July 10, 2017
A grant from the National Science Foundation will enable a Penn State-led team of entomologists to develop and disseminate a technology they say could bring gene-editing capabilities within reach of everyday scientists, regardless of the arthropod species they study. The $2.5 million award is part of NSF's Enabling Discovery through GEnomic Tools (EDGE) program.
July 6, 2017
Ecosystem and bioproduct researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are working with professional sports franchises to make their venues "greener" and reduce the environmental impact of their events.
July 6, 2017
Tara Mondock, Penn State Extension associate director for client relations, was appointed as the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania's Extension Fellow, effective July 1. As the CCAP/Extension Fellow, Mondock will work with the association in Harrisburg, providing expertise to commissioners in the state's 67 counties to enhance the statewide partnership between the association and Penn State, while learning more about county and state agencies and offices.
July 6, 2017
Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences recognized the recipient of the Outstanding Senior Award, as well as Outstanding Students in golf course turfgrass management, forest technology and wildlife technology for the 2016-2017 academic year.
July 5, 2017
The Human Health and the Environment seed grants for 2017 have been awarded to a pool of interdisciplinary researchers at Penn State. These seed grants were funded by eight separate Penn State research entities and institutes which collectively contributed over $500,000. “We had an exceptional pool of proposals from faculty across the university,” Tom Richard, director of the Institutes of Energy and the Environment, said. “The projects address emerging contaminants well as legacy environmental problems that seriously impact human health.”
July 3, 2017
How local municipalities can use an economic development strategy known as "placemaking" will be the topic of a web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension on July 19.
June 29, 2017
Penn State Extension has named Stephen Buchholz, formerly vice president for institutional effectiveness and advancement at Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City, South Dakota, as associate director for business operations. The appointment is part of recently announced changes to Penn State Extension's organizational structure, product development and program delivery.
June 28, 2017
A study conducted by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences showed it is possible for avian and human influenza viruses to infect little brown bats, the most widely spread bat species in North America.
June 27, 2017
Initially, Randall Bock simply wanted to make a rocket for his son’s sixth birthday party. Now Bock, instructor in engineering design and agricultural research assistant, has launched his interest in 3D printing and rockets into first place, winning Stratasys’s Learning Center of Excellence 3D printing competition.
June 26, 2017
Slowed as much by extremely low oil prices as supply-chain and technological challenges, the effort to integrate biofuels into the nation's aviation fuel supply is nonetheless progressing, according to a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
June 22, 2017
The popularity of the craft beer industry has caught the attention of researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, including Greg Roth, who's spearheading research in malting barley -- a key ingredient in craft beer production -- with a goal of helping Pennsylvania farmers benefit.
June 21, 2017
Tina Hennessey and Mark Theiss have been selected to fill executive director positions in Penn State’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations.
June 19, 2017
Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are spearheading a four-year-old collaborative effort to assess the impact of a warming climate on the Eastern red-backed salamander, a creature that lives on or under the forest floor.
June 19, 2017
A compound made from grape skins and grape seeds killed colon cancer stem cells in mice, according to researchers. The study, along with previous studies on the low incidence of colon cancer in populations that tend to eat plants, may also offer clues to the role that foods play in suppressing and treating cancer.
June 15, 2017
Francisco Diaz, associate professor of reproductive biology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, and Pak Kin Wong, professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering, have received a grant through the Grand Challenges Explorations program — an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — to develop a novel approach to contraception.
June 14, 2017
Laszlo Kulcsar, professor of sociology and head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work at Kansas State University, will join Penn State as head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, effective Aug. 1.
June 14, 2017
An entomologist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study and compare how various pest-management regimes affect the health of soils. John Tooker, associate professor of entomology, will lead the project, which is titled "Exploring Soil Health and Pest Management Trade Offs to Maximize Crop Productivity."
June 13, 2017
Penn State Extension educators have developed food-safety training programs to accommodate the cultural norms of plain sect — Amish and Mennonite — farmers.
June 12, 2017
The Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has received the Excellence of Science Award from the U.S. Geological Survey.
June 12, 2017
While Pennsylvania shale gas permits hit an eight-year low in 2016, issues relating to leasing, operations, air quality and royalties have been in the news, and numerous legislative bills and regulatory changes have been proposed to respond to these issues. A web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension will provide a current legislative and regulatory update pertaining to shale energy.
June 9, 2017
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this spring reports that there are eight ongoing outbreaks of Salmonella in 47 states linked to backyard poultry in the United States. As of May 13, 71 people had been hospitalized — 36 percent of those infected are children under the age of 5. Fortunately, no deaths have been reported.
June 9, 2017
Americans drink more than 6 billion gallons of milk per year, and another 10 billion gallons are used to produce cheese, not to mention the milk that goes into products such as ice cream and yogurt. Yet, it's safe to say, most consumers take the wellbeing of dairy cows for granted. But the country's 65,000 dairy farmers don't -- they can't afford to.
June 8, 2017
Pennsylvania state Sen. Judith L. Schwank, D-11th District, will receive the 12th annual Friend of Penn State Legislative Award for the significant role she has played in the continued improvement of Penn State.
June 7, 2017
Melanie Miller Foster, assistant professor of international agriculture in the Office of International Programs, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, received the 2017 Young Professional Award from the Association for International Agriculture and Rural Development.
June 7, 2017
Three individuals have received the 2017 Dr. William Henson Diversity Achievement Award from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, an honor that recognizes distinctive and outstanding teaching, research, extension or creative work that advances diversity in the college.
June 6, 2017
Francis Alvaré, a forest ecosystem management major with a minor in military studies, assisted the National Guard's forestry department in a series of prescribed fires on training facilities as part of an independent study program in the spring of 2017.
June 6, 2017
Recent media reports have suggested that tick populations in Pennsylvania may be particularly high this year, leading to an increased risk of Lyme disease in the state. Although it is unclear whether the number of ticks actually is higher this spring — and if so, why — it nonetheless is always a good idea to take precautions to avoid ticks and the diseases they can transmit, according to entomologists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
June 6, 2017
In keeping with Penn State's recent focus on microbiome research, the University will join the International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research as a sponsoring partner, both organizations announced on June 6. An international, nonprofit consortium of academic institutions, large and small companies, and governmental agencies, the Phytobiomes Alliance was established in 2016 to coordinate public-private research projects on various aspects of agriculturally relevant phytobiomes.
June 4, 2017
A few degrees, on average, can make a huge difference in lakes and streams as aquatic species struggle to compete and in some cases survive, and that's why a warming climate is of concern to fisheries managers.
June 1, 2017
The Department of Food Science in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences recently became the first such department in the country -- and the University became one of just a few academic institutions -- to take the lead for their state in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's GenomeTrakr network.