News

Oct 16, 2023

Honey bees may inherit altruistic behavior from their mothers

True altruism is rare behavior in animals, but a new study by Penn State researchers has found that honey bees display this trait. Additionally, they found that an evolutionary battle of genetics may determine the parent they inherit it from.

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Oct 06, 2023

Ruffed grouse population more resilient than expected, genetic study finds

Despite decades of decline, a genetic analysis of ruffed grouse reveals that Pennsylvania’s state bird harbors more genetic diversity and connectivity than expected.

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Sep 29, 2023

Liana Burghardt named new Director of Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology

Assistant Professor of Plant Science Liana Burghardt is serving as the new Director of the Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology, replacing outgoing director Jonathan Lynch, distinguished professor of plant nutrition.

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Sep 13, 2023

USDA grant to fund research on ‘farm tuning’ cover crop mixtures

With a new $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Carolyn Lowry will lead a research team designing cover crop mixtures that are more effective at providing an array of ecosystem services.

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Aug 28, 2023

Penn State receives $3M grant to address insect biodiversity crisis

Penn State researchers have received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to spearhead a new initiative to create novel monitoring systems for insect populations.

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Aug 29, 2023

Penn State again named among nation's most LGBTQ-friendly universities

Penn State has once again earned a spot on Campus Pride’s “Best of the Best” LGBTQ-friendly College and Universities list, achieving an overall 5 out of 5 stars in the Campus Pride Index for 2023. Institutions are evaluated on eight LGBTQ-friendly factors, including housing, campus safety, academics, student life, and recruitment and retention efforts.

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Aug 29, 2023

Penn State is tops in USDA predoctoral fellowship program awards

Eleven Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences students have received predoctoral fellowships from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA). The students received a combined total of more than $1.6 million in funding.

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Aug 23, 2023

Cover crops project provides fertile ground for USDA graduate fellows

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences graduate students received more predoctoral fellowships from the U.S. Department of Agriculture than any other institution over the last five years.

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Jul 26, 2023

HGSAC looks to raise the bar with election of new co-chairs

HGSAC students elected Avery Sicher and Jessica Walnut to serve as the graduate co-advisors to the Huck Institutes for the upcoming 2023-24 academic year.

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May 17, 2023

PlantVillage receives $4.96 million grant to combat crop loss in Africa

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is awarding a $4.96 million grant to Penn State's PlantVillage to help increase food production for smallholder farmers who face pests and disease of their crops across sub-Saharan Africa.

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