News
Apr 28, 2026
Two Eberly Faculty Honored with 2026 C.I. Noll Award
The Penn State Eberly College of Science has honored Carly Sjogren, associate teaching professor of biology, and Teh-hui Kao, distinguished professor of biology and molecular biology, with the 2026 C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching. First awarded in 1972 and named for Clarence I. Noll, dean of the Eberly College of Science from 1965 to 1971, this award is the highest honor for undergraduate teaching in the college. Students, faculty members, and alumni nominate outstanding faculty members who best exemplify the key characteristics of a Penn State educator.
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Apr 27, 2026
New clues for using common fungus to promote crop growth and health
Trichoderma species — a common fungus found in soils — have varying abilities to promote tomato plant growth and differentially affect the abundance of certain soil bacteria, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State. The work was the latest in a line of research evaluating the use of this common group of fungi as an alternative to pesticides for controlling soilborne pathogens, said Seogchan Kang, professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences and co-corresponding author of the study.
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Apr 15, 2026
Four Huck Trainees Among Graduate Student Award Winners
Four Huck graduate students are among the 42 that have been recognized as outstanding scholars with Graduate Student Awards by the Office of the President and the Fox Graduate School.
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Apr 15, 2026
Plant scientists receive $1.96M NIH grant to study plant-bacteria partnerships
A team of plant scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $1.96 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund a study of how beneficial plant-bacteria partnerships evolve, persist, and can be harnessed to improve health and agriculture. This grant, called a Maximizing Investigator’s Research Award, supports a lab's long-term research vision rather than an individual project.
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Apr 17, 2026
Prasad, Taylor, Verma among 31 graduate students to receive awards at 2026 Graduate Exhibition
Praveena Prasad earned first for her poster in Research Poster: Health and Life Sciences and second in the Data Visualization Award. Anthony Talyor earned third place for his poster in Research Poster: Health and Life Sciences while Antara Verma earned first place for Research Poster: Engineering.
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Apr 10, 2026
Simple vineyard growing practice impacts soil microbiome deep below surface
In an effort to produce more and better grapes at a lower cost and with less environmental impact, vineyard growers have increasingly planted grass between rows of vines. These "groundcovers" root shallowly, but can benefit vineyard soils and reduce the need for herbicide applications. Now, a team of plant scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has found that implementing this practice impacts far more than previously thought. It not only alters the biology and ecology at the surface, where the grasses are planted, but also alters the system far below the surface, the researchers reported in a new study published in Phytobiomes Journal.
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Mar 27, 2026
Low-cost sensor system could warn farmers of salt stress in plants
Soil salinity is a critical concern in agriculture when excessive soluble salts restrict a plant’s water uptake, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hindering crop growth and reducing yields on roughly 30% of U.S. irrigated land. Caused by irrigation, poor drainage or saltwater intrusion, soil salinity impacts soil structure, reduces fertility and causes economic losses. To help growers identify and mitigate salt stress, in a proof-of-concept study, a team led by Penn State researchers built a low-cost sensor system that detects signals released by plants in trouble.
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Feb 26, 2026
The 'Spirit of Chocolate' celebrates chocolate as both science and story
On Valentine’s Day, the Palmer Museum of Art became a tasting room and a classroom all at once. “The Art of Chocolate: A Guided Tasting Experience,” presented by the Arboretum at Penn State, invited guests to explore chocolate as both science and story, pairing research with sensory discovery and chocolate with cheese. The event was a collaboration among arboretum staff and College of Agricultural Sciences professors Siela Maximova and Mark Guiltinan, co‑leaders of Penn State’s Cacao and Chocolate Research Network.
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Feb 26, 2026
Q&A: How can microbiome science solve problems in agriculture?
Decades of research has shown promise for using microbiome science to solve several problems facing agriculture, but these findings have not yet been translated to practical recommendations for growers, according to a team of scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
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Dec 11, 2025
Mentorship and communication take center stage at training summit
Huck Institutes’ annual T32 summit underscores benefits of professional development alongside scientific training.
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