Latest News

August 27, 2026

Different cover crops may affect how plants can defend themselves against pests — including attracting more insects that eat harmful caterpillars, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

August 27, 2026

Farmers in West Africa have long used a mixture of traditional plants to reduce fungi in grain storage, but the true impact of this approach was unknown, according to an international team led by Penn State food scientists. Now, that team has found that a formulation made from an evergreen tree called neem, lemongrass, garlic and hot chili plants effectively inhibits the growth of two kinds of Fursarium fungus in corn.

August 25, 2026

With the invasive emerald ash borer beetle decimating black ash across North America, according to the U.S. Forest Service, a team led by Penn State researchers conducted an expansive study of genetic diversity in black ash seeds collected across the tree’s geographic range and stored in seed banks. As part of the research, the team established three large common gardens — experimental plantings — of black ash that someday may play a role in producing seeds needed to bring the species back.

August 20, 2026

While they are on opposite sides of the country, Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York and California’s Pebble Beach Golf Club have at least two things in common. They are both hosting the U.S. Open Golf tournament and they both now seed their greens with a weed that most of the nation’s golf clubs spent decades eradicating.

August 19, 2026

Three Penn State alumni now working at the Institute of Energy and the Environment are using the hands-on experiences, mentorship and technical training they gained as students to advance environmental research.

August 17, 2026

The Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing’s Center for Nursing Research has announced its Research Talks for the 2026-27 academic year. This eight-part virtual series is designed to advance nursing research by fostering collaboration between researchers to bridge the gap between research theory and application.

August 11, 2026

Bumblebees are able to learn to associate new odors with their colony’s queen, instead of being preprogrammed to recognize the queen’s pheromones from birth, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

August 11, 2026

Andrew Patterson has been named the H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Agricultural Sciences at Penn State.

August 7, 2026

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences students Paige Alexander and Ingrid Lara Bordin Fernandes are two of 36 Penn State graduate students recognized in a new round of scholarships from the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School at Penn State.

August 7, 2026

A new program in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is enriching the summer research experience of undergraduate students through shared learning experiences aimed at preparing them for future success in research and beyond.

August 6, 2026

A new $590,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will help fund an ongoing project to survey county governments across the U.S. to better understand the challenges they face in providing services and enacting policies that improve economic growth and well-being in rural communities.

August 4, 2026

Five projects designed to enhance student learning and hands-on learning have received grants from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences through its Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES) program.

August 4, 2026

Vegetable production from soilless farming, a fast-growing segment of modern agriculture, addresses water scarcity, land limitations and food security, but microbial management remains a challenge, according to a team of researchers at Penn State, who conducted a study of bacteria in five soilless farming systems.

August 3, 2026

Penn State’s Ag Progress Days returns with a full schedule of demonstrations, activities and learning experiences highlighting Pennsylvania agriculture. The expo will take place Aug. 11-13 at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs in Ferguson Township, Centre County.

July 29, 2026

Honey from the continental U.S. can’t currently be certified organic due to specific land requirements, but farms in the Northeast may still produce honey that is as low in pesticide residue as imported organic honeys, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State, Cornell University and Auburn University.

July 29, 2026

Composed of cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses, algae, fungi and bacteria, biocrusts play major roles in storing carbon, cycling nitrogen, preventing erosion and supporting ecosystems on Earth's surface. To better understand the status of these complex biological communities, a team led by researchers at Penn State developed a novel approach for assessing the health and function of biocrusts.

July 29, 2026

Penn State graduate student Kehinde “Kenny” Kolapo is finding innovative ways to make a difference for Pennsylvania agriculture and beyond.

July 28, 2026

Researchers in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences are working with the entrepreneur behind the proposed startup of an innovative woody biomass-to-energy facility planned for north central Pennsylvania to determine if the planned operation will be sustainable and ecologically sound.

July 28, 2026

Megan Brown, a senior agricultural and biorenewable systems management major in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, is spending two months in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. She is part of the International Partnership for Responsive Infrastructure using Sustainable Multifunctional Materials, or iPRISM, and is conducting research at the University of Freiburg.

July 28, 2026

Scientists have long wondered whether loud, human-caused noise interferes with wild animals’ cognition — their ability to think and learn — by causing stress, distraction or making it harder for them to focus. The results of a novel study of Eastern bluebirds conducted by a team of researchers at Penn State suggests that, at least in some cases, short-term noise doesn’t affect them much.

July 28, 2026

Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has awarded nine research teams seed funding for 2026-27. These grants support high-impact, innovative research projects that align with the Huck’s strategic research priorities and have the potential to drive scientific breakthroughs and generate significant return on investment.

July 28, 2026

Diets rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids — a type of fat that supports brain function, cell growth and heart health — may help protect honey bees against the toxic effects of pesticides, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State.

July 27, 2026

Through “Shaping AI in Education: A Pennsylvania Listening and Learning Tour,” Penn State faculty, researchers, outreach staff, evaluators and graduate students have convened with K-12 educators and administrators across the commonwealth to share expert insights and spark meaningful conversation about how AI is and could be used in Pennsylvania’s K-12 education landscape.

July 24, 2026

Grace Tiwari, an entomology and international agriculture and development graduate student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been awarded the Future Leaders Fellow Scholarship from the Association of International Agriculture and Rural Development.

July 24, 2026

Penn State researchers will use $2.8 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health’s Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to develop new tools to investigate the genetics underpinning the relationships between mosquitoes and various microbes.

July 22, 2026

Ava Veith doesn’t understand why more athletes, when they finish playing collegiate sports on turfgrass, don’t pursue careers related to taking care of the playing surface that supported their exploits. To her, it’s a natural progression.

July 20, 2026

Severe flooding may contribute to higher mortality rates from opioid use in rural Appalachia, according to a study by researchers at Penn State.

July 20, 2026

Penn State faculty members Erika Ganda, Jasna Kovac and Wenrui Hao have been named Huck chairs by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences in recognition of their research endeavors and track records of service to key Huck units.

July 20, 2026

The Social Science Research Institute’s Community-Engaged Research, Action and Partnerships unit recently awarded six seed grants to support interdisciplinary community-engaged research. 

July 20, 2026

Researchers from Penn State received a $2.8M NIH grant to study how PFAS impact the microorganisms living in the gut microbiome.