September 3, 2019
Penn State researchers have been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation in a multi-institutional effort to assist Alaskan coastal Indigenous communities with foreseeable environmental challenges due to global warming.
September 3, 2019
Three Penn State researchers — Rachel Brennan, in the College of Engineering, and Mike Jacobson and Brian Thiede, in the College of Agricultural Sciences — recently received $250,000 in University Strategic Plan seed funding to address global Water-Energy-Food (WEF) challenges.
August 30, 2019
This is the time of year when thousands of students, families and football fans are coming to University Park, and Penn State officials want to make sure those visitors are not transporting the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that is threatening the northeastern U.S., especially southeastern Pennsylvania.
August 30, 2019
Penn State’s newest online certificate combines the study of sensory and consumer science with statistics, with an eye toward preparing students to obtain, analyze and describe product and consumer insight, provide clear recommendations on optimizing the quality of products, and increase the market success of those products.
August 29, 2019
When it comes to using insecticides to control spotted lanternfly populations, homeowners might be tempted to take a “more is better” approach. But that is a flawed — and potentially dangerous — way of thinking, noted a Penn State Extension educator who has been immersed in the spotted lanternfly saga from the start.
August 28, 2019
For many students, there is a class or subject they are nervous to take. Sometimes, however, it is in those classes that a student finds an inspirational teacher — a teacher who makes learning what may be a difficult subject a joy to learn. For alumni Louis Swanson and Carol Gertsch, that subject was statistics, and the teacher was Fern “Bunny” Willits, professor emerita in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education.
August 28, 2019
In 2018, Penn State and Monash University in Melbourne, Australia launched the Joint Collaboration Development Program, a jointly financed seed-fund program with the aim to collaborate on research projects. The first round of seed funding saw 23 projects funded. The two institutions have committed these seed funds for a second year, around the intersection of health and the environment.
August 27, 2019
Stopping the spread of the spotted lanternfly, one of the most destructive pests to hit the U.S. in years, is a priority for Pennsylvania. And it’s a priority at Penn State, too. With hundreds of employees traveling daily to and from the southeastern part of the state — the epicenter of the invasion — University officials want to make sure that employees are not inadvertently transporting the insect to unaffected regions.
August 27, 2019
This summer, the Center for the Agricultural Sciences and a Sustainable Environment at Penn State Berks became "ground zero" for the research of organic and conventional methods to eradicate the spotted lanternfly.
August 26, 2019
More than half of people in the world, including in the United States, live alongside Aedes aegypti — the mosquito that transmits dengue, Zika and other often deadly viruses. Dengue virus, alone, infects nearly 400 million people worldwide each year. To reduce transmission of dengue to humans, scientists have introduced Wolbachia bacteria to A. aegypti mosquitoes. Now a team of international researchers has found that Wolbachia’s ability to block virus transmission may be maintained by natural selection, alleviating concern that this benefit could diminish over time.
August 23, 2019
Three Penn State Extension Master Gardener programs were lauded for excellence during the 2019 International Master Gardener Conference, held this summer at Pennsylvania's Valley Forge Casino Resort and attended by program volunteers from most of the 50 states, Canada, South Korea and England.
August 22, 2019
A family commitment to philanthropy, a career-long dedication to the food industry, and a deeply rooted connection to Penn State serve as inspiration for a newly created graduate fellowship in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
August 21, 2019
Pathogenic bacteria that stubbornly lurk in some apple-packing facilities may be sheltered and protected by harmless bacteria that are known for their ability to form biofilms, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery could lead to development of alternative foodborne-pathogen-control strategies.
August 20, 2019
Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has awarded funding to one individual and two teams to support the development of innovative curricula under the college's Harbaugh Faculty Scholars program.
August 20, 2019
Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences recently recognized recipients of the Outstanding Senior Award and Outstanding Student Awards for the 2018-19 academic year.
August 20, 2019
The George A. and Tina K. Georges Scholarship, which benefits students minoring in poultry and avian science or in animal science, has been created in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.
August 20, 2019
This October, Penn State Teaching and Learning with Technology and the College of Agricultural Sciences will team up for a one-day symposium on digital fluency. Registration for the event is open, and it is free to attend.
August 19, 2019
Could soilborne fungi found nearly everywhere in North America be the kryptonite that can help control the spotted lanternfly? Studies underway in the Philadelphia region -- carried out by scientists from Penn State and Cornell University -- aim to answer that question, with early findings showing promise against what has been described as the worst invasive pest to hit the U.S. since the gypsy moth.
August 16, 2019
Penn State Extension has established a new vector-borne disease team that focuses on diseases transmitted by ticks and mosquitos. To ensure that its efforts address community needs, the team is launching a survey, the results of which will allow extension educators to deliver responsive programming to educate the public on vector-borne diseases, how to prevent them, and how people can protect themselves.
August 14, 2019
Marc Abrams, professor of forest ecology and physiology and Steimer Professor of Agricultural Sciences in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work.
August 14, 2019
Beth Gugino, professor of vegetable pathology in the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, received this year’s Excellence in Extension Award presented by the American Phytopathological Society. This year’s meeting, Plant Health 2019, was held in Cleveland, Ohio, from Aug. 3 to 7.
August 12, 2019
The Penn State Postdoc Society has announced the winner of the 2019 Outstanding Postdoc Award, Molly Hanlon, and the winner of the 2019 Outstanding Postdoc Mentor Award, Klaus Keller.
August 12, 2019
The recent Authentic Plant Pollinator Landscape Research for Educators Workshop at Penn State attracted 13 kindergarten through 12th grade educators from across Pennsylvania and beyond, and it allowed educators to work closely with members of Penn State’s Center for Science and the Schools and Center for Pollinator Research.
August 12, 2019
Despite the buzz in recent years about other invasive insects that pose an even larger threat to agriculture and trees — such as the spotted lanternfly, the stink bug and the emerald ash borer — Penn State researchers have continued to study another damaging pest, the Asian longhorned beetle.
August 12, 2019
"Research to Action: The Science of Drawdown," which takes place from Sept. 16–18, 2019, at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, will feature climate solutions experts from around the globe, including 15 members of the conference's steering committee.
August 7, 2019
Jess Sourbeer, of Pittsburgh, has found her niche in forestry through internships at both Penn State Extension and Architect of the Capitol, the federal agency in charge of maintaining Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
August 6, 2019
In a series of studies, researchers showed that whole genome analysis can provide highly detailed information on pathogens in a timely fashion. The findings could help public officials prepare treatment and prevention options when disease outbreaks threaten the public.
August 5, 2019
From the top of Penn State's indoor rock climbing wall, climbers can enjoy views of Beaver Stadium, Rothrock State Forest and even a sunset over Happy Valley. From the ground, Colin Geary and Nelson DiBiase, biorenewable systems majors in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, saw something different: a sport inspired by nature, using a wall’s worth of plastic.
August 5, 2019
One scientist’s quest to create a replacement for plastics led him to something entirely different—a biofoam that fills traumatic wounds, stops bleeding, and dissolves as the wound heals.
August 1, 2019
It’s turning out to be a difficult year for sheep and goat producers in Pennsylvania. Wet weather has resulted in ideal conditions for internal parasites to flourish in pasture systems, which can lead to infected animals. Producers can learn how to better manage internal parasites at a Penn State Extension workshop titled, “It’s a Wormy Deal,” which will be held at three locations across Pennsylvania in August and September.
