November 1, 2022
Prescribed fires can reduce wildfire risks and support habitat restoration, but to be successful these policies also require public support. A new study may fill in gaps in understanding public perception toward prescribed burns in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic, where these fires are increasingly used.
November 1, 2022
This month's episode of the "Growing Impact" podcast features Josephine Wee, a food scientist at Penn State with expertise in mycology and fungal biology, whose work with cellular agriculture may provide solutions to some of the challenges of large-scale commercial meat production.
October 31, 2022
The Office of Planning, Assessment, and Institutional Research and the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence have announced the recipients of the 2022 assessment grants. Assessment grants provide funding for activities that support academic learning outcomes assessment at Penn State, including assessment activities and action plans developed as a result of prior assessment findings.
October 31, 2022
Shah Chowdhury graduated from Penn State in 2018 with a degree in environmental economics and policy. He co-founded an organization called Footsteps, was part of the Youth Assembly at the United Nations, was a Diana Award recipient, and was nominated for Forbes "30 Under 30" list for Asia.
October 27, 2022
An international, Penn State-led consortium aims to improve drought risk analysis and management and increase societal resilience in Africa, funded by a three-year, $1.1 million grant from the Belmont Forum.
October 27, 2022
A Penn State microbiologist and the huge collection of bacteria he oversees recently received a four-year, $371,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to be part of a multi-institutional $2.5 million research project aimed at predicting “bacteriophage” resistance from only a genome sequence.
October 26, 2022
PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) persist through wastewater treatment at levels that may impact the long-term feasibility of ‘beneficial reuse of treated wastewater,’ according to a study conducted by researchers at Penn State and recently published in the Agronomy Journal.
October 25, 2022
Lisa Witzig has been appointed director of Penn State’s Center for Security Research and Education. CSRE was created in 2017 to provide an interdisciplinary approach to security-related topics across Penn State and consists of 11 contributing academic and research units from across the University.
October 24, 2022
A UNESCO chair provides opportunities for connection, funding, and program support from UNESCO to create and implement programs on an international level. It is a way to provide opportunities for research to create impact on a broad scale in a short amount of time. Penn State holds the honor of being one of two universities in the United States, along with Universidad de Puerto Rico, that is home to two UNESCO chairs.
October 24, 2022
Food insecurity is a growing problem in certain parts of the world, especially as climate change affects weather conditions around the globe. New research led by Penn State found that a lack of rainfall was associated with the highest risk of food insecurity in Tanzania.
October 21, 2022
Prescribed fire — a tool increasingly used by forest managers and landowners to combat invasive species, improve wildlife habitat and restore ecosystem health — also could play a role in reducing the abundance of ticks and the transmission of disease pathogens they carry, according to a team of scientists.
October 20, 2022
Penn State’s student Soil Judging Team recently captured third place overall in a regional competition, edging out the University of Maryland, to qualify for the national championships next spring.
October 20, 2022
While heavy infestations of spotted lanternfly on grapevines — especially in successive years — can result in their demise, most vines may be able to survive lighter infestations with few ill effects, according to a study by Penn State researchers.
October 20, 2022
Senior Life Sciences Project Scientist Gioia Massa, who conducts space plant biology research at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a focus on growing edible vegetables aboard the International Space Station, recently presented a talk about the extraordinary places her career has taken her.
October 19, 2022
A Penn State entomologist is asking Pennsylvania deer hunters for help with research on biting flies that are active in the fall, which may be vectors of dangerous disease.
October 18, 2022
Penn State grad Shah Rafayat Chowdhury is making a difference across the globe with his organization dedicated to empowering communities by helping them build the right skills and technologies to overcome social challenges.
October 16, 2022
A new exhibit at the Frost Entomological Museum is aimed at cultivating awareness about gall wasps and showcasing their beauty and diversity. The exhibit also highlights current research on these insects by faculty in the Department of Entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
October 13, 2022
"A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence" concluded on June 30, raising more than $2.2 billion for the three key imperatives of a modern land-grant institution: opening the doors of higher education to students from every background; creating transformative experiences for both students and citizens; and impacting the larger world through research, outreach and service. While the nearly $844.5 million raised for the last imperative advanced a wide range of priorities across the University, the campaign focused attention on three opportunities for impact: economic development, resource security, and human health.
October 12, 2022
An upcoming Penn State Extension land-use webinar will focus on “green corridors” and “blue corridors,” terms that describe terrestrial and riparian corridors established to enhance and maintain existing habitats by connecting fragmented and isolated ecosystems. The last several years have seen a significant rise in the number of these corridors.
October 12, 2022
Penn State University Libraries will participate in the 14th annual global observation of Open Access Week, Oct. 24–30, by hosting a virtual panel of Penn State faculty at noon Tuesday, Oct. 25. The panelists will discuss questions related to this year’s theme for Open Access Week, which is “Open for Climate Justice.”
October 11, 2022
Timothy L. Yarrington, Pennsylvania College of Technology’s brewing and fermentation science instructor, will present a free Penn State Extension webinar from 7 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24. “Brewers Guide to Water and Beer Varieties” will explore how to use an existing water source to make a variety of beer styles.
October 11, 2022
With a four-year, $500,000 NSF grant, a Penn State team led by Penn State Associate Professor of Architectural Engineering Julian Wang is developing a new holistic framework to understand the relationship between thermal resilience and sustainable design strategies for buildings and communities.
October 7, 2022
Beth Gugino, professor of plant pathology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named assistant dean for graduate education in the college.
October 6, 2022
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has funded a $750,000 grant for research by a team of Penn State scientists to strengthen infectious disease surveillance, detection, and preparedness by developing an accessible bioinformatics platform and tools for utilization by the CDC’s Laboratory Response Network.
October 6, 2022
A common misconception is that viruses become milder over time as they become endemic within a population. Yet new research, led by Penn State and the University of Sydney, reveals that a virus — called myxoma —that affects rabbits has become more deadly over time. The findings highlight the need for rigorous monitoring of human viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, monkeypox and polio, for increased virulence.
October 5, 2022
At this year’s World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest, the Berkey Creamery earned two first-place awards for its butter pecan ice cream and black raspberry frozen yogurt. It also brought home a third-place trophy in the sharp cheddar category.
October 5, 2022
Research Unplugged is a collaboration between Penn State’s Office of Government and Community Relations and Schlow Centre Region Library. Research talks continue Oct. 6 and will be held from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. each Thursday through Oct. 20. The Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 events will be held in the Schlow Community Room, with the final talk on Oct. 20 happening at the Pasto Agricultural Museum.
October 3, 2022
After more than five years at the helm of Penn State’s Microbiome Center, founding director Carolee Bull has stepped down. Though she will continue serving as department head of plant pathology and environmental microbiology and as a professor of plant pathology and systematic bacteriology at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Bull has handed off leadership of the Microbiome Center to recent Penn State hire Seth Bordentstein.
September 29, 2022
An architectural proposal for disaster relief and emergency assistance that was designed by faculty members from the College of Arts and Architecture and the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State is featured in the Tallinn Architecture Biennale at the Estonian Museum of Architecture in Tallinn, Estonia, through November.
September 28, 2022
When Penn State alum Sara Hricko first came to the University as an undergrad, she had every intention of graduating with a degree in mathematics. But one elective in the College of Agricultural Sciences ending up changing the course of her education, and eventually, her career.
