News
Nov 26, 2019
Grant will support expanded use of artificial intelligence for crop health
A research team developing artificial-intelligence-based solutions for diagnosing and managing threats to crop health has received a grant to expand the technology to assist more smallholder farmers around the world.
Full Article
Nov 18, 2019
Urban development reduces flash flooding chances in arid West
Urban development in the eastern United States results in an increase in flash flooding in nearby streams, but in the arid West, urbanization has just the opposite effect, according to a Penn State researcher, who suggests there may be lessons to be learned from the sharp contrast.
Full Article
Oct 17, 2019
Extremely dry, hot conditions this fall causing early, muted foliage display
With last year being the wettest year on record in Pennsylvania, and this year starting out wet again, 2019 was set up to be the mother of all fall foliage displays. Trees in most areas were in great condition going into late summer.
Full Article
Sep 24, 2019
New AI app predicts climate change stress for farmers in Africa
A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool available for free in a smartphone app can predict near-term crop productivity for farmers in Africa and may help them protect their staple crops — such as maize, cassava and beans — in the face of climate warming, according to Penn State researchers.
Full Article
Aug 15, 2019
Forest carbon still plentiful post-wildfire after century of fire exclusion
Forests in Yosemite National Park hold more carbon today than they did 120 years ago despite burning in a severe wildfire in 2013, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers.
Full Article
Jul 25, 2019
Biology professor, department head recognized for study of amphibians, reptiles
Professor of Biology Tracy Langkilde has been named Distinguished Herpetologist for her contributions to the field by the Herpetologists' League, an international organization of people devoted to studying the biology of amphibians and reptiles.
Full Article
Jul 24, 2019
Plants defend against insects by inducing 'leaky gut syndrome'
Plants may induce "leaky gut syndrome" — permeability of the gut lining — in insects as part of a multipronged strategy for protecting themselves from being eaten, according to researchers at Penn State.
Full Article
Jul 16, 2019
Microbiome Center graduate students awarded NIFA fellowships
Sarah Isbell and Mara Cloutier, both Penn State graduate students and Microbiome Center researchers, will be supported in their studies by fellowships paid for by the United States Department of Agriculture.
Full Article
Jul 09, 2019
PlantVillage gives undergraduate a chance to help feed the world via technology
Coming from the small town of Limeport, near Allentown, a young Annalyse Kehs may not have thought much about international agriculture or feeding the world. But thanks to a project called PlantVillage, the Penn State rising senior not only is helping to address world hunger but is relishing the opportunity to travel to destinations such as Kenya and Rome to interact with farmers, researchers and policymakers.
Full Article
Jul 08, 2019
Some green ash trees show some resistance to emerald ash borers
Genes in green ash trees that may confer some resistance to attacks by the emerald ash borer express themselves only once the tree detects the invasive beetle's feeding, according to Penn State researchers.
Full Article