March 8, 2017
With global, interdisciplinary coursework and a robust study-abroad program, the international agriculture minor is attracting students from a wide range of majors.
March 7, 2017
A webinar on how communities can help their residents better understand and manage natural gas pipeline activity and impacts will be the topic of a Web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension.
March 7, 2017
The findings of studies on how the values of residential property near shale gas/oil extraction sites have changed will be the topic of a web-based seminar to be presented by Penn State Extension.
March 6, 2017
Penn State Extension, with funding from the state Department of Agriculture, has created a “fun,” hands-on, interactive curriculum to address the threat of invasive species, to be offered through its Pennsylvania 4-H youth program.
March 3, 2017
Brian Thiede, assistant professor of rural sociology, received the 2016-17 Roy C. Buck Faculty Award for his paper, "Climate variability and inter-provincial migration in South America, 1970-2011."
March 2, 2017
A core set of genes involved in the responses of honey bees to multiple diseases caused by viruses and parasites has been identified by an international team of researchers. The findings provide a better-defined starting point for future studies of honey-bee health, and may help scientists and beekeepers breed honey bees that are more resilient to stress.
March 2, 2017
The head of Penn State’s Department of Entomology is among a coalition that includes top scientists from 11 research universities in Washington, D.C, today (March 2) calling for stronger federal support of the food and agricultural sciences.
March 1, 2017
Because of a new narrative of stewardship, Pennsylvania farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed will be persuaded to look at conservation not as something they have to do but rather something they want to do.
February 28, 2017
The Student Farm Club at Penn State is partnering with Housing and Food Services as part of National Nutrition Month to host a hydroponic lettuce tasting event, “Expand Your Salad Palate,” in Redifer Dining Commons, South Halls, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on March 13. The Student Farm Club invites all students, faculty, staff and community members to join them to taste a delicious variety of hydroponic lettuce grown by club members and learn about the nutritional benefits of eating a diversity of fresh, locally grown greens.
February 28, 2017
David Eissenstat, professor of ecosystem management and woody plant physiology in the College of Agricultural Sciences and chair of the Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology at Penn State was awarded the Jessie C. Black Award for Excellence in Research.
February 28, 2017
Hundreds of landowners, natural resource professionals and conservationists interested in forests will gather at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona March 24-25 to learn how to better care for their woodlands.
February 28, 2017
Penn State Extension’s Centre County Master Gardeners will host a Home Gardening School from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 18 at the Forest Resources Building on Penn State’s University Park campus. The Home Gardening School will feature a full day of presentations for both beginning and experienced gardeners.
February 28, 2017
Penn State has once again been recognized among the nation's top producers of Peace Corps volunteers. With 50 undergraduate alumni serving overseas and working in fields such as agriculture, education, environment, health, community economic development and youth development, the University is No. 8 on the Peace Corps' 2017 rankings of colleges and universities in the large school category.
February 23, 2017
New construction and renovations are giving a boost to Penn State research and extension programming related to mushrooms, one of Pennsylvania's top agricultural crops.
February 22, 2017
"Food production must double by 2050 to feed the world's growing population." This truism has been repeated so often in recent years that it has become widely accepted among academics, policymakers and farmers, but now researchers are challenging this assertion and suggesting a new vision for the future of agriculture.
February 21, 2017
Blannie E. Bowen, Penn State’s vice provost for academic affairs, is retiring on June 30, after nearly 30 years in leadership positions with the University.
February 21, 2017
Starting in fall 2017, Penn State will launch a new program for students who are interested in helping the cities of today support the world of tomorrow. Study Away Pittsburgh is a 15-credit residential program that provides students with an immersive urban experience while taking classes in person and online. Four information sessions will be held Feb. 23 in the HUB-Robeson Center for students interested in learning more.
February 20, 2017
Africa and agroforestry -- defined as agriculture that incorporates the cultivation and conservation of trees -- are in Penn State professor Michael Jacobson's blood, and the combination has helped shape his career. In turn, the forest economist has played an important role in launching a tree-based biofuel initiative that has major implications for the continent and its millions of subsistence farmers.
February 20, 2017
Researchers at the Justice Center, located in Penn State's College of the Liberal Arts, are exploring multiple options to combat the increasing rates of drug use. One current project is looking to identify distribution networks for illegal and prescription painkillers (opioids) using data from both the Pennsylvania State Police and individual communities, while another project will investigate ways to disrupt the flow of opioids through targeted police action, public outreach, and community partnerships.
February 20, 2017
Penn State Cancer Institute has appointed Jeffrey M. Peters, distinguished professor of molecular toxicology and carcinogenesis in the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State, as its new deputy director, following a national search. As deputy director, Peters will catalyze collaborations among cancer researchers across Penn State’s colleges and campuses and help lead the Cancer Institute’s application for National Cancer Institute designation in 2018.
February 20, 2017
Panelists will share their research in three panel discussions for the Black History Month PSU Scholar’s Program, highlighting scholarship by Penn State faculty members of African descent, this week on Feb. 21 and 22 in Foster Auditorium of Pattee Library on the University Park campus.
February 18, 2017
What looks like a caterpillar chewing on a leaf or a beetle consuming fruit is likely a three-way battle that benefits most, if not all of the players involved, according to a Penn State entomologist.
February 17, 2017
A program developed by Penn State food scientists is training students in Armenia on food safety practices and procedures, with an eye toward improving the safety of the country's food supply chain — from crop production and processing to packaging, handling, marketing and consumption.
February 16, 2017
Pennsylvania produce growers, food processors and animal feed producers preparing to comply with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) can provide Penn State Extension with input -- via an anonymous survey -- that will help guide the development of relevant educational resources. FSMA establishes regulatory practices that produce farmers, food processors and feed manufacturers must adopt to prevent contamination of fresh produce, processed and manufactured human foods, and animal feeds.
February 16, 2017
Sara Getson came to Penn State and developed an unexpected academic passion — fungi.
February 15, 2017
“Urban agriculture” isn’t a well-known concept, but Sara Touey plans to change that. Touey, a Community, Environment, and Development major in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences interned at the Penn State Center in Philadelphia, studying urban farming.
February 15, 2017
Sheep and meat-goat producers looking for information on how to make their livestock enterprises more profitable can take advantage of two workshops offered by Penn State Extension this winter.
February 14, 2017
Penn State Student Farm Club members recently partnered with the region’s sustainable agriculture community by organizing over 30 hours of educational programming about sustainability for elementary school children. The activity was part of the recent Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s annual conference. Children in kindergarten through fifth grade had the opportunity to learn about protecting the environment, sustainable energy, and nutrition through activities including interactive games, crafts and discussions.
February 13, 2017
WPSU Penn State’s “Women in Science Profiles” features five local women working in STEM-related professions. The series aims to inspire young women to enter STEM-related fields while dispelling misconceptions about STEM professionals and their lives.
February 10, 2017
David Eissenstat, professor of woody plant physiology in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State, has been elected as a Fellow of the Ecological Society of America.