Latest News

January 9, 2025

In the next Virtual Speaker Series from the Penn State Alumni Association, David Hughes, Huck Chair in Global Food Security at Penn State, will discuss PlantVillage, an AI-enabled "land grant in a phone" that uses data sharing to help smallholder farmers across Africa, Asia and the Americas adapt to climate change. This free event will be held on Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. on Jan. 21. Registration is open now.

January 8, 2025

The invasive emerald ash borer, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was first found in the United States in southeast Michigan in 2002. In the decades since, the wood-boring beetle has spread east and west across the U.S. and Canada, killing tens of millions of ash trees, causing one of the costliest forest insect invasions to date. Researchers at Penn State are working with the U.S. Forest Service and other partners to identify and develop ash trees genetically able to withstand the beetles’ onslaught and strategize how to restore ash to forests.

January 6, 2025

Different species of bees may be attracted to different flower traits when it comes to deciding where they’re going to get their next meal, according to a recent study led by researchers at Penn State.

January 6, 2025

The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State has received a $181,080 grant from The Heinz Endowments to develop and enhance policies in support of Pennsylvania’s military veterans. This funding will support efforts to strengthen state-level policy discussions, harness veterans' economic potential and evaluate the state’s workforce system to facilitate the successful integration of military veterans into Pennsylvania's workforce.

January 2, 2025

The January episode of “Growing Impact” discusses cement replacements made from leftover agricultural materials that could be more environmentally friendly.

December 23, 2024

A team of researchers from Penn State have found that household dogs are an overlooked transmission point for Salmonella, a pathogen that can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, with some infections potentially having life-threatening complications. However, they said, better awareness of the risk and proper hygiene could potentially help mitigate cross-species infections.  

December 19, 2024

Despite their reputation as buzzing nuisances, flies serve a critical role as some of the Earth’s most prolific pollinators — and new research led by Penn State scientists suggests they are increasingly at risk due to rising global temperatures.

December 18, 2024

A concentrated sugar solution could be just as effective as antibiotics at treating a common infection in dairy cows, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

December 18, 2024

Two new studies led by Penn State researchers analyzed the experiences of residents in a rural Pennsylvania community after the closure of several essential places.

December 12, 2024

Ayse Akyildiz, a doctoral student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, recently returned from a research training trip to the Arctic, during which she and the other participants learned more about the region and the complex challenges it faces in a warming world.

December 12, 2024

Mental health challenges are a significant and growing concern for the nation’s farmers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As much as farming is often a family affair, programs and resources to support mental health in agriculture have focused on the primary producers, of whom nearly 64% are men. Women have always played a crucial role in agriculture, yet, Penn State Associate Professor Florence Becot said, their mental health and well-being — much like their essential contributions to agriculture — largely have been overlooked.

December 12, 2024

The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State, in partnership with the Deputy Chief of Staff and the Installation Management Command, has successfully developed a comprehensive toolkit to support the Army's Relocation Readiness Program. This innovative resource aims to streamline services and provide consistent, high-quality support to soldiers and their families across all Army installations.

December 10, 2024

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences celebrated another year of outstanding success and accomplishments in research during the 2024 Research Awards Ceremony, held Nov. 19 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.

December 6, 2024

With a five-year, $3.2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, a team led by biomedical engineering researchers at Penn State will apply ultrasound imaging technology to monitor the transport of genetically engineered, cancer-fighting macrophages into brain tumors.

December 2, 2024

An economic analysis led by researchers at Penn State found that the Northcentral Regional ATV Trail Connector generated over $23.5 million in economic revenue for area businesses over a two-year period.

December 2, 2024

A delegation of Penn State faculty and graduate students who attended the 2024 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, known as COP16, in Cali, Colombia, share about the event and their experiences.

December 2, 2024

“Growing Impact” highlights PlantVillage, an innovative project that leverages the power of smartphones, artificial intelligence and cloud computing to help millions of farmers across Africa, Asia and the Americas.

November 26, 2024

Ramps, also known as wild leeks, and their unique garlic-onion flavor profile, are a popular foraged seasonal food but that demand could drive overharvesting of the native forest plant. In response to excess harvest worries, an interdisciplinary Penn State research team has studied how to grow and harvest ramps as a potential forest crop since 2017. In their latest study, published in the journal Wild, they characterized ramp habitat for the first time in Pennsylvania, offering guidance for the agroforestry practice known as forest farming. 

November 26, 2024

The new Opportunity Grant Professional Development Program awarded its first grants to 51 teaching and clinical non-tenure-line faculty.  

November 26, 2024

Able to store carbon to offset emissions and prevent soil degradation and pollution, charcoal-like biochar could offer a sustainable solution to a lot of environmental challenges — if its production can be made greener. Supported by a three-year, $799,883 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, an international team led by researchers at Penn State will address the so-called “dark side” of biochar, assessing the threat of organic contaminant residues in biorefinery char products.

November 25, 2024

Ticks are a nuisance across many areas of the U.S., capable of spreading harmful pathogens to both animals and humans. A new study led by researchers at Penn State analyzed the effectiveness of a simple, inexpensive strategy for controlling ticks that homeowners can use in their backyards.

November 22, 2024

Pollutants known as “contaminants of emerging concern” or chemicals that could potentially harm human health and have been found in the environment, including pesticides, ingredients from personal care products, pharmaceuticals and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are increasingly found in streams and lakes. A team led by researchers at Penn State recently demonstrated the accuracy and utility of a new method to find even very low levels of these substances in surface waters. They reported their findings in the Science of the Total Environment.

November 21, 2024

The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State, in partnership with the Department of Defense, has launched a new parent-education module specifically designed to support fathers and father figures in building stronger relationships with their children. This module is also a valuable resource for other caregivers who are parenting alongside fathers by providing insights into the unique role fathers play in child development and the parent-child relationship.

November 18, 2024

Phosphorus, a nutrient in soil essential for sustaining most forms of life, is increasingly disappearing from land as it is washed into waterways throughout the United States, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

November 18, 2024

A team of researchers from Penn State and the University of California, Irvine, received a one-year grant from the National Institute on Aging to examine how formerly incarcerated individuals form networks upon their release from prison and how such relationships help with navigating reentry into the community.

November 15, 2024

Michael Jacobson, professor of forest resources in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, co-led the second Collaborative Learning School, a year-round virtual networking community of faculty, students and early career professionals that culminates in a two-week summer field workshop with U.S. and African scientists and practitioners. The school, which was held in Uganda last year, is funded by a five-year, $2 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant and is an initiative of the SustainFood Network.

November 14, 2024

Microorganisms — bacteria, viruses and other tiny life forms — may drive biological variation in visible life as much, if not more, than genetic mutations, creating new lineages and even new species of animals and plants, according to Seth Bordenstein, director of Penn State’s One Health Microbiome Center within the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

November 13, 2024

At Penn State’s award-winning One Health Microbiome Center, faculty and students are collaborating to improve human, agricultural and environmental health. With over 540 members, 125 faculty and 160 graduate students from 42 departments across 10 colleges at Penn State, the center is one of the crown jewels of interdisciplinary excellence in the University's research enterprise.