News

Feb 22, 2024

Ladybug scents offer a more ecologically friendly way to protect crops

The use of pesticides, while beneficial for global food security, wreaks havoc on natural ecosystems and human health. To address this issue, Penn State researchers have turned to an unlikely enforcer to protect crops: the ladybug.

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Nov 28, 2023

Researchers predict climate change-driven reduction in beneficial plant microbes

Bacteria that benefit plants are thought to be a critical contributor to crops and other ecosystems, but climate change may reduce their numbers, according to a new study by an international team of researchers. They published their findings in Nature Food.

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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 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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Apr 13, 2023

Penn State announces 2023 University-wide faculty and staff awards

Each spring, Penn State recognizes outstanding faculty and staff with annual awards in teaching and excellence. These awards highlight many of the University's faculty and staff who go above and beyond in their work at Penn State.

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Mar 02, 2023

Wasps harness power of pitcher plants in first-ever observed defense strategy

As the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, turn that tartness into little translucent balls in which to grow your young.”

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Feb 02, 2023

New sensor enables 'smart diapers,' range of other health monitors

Waaahhh! While babies have a natural mechanism for alerting their parents that they need a diaper change, a new sensor developed by researchers at Penn State could help workers in daycares, hospitals and other settings provide more immediate care to their charges.

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Jan 20, 2023

In-place manufacturing method improves gas sensor capabilities, production time

When used as wearable medical devices, stretchy, flexible gas sensors can identify health conditions or issues by detecting oxygen or carbon dioxide levels in the breath or sweat.

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Jun 30, 2022

Jared Ali named director of the Penn State Center for Chemical Ecology

Jared Ali, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair of Chemical Ecology and associate professor of entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been named director of the Penn State Center for Chemical Ecology (CCE).

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Jul 29, 2022

Laser writing may enable ‘electronic nose’ for multi-gas sensor

Environmental sensors are a step closer to simultaneously sniffing out multiple gases that could indicate disease or pollution, thanks to a Penn State collaboration. Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics in the College of Engineering, and Lauren Zarzar, assistant professor of chemistry in Eberly College of Science, and their teams combined laser writing and responsive sensor technologies to fabricate the first highly customizable microscale gas sensing devices.

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