March 1, 2021
The Thriving Agricultural Systems in Urbanized Landscapes project, funded by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, is working to create economically thriving and environmentally beneficial agricultural systems in urbanized landscapes. Using the Chesapeake Bay watershed as a case study, project researchers from Penn State, the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Utah State, and the Stroud Water Research Center are working to achieve these goals with input from key stakeholders who are part of the agricultural and environmental communities. Members of the Thriving Ag project team are pleased to announce the launch of their new project website, https://thrivingag.org/. If you know of anyone who may be interested in the topics addressed by the project, we would greatly appreciate it if you shared the link with them. Interested individuals also can follow the project on Twitter at @thrivingag.
February 26, 2021
As Dellinger Run wends its way toward Chiques Creek, it stretches through 56 acres of farmland in Rapho Township, where owner Mark Heller enjoys watching the ducks and fish that swim in the stream.
February 26, 2021
A million-dollar grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will pay the total costs of riparian buffers and other conservation practices on farms in three contiguous watersheds in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster, Lebanon and Dauphin counties.
February 19, 2021
Wild bees are more affected by climate change than by disturbances to their habitats, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State. The findings suggest that addressing land-use issues alone will not be sufficient to protecting these important pollinators.
February 19, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically exposed the economic vulnerability of U.S. businesses, primarily because they are so interconnected: when one region experiences a labor shortage or supply interruption, adverse effects reverberate throughout the global economy. Researchers at Penn State and the Korea Rural Economic Institute have developed a model to help visualize the interconnectedness of businesses and industries over geographic space, which potentially can show supply-chain vulnerabilities to future shocks, such as pandemics or climate-change impacts.
February 19, 2021
The economic value of insect pollinators was $34 billion in the U.S. in 2012, much higher than previously thought, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State. The team also found that areas that are economically most reliant on insect pollinators are the same areas where pollinator habitat and forage quality are poor.
February 19, 2021
Winter survival of honey bee colonies is strongly influenced by summer temperatures and precipitation in the prior year, according to Penn State researchers, who said their findings suggest that honey bees have a "goldilocks" preferred range of summer conditions outside of which their probability of surviving the winter falls.
February 19, 2021
Growing the right crop in the right place within an impaired watershed can achieve significant water quality improvements, according to Penn State researchers, who conducted a novel study in the drainage of a Susquehanna River tributary in an agricultural area in southeastern Pennsylvania.
February 4, 2021
SAFES' Spring 2021 workshop series will take place on Thursdays at 3 p.m. The series supports faculty researchers and administrators in expanding their knowledge of external funding opportunities and internal Penn State programs that can support new interdisciplinary research collaborations.
January 22, 2021
Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, will be honored by the National Academy of Sciences for helping the world understand how to address the crisis of global declines in pollinator populations.
January 8, 2021
The Sustainability Institute at Penn State is hosting transdisciplinary symposia on biodiversity throughout the spring 2021 semester. The virtual series, "Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the Decade of Action," aims to expand collaborative networks and to inspire creative strategies to promote biodiversity in urban, agricultural and natural areas in order to improve human and ecological health and well-being.
December 17, 2020
The Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) is accepting applications for its 2021-22 seed grant program aimed at funding projects that can leverage artificial intelligence — AI — to advance transformative research, as well as use the technology to enhance the process of scientific discovery itself.
December 17, 2020
The vast majority of nutrients and sediment washed into streams flowing into the Chesapeake Bay are picked up by deluges from severe storms that occur on relatively few days of the year. That is the conclusion of a new study led by Penn State researchers, who say it offers clues for cleaning up the impaired estuary.
December 11, 2020
Students: Consider this great conference opportunity during break. Student admission fees are complimentary. The NCSE Drawdown 2021 Conference will feature everything our community values from past NCSE Annual Conferences with the addition of an exciting new collaboration with Project Drawdown. Given the staggering pace of change in the world today, combining the NCSE 2021 Annual Conference and the 2nd Global Drawdown—Research to Action Conference will exponentially amplify opportunities for collaboration and progress.
December 7, 2020
With a $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation, Penn State researchers will investigate how duckweed could be grown on Pennsylvania farms to limit nutrient pollution into the Chesapeake Bay.
November 30, 2020
Isabella Briseño, an environmental resource management major, already has built an impressive resume for a future career in environmental policy.
November 17, 2020
The Sustainability Institute at Penn State is hosting transdisciplinary symposia on biodiversity throughout the spring 2021 semester. The virtual series, "Mainstreaming Biodiversity in the Decade of Action," aims to expand collaborative networks and to inspire creative strategies to promote biodiversity in urban, agricultural and natural areas in order to improve human and ecological health and well-being.
October 15, 2020
Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have developed an important component of a new system that corn growers can use to adjust nitrogen fertilizer applications based on site-specific measurements of cover crops and soil organic matter.
October 2, 2020
Allowing farmers to harvest vegetation from their riparian buffers will not significantly impede the ability of those streamside tracts to protect water quality by capturing nutrients and sediment — and it will boost farmers’ willingness to establish buffers. That is the conclusion of Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences researchers, who compared the impacts of six riparian buffer design scenarios over two, four-year crop rotations in two small central and southeastern Pennsylvania watersheds.
September 9, 2020
SAFES is currently hiring three new positions: Research Initiatives Associate, Administrative Support Coordinator, and Program Financial Assistant. Read more about these exciting new roles in the institute and follow links to apply.
September 8, 2020
Water Insights is an interdisciplinary seminar series on water science, water management, and water policy sponsored by the Environment and Natural Resources Institute. Speakers include researchers, water managers, and water policy makers from Penn State, other universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations. Join the seminars via Zoom every Tuesday from 12-1 pm.
September 8, 2020
A newly launched center at Penn State will create a focal point for the study and conservation of insects and the ecosystems with which they interact. The Insect Biodiversity Center brings together faculty researchers and educators from eight Penn State colleges, with a goal to celebrate insect diversity in science and practice.
August 26, 2020
Junior Matthew Bellia, an Environmental Resource Management major in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, spent his summer completing a research-based internship with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
August 5, 2020
Today, as our nation and the world struggle to fight COVID-19, medical professionals are working tirelessly to understand the virus, heal stricken people, and develop an effective vaccine. At the same time, agricultural professionals are rapidly responding to protect our farmworkers and the food system. Penn State University recently ran an internal grant competition through the newly formed Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science (SAFES), asking faculty to think about the impacts of the pandemic on agriculture and the environment. The response was strong.
July 29, 2020
Agricultural systems in metropolitan regions and in adjacent, nonmetro counties account for more than two-thirds of U.S. net farm income and 97% of net farm income in Pennsylvania. But can food systems in these urbanized landscapes remain economically and environmentally sustainable in the face of development pressure and perceived disamenities associated with agriculture? A team led by Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences researchers is almost a year into a five-year study aimed at providing answers to this question.
July 21, 2020
Transdisciplinary research team aims to create new value chains on U.S. farms, with emphasis on the generation of renewable natural gas, improved rural economic outcomes and protection of the environment.
July 9, 2020
A team of researchers led by a Penn State agricultural economist will receive $500,000 over three years to study agritourism in the United States and to develop research-based information and guidance for farmers looking to diversify their incomes through agritourism activities.
July 6, 2020
Thanks to a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor, the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Entomology have established the Publius Vergilius Maro Professorship. Designated for a faculty affiliate of the Center for Pollinator Research, the endowment is the fourth professorship for the Department of Entomology. Christina Grozinger, professor and director of the Center for Pollinator Research, has been appointed to the position, effective July 1.
June 9, 2020
Tammy Shannon, academic advising coordinator for the environmental resource management program, has received the 2020 Excellence in Academic Advising Award from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
June 1, 2020
From the Harrisburg Patriot-News (PennLive): Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences was establishing its new Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science even before the coronavirus pandemic emerged.
