease, without damaging the grass on their fairways, thanks to a new study by researchers at Penn State.

Penn State’s Ag Progress Days features commercial exhibits, field demos

The latest in farming products, services, equipment and technology will be on full display during this year’s Ag Progress Days, which will take place Aug. 12-14 at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center.

Science, art and action: Páramos 2025 Symposium ignites global collaboration

In early June, Bogotá, Colombia, became the center of global páramo research as faculty and students from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences joined forces with international partners to host the landmark Páramos 2025 Symposium.

Penn State MANRRS students shine at national training and career expo

Eight students from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences moved forward into their futures at the 39th Annual Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences Training Conference and Career Expo, held in April in Memphis, Tennessee.

How a genetic tug-of-war decides the fate of a honey bee

Despite having identical genetic instructions, female honey bee larvae can develop into either long-lived reproductive queens or short-lived sterile workers who help rear their sisters rather than laying their own eggs. Now, an interdisciplinary team led by researchers at Penn State has uncovered the molecular mechanisms that control how the conflict between genes inherited from the father and the mother determine the larva’s fate.

Graduate finds her purpose in ‘community, environment and development’ program

During her years at Penn State, recent graduate Olivia Karoly did more than complete a degree in community, environment and development. From dancing at THON to presenting research at the Undergraduate Exhibition, Karoly embraced a variety of opportunities.

Penn State Ag Sciences doctoral student awarded competitive national fellowship

Hazel Velasco Palacios, a doctoral candidate in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been awarded a writing fellowship to help support her research on health care access for Pennsylvania farmworkers in the mushroom and dairy industries.

‘Fingerprinting’ plant compounds helps explain food, drink tastes

For the first time, a team led by researchers at Penn State has developed a method of “fingerprinting” plant compounds called procyanidins, introducing a more sophisticated and accurate way to analyze the perceptual variation in many foods and drinks, including wine and chocolate.

Penn State’s Youth Food Lab attends UN Science, Technology, Innovation forum

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences was represented on the global stage as faculty and students participated in the United Nations’ 10th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, held at U.N. headquarters in New York City earlier this month.

Turfgrass science students selected for US Golf Association internships

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.

Does renewable energy reduce fossil fuel production in the US?

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.

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

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.

Timber expo to shine spotlight on Pennsylvania forest products industry

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

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.

Common diabetes drug helps chickens lay more eggs

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.

One Health minor in College of Ag Sciences offers custom fieldwork experiences

From riding along with a mobile medical unit in central Pennsylvania to studying the effects of deforestation on people and animals in Costa Rica, six students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences’ One Health minor are gaining firsthand insight into the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.

College of Agricultural Sciences graduate students receive awards

Graduate students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences were recognized for their accomplishments during the 2025 Graduate Student Award Celebration, hosted by the Office for Research and Graduate Education and held recently on the University Park campus.

Are drones the future of tree fruit production? Researchers investigate

A team of researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is addressing the growing interest among tree fruit growers in Pennsylvania and the Northeast in adopting drone-based spraying systems for high-density apple and peach orchards. The Northeast Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recently awarded the team two grants to support the work.

Research key preparation for pursuing doctorate, Penn State undergrad says

Seeing the “huge juxtaposition” between streams flowing near her childhood home in Lancaster County impaired by pollution from intensive agriculture and the seemingly pristine creeks tumbling down the forested mountains around her family’s cabin in Mifflin County led Bridget Reheard to study how contaminants in waters affect aquatic organisms and aspirations for a career working to protect natural resources.

Feeling salty? Increased salt stress reduces tomato pest activity

Increased soil salinity can reduce damage from prominent tomato pests such as the tomato fruitworm, according to researchers at Penn State.

Agricultural honor society Gamma Sigma Delta recognizes faculty and students

The Penn State chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the agricultural honor society, recognized faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars and students from the College of Agricultural Sciences during its annual meeting April 3.

College of Agricultural Sciences honors six with Outstanding Alumni awards

The Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences honored six alumni with 2025 Outstanding Alumni awards in a ceremony on April 10 in State College. The six honorees were also inducted into the college’s Armsby Honor Society alongside four other inductees.

College of Agricultural Sciences celebrates National Ag Day with outreach event

On March 18, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and the University Park Undergraduate Association marked National Ag Day, an event designed to recognize and celebrate the many contributions of the agricultural industry.

Feeding dairy cows whole cottonseed byproduct boosts milk fat, researchers find

Despite U.S. per capita-milk consumption falling significantly in recent decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agricultural, Americans are consuming a record amount of dairy in butter and cheese — products made from milk fat. In a new study, a team led by researchers at Penn State demonstrated that supplementing dairy cattle feed with 15% whole cottonseed, a byproduct of processing cotton for fiber, can increase milk fat concentration and yield.

Suat Irmak named fellow by leading world science society

Suat Irmak, professor and head of agricultural and biological engineering in the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been elected to the latest cohort of fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

Penn State’s Agribot Club: Where technology meets agriculture

At the intersection of technology and agriculture, Penn State’s Agribot Club in the College of Agricultural Sciences aims to shape the future of farming through robotics.

Schreyer Scholar sows passion for agricultural leadership

Landis Crawford, a Schreyer Scholar and agricultural engineering major, has developed a passion for agricultural leadership from Penn State Behrend to University Park.

Natural insect predators may serve as allies in spotted lanternfly battle

Insect predators found in the U.S. could help keep spotted lanternfly populations in check while potentially reducing reliance on chemical control methods, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Penn State.

Analyzing genetic ‘signatures’ may give insight into what stresses wild bees

A new method of examining gene expression patterns called landscape transcriptomics may help pinpoint what causes bumble bees stress and could eventually give insight into why bee populations are declining overall, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State.

Synthetic microbiome therapy suppresses bacterial infection without antibiotics

A synthetic microbiome therapy, tested in mice, holds promise as a new treatment for C. difficile, a notoriously difficult-to-treat bacterial infection, according to a team of researchers at Penn State. The targeted treatment was as effective as human fecal transplants in mice against C. difficile infection with fewer safety concerns, protecting against severe symptoms and decreasing recurrent infections.

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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)