News
Jul 06, 2026
Postdoctoral fellow earns NIH award to study neurological effects of alcohol
Gwendolyn Burgess, a postdoctoral fellow in biology at Penn State, has been awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. This competitive honor is awarded to those who show promise as independent researchers and aims to enhance their training experience.
Full Article
Jul 01, 2026
Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams receive 2026 IEE seed grants
Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2026 Seed Grant Program. The program supports basic and applied research that lays the groundwork to pursue external funding and is guided by IEE’s five strategic research themes. This year, the program awarded seed funding to more than 40 researchers across 10 colleges and campuses and 21 departments and units.
Full Article
Jun 25, 2026
Newly discovered corn trait may help improve crop drought tolerance
Some corn plants are genetically predisposed to develop longer, less constricted water-conducting tissues and deeper roots, which helps them deal with drought. That’s the conclusion of a team led by Penn State researchers that conducted a study of the plant’s xylem tissue that moves water upward from the roots out to the leaves. They found that corn plants with longer metaxylem vessel elements also tend to have rapidly elongating roots, deeper root systems, stronger water transport capacity, greater water capture and improved drought adaptation
Full Article
Jun 25, 2026
Huck staffers recognized at annual awards
The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences recognized several staff members for outstanding work over the past year at the annual “Pulse of the Huck” meeting.
Full Article
Jun 24, 2026
Q&A with Penn State neurobiology student Evelyn Mastaglio
Evelyn Mastaglio is a second-year student pursuing a degree in neurobiology, one of the newest majors in the Penn State Eberly College of Science. Drawn to the field for its unique blend of biology, psychology and anatomy, Mastaglio made the switch from the college’s biology major as soon as the neurobiology major became available. With research experience spanning evolutionary biology and the genetics of Alzheimer's disease, she is already carving out a path toward a career in medicine and neuroscience.
Full Article
Jun 22, 2026
GAP funding awarded to 12 Penn State research commercialization projects
Twelve research projects have been selected for the 2026 Penn State Commercialization GAP Fund. Awarded projects receive $75,000 in funding and other support to develop promising proof-of-concept research into commercial ready technology. As the name suggests, GAP funding is targeted towards research projects that — despite exciting potential — are sometimes stuck in the funding gap between government grants and commercial investment. Attracting commercial attention often requires extensive development and testing to show that a product is safe, effective at scale and properly positioned within the marketplace.
Full Article
Jun 22, 2026
Penn State Master Gardeners support pollinator research across Pennsylvania
A Penn State Extension Master Gardener might spend one day helping a home gardener select pollinator-friendly plants and another collecting data that could help researchers better predict which flowers attract bees and butterflies. During National Pollinator Week, June 22-28, Master Gardeners across Pennsylvania continue to support several pollinator-focused research, education and conservation efforts.
Full Article
Jun 17, 2026
Huck administrator earns international recognition
Research Professor Camelia Kantor, director of strategic initiatives at Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, has been selected as a 2026 Future of the Field honoree by the Society of Research Administrators International.
Full Article
Jun 16, 2026
Q&A: What does science say about plants as medicine?
Plants have always played an integral role in traditional medicine and healing practices, according to Kent Vrana, Elliot S. Vesell Professor of Pharmacology at Penn State College of Medicine, and they continue to shape health and medicine today. In this Q&A, Vrana discussed the relationship between plant science and human health and the growing role of plant-derived solutions in medicine.
Full Article
Jun 16, 2026
Q&A: Can plants help reverse climate change?
Heatwaves are arriving sooner and becoming hotter, with the United Kingdom recording May 25 as its hottest day in May since tracking began more than a century ago, only for the record to break again the next day. While humans can turn to artificial means of cooling, such as air conditioning or swimming pools, plants are left to cope with heat and frequently co-occurring droughts on their own. Sarah M. Assmann, Waller Professor of Biology at Penn State, is working to better understand how plants respond to environmental signals — and is applying that understanding to develop crops more resilient to environmental stress.
Full Article