May 9, 2025
Forty members of the Dairy Science Club in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences traveled to the Netherlands during spring break to learn more about global agriculture and explore a new culture.
May 8, 2025
A debate continues among scientists over whether tree composition in forests in eastern North American historically have been influenced more by climate or by cultural burning, which is the intentional and controlled use of fire by Indigenous people to manage their environment. Now, a new study of southern New England forests by a team including a researcher from Penn State lends credence to the cultural burning hypothesis, suggesting that fire-tolerant vegetation — oak, hickory and pine — were significantly more abundant near Indigenous settlements over the last 5,000 years.
May 8, 2025
While the effects of the housing crisis and the environmental impacts of debris generated in the construction sector persist in the United States, two projects led by Penn State Stuckeman School architecture professors have earned funding to develop new methods to address these challenges while also bolstering the manufacturing industry in Pennsylvania.
May 8, 2025
Everyday moments with 3- to 5-year-olds are full of adventure, fun, growth and challenges, according to organizers of “Thrive: Sprout,” a Penn State Extension webinar series designed to support parents as they foster their preschool child’s development and resiliency.
May 7, 2025
Conservation programs aimed at boosting environmentally friendly practices by incentivizing farmers may get more bang for their buck by targeting rural farms rather than more urban ones, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State.
May 7, 2025
What do chickens and people with a common reproductive disorder have in common? More than one might think — and a widely-used diabetes medication might just be the surprising link.
May 6, 2025
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 13 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
May 6, 2025
Three Penn State undergraduate students who have been part of the University’s Sustainable Labs Program were invited to Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Janelia Research Campus in April to help make the facility’s research labs more sustainable. Ella Clobes, Gavin Maxson and Kay Smith, all members of the program’s Sustainable Lab Consultant cohort, advised researchers on how to implement changes to evaluate and improve lab efficiency and resource management.
May 6, 2025
Mental health counseling may help U.S. veterans recover and build resilience after experiencing military sexual trauma, according to a new study from research at Penn State.
May 4, 2025
Penn State Extension will offer a tasty trip to the Mediterranean as part of its “Let’s Cook at Home” virtual cooking class series. “Let’s Cook at Home: Mediterranean” will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, online. Watch and learn as Penn State Extension educators prepare an authentic Mediterranean meal that is healthy and delicious.
May 2, 2025
Thank you to all who participated in the 2025 Penn State Today spring photo contest! We received an incredible selection of photos showcasing spring at Penn State. The winning photo was submitted by Bethany Stitzer, an undergraduate student studying biomedical engineering at University Park, and highlights spring blossoms surrounding Old Main on a quiet April morning. See more top submissions, as selected by Penn State Today editors, in this photo gallery.
May 2, 2025
Siddharth Ratan, a fourth-year animal science major, didn’t always imagine himself guiding future Penn Staters. But after overcoming a difficult first-year transition, Ratan now serves as an Agricultural Advocate.
May 1, 2025
From riding along with a mobile medical unit in central Pennsylvania to studying the effects of deforestation on people and animals in Costa Rica, six students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences’ One Health minor are gaining firsthand insight into the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.
April 30, 2025
A coalition of community groups in Elk and Cameron counties, including Penn State Extension, has banded together to create a token that they hope will help promote mental health awareness and prevent suicides in the two northcentral Pennsylvania counties.
April 29, 2025
Graduate students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences were recognized for their accomplishments during the 2025 Graduate Student Award Celebration, hosted by the Office for Research and Graduate Education and held recently on the University Park campus.
April 27, 2025
Penn State Extension will offer the free webinar, “Home Food Preservation: Hot Topics,” from noon to 1 p.m. May 2, online. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in home food preservation. With this increased interest comes a renewed use of outdated methods, unsafe practices, and new products and trends. During the webinar, safety issues related to contemporary topics will be covered.
April 27, 2025
“Cooking for Crowds: A Volunteer’s Guide to Safe Food Handling” is a condensed, three-hour food safety course developed by Penn State Extension and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. The webinar, set for 9 a.m. to noon on May 22, will address food safety issues faced by volunteer-based organizations and will help participants understand the risks involved with preparing large volumes of food and the critical food safety practices that they need to follow to ensure a safe event.
April 25, 2025
Upcoming trainings include "Mental Health First Aid for Adults Working with Youth" and "Mental Health First Aid."
April 25, 2025
Those raising children of family members or close friends face unique challenges, according to organizers of Kinship Café, a Penn State Extension program. Monthly live webinars take place from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the next meeting scheduled for May 21.
April 25, 2025
From stress to grief to addiction, understanding mental health is crucial when faced with difficult times, according to organizers of an upcoming Penn State Extension webinar series to be held during the month of May. This free, six-part series is designed for concerned citizens, family members, social workers, mental health workers, medical professionals, teachers and college students.
April 25, 2025
A team of researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences is addressing the growing interest among tree fruit growers in Pennsylvania and the Northeast in adopting drone-based spraying systems for high-density apple and peach orchards. The Northeast Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture recently awarded the team two grants to support the work.
April 25, 2025
Despite a long history of traditional medicinal use in the United States, the collection, consumption and efficacy of the peculiar forest plant aptly named ghost pipe, scientific name Monotropa uniflora, remains a mystery. Now, with social media and the internet driving a resurgence in the harvest and economic trade of the parasitic species — which appears strangely white because it is devoid of chlorophyl — a research team from Penn State has taken the first step toward documenting its new status.
April 25, 2025
Penn State Sustainability has announced the 2025 recipients of its sustainability awards. These accolades, including the John Roe Sustainability Impact Award, the Student Sustainability Advisory Council Tree Award and the Pennsylvania Environmental Resource Consortium Campus Sustainability Champion Award, commend the extraordinary contributions of students in spearheading sustainability initiatives.
April 24, 2025
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently appointed Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State, to an 18-member study committee to examine the status of insects in North America.
April 22, 2025
The Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology selected six projects to receive funding from the college’s seed grant program, which provides funding to support research activities and generate preliminary results that will eventually lead to bigger projects involving external funding.
April 22, 2025
An upcoming Penn State Extension webinar, “Communicating With Farmers Under Stress,” is aimed at helping participants learn the signs of stress and how to help. This webinar will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on May 15.
April 22, 2025
Twelve educators from across the country had the opportunity to explore one technology — artificial intelligence — during a recent immersive workshop at Penn State University Park.
April 22, 2025
Seeing the “huge juxtaposition” between streams flowing near her childhood home in Lancaster County impaired by pollution from intensive agriculture and the seemingly pristine creeks tumbling down the forested mountains around her family’s cabin in Mifflin County led Bridget Reheard to study how contaminants in waters affect aquatic organisms and aspirations for a career working to protect natural resources.
April 21, 2025
Aimed at anyone interested in planting trees or shrubs on their properties, Penn State Extension’s upcoming Tree Planting webinar series will cover common barriers, installation and maintenance, and case studies.
April 21, 2025
Penn State Extension will offer the free webinar, “Home Food Preservation: Introduction to Preserving” from noon to 1 p.m. April 24, online.
