Sifting through 50 million phone calls for patterns to aid refugees

October 30, 2018

Clio Andris, assistant professor of geography in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, is analyzing a year’s worth of phone calls to find the clues to help address the Syrian refugee crisis in Turkey.

Citizens play a vital role in spotted lanternfly management efforts

October 30, 2018

Citizens are important allies in the fight against the spotted lanternfly, a war that is being waged in 13 counties -- Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia and Schuylkill.

Penn State Mushroom Short Course marks milestone in aiding industry

October 25, 2018

The Penn State Mushroom Short Course recently marked its 60th year of providing mushroom growers with researched-based information and expertise aimed at advancing the industry.

Golf course managers challenged by fungicide-resistant turf grass disease

October 24, 2018

Dollar spot — the most common, troublesome and damaging turfgrass disease plaguing golf courses — is becoming increasingly resistant to fungicides applied to manage it, according to Penn State researchers.

Study of Northeast food system advances understanding of regional potential

October 18, 2018

After seven years of analyzing a number of consumption, distribution, production, and other aspects of the Northeast U.S. food system, researchers from Penn State and 10 other universities and organizations have made significant gains in understanding the extent to which the region can increase production of certain foods, and potentially better meet the food needs of low-income populations in the locations they studied.

Chewing gum may be effective for delivering vitamins

October 9, 2018

Nearly 15 percent of all chewing gum varieties sold promise to provide health-enhancing supplements to users, so Penn State researchers studied whether two vitamin-supplemented products were effective at delivering vitamins to the body. Their results validate the concept of gum as an effective delivery system for at least some vitamins.

Biofilm reactor promises to cut production costs on vitamin K

October 2, 2018

In an innovative study that promises to reduce production costs for the most potent form of vitamin K — Menaquinone-7, Penn State researchers have developed a novel method to enhance the fermentation process that creates the supplement by agitated liquid fermentation in a biofilm reactor.

R&D-heavy firms thrive in diverse economies

September 27, 2018

Entrepreneurs should be aware of where they're building their businesses. New research shows that companies that invest heavily in research and development might be better off locating near dissimilar businesses, while companies that invest less in technology might want to locate near businesses in their own industry.

Climate change not main driver of amphibian decline

September 25, 2018

While a warming climate in recent decades may be a factor in the waning of some local populations of frogs, toads, newts and salamanders, it cannot explain the overall steep decline of amphibians, according to researchers.

Fruit research and extension projects receive funding from industry groups

September 21, 2018

The State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Apple Program recently awarded nearly $233,000 in funding to support new and ongoing fruit research and extension projects in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. The grants will support projects aimed at enhancing pest management, production efficiency and fruit quality.

Andrew Read named director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

September 20, 2018

Andrew Read has been appointed director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State effective Jan. 1, 2019. Read is an Evan Pugh University Professor of Biology and Entomology, Eberly Professor of Biotechnology and director of the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics.

Few hatchery brook trout genes present in Pa. watershed wild fish

September 18, 2018

Despite many decades of annual brook trout stocking in one northcentral Pennsylvania watershed, the wild brook trout populations show few genes from hatchery fish, according to researchers who genotyped about 2,000 brook trout in Loyalsock Creek watershed, a 500-square-mile drainage in Lycoming and Sullivan counties celebrated by anglers for its trout fishing.

Conservation dairy farming could help Pa. meet Chesapeake target

September 13, 2018

If the majority of dairy farms in Pennsylvania fully adopt conservation best-management practices, the state may be able to achieve its total maximum daily load water-quality target for the Chesapeake Bay, according to researchers.

Seed grants to support opioid research announced

September 13, 2018

Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute, in collaboration with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, has awarded over $200,000 in funding to support 10 new interdisciplinary teams of Penn State researchers whose work is aimed at combating the opioid epidemic.

Program combines mobile devices and the outdoors in an unlikely pairing

September 12, 2018

Research combining technology and the outdoors is ‘Transforming Outdoor Places into Learning Spaces’ for children and families.

Rural and urban communities need different policies to boost economic mobility

September 11, 2018

The farther away from a city a person is raised, the more likely they are to climb the economic ladder. Economists also found that community characteristics associated with upward mobility actually have different effects in rural and urban locations.

NSF funds $3 million graduate training program focused on Food-Energy-Water

September 10, 2018

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $3 million grant to an interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers to create a new graduate program that will train students to find solutions to real-world problems facing Food-Energy-Water (FEW) systems.

Soil could filter antibiotics from treated wastewater, protecting groundwater

September 10, 2018

Soil may be a natural filter that can act as a tertiary treatment for wastewater, preventing antibiotics from contaminating groundwater, according to researchers who conducted a study at Penn State's Living Filter.

Faculty invited to apply for Penn State Security Center Fellows Program

August 30, 2018

Penn State’s Center for Security Research and Education (CSRE) invites Penn State faculty to apply for the CSRE Faculty Fellows Program. The deadline for spring 2019 applications is Nov. 1.

Brandywine professors raise awareness about Pennsylvania's newest pest

August 29, 2018

There’s a new insect causing a “buzz” in the northeastern United States — and two Brandywine faculty members have joined a University-wide effort to educate the public.

Farmer Field School addresses food insecurity, gender inequality in Honduras

August 27, 2018

Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are among an interdisciplinary team dedicated to elevating Hondurans — especially women — by teaching them how to diversify their farm operations to improve family diet and income, while advancing gender equality.

Plant virus alters competition between aphid species

August 22, 2018

In the world of plant-feeding insects, who shows up first to the party determines the overall success of the gathering; yet viruses can disrupt these intricate relationships, according to researchers at Penn State.

Saving the Bay

August 20, 2018

Nutrient pollution is a major issue affecting water quality around the world: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency names it “one of America's most widespread, costly and challenging environmental problems.” The Chesapeake Bay, with some 64,000 square miles of land draining into a shallow, narrow body of water just 200 miles long, is in some respects a worst-case scenario. Over the last 10 years, Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has taken a lead role in solving this problem.

Sensational servings: Researcher to explain ice cream and our senses

August 17, 2018

Alyssa Bakke, a staff sensory scientist in the Department of Food Science who has expertise in food choice and consumer behavior, will be speaking at August's Science on Tap event at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 at the Liberty Craft House in State College.

Using mushrooms as a prebiotic may help improve glucose regulation

August 16, 2018

Researchers showed that feeding white button mushrooms to mice changed the composition of gut microbes to produce more short chain fatty acids, specifically propionate from succinate. Previous research has shown that succinate and propionate can change the expression of genes needed to manage glucose production. A better understanding this connection between mushrooms and gut microbes in mice could one day pave the way for new diabetes treatments and prevention strategies for people.

Using social media to solve social problems

August 16, 2018

A National Science Foundation-funded Penn State project will evaluate the accuracy of using Twitter data to represent populations across different demographic groups.

New technology improves CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in mosquitoes, other species

August 9, 2018

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A technology designed to improve CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in mosquitoes and other arthropods succeeds with a high degree of efficiency, while eliminating the need for difficult microinjection of genetic material, according to researchers.

Surviving large carnivores have far-reaching impact

August 8, 2018

Anywhere large-bodied mammalian carnivore species are present, other, smaller carnivores are less likely to occur, according to an international team of researchers that conducted the first global assessment of carnivore interactions using camera trap data.

Well-being of 'left behind' children in Kyrgyzstan focus of study

August 6, 2018

Understanding the economic, health, behavioral and educational effects of labor migration on children is one aspect of a three-year, interdisciplinary research project that is being carried out by researchers in Penn State's Colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Liberal Arts, Earth and Mineral Sciences, Health and Human Development, and Education.

Penn State helps to assemble expert task force to combat spotted lanternfly

August 6, 2018

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences helped to assemble a multistate, interdisciplinary task force of more than 80 university, regulatory and agricultural industry representatives to fight the looming threat presented by the spotted lanternfly.

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