August 3, 2017
A team of Penn State scientists has developed a potential game-changer in the war against bedbugs — a naturally derived, fungal-based pesticide that uses the bugs’ own natural tendencies to humankind’s advantage.
August 2, 2017
David Geiser and Seogchan Kang, professors of plant pathology and environmental biology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, received a grant from the National Science Foundation to perform the first new synthesis of taxonomy for species of the genus Fusarium in the past 30 years.
August 2, 2017
Ailanthus, also called tree-of-heaven, is a voracious invasive plant species that is rapidly affecting more and more forests in the United States, according to plant pathologists. These researchers recently found that Ailanthus not only produces lots of viable seeds, but also that the species produces seeds earlier in its lifespan and keeps producing seeds, in some cases, more than a century later. Recognizing the invasive potential of Ailanthus may help forestry experts control it.
August 1, 2017
Snowshoe hares in Pennsylvania — at the southern end of the species' range — show adaptations in fur color and characteristics, behavior and metabolism, to enable them to survive in less wintry conditions than their far northern relatives, according to a team of researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
July 28, 2017
The Plant Disease Clinic in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences provides clinical diagnoses of plant diseases for Pennsylvania's agricultural producers, gardeners and homeowners.
July 25, 2017
For their senior capstone projects, biological engineering students at Penn State designed possible solutions to real problems in agriculture and the environment.
July 24, 2017
The Student Farm is hosting a free insect identification and biological soil health workshop on Saturday, Aug. 5 from 9 to 11 a.m. The workshop will led by Dr. Mary Barbercheck, professor of entomology, Penn State.
July 20, 2017
A team led by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has received a nearly $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct a three-year study of a new flexible strategy to ramp up installation of riparian buffers.
July 20, 2017
Pigs have gut bacterial profiles and immune systems similar to humans. Using a pig model, in addition to mice models, may help minimize the failure rate of drugs for diseases linked to high-calorie diets, such as colon cancer and type 2 diabetes, say researchers.
July 20, 2017
Vast swaths of Pennsylvania forests were clear-cut circa 1900 and regrowth has largely been from local native plant communities, but a team of researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has found that invasive, non-native plants are making significant inroads with unconventional natural gas development.
July 19, 2017
Ice cream with higher fat amounts are typically called "premium" ice creams. However, Penn State researchers found that most people can't tell the difference between ice creams with certain levels of fat. The findings may help ice cream producers and entrepreneurs make recipes that are tasty, but less expensive.
July 17, 2017
There is considerable uncertainty surrounding emerging contaminants in aquatic ecosystems and groundwater, and a recent Penn State study of compounds from pharmaceuticals and personal care products didn't add much clarity. But it did provide insight into the transport of the chemicals, according to researchers in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
July 17, 2017
Guangqing Chi, associate professor of rural sociology and demography and public health sciences in Penn State's Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education and director of the Computational and Spatial Analysis (CSA) Core in the Social Science Research Institute, and his team have collected over 30 terabytes of geo-tagged tweets over the last four years.
July 11, 2017
Three teams of food science students from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences came out on top in national product-development competitions and a trivia bowl in June.
July 11, 2017
Susan Watson is a staple at the Penn State Berkey Creamery tent at the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. She has been running, staffing and supervising the tent's operations for nearly 30 years.
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.
