May 19, 2026
Penn State’s Beescape tool is gaining a new feature that allows users to download county-specific lists of pollinator-attractive plants, offering a more localized approach to improving pollinator habitats across Pennsylvania.
May 18, 2026
A new study led by researchers at Penn State explored why some bumble bee larvae become workers and others become queens, despite coming from the same eggs.
May 18, 2026
Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a grant of nearly $309,000 from the U.S. Geological Survey, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, to study the movement and impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in small agricultural watersheds across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
May 14, 2026
As fuel and diesel prices rise, an educator with Penn State Extension offers practical tips to help save farmers money.
May 14, 2026
First-generation college students connect through new program designed to help them network and explore Penn State's resources.
May 12, 2026
An international project led by a Penn State team is helping to identify how community-based bioeconomies in the Brazilian Amazon can support forest conservation while increasing income opportunities for the traditional and Indigenous communities that protect and manage these landscapes.
May 12, 2026
A Penn State soil scientist has received a $1.6 million, five-year grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to fund her team’s study of how increasing temperature fluctuations impact the biocrust microbiome — the complex, thin-layer microbe community that stabilizes soil, fixes nitrogen and drives nutrient cycling in drylands.
May 12, 2026
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences welcomed a delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, to University Park last week to mark the first anniversary of the World Food Forum Youth Food Lab North America at Penn State partnership and to explore opportunities to deepen collaboration on global agrifood systems, innovation and education.
May 11, 2026
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 22 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
May 11, 2026
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences class of 2026 was encouraged to look beyond their own accomplishments and consider the lasting impact they will have on others, as Jim Ingram returned to his alma mater to deliver a commencement address grounded in resilience, mentorship and service.
May 11, 2026
The Penn State Sustainable Labs Program continues to expand its reach across campuses while advancing efforts to reduce the environmental impact of research spaces. The 2025–26 cohort included 20 labs spanning multiple colleges, with seven labs recertifying after participating in the program’s inaugural 2022–23 cohort. The program supports research teams in adopting sustainable practices without compromising scientific discovery, with participation remaining free to all labs.
May 11, 2026
In recognition of Lyme Disease Awareness month, Erika Machtinger, associate professor of entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, offered practical tips on protecting against ticks in this Q&A.
May 11, 2026
For the first time in more than three decades, a Penn Stater has earned one of science’s most competitive graduate fellowships. Charlie Colvin has been named a 2026 Hertz Fellow.
May 11, 2026
Invasive woody plants present a major ecological challenge in eastern U.S. forests by outcompeting native species and spreading quickly, forming dense thickets that crowd out native plants and disrupt ecosystems. Land managers have tried, with some success, to use prescribed fire to kill them, but is it effective? Researchers at Penn State reported mixed results when it comes to two of the most aggressive colonizers across North American landscapes, burning bush and border privet.
May 7, 2026
Nine members of Penn State’s student chapter of the Wildlife Society recently earned honors at the Northeast Section of the Wildlife Society Student Conclave.
May 6, 2026
Individuals interested in understanding forces impacting housing affordability and how it shapes rural communities in Pennsylvania can attend an upcoming webinar from Penn State Extension.
May 6, 2026
As a lifelong nature enthusiast, Erin Crump, of Montgomery County, has spent the past few years volunteering with Penn State Extension’s Master Watershed Steward program, working to establish a native garden at Wissahickon High School in Montgomery County, winning an award in the process.
May 6, 2026
Environmental scientists and water resource managers need precise, high-resolution maps to reveal areas that farmers should avoid when planting crops, to limit polluting waters with phosphorus from fertilizer or manure. Making those maps has depended on an expensive, sometimes unavailable technology, but a team led by Penn State researchers has developed a cheaper approach that can be just as effective.
May 6, 2026
Penn State senior Isabel Rivera found her passion through undergraduate geography research that took her from classroom learning and data analysis to fieldwork in South Africa.
May 5, 2026
Too many white-tailed deer are damaging forests in the U.S. by eating young plants before they can grow, limiting forest regeneration and damaging biodiversity. To mitigate this challenge, the Pennsylvania Game Commission implemented an initiative called the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) that helps landowners manage deer populations by allowing hunters to harvest more female deer where they are overabundant.
May 5, 2026
Suat Irmak, professor and head of Penn State’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, received the prestigious Royce J. Tipton Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers at the 2026 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, held April 26-29 in Mobile, Alabama.
May 4, 2026
Legumes like soybeans, alfalfa, peas, beans, peanuts and many more can mutualistically partner with soil bacteria called rhizobia to benefit both organisms. Not just any rhizobia will do, however, as specific rhizobia match with specific plants for the best crop outcome, according to a team led by Penn State researchers, who recently discovered that plant genes strongly influence which rhizobial strains plants chose from a diverse mixture.
April 30, 2026
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 19 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
April 30, 2026
More than 1,300 large trees were planted across Pennsylvania this spring through a program helping communities overcome the cost and complexity of expanding local tree canopy. Supported by Penn State Extension and the nonprofit TreePennsylvania, the effort helps municipalities plant dozens of trees at a time with volunteer support and reduced expense.
April 29, 2026
The Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences honored four alumni with 2026 Outstanding Alumni awards in a ceremony on April 15 in State College.
April 29, 2026
Thirty-three non-tenure-line faculty will use Opportunity Grants to fund a project of their choosing during the 2026-27 academic year. Opportunity Grants are designed for clinical, teaching, research and professors of practice faculty to receive funding for professional development through a self-proposed project.
April 29, 2026
Anyone interested in preserving food at home can learn food preservation methods and best practices by attending in-person workshops and webinars hosted by Penn State Extension.
April 29, 2026
Members of the public can learn about evidence-based care for individuals with opioid use disorder and barriers to access at a Penn State Extension webinar, “Opioid Use Disorders: Treatments and Challenges” occurring noon to 1 p.m. on May 6.
April 29, 2026
The Coaly Society recently celebrated the organization's 75th anniversary with a student-led effort to update Old Coaly's display in the HUB-Robeson Center.
April 29, 2026
Tanya Berger-Wolf, professor of computer science engineering; of electrical and computer engineering; and of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University, gave a lecture titled “AI for Nature: From Science to Action" as part of the Distinguished Lectures in Life Sciences series presented by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
