A core mission of the Plant Institute is to foster a highly interactive and diverse plant-focused community and support the development of large interdisciplinary research and education teams. Integrated research centered on plants is essential for breakthrough discoveries and new solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, including improving human health and development, reversing deforestation, supporting species conservation, and developing sustainable agriculture. We hope to involve Penn Staters at all Commonwealth Campuses to increase collaborative activities across the state. Towards this goal, we have developed the Plant Institute “Branching Out” seminar series.
This seminar series aims to highlight research and foster collaborations between scholars within Penn State’s multi-campus system. The “Branching Out” series seeks to:
- Spotlight Research: The seminar series will showcase faculty, students, and staff at Penn State commonwealth campuses that work with plants in any fashion for their teaching, research, or education
- Cultivate Connections: Speakers and attendees will be encouraged to explore pathways to collaborate research between their respective campuses
- Spark Interest: We hope that conversations lead to new ideas for folks to inspire students across the commonwealth to explore plant science opportunities
We would like to thank Luciana for being the very first speaker of our new “Branching Out” seminar series. In the seminar, Luciana showcased how she worked with undergraduate students from two different Penn State Commonwealth Campuses to monitor for Beech Tree Leaf Disease (BLD) in PA state parks.
Speaker: Luciana Caporaletti, Biology Lecturer, Penn State Wilkes-Barre
Talk Title: Beech Tree Leaf Disease in Two PA State Parks