Latest News

October 28, 2026

Joe Louis, head of Penn State's Department of Plant Science, has been named the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Plant Stress Biology.

October 27, 2026

Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences are set to receive more than $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

October 22, 2026

Microgreens are nutritional powerhouses. A team of plant scientists at Penn State conducting research on multiple microgreens aspects recently published three studies reporting progress on multiple fronts, including iron enrichment, productive indoor growth and a faux lightning technique that could improve microgreens growth, yield and nutritional quality.

October 20, 2026

To most consumers, canned food is an everyday convenience, but to John Coupland, professor of food science at Penn State, each can represents more than two centuries of invention, experimentation and problem-solving.

October 19, 2026

Adam Schellhammer, the Mid-Atlantic regional director for American Rivers, will give the talk “Rivers at the center of change: Building resiliency in the Mid-Atlantic” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 26, in 112 Walker Building on the University Park campus. The talk also will be available via Zoom.

October 19, 2026

Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) has welcomed five new co-funded faculty members, further strengthening its mission of advancing interdisciplinary social and behavioral science across the University.

October 16, 2026

Experts from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences discussed how technology can be used to track outbreaks and pathogens, as well as the work happening at Penn State to help keep the food supply safe.

October 16, 2026

Sarah Flanagan, a doctoral student in plant science and food security, has been involved with the World Food Prize Foundation and its mission of world food security since high school. Now, she is set to return for the Norman E. Borlaug Dialogue, Oct. 20-22.

October 16, 2026

A team led by researchers at Penn State have shown how AI agents, guided by human expertise, can extract and organize experimental data from scientific literature into a searchable database that helps reveal previously unreported relationships in food science.

October 15, 2026

Graduate students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences contributed to the first complete genome sequence of a harmful plant pathogen from an ornamental Prunus host through an active-learning activity in a plant disease diagnosis course.

October 12, 2026

Modified lentil protein can act like fat in non-fat foods, especially yogurt, delivering creaminess and richness, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

October 8, 2026

Adding plant biomass to manure may improve the profitability of the farming process that mitigates greenhouse gas emissions while producing renewable energy, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers.

October 7, 2026

Penn State and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture broke ground Oct. 5 on a nearly 46,000-square-foot, two-story addition to the University’s Animal Diagnostic Laboratory at University Park, a project that will expand the laboratory’s capacity to provide critical diagnostic services, respond to emerging animal health threats, and support Pennsylvania’s livestock and poultry industries.

October 7, 2026

A team led by Nancy and John Steimer Professor of Agricultural Sciences Associate Professor of Entomology Margarita M. López-Uribe and Ruben D. Martín-Rojas, a doctoral student in the Department of Entomology, compiled a checklist documenting the bee species in Colombia — the first of its kind for any country in the Western Hemisphere.

October 6, 2026

Historically, wildfire research has focused on the western United States. However, changing climate conditions, increasing drought severity and dense development patterns are rapidly altering wildfire risk across the Eastern United States. Penn State hosted the Eastern Wildfire Forum in September to address the growing challenge of wildfire in the commonwealth and across the Eastern United States.

October 5, 2026

Kara Fikrig, assistant professor of entomology at Penn State, will deliver the talk “Understanding the Distribution of Invasive Mosquitoes Across the Landscape — And the Human Role in Shaping It” at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 9 in 112 Walker Building at University Park and via Zoom. Fikrig will discuss how human activity and environmental change are shaping the spread of invasive mosquitoes in the Peruvian Amazon and efforts to reduce related health risks.

October 2, 2026

Pennsylvania legislators, agricultural advocates and industry leaders got a firsthand look at how Penn State research is helping shape the future of agriculture during a recent tour of research and innovation at University Park.

September 30, 2026

The new faculty bring expertise in climate-related extreme weather, membrane development, water quality management and battery improvements.

September 30, 2026

Two Penn State scientists are part of a national research team recognized with the 2026 agInnovation Excellence in Multistate Research Award for work aimed at improving reproductive performance in cattle and sheep — a challenge that costs U.S. livestock producers billions of dollars each year.

September 29, 2026

Penn State’s microbiome sciences dual-title doctoral program has reached a milestone with the graduation of its first student. The program is the first doctoral degree program worldwide focused specifically on microbiome sciences, which involve studying communities of microorganisms and their interactions in and with a particular environment.

September 28, 2026

Luyi Han, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education at Penn State, will give the talk “Local food prices, SNAP purchasing power, and food insecurity,” at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 14, in 157 Hosler Building on Penn State’s University Park campus.

September 28, 2026

Luyi Han, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education at Penn State, will give the talk “Local food prices, SNAP purchasing power, and food insecurity,” at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 7, in 157 Hosler Building on Penn State’s University Park campus.

September 25, 2026

Researchers at Penn State have found that feeding broiler chickens an antibiotic, probiotic or essential oils did not significantly affect overall diversity of antimicrobial resistance genes. Instead, the chickens’ age had a much stronger effect on the resistome — the collection of antimicrobial resistance genes — as the birds grew.

September 24, 2026

With an estimated 36% of people in the United States having some degree of lactose intolerance, an expanded market niche may be available for lactose-free or reduced-lactose ice cream — especially as those with lactose intolerance may be willing to pay more for such products, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State and the University of Wisconsin.

September 23, 2026

Millions of pounds of nutrient-rich ice cream go to waste each year, but there may be an economical way to recover and recycle the fat content for other applications, like pharmaceuticals or cosmetics, according to researchers at Penn State.

September 22, 2026

Shotaro Nakamura, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education at Penn State, will give the talk “Monetary and non-monetary barriers to accessing environmental public benefit programs: experimental evidence from California,” at noon on Friday, Sept. 25, in 157 Hosler Building on Penn State’s University Park campus.

September 17, 2026

Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT), part of Penn State University Libraries, has named 21 recipients of the 2026 Faculty Engagement Awards with this year’s theme, “Teaching with AI Glasses: Augmented Reality for Real-Time Learning.”

September 17, 2026

The One Health Microbiome Center recognized five Penn State researchers and trainees with its 2026 awards for contributions to microbiome science, leadership, community engagement, creativity, research and mentorship.

September 17, 2026

Kashish Verma, a student in the agricultural and environmental plant science doctoral program in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named a Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Fellow for 2026-29.