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.
Attendees from within and beyond the University recently convened at Penn State for the Technologies for Agriculture and Living Systems Symposium, where they had the opportunity to learn about current research, share ideas for collaboration, and grow networks.
Inspired by the students who helped her when she was new at Penn State, Benelli Risser is paying it forward by participating in the Agricultural Advocates program, where she can apply her schoolwork and passion to help others.
Two renowned pollinator scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences have co-authored a book that sheds light on one of the Earth’s most invaluable resources: bees. Christina Grozinger, the Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State, and Harland Patch, assistant research professor in the Department of Entomology and director of pollinator programming at the Arboretum at Penn State, wrote, “The Lives of Bees: A Natural History of Our Planet’s Bee Life.” The book is the latest in the series, “The Lives of the Natural World.”
A research team in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a grant of nearly $1 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation to fund a novel project investigating the molecular and physiological processes that support corn kernel development.
Jacquelin Spring has been named the 2024 student marshal representing the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State’s spring commencement.
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently honored three of its alumni with 2024 Outstanding Alumni Awards: Vijay Nandula, Shah Chowdhury and Hunter Swisher.
A nationwide team of agricultural scientists, including researchers at Penn State, has launched a decision aid that provides an unbiased, science-based interpretation of soil test phosphorus and potassium values for crop fertilization, with an eye toward potentially saving farmers millions of dollars annually while reducing excess nutrient losses to the environment.
During its annual meeting on April 3, the Penn State chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the agricultural honor society, honored faculty and students from the College of Agricultural Sciences.
For third-year Penn State student Cheyenne Bastian-Brown, advocacy for the agriculture industry has become more than a passion. It’s now her professional path. Leveraging her background combined with opportunities and experiences made possible through Penn State — including her role as the 2024 Pennsylvania State Honey Queen — Bastian-Brown is committed to helping the public understand the importance of agriculture in their daily lives and to helping advance agricultural education.
At the inaugural “Pennsylvania Partners for Climate Smart Commodities Summit,” held in February on Penn State’s University Park campus, a diverse group of stakeholders came together to discuss how climate-smart agriculture offers innovative solutions to help farmers adapt and safeguard their livelihoods.
The wide world of insects is open for exploration at the Frost Entomological Museum at Penn State. Visitors to the facilities can get up-close and personal with weird and wonderful creatures from around the world, ranging from Pennsylvania pollinators to fossils or invasive species.
Spring frosts can have devastating effects on apple production, and a warming climate may be causing trees to blossom early, making them more susceptible to the damaging effects of extreme cold events. Growers’ attempts to prevent the flowers from freezing by attempting to heat the canopies of their orchards largely have been inefficient. To deal with the worsening problem, Penn State researchers devised a frost protection cyber-physical system, which makes heating decisions based on real-time temperature and wind-direction data.
For the first time, Penn State students could experience Antarctica’s wonders through an embedded course, “Antarctica: Human Impacts on a Fragile Environment,” offered this past fall.
A team comprised of faculty from five departments in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Biology in the Eberly College of Science, funded by a $262,500 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has created a novel program to train doctoral degree students to conduct interdisciplinary research on the relationship between soils, plants and consumers.
Honey yields in the U.S. have been declining since the 1990s, with honey producers and scientists unsure why, but a new study by Penn State researchers has uncovered clues in the mystery of the missing honey.
A team of Penn State graduate students recently secured first place in the national 2023 Entomology Games, marking the first time a school from the eastern division earned the honor.
