May 13, 2020
For many of us, especially older adults, one of the biggest challenges of COVID-19 is coping with the isolation that can result from social distancing. Matt Kaplan, an expert on intergenerational engagement, talks about how to connect—and why we should—even when we can't get together in person.
May 11, 2020
The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted supply chains and sickened many workers in meat-processing plants across the country, resulting in a reduced selection in grocery store meat cases. Consumers living in or near rural areas instead may look to local farms that raise meat-producing animals.
May 11, 2020
Three Pennsylvania communities are working to develop youth leadership, enhance local food systems and create healthier populations through a project led by Penn State Extension and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
May 11, 2020
Here is a bit of sweet news — the Penn State Berkey Creamery is reopening today (May 11) for same-day, curbside pickup.
May 10, 2020
Assessing the potential spread of the spotted lanternfly in the Altoona area is the focus of a study underway by scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
May 8, 2020
Smeal's supply chain and information systems experts have provided invaluable contributions to state and national COVID-19 response efforts.
May 8, 2020
When Kaylee Kishbaugh arrived at Penn State four years ago, she didn’t even know what prosciutto was, let alone that it could be made from duck. But now, looking back over her undergraduate experience and looking ahead to her career, she realizes the odd meat product was pivotal for her.
May 7, 2020
With thousands of people out of work due to the COVID-19 crisis — and food banks working tirelessly to feed an ever-growing number of hungry families — Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is doing its part to fill empty shelves and refrigerators.
May 6, 2020
Gabriella Pinto provides a great example of what undergraduate research can do for a student. The Penn State food science major, who graduates this month, is headed for a good job armed with a wealth of experience and knowledge from her research, which gives her a leg up on her career.
May 6, 2020
Researchers in Penn State’s College of Engineering, College of Agricultural Sciences and College of Medicine say direct LTP treatment and plasma-activated media are effective treatments against bacteria found in liquid cultures and have devised a way to create plasma directly in liquids.
May 6, 2020
The Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, in conjunction with several Penn State colleges, awarded more than $725,000 in seed grants to fund 32 new computational and data sciences projects. The 57 researchers involved in the awards represent 12 Penn State colleges and 31 academic departments.
May 5, 2020
By manipulating the expression of one gene, geneticists can induce a form of “stress memory” in plants that is inherited by some progeny, giving them the potential for more vigorous, hardy and productive growth, according to Penn State researchers, who suggest the discovery has significant implications for plant breeding.
May 4, 2020
Penn State Extension is extending its free online courses offer through May 10.
May 4, 2020
Wide-scale use of insecticide-treated bed nets has led to substantial declines in global incidences of malaria in recent years. As a result, mosquitos have been shifting their biting times to earlier in the evening and later in the morning. In a new study, an international team of researchers has found that mosquitoes are most likely to transmit malaria in the early evening, when people are exposed, then at midnight, when people are protected by bed nets, or in the morning. The findings may have implications for malaria prevention initiatives.
May 4, 2020
If warming continues unabated in the Midwest, in 50 years we can expect the best conditions for corn and soybean production to have shifted from Iowa and Illinois to Minnesota and the Dakotas, according to Penn State researchers.
May 1, 2020
A new online newsletter offered by Penn State Extension will give readers “the scoop” on the spotted lanternfly.
May 1, 2020
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is staying connected to alumni during the COVID-19 pandemic by moving its monthly Alumni Society board meetings and other alumni activities online.
May 1, 2020
A $450,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Peanut Research will aid researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences as they explore the potential to empower women farmers in northern Ghana through peanut production.
April 29, 2020
The deadline for farmers in Lancaster, York, Franklin and Adams counties to respond to a survey documenting conservation practices installed on their farms has been extended for a second time due to challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 28, 2020
Trees, shrubs and woody vines are among the top food sources for honey bees in urban environments, according to an international team of researchers. By using honey bees housed in rooftop apiaries in Philadelphia, the researchers identified the plant species from which the honey bees collected most of their food, and tracked how these food resources changed from spring to fall. The findings may be useful to homeowners, beekeepers and urban land managers who wish to sustain honey bees and other bee and pollinator species.
April 28, 2020
Even before the recent news of the season’s first confirmed spotted lanternfly hatches in the Philadelphia region, homeowners in many parts of Pennsylvania were gearing up for their annual battle with the destructive pest.
April 27, 2020
In-person, nonessential events and programs sponsored by Penn State Extension through at least June 19 have been cancelled, postponed or moved to a virtual format due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic, the organization has affirmed.
April 27, 2020
In the most detailed study to date of epidemic spread, an international team of researchers has modeled measles dynamics based on over 40 years of data collected in England and Wales.
April 24, 2020
Penn State Extension will present a town hall-style, web-based seminar on May 7 to assist Pennsylvania agricultural stakeholders who rely on the H-2A visa program for temporary workers to operate their businesses.
April 24, 2020
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Is the novel coronavirus spread by food? As the extreme contagiousness of COVID-19 has become clear, that question has been asked over and over. The answer, according to food safety experts in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, is that there is no evidence that it can be spread via food or food packaging.
April 24, 2020
At a time when individuals should be supporting each other, there are those unscrupulous few who will seize the opportunity to take advantage of others. A Penn State Extension educator offers tips on how to avoid scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 24, 2020
Penn State Extension is hosting free webinars aimed at helping farmers and small business owners, including sole proprietors, understand the Paycheck Protection Program, a loan program designed to help businesses keep their workforce employed during the COVID-19 crisis.
April 23, 2020
In response to a sharp reduction in the demand for milk due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has disrupted supply chains, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has issued emergency guidance that allows dairy farmers to discharge milk on their land.
April 23, 2020
Penn State’s PROmoting School-community-university Partnerships to Enhance Resilience (PROSPER) project is continuing to connect and engage Pennsylvania families and keep schools informed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 23, 2020
Whiteflies are among the most important agricultural pests in the world, yet they have been difficult to genetically manipulate and control, in part, because of their small size. An international team of researchers has overcome this roadblock by developing a CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing protocol that could lead to novel control methods for this devastating pest.
