Latest News

May 18, 2026

A new study led by researchers at Penn State explored why some bumble bee larvae become workers and others become queens, despite coming from the same eggs.

May 18, 2026

Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a grant of nearly $309,000 from the U.S. Geological Survey, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, to study the movement and impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in small agricultural watersheds across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

May 12, 2026

An international project led by a Penn State team is helping to identify how community-based bioeconomies in the Brazilian Amazon can support forest conservation while increasing income opportunities for the traditional and Indigenous communities that protect and manage these landscapes. 

May 12, 2026

A Penn State soil scientist has received a $1.6 million, five-year grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to fund her team’s study of how increasing temperature fluctuations impact the biocrust microbiome — the complex, thin-layer microbe community that stabilizes soil, fixes nitrogen and drives nutrient cycling in drylands.

May 12, 2026

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences welcomed a delegation from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, to University Park last week to mark the first anniversary of the World Food Forum Youth Food Lab North America at Penn State partnership and to explore opportunities to deepen collaboration on global agrifood systems, innovation and education.

May 11, 2026

The Penn State Sustainable Labs Program continues to expand its reach across campuses while advancing efforts to reduce the environmental impact of research spaces. The 2025–26 cohort included 20 labs spanning multiple colleges, with seven labs recertifying after participating in the program’s inaugural 2022–23 cohort. The program supports research teams in adopting sustainable practices without compromising scientific discovery, with participation remaining free to all labs.

May 11, 2026

In recognition of Lyme Disease Awareness month, Erika Machtinger, associate professor of entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, offered practical tips on protecting against ticks in this Q&A. 

May 11, 2026

For the first time in more than three decades, a Penn Stater has earned one of science’s most competitive graduate fellowships. Charlie Colvin has been named a 2026 Hertz Fellow.

May 11, 2026

Invasive woody plants present a major ecological challenge in eastern U.S. forests by outcompeting native species and spreading quickly, forming dense thickets that crowd out native plants and disrupt ecosystems. Land managers have tried, with some success, to use prescribed fire to kill them, but is it effective? Researchers at Penn State reported mixed results when it comes to two of the most aggressive colonizers across North American landscapes, burning bush and border privet.

May 6, 2026

Environmental scientists and water resource managers need precise, high-resolution maps to reveal areas that farmers should avoid when planting crops, to limit polluting waters with phosphorus from fertilizer or manure. Making those maps has depended on an expensive, sometimes unavailable technology, but a team led by Penn State researchers has developed a cheaper approach that can be just as effective.

May 6, 2026

Penn State senior Isabel Rivera found her passion through undergraduate geography research that took her from classroom learning and data analysis to fieldwork in South Africa.

May 5, 2026

Too many white-tailed deer are damaging forests in the U.S. by eating young plants before they can grow, limiting forest regeneration and damaging biodiversity. To mitigate this challenge, the Pennsylvania Game Commission implemented an initiative called the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) that helps landowners manage deer populations by allowing hunters to harvest more female deer where they are overabundant.

May 5, 2026

Suat Irmak, professor and head of Penn State’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, received the prestigious Royce J. Tipton Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers at the 2026 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, held April 26-29 in Mobile, Alabama.

May 4, 2026

Legumes like soybeans, alfalfa, peas, beans, peanuts and many more can mutualistically partner with soil bacteria called rhizobia to benefit both organisms. Not just any rhizobia will do, however, as specific rhizobia match with specific plants for the best crop outcome, according to a team led by Penn State researchers, who recently discovered that plant genes strongly influence which rhizobial strains plants chose from a diverse mixture.

April 29, 2026

Thirty-three non-tenure-line faculty will use Opportunity Grants to fund a project of their choosing during the 2026-27 academic year. Opportunity Grants are designed for clinical, teaching, research and professors of practice faculty to receive funding for professional development through a self-proposed project.

April 29, 2026

Tanya Berger-Wolf, professor of computer science engineering; of electrical and computer engineering; and of evolution, ecology and organismal biology at Ohio State University, gave a lecture titled “AI for Nature: From Science to Action" as part of the Distinguished Lectures in Life Sciences series presented by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

April 27, 2026

Two Penn State doctoral students will spend eight weeks in Germany at the headquarters of global biotechnology company QIAGEN. This marks the third year of the program, a partnership between the One Health Microbiome Center and QIAGEN.

April 24, 2026

Leaders from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences joined University, state and local officials to mark the official opening of the Keystone Animal Diagnostic Center at the Penn State Beaver campus in Monaca.

April 23, 2026

When she graduates in May, Katie Rupert will be putting her degree and global experience to use at the Kraft Heinz Co. in Chicago.

April 23, 2026

The security of every nation faces an increasingly severe and frequent threat: disruptions to nature. In this Q&A, Bradley J. Cardinale, Penn State professor of ecosystem science and management, discussed his recent study examining how disrupted ecosystems can lead to increased risk for food security, water availability, health and well-being, as well as crime. 

April 22, 2026

The Penn State Soil Judging Team finished second in the Group Judging category and tied for 10th place overall in the 2026 National Collegiate Soil Judging Contest at North Carolina State University on March 22-27.

April 22, 2026

Three Penn State students, including two from the College of Agricultural Sciences and one from the Smeal College of Business, recently spoke about their global food security projects at a special meeting of the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council.

April 22, 2026

Trichoderma species — a common fungus found in soils — have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State. 

April 20, 2026

In a new study of tropical amphibians, a team led by Penn State biologists found that amphibians in connected natural forests and aquatic habitats were more likely to host beneficial skin microbes that inhibit a deadly fungal pathogen.

April 17, 2026

Long before she led reforestation efforts in her native Lebanon, Maya Nehme was a graduate student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, researching ways to combat invasive species threatening forests. Even then, her vision extended beyond the lab — helping to inspire what would become the college’s international agriculture and development graduate dual-title degree program, known as INTAD.

April 15, 2026

The Penn State Fox Graduate School Alumni Society has announced the recipients of its 2026 alumni awards, recognizing three graduates whose achievements exemplify the values of leadership, service and professional excellence.

April 14, 2026

A team of plant scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $1.96 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund a study of how beneficial plant-bacteria partnerships evolve, persist, and can be harnessed to improve health and agriculture.

April 14, 2026

To meet global demand for American ginseng, the medicinal plant traditionally collected in the forests of Appalachia and traded and used internationally, the plant now is commonly cultivated on forest farms in the U.S. Northeast. But new research has revealed that much of the seed for that agroforestry enterprise is coming from field-based, artificial-shade ginseng farms in Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada — and it may be influencing the genetics of naturally occurring ginseng.