News

Erika Machtinger, associate professor of entomology, and Michael Skvarla, assistant research professor of arthropod identification, will use their grant award to support expanded research on tick biodiversity and tick-borne bacteria in Belize. Credit: Contributed Photo. All Rights Reserved.

College of Ag Sciences awards bridge funding for global research collaborations

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has awarded bridge funding to four faculty members to support research collaborations addressing soil fertility, public health, climate resilience and agricultural trade include two from the Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology.

Penn State students take top honors in video challenge on the value of research

A team of students working in Andrew Patterson's lab used their experience in research and storytelling to advocate for federally funded research and take top prizes in the Science Coalition’s 2025 Alyse Gray Parker Memorial Student Video Challenge

New genomics, metabolomics instruments added to Huck facilities

Recently acquired scientific instruments have enhanced the research capabilities of two Huck facilities.

Disease ecologist awarded grant to study ’infectome’ effects on fungal disease

Molly Bletz, assistant professor of disease ecology at Penn State, has been awarded a 2025 New Investigator Grant by the Charles E. Kaufman Foundation, which is administered by The Pittsburgh Foundation and awards grants to support scientists at Pennsylvania colleges and universities conducting innovative and interdisciplinary research

Penn State Neuroscience Institute announces spring 2026 speakers

Hosted in conjunction with the Neuroscience Intercollege Graduate Degree Program, the spring 2026 seminar series brings together an international slate of leading experts in neuroscience, biodevices and brain research.

Investigating the microbiome’s role in intestinal disorder in pregnancy

Jessica Grembi, an assistant professor of pharmacology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has received a $500,000 grant from the Gates Foundation to investigate the role of the microbiome in environmental enteropathy — a condition characterized by inflammation of the small intestine that affects nutrient absorption.

Penn State Extension AI tool, Tilva, expands access to research-based guidance

Penn State Extension unveiled a new artificial intelligence-powered tool called Tilva at the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show. Tilva is aimed at giving farmers around-the-clock access to trusted answers.

$1.6M to fund international study on built environment, malaria

A team of researchers from Penn State and Warwick University has been awarded a $1.6 million international Belmont Forum’s Collaborative Research Action project by the U.S. National Science Foundation and UK Research and Innovation’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Led by Penn State researchers, the project will explore how building design, infrastructure and development decisions can help reduce malaria risk worldwide.

Female athlete health, well-being focus of updated report

When active and athletic girls and women don’t eat enough food to meet their body’s energy needs, it can disrupt key systems in the body and lead to irregular or absent menstrual cycles and impaired bone health, including osteoporosis and bone stress injuries.

From brain scans to alloys: Teaching AI to make sense of complex research data

Artificial intelligence is increasingly used to analyze medical images, materials data and scientific measurements, but many systems struggle when real-world data do not match ideal conditions. To address this issue, Penn State researchers have developed a new artificial intelligence framework with potential implications for fields ranging from Alzheimer’s disease research to advanced materials design.