Microbiome Center News | One Health Microbiome Center

Credit: Curtis Chan / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 02, 2025

Eight graduate students receive U.S. National Science Foundation fellowships

Eight Penn State graduate students received U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships for the 2025-26 academic year.

Full Article

ARISE students in the genetics and microbiome module learn how to extract, amplify and assess DNA quality in the the Department of Anthropology's new laboratory in the Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building. Credit: Penn State Department of Anthropology. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 01, 2025

ARISE program provides hands-on training to aspiring anthropologists

A talented group of aspiring anthropologists recently traveled to Penn State to take part in the Department of Anthropology’s annual ARISE program.

Full Article

Members of the Shao Group, including, from left to right, Zhezheng Song, Tasfia Zahin, Mingfu Shao and Xiang Li, recently presented three papers at RECOMB, one of the top conferences in computational biology. Credit: Kate Myers/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 25, 2025

Q&A: How does computer science advance biology?

In this Q&A, Shao and Koslicki, who are affiliated with the Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics and the Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Bioinformatics and Genomics in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, spoke about how computational tools are advancing molecular biology.

Full Article

Jun 25, 2025

Nutritional sciences faculty receive national recognition for research

Three Penn State Department of Nutritional Sciences faculty members were recently recognized for their research contributions to the field with prestigious awards by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN).

Full Article

The study's findings could be used to help inform precision agriculture approaches to help conservation efforts, the researchers said. Credit: Freestocks/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 25, 2025

Warmer spots within fields have more blooms and more bees

Climate can vary across large areas of land, but it also can vary within much smaller areas such as farms. A new study by researchers at Penn State examined whether these microclimates — the climate of a very small or restricted area — affect pollination by both wild and managed bees and resulting wild blueberry yields.

Full Article

More than 30 researchers from seven Penn State colleges received seed funding from the Institute of Energy and the Environment to advance innovative, early-stage work addressing critical energy and environmental challenges. Credit: Brenna Buck. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 24, 2025

Ten interdisciplinary research teams awarded IEE seed grants

Ten interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2025 Seed Grant Program.

Full Article

Queen bees emit a pheromone that attracts worker bees — the queen's daughters — to her side. Credit: Sean Bresnahan. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 20, 2025

How a genetic tug-of-war decides the fate of a honey bee

Despite having identical genetic instructions, female honey bee larvae can develop into either long-lived reproductive queens or short-lived sterile workers who help rear their sisters rather than laying their own eggs. Now, an interdisciplinary team led by researchers at Penn State has uncovered the molecular mechanisms that control how the conflict between genes inherited from the father and the mother determine the larva’s fate.

Full Article

Study first author Kelly Kosiarski, graduate student in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, packs boxes with water testing kits to send to study participants. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Jun 16, 2025

‘Forever chemicals’ detected in 65% of sampled private wells in Pennsylvania

Researchers find 18% of sampled wells have PFAS levels beyond drinking water standards; compounds detected most often, and in the highest concentrations, in wells in the southeastern part of the state.

Full Article

GAP funding provides principal investigators with essential support on technology commercialization, including intellectual property protection, go-to-market strategies, marketing assistance and connections to industry experts, along with feedback from industry professionals, investors and entrepreneurs. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Jun 16, 2025

Eight Penn State research commercialization projects awarded GAP funding

Eight research projects have been selected for support from the Penn State Commercialization GAP Fund. The GAP Fund is a competitive internal program designed to help promising technologies bridge the gap between academic research and industry adoption.

Full Article

Curtis Huttenhower is a professor of computational biology and bioinformatics at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Credit: Provided by Curtis Huttenhower. All Rights Reserved.

Jun 13, 2025

Human microbiome pioneer to deliver World Microbiome Day lecture

The One Health Microbiome Center (OHMC) in the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences at Penn State will host Curtis Huttenhower, professor of computational biology and bioinformatics, for a special virtual lecture at 10 a.m. on June 27 in honor of World Microbiome Day.

Full Article