February 29, 2024
To provide residents with a better understanding of local government in Pennsylvania, Penn State Extension will offer the free webinar “What is Pennsylvania Local Government?” from 2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 21, and from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. on Monday, March 25.
February 29, 2024
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.
February 28, 2024
Synthesized from cholesterol in the liver, bile acids long have been known to play a role in human metabolism. A team led by Penn State researchers has uncovered the mechanism by which bacteria in the gut generate a wide variety of new bile acid species, the functions of which are not yet clear.
February 28, 2024
The inaugural lecture, set for 6:30 p.m. March 26 in the Hintz Family Alumni Center at University Park, features a conversation with Sybrina Fulton, racial justice activist and mother of Trayvon Martin, a Black youth whose 2012 death helped spark the early #BlackLivesMatter movement. The lecture is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.
February 28, 2024
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences invites collaborators from within and beyond the University to join it as it embarks on a new initiative focused on leveraging emerging and advanced technologies to support sustainable and resilient agricultural systems and the broader living systems that support them.
February 28, 2024
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.
February 27, 2024
Eleven Penn State student teams using artificial intelligence (AI) for good to solve real-world problems in the areas of health, environment, education and humanitarianism are in the final phase of 2024 Nittany AI Challenge.
February 27, 2024
Penn State Global has announced the 2023-24 recipients of its annual awards that recognize the outstanding contributions of individuals and academic programs at Penn State who have helped to advance the University’s global engagement goals.
February 27, 2024
TerraSafe has established a lab in State College and entered a licensing agreement with Penn State to commercialize sustainable packaging solutions developed by researchers at Penn State. The agreement is based on technologies invented by a research team led by Jeffrey Catchmark, professor of agricultural and biological engineering and of bioethics in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Catchmark and his team have worked for years developing technology that can replace conventionally used materials with those that are significantly more environmentally friendly.
February 26, 2024
Professionals and researchers spanning biorenewables-related industries and research programs are invited to join Penn State’s 2024 Biorenewables Symposium, April 18-19, which is designed to help them gain insights into cutting-edge research, cultivate partnerships and explore pathways within the field of biobased energy, products and materials.
February 26, 2024
Indigenous scholar Tiokasin Ghosthorse will share his extensive knowledge with the community on Mar. 13 in the HUB Flex Theatre and online.
February 22, 2024
Kathleen Keller, professor of nutritional sciences and food science at Penn State, will deliver the 2024 Pattishall Research Lecture on March 20. Her lecture will discuss brain and behavioral factors that drive what, why and how children eat, and how these eating behaviors predict the development of childhood obesity.
February 22, 2024
A team of researchers led by Sara Hermann, assistant professor of arthropod ecology and trophic interactions in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, has developed pest control tools based on chemicals present in interactions between ladybugs and aphids. These tools could offer farmers more sustainable pest-control options.
February 21, 2024
After retiring from a career in special education and staff development, Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward volunteer Cindy Rogers said she “jumped into environmentalism with both feet,” connecting local organizations and building partnerships that focus on water conservation.
February 20, 2024
A new wireless charging device developed by Penn State scientists could dramatically improve powering capability for implantable biomedical devices — like pacemakers, insulin pumps and neurostimulators — while still being safe for our bodies, the researchers said.
February 16, 2024
An often-overlooked water plant that can double its biomass in two days, capture nitrogen from the air — making it a valuable green fertilizer — and be fed to poultry and livestock could serve as life-saving food for humans in the event of a catastrophe or disaster, a new study led by Penn State researchers suggests.
February 15, 2024
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is affecting human lives and the environment. Penn State Extension will explore these impacts during its webinar series, “The War in Ukraine: Impacts on the People, Forests, and Environment,” scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m. Fridays, beginning March 1 and continuing through May 3.
February 13, 2024
Penn State Extension’s horticulture team and partners offered a full day of Spanish language educational sessions during the recent Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention in Hershey. This year marked the 15th anniversary of the Spanish sessions.
February 12, 2024
Supplementing the feed of high-producing dairy cows with the botanical extract capsicum oleoresin, obtained from chili peppers, or a combination of that extract and clove oil resulted in the animals using feed energy more efficiently and emitting less methane from their largest stomach, according to a new study conducted by Penn State researchers.
February 12, 2024
While a stable and predictable profit is an important factor to Pennsylvania farmers considering leasing out their land for solar energy development, it’s not enough on its own, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers.
February 12, 2024
The secret to making delicious chocolate with less added sugar is oat flour, according to a new study by Penn State researchers. In a blind taste test, recently published in the Journal of Food Science, 25% reduced-sugar chocolates made with oat flour were rated equally, and in some cases preferred, to regular chocolate. The findings provide a new option for decreasing chocolate’s sugar content while maintaining its texture and flavor.
February 12, 2024
Researchers at Penn State’s Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness have developed a new framework for assessing the quality of military-to-civilian transitions among post-9/11 veterans. They published their work in the journal Armed Forces and Society.
February 9, 2024
Climate change is evident through catastrophic fires in Canada and out West, deadly heat waves in the South, and floods across the mid-Atlantic. According to organizers of a Feb. 21 Penn State Extension land-use webinar, the impacts of climate change on ecosystems and human systems are already tragic and worsening. This session will explore harnessing photosynthesis for a carbon-negative bioeconomy.
February 8, 2024
For those interested in learning about how beekeeping is practiced in different parts of the world, Penn State Extension is offering a free, seven-week webinar series that will take place from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays from Feb. 15 to March 28.
February 7, 2024
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 12 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
February 7, 2024
Penn State’s “Stories from the Field” conversation series is returning this spring with two new sessions. Topics will include community and economic development work in the changing and diversifying city of Hazelton, as well as helping Pennsylvania’s communities reduce emissions with the Local Climate Action Program.
February 7, 2024
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.
February 7, 2024
Penn State is seeking nominations and candidates for the next dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences.
February 7, 2024
President Neeli Bendapudi shares the story of “Together, Tacit,” an inspiring interdisciplinary research and creative collaboration between the College of Arts and Architecture and the College of Engineering.
February 5, 2024
The annual Global Gallery symposium, hosted by the international agriculture and development dual-title graduate program in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and its student association, will feature the international research efforts of faculty and graduate students.