November 27, 2024
In conjunction with National Teach Ag Day, undergraduate students in agricultural and extension education in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently put their budding teaching skills to work during a pilot career immersion event for high school students.
November 26, 2024
Ramps, also known as wild leeks, and their unique garlic-onion flavor profile, are a popular foraged seasonal food but that demand could drive overharvesting of the native forest plant. In response to excess harvest worries, an interdisciplinary Penn State research team has studied how to grow and harvest ramps as a potential forest crop since 2017. In their latest study, published in the journal Wild, they characterized ramp habitat for the first time in Pennsylvania, offering guidance for the agroforestry practice known as forest farming.
November 26, 2024
Penn State's Global Teach Ag Network is launching a new program focusing on professional development for teachers in agriculture, thanks to new funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
November 26, 2024
The new Opportunity Grant Professional Development Program awarded its first grants to 51 teaching and clinical non-tenure-line faculty.
November 26, 2024
Able to store carbon to offset emissions and prevent soil degradation and pollution, charcoal-like biochar could offer a sustainable solution to a lot of environmental challenges — if its production can be made greener. Supported by a three-year, $799,883 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, an international team led by researchers at Penn State will address the so-called “dark side” of biochar, assessing the threat of organic contaminant residues in biorefinery char products.
November 25, 2024
Ticks are a nuisance across many areas of the U.S., capable of spreading harmful pathogens to both animals and humans. A new study led by researchers at Penn State analyzed the effectiveness of a simple, inexpensive strategy for controlling ticks that homeowners can use in their backyards.
November 22, 2024
In recognition of Penn State’s impactful contributions to cacao and chocolate research — spanning the improvement of the chocolate tree, the social and ecological impacts of cacao cultivation, chocolate manufacturing and marketing, and health benefits — the government of Ecuador presented the University and its College of Agricultural Sciences with a replica of an ancient ceramic vessel.
November 22, 2024
Pollutants known as “contaminants of emerging concern” or chemicals that could potentially harm human health and have been found in the environment, including pesticides, ingredients from personal care products, pharmaceuticals and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are increasingly found in streams and lakes. A team led by researchers at Penn State recently demonstrated the accuracy and utility of a new method to find even very low levels of these substances in surface waters. They reported their findings in the Science of the Total Environment.
November 21, 2024
The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State, in partnership with the Department of Defense, has launched a new parent-education module specifically designed to support fathers and father figures in building stronger relationships with their children. This module is also a valuable resource for other caregivers who are parenting alongside fathers by providing insights into the unique role fathers play in child development and the parent-child relationship.
November 20, 2024
A two-week food science summer school was hosted by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences this past July, giving undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to learn from experts both internal and external to the University.
November 20, 2024
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 15 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
November 20, 2024
Anyone interested in managing weight while eating satisfying and nutritious foods can learn about a science-based way to accomplish those goals by attending a six-part Penn State Extension series, “The Volumetrics Weigh of Life: Weight Management Plan.” The webinars will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on six consecutive Thursdays from Jan. 16 to Feb. 20, 2025.
November 19, 2024
Penn State Extension Master Gardeners have released a new children’s book designed to educate youngsters about the invasive spotted lanternfly, which has wreaked havoc in landscapes across Pennsylvania and beyond.
November 19, 2024
Two best friends who met as undergrads at Penn State never knew how powerful their friendship could be until they joined together to form a Nittany AI Challenge team. With the continued support of the GeoEd Foundation and the Nittany AI Alliance they are developing Project Green Thumb, an application to help builders, homeowners, landscapers plant and maintain native, eco-friendly landscapes that support wildlife.
November 18, 2024
Phosphorus, a nutrient in soil essential for sustaining most forms of life, is increasingly disappearing from land as it is washed into waterways throughout the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.
November 18, 2024
The J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School at Penn State and Penn State Global have announced the awardees for the Fall 2024 Graduate Student International Travel Grants. Of 39 applications, seven were selected for $1,500 grants to assist them in presenting their research at international conferences outside the United States.
November 18, 2024
A team of researchers from Penn State and the University of California, Irvine, received a one-year grant from the National Institute on Aging to examine how formerly incarcerated individuals form networks upon their release from prison and how such relationships help with navigating reentry into the community.
November 15, 2024
Michael Jacobson, professor of forest resources in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, co-led the second Collaborative Learning School, a year-round virtual networking community of faculty, students and early career professionals that culminates in a two-week summer field workshop with U.S. and African scientists and practitioners. The school, which was held in Uganda last year, is funded by a five-year, $2 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant and is an initiative of the SustainFood Network.
November 14, 2024
Microorganisms — bacteria, viruses and other tiny life forms — may drive biological variation in visible life as much, if not more, than genetic mutations, creating new lineages and even new species of animals and plants, according to Seth Bordenstein, director of Penn State’s One Health Microbiome Center within the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
November 14, 2024
Martin Bucknavage, Penn State Extension senior program specialist for food safety and quality, has been selected to receive a 2024 Volunteer of the Year Award from the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance, established to develop and provide training and outreach to support the U.S Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act.
November 14, 2024
Claudia Schmidt, assistant professor of marketing and local/regional food systems in the College of Agricultural Sciences, received this year’s Northeast Region Excellence in Extension Award for an individual, recognizing Schmidt for her development of a research-based agritourism extension program in Pennsylvania.
November 13, 2024
At Penn State’s award-winning One Health Microbiome Center, faculty and students are collaborating to improve human, agricultural and environmental health. With over 540 members, 125 faculty and 160 graduate students from 42 departments across 10 colleges at Penn State, the center is one of the crown jewels of interdisciplinary excellence in the University's research enterprise.
November 11, 2024
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 15 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
November 8, 2024
Penn State's Sustainable Labs Program, now in its third year, is enhancing sustainability in research labs across the University. The program has expanded to multiple campuses with more than 70 labs and 600 researchers as part of current or past cohorts.
November 6, 2024
A Penn State Extension land-use webinar on Nov. 20 will guide local officials on the ins and outs of implementing “active transportation plans.”
November 5, 2024
The effectiveness of national voluntary programs asking companies to pledge to lower their pollution and greenhouse gas emissions depends on pressure from the public, according to a new study led by a Penn State researcher.
November 5, 2024
Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant nutrition, retired this fall after an innovative and impactful 33-year career in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, focused on conducting research to alleviate world hunger and enhance crop production by subsistence farmers in developing countries.
November 5, 2024
Penn State will be sending its second delegation of students and faculty to COP29, the United Nations’ annual climate meeting, which will be held Baku, Azerbaijan, in November.
November 4, 2024
The Penn State Extension office in Beaver County has relocated to Penn State Beaver campus in Monaca from its previous location on Third Street in Beaver. An open house for the public will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on Nov. 18.
November 1, 2024
In 2014, Jane Cook joined the second-ever training class of Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward volunteers. She was already active in the Monocacy Creek Watershed Association, but since then, she has logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours educating the public and restoring local watersheds.
