News
Nov 16, 2022
Penn State community grieves loss of biomathematician Howard Weiss
Howard Weiss, professor of biology and mathematics at Penn State, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Nov. 5 at the age of 64.
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Oct 03, 2022
Bull steps down at Microbiome Center, looks forward to future innovation
After more than five years at the helm of Penn State’s Microbiome Center, founding director Carolee Bull has stepped down. Though she will continue serving as department head of plant pathology and environmental microbiology and as a professor of plant pathology and systematic bacteriology at Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Bull has handed off leadership of the Microbiome Center to recent Penn State hire Seth Bordentstein.
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Sep 21, 2022
Heard on Campus: Sarah Bordenstein, The Wolbachia Project
Sarah Bordenstein, associate research professor in the Eberly College of Science, and director of Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project, spoke at the Millennium Café on Sept. 13.
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Sep 14, 2022
Microbiome Center announces inaugural Interdisciplinary Innovation Fellows
The Penn State Microbiome Center has named six recipients for its inaugural Interdisciplinary Innovation Fellowships (IIF) program, which aims to promote collaborative training opportunities for center members.
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Jul 20, 2022
Predictive model uses gut microbes to forecast human diseases, health outcomes
A new approach that uses artificial intelligence (AI) shows how to use microorganisms in the body and molecules in cells to predict human health outcomes, according to Penn State College of Medicine and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center researchers. They say it could improve the accuracy of predicting the development of human diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes.
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Jul 12, 2022
Above-ground microbial communities that quell plant diseases can be developed
Microbial communities naturally living on the leaves and stems of tomato plants can be manipulated to suppress diseases that reduce productivity, according to Penn State researchers, offering hope that growers someday can apply these mixtures of bacteria and fungi to protect plants and improve harvests.
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May 31, 2022
Seth Bordenstein named director of the Penn State Microbiome Center
Seth Bordenstein, director of the Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center at Vanderbilt University, will take the reins of the Penn State Microbiome Center in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences in the fall of 2022.
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May 12, 2022
Microbiologists get grant to study biofilms guarding foodborne pathogen Listeria
Microbiologists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a $605,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study how microbial biofilms protect Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterium that causes the deadly foodborne illness listeriosis.
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May 31, 2022
New plant science team gets grants from USDA-NIFA for research on soil microbes
An assistant professor in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received $950,000 in two competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lead a team studying interactions between plants and rhizobial soil bacteria, with the long-term goal of boosting forage and crop production while reducing environmental impacts of fertilizer use.
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Mar 21, 2022
Alliance between College of Ag Sciences, University of Pretoria yields benefits
Developing solutions to address threats to plant health is the centerpiece of a partnership between Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Pretoria in South Africa. The partnership is designed to increase both organizations’ research, teaching and extension impact and growth opportunities, thereby increasing food security and environmental stewardship.
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