August 21, 2024
Pesticides reduce crop loss, helping to stabilize production, but excessive use of pesticides has brought huge negative impacts to the environment and human health, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. To address the problem, a team of Penn State researchers is developing a robotic precision pesticide sprayer capable of targeted application while minimizing unintended exposure.

August 21, 2024
Honey bees may play a role in increasing virus levels in wild bumble bees each spring, according to researchers at Penn State who analyzed seasonal trends of parasite and virus transmission in bees.

August 21, 2024
Honey bees may play a role in increasing virus levels in wild bumble bees each spring, according to researchers at Penn State who analyzed seasonal trends of parasite and virus transmission in bees.

August 19, 2024
Some veterans continue to struggle with underemployment and dissatisfaction with their pay up to four years after leaving the military, according to a recent survey study by researchers in the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State.

August 19, 2024
Ten Penn State students, including nine associated with the College of Agricultural Sciences, have been awarded predoctoral fellowships by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, securing over $1.4 million in total funding.
August 16, 2024
Take a deep dive into the wide world of insects — including a special spotlight on the Pennsylvania firefly — at this year’s Great Insect Fair on Sept. 14 at Penn State University Park.

August 16, 2024
Christopher Scott, a researcher with more than three decades’ experience in international and domestic water, food and energy policy, has been named an associate director of the Institute of Energy and the Environment at Penn State.

August 14, 2024
Early life exposure to "forever chemicals" in the environment permanently disrupts the gut microbiome in mice, contributing to the development of metabolic disease in later life, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The results suggest that human exposure to these chemicals during early childhood may be contributing to the recent epidemic of metabolic disorders, including obesity and Type 2 diabetes among adults.

August 13, 2024
A team of researchers, including two Penn State agricultural economists and an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education fellow, received funding from U.S. National Science Foundation to develop a new method for accurately measuring innovation activity in small geographic regions.

August 12, 2024
Indigenous communities around the globe face profound threats from climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. Now, an international team that includes researchers from Penn State have been awarded $5 million by the U.S. National Science Foundation, along with funding from Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany, to investigate how to mitigate these threats.

August 12, 2024
Because basic knowledge about the spotted lanternfly's biology remains limited, a team of Penn State researchers is collaborating with the Center for Quantitative Imaging to detail the spotted lanternfly's anatomy and physiology.

August 12, 2024
Citing a shared commitment to a sustainable future, Penn State and Shell USA Inc. have announced the launch of a collaboration that will support efforts across the University’s mission of research, education and community impact.

August 12, 2024
Researchers at Penn State and the U.S. National Science Foundation found a significant relationship between cloud-computing use and export performance among U.S. firms. They also found that cloud-using firms exported goods and services even more than exporting firms that do not use cloud-based services.

August 7, 2024
Long He, assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering, and colleagues in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently received a 2024 Superior Paper Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers for their research presentation titled, “An Advanced Robotic System for Precision Chemical Thinning of Apple Blossoms.”

August 6, 2024
Penn State researchers, physicians and medical students came together to start up the LION Mobile Clinic, a mobile clinic providing care to the rural community of Snow Shoe, Pennsylvania.

August 1, 2024
More than 60% of dairy cows in the United States are bred via artificial insemination. While significant advances have been made in understanding cattle genetics, particularly in relation to milk production and other economic traits, there is still much to learn about the genetics underlying the reproductive organs and cells in cattle, according to a team of researchers in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a grant to the team to study the genetic mechanisms underlying the development of the testis, the male organ that produces reproductive cells, in cattle and its role in sperm production.

August 1, 2024
Leaders from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Phospholutions Inc. have signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance their collaboration in research and education.

July 30, 2024
Penn State's Engaged Scholarship and Experiential Learning Seed Grant Program, offered through the University's Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science, has awarded five teams funding to help students apply skills they are learning in class to meet the needs of an external partner or stakeholder.
July 30, 2024
Snacks provide, on average, about one-fourth of most people’s daily calories. With nearly one in three adults in the United States overweight and more than two in five with obesity, according to National Institutes of Health, researchers in the Penn State Sensory Evaluation Center are investigating how Americans can snack smarter.

July 30, 2024
Childcare challenges might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about farm business viability, yet according to a new study led by a Penn State researcher, childcare challenges can negatively impact farm businesses and the farm family. The findings were reported in Agriculture and Human Values.

July 30, 2024
A team of researchers in the Penn State College of Engineering was awarded a five-year, $1 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to study how undergraduate engineering students learn and develop into energy-literate engineers as they engage with long-term research experiences centered on decarbonization.

July 22, 2024
Ag Progress Days is a great way to introduce kids and teens to the wide world of agriculture, and the 4-H Youth Building has a slate of activities planned for youth of all ages on all three days of the expo, Aug. 13-15.

July 22, 2024
Animal health experts in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have announced that — out of an abundance of caution — they will test the University’s dairy herd for highly pathogenic avian influenza, under a voluntary state testing program.

July 19, 2024
H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was first detected in dairy cattle in Texas on March 25 and has since spread to several additional states. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed multiple human infections in which the individuals were exposed to infected dairy cattle. Penn State News spoke with Ruth Nissly, assistant research professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences, to learn more about how scientists are monitoring the H5N1 virus.

July 18, 2024
As the number of major utility-scale ground solar panel installations grows, concerns about their impacts on natural hydrologic processes also have grown. However, a new study by Penn State researchers suggests that excess runoff or increased erosion can be easily mitigated — if these “solar farms” are properly built.

July 15, 2024
The discovery of a hybrid population of poplar trees in western Wyoming has provided insight into how natural hybridization informs the evolution of many plant species, according to a team led by Penn State researchers. They also said their discovery, which was published in the journal Molecular Ecology, suggests that genetic exchange between species may be critical for adaptation to environmental change.

July 11, 2024
The Institute of Energy and the Environment has revamped its research themes to better align them with the energy and environmental research being done at Penn State and to recognize the importance of community and justice.

July 9, 2024
Mathias Martins has been named head of the virology and molecular diagnostics sections in Penn State's Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, effective July 15. Martins will join Penn State from the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in College Station, Texas.

July 8, 2024
American diets may have gotten healthier and more diverse in the months following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. They published their findings in PLOS ONE.

June 26, 2024
Cacao, the chocolate tree, is one of the world’s most important economic crops, generating hundreds of billions of dollars annually. However, cocoa is affected by a range of pests and diseases, with some estimates putting losses as high as 30% to 40% of global production. Now, a team led by researchers at Penn State has created a genetic information resource to help plant breeders develop resistant strains of cacao that can be grown sustainably in its native Amazon and elsewhere, such as the tropical latitudes of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia.

Office for Research and Graduate Education
Address
217 Agricultural Administration BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-2600
- Email agresearch@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-3136
Office for Research and Graduate Education
Address
217 Agricultural Administration BuildingUniversity Park, PA 16802-2600
- Email agresearch@psu.edu
- Office 814-865-3136