Agricultural engineers design early step for robotic, green-fruit thinning

July 18, 2022

Penn State agricultural engineers have developed, for the first time, a prototype “end-effector” capable of deftly removing unwanted apples from trees — the first step toward robotic, green-fruit thinning.

International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health, Policy slated for 2023

July 12, 2022

Online registration and submission of abstracts now are open for the fifth International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy, which is scheduled for June 3-6, 2023, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center on the University Park campus.

Researcher gets grant to study biofilters to reduce livestock facility methane

July 11, 2022

A scientist in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lead a team conducting research on using biofilters to mitigate methane from enteric emissions produced in livestock facilities.

Above-ground microbial communities that quell plant diseases can be developed

July 11, 2022

Microbial communities naturally living on the leaves and stems of tomato plants can be manipulated to suppress diseases that reduce productivity, according to Penn State researchers, offering hope that growers someday can apply these mixtures of bacteria and fungi to protect plants and improve harvests.

Penn State scientists examine the effects of child maltreatment on survivors

July 1, 2022

Benjamin Bayly, assistant professor in family studies, child and youth development in the College of Agricultural Sciences, led a study examining how different types of childhood maltreatment were associated with depressive symptoms and heavy episodic drinking between the ages of 14 and 30.

Secrets of reptile and amphibian aging revealed

June 23, 2022

An international team of 114 scientists, led by Penn State and Northeastern Illinois University, reports the most comprehensive study of aging and longevity to date comprising data collected in the wild from 107 populations of 77 species of reptiles and amphibians worldwide.

Tourism activity collapse during COVID-19 benefited rural hospitality employment

June 17, 2022

While the COVID-19 pandemic delivered a massive economic blow to the U.S. tourism sector, some rural communities benefited from the crisis in terms of employment gains, according to a team of researchers from Penn State and West Virginia University. Their study is the first to document the pandemic's economic impact on tourism in the U.S. at the county level.

Plant pathology grad student receives NSF fellowship to study grapevine disease

June 13, 2022

A graduate student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a three-year Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation, valued at more than $100,000, to study how climate change is affecting diseases that rot grapes.

Managing habitat for flowering plants may mitigate climate effects on bee health

June 1, 2022

Warm, wet weather conditions and changing climate negatively influence the nectar intake and nutritional health of honey bees, but maintaining large tracts of grassy natural habitat with flowering plants around apiaries may help to mitigate the detrimental effects of climate, according to a new study by an international team of researchers.

SSRI funding boosts interdisciplinary research

May 31, 2022

Three Penn State research teams were recently awarded Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) pilot funding to foster interdisciplinary research that addresses human and social problems. The large pilot awards enable the development of new collaborations to pursue novel and high impact research in preparation of securing extramural funding.

Seth Bordenstein named director of the Penn State Microbiome Center

May 26, 2022

Seth Bordenstein, Centennial Endowed Professor of Biological Sciences; professor of biological sciences and pathology, microbiology and immunology; associate director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Infection, Immunology and Inflammation; and director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Vanderbilt University, will take the reins of the Penn State Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences in the fall of 2022. 

USDA grant to aid Penn State scientists in exploring postharvest fruit rot

May 26, 2022

Scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant of nearly $313,000 to study the effects of postharvest fruit decay.  

College of Engineering Research Symposium announces 2022 winners

May 20, 2022

The Penn State Engineering Graduate Student Council hosted its annual College of Engineering Research Symposium on April 6 at the Hyatt Place in downtown State College. 

Ethnobotanist gets grant to improve conservation of Pa. medicinal, edible plant

May 18, 2022

Eric Burkhart, associate teaching professor of ecosystem science and management, has received a $31,600 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to study and compile wild plant use by foragers in the state.

Internet-based precision irrigation system shows promise for fresh-market tomato

May 17, 2022

An “internet of things” — or IoT — system monitoring real-time data from soil-based sensors to activate an automated precision irrigation setup can conserve water and boost crop production, according to a team of Penn State researchers.

Existing technologies can help world meet agricultural methane targets by 2030

May 10, 2022

Amid the frequent bad news about climate change, some potentially good news has emerged: Existing technologies, diligently applied, could enable the world to meet the target set for reducing agricultural methane emissions by 2030, say researchers.

Future of deer management clouded by coming steep decline in hunter numbers

May 10, 2022

Because so many deer hunters are aging out of the sport — and new hunters are not being recruited to replace them — deer management strategies will need to change to manage populations of whitetails in many states, according to Penn State's Duane Diefenbach, one of the leading white-tailed deer researchers in the country.

Penn State to host national energy and sustainability extension conference

May 6, 2022

Extension natural resources, energy and sustainability professionals from around the country will converge on Penn State's University Park campus May 15-18 for the joint 2022 National Extension Energy Summit and National Sustainability Summit. Hosted by Penn State Extension at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, the event is open to all who have professional interest in learning more about current best practices around sustainability and climate solutions.

Microbiologists get grant to study biofilms guarding foodborne pathogen Listeria

April 29, 2022

Microbiologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a $605,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study how microbial biofilms protect Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium that causes the deadly foodborne illness listeriosis. 

New plant science team gets grants from USDA-NIFA for research on soil microbes

April 28, 2022

An assistant professor in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received $950,000 in two competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lead a team studying interactions between plants and rhizobial soil bacteria, with the long-term goal of boosting forage and crop production while reducing environmental impacts of fertilizer use.

Five Penn State engineering students receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

April 27, 2022

The National Science Foundation has selected five current Penn State College of Engineering students as 2022 awardees for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program and one College of Engineering student for an honorable mention.   

Six Penn State engineering students receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

April 27, 2022

The National Science Foundation has selected six current Penn State College of Engineering students as 2022 awardees for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program and one College of Engineering student for an honorable mention.   

Penn State engineering students receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

April 27, 2022

The National Science Foundation has selected five current Penn State College of Engineering students as 2022 awardees for the Graduate Research Fellowship Program and one College of Engineering student for an honorable mention.   

Energy, environmental seed grants awarded to 21 interdisciplinary teams

April 26, 2022

The Institutes of Energy and the Environment awarded seed grants to 21 groups of interdisciplinary researchers for the 2021–22 cycle.

SAFES seed funding boosts agricultural research data capabilities

April 25, 2022

Four research teams in the College of Agricultural Sciences have tapped in to the computing and software engineering expertise at the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences' Research Innovations with Scientists and Engineers (RISE) team. Agricultural Sciences faculty are invited to apply for the 2022 SAFES-RISE Seed Grant Program; applications are due May 10.

Novel study of small fish in Icelandic waters sheds new light on adaptive change

April 25, 2022

Innovative research showing that populations of a small fish that live in both Iceland’s lakes and marine waters, respond more quickly and differently to predators after they invade freshwater lakes, demonstrating how some animals can adapt rapidly to changes in their environments and may be able to adapt to climate change.

Water researcher Joan Rose to present talk on waterborne diseases April 28

April 25, 2022

Joan Rose, Homer Nowlin Chair in Water Research at Michigan State University, will present “At the Intersection of Science and Technology Addressing Water Quality and Health” on April 28 as part of the Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science Distinguished Speaker Series.

Adding high-flavonoid corn to broiler chickens’ diet may cut intestinal disease

April 21, 2022

The inclusion of a high-flavonoid corn, developed by a Penn State maize geneticist, in the diet of broiler chickens reduced the incidence and severity of a fatal intestinal disorder known as necrotic enteritis.

Getting to the root of corn domestication; knowledge may help plant breeders

April 18, 2022

A unique confluence of archeology, molecular genetics and serendipity guided a collaboration of Mexican and Penn State researchers to a deeper understanding of how modern corn was domesticated from teosinte, a perennial grass native to Mexico and Central America, more than 5,000 years ago.

Plant scientist gets grant to study how climate change will affect forage crops

April 14, 2022

A Penn State plant scientist has received a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lead a team studying how changes in temperature associated with climate change affect the establishment, persistence and performance of perennial forage crops and their associated weedy plant communities in the U.S. Northeast.  

Office for Research and Graduate Education

Address

217 Agricultural Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802-2600

Office for Research and Graduate Education

Address

217 Agricultural Administration Building
University Park, PA 16802-2600