Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams receive 2026 IEE seed grants

July 1, 2026

Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s 2026 Seed Grant Program.

Students share hands-on experiences from VCA Metzger Animal Hospital externship

June 26, 2026

Students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recently gathered to share their experiences in the Penn State Pre-Veterinary Student Externship Program at VCA Metzger Animal Hospital, which they participated in earlier this summer.

SAFES grants to address Critical Issues Initiatives in College of Ag Sciences

June 22, 2026

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, through its Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food and Environmental Science, known as SAFES, recently announced its latest awards to accelerate the advancement of its Critical Issues Initiatives.

Gary Perdew retires after more than 30 years at Penn State

June 16, 2026

Gary Perdew, H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Agricultural Sciences, has retired from the College of Agricultural Sciences after more than 30 years at Penn State.

Q&A: What does science say about plants as medicine?

June 16, 2026

Plants have always played an integral role in traditional medicine and healing practices. In this Q&A, Kent Vrana, Elliot S. Vesell Professor of Pharmacology and director of the Center for Cannabis and Natural Product Pharmaceutics at Penn State College of Medicine, discussed the relationship is between plant science and human health and the growing role of plant-derived solutions in medicine.

Huck names Leadership Fellows for 2026-27

June 10, 2026

The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has selected three faculty members to serve as Huck Leadership Fellows for the 2026-27 academic year. The competitive program prepares faculty for future leadership roles while engaging them in strategic initiatives that advance interdisciplinary research at Penn State. 

How does conservation agriculture impact farm workers?

May 27, 2026

An interdisciplinary team in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, in collaboration with the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, a conservation nonprofit working with farmers, has received a $250,000 grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

First-Gen Lighthouses program in Ag Sciences guides students to success

May 14, 2026

First-generation college students connect through new program designed to help them network and explore Penn State's resources.

Targeting two flu proteins sharply reduces airborne spread

March 13, 2026

A long-running debate in vaccine design revolves around whether a vaccine should be optimized to prevent the virus from replicating inside an infected host or prevent the virus from transmitting to others. New research led by Penn State scientists suggests there may not have to be a tradeoff.

Penn State Extension Earns Grant to Develop Microcredentials for Ag Workers

February 26, 2026

Penn State Extension recently was awarded a competitive national grant to build a microcredentialing system aimed at strengthening the agricultural workforce and formally recognizing job-ready skills

Ag sciences professor elected fellow in American Academy of Microbiology

February 24, 2026

Andrew Patterson, John T. and Paige S. Smith Professor in the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been elected as a fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology.

College of Agricultural Sciences celebrates faculty, staff of 25 years

February 6, 2026

The Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences recently celebrated 26 faculty and staff members who have been with the college for 25 years.

Agricultural Sciences faculty member recognized with advising excellence award

February 4, 2026

Jennifer Koehl, assistant teaching professor and undergraduate program coordinator in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has been chosen to receive the college’s Community of Advising Excellence Award.

Liver metabolism of an essential amino acid may play a key role in gut health

January 30, 2026

Researchers at Penn State recently found, in mice, that a protein critical to intestinal barrier function — helping the gut absorb nutrients while blocking harmful pathogens — is rhythmically controlled by nighttime liver metabolism of the molecule tryptophan.  

Institute of Energy and the Environment welcomes 15 new faculty members

January 27, 2026

The Institute of Energy and the Environment's new faculty bring together expertise that connects energy systems, environmental processes and human dimensions, opening new pathways for collaboration and shared research efforts.

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

January 21, 2026

Several Penn State students 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.

Investigating the microbiome’s role in intestinal disorder in pregnancy

January 16, 2026

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.

The Science Coalition Announces 2025 Winners of the Alyse Gray Parker Memorial Student Video Challenge

December 18, 2025

The Alyse Gray Parker Memorial Student Video Challenge is an annual competition that invites students at The Science Coalition member institutions to communicate the value federally funded scientific research at American colleges and universities.

Investigating the microbiome’s role in intestinal disorder in pregnancy

December 12, 2025

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.

Teaching excellence lauded in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences

December 9, 2025

Exceptional educators in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have been honored with the college’s 2025 teaching awards, recognizing their impact in and out of the classroom.

Two College of Ag Sciences faculty earn spots on highly cited researchers list

December 8, 2025

Francisco Dini-Andreote and Andrew Patterson in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences are among the most highly cited researchers in 2025, according to the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science Group.

Eating lean beef as part of a healthy diet may not increase heart disease risk

November 18, 2025

Eating up to 2.5 ounces per day of lean beef as part of a Mediterranean diet may be heart healthy, according to a new study by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State.

Two drugs that treat prostate cancer may also be effective against leukemia

November 13, 2025

Two U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs for treating prostate cancer may also be effective against acute myeloid leukemia, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State. 

Penn State’s College of Ag Sciences recognizes faculty for research impact

November 12, 2025

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recognized exceptional achievements in research during its fourth annual Research Awards Ceremony held Oct. 28 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.

Host-microbiome interaction biologist to receive inaugural Microbiome Medal

November 11, 2025

The One Health Microbiome Center will present the inaugural Microbiome Medal to Thomas Bosch on Dec 12. Bosch, a developmental biologist, zoologist and distinguished senior professor at Kiel University in Germany, will deliver a lecture on his work. 

Pennsylvania State Grange lauds College of Agricultural Sciences' leadership

November 10, 2025

Tara Mondock, director of college relations and communications for the College of Agricultural Sciences, left; Bella Boone, Pennsylvania State Grange Young Adult Ambassador; Troy Ott, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences; and Matthew Espenshade, president of the Pennsylvania State Grange. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Schreyer Scholar alumni siblings pursue medical school together

November 5, 2025

Siblings and Schreyer Scholar Alumni Anton and Lindsay Aluquin are facing the challenges of medical school together.

Patterson to lead Penn State center on environment and health

September 23, 2025

Andrew Patterson has been named director of Penn State’s Center for Molecular Toxicology and Carcinogenesis, a research hub that investigates how environmental exposures affect human health.

Penn State’s avian pathology team recognized at national conference

September 16, 2025

The avian pathology team from the Animal Diagnostic Laboratory in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences received national recognition at the recent 2025 American Association of Avian Pathologists’ annual meeting in Portland, Oregon.

Seasonal flu immunity protects against severe illness from bird flu in ferrets

July 23, 2025

New research, led by scientists at Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh and published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, indicates that immunity to a seasonal influenza virus known as pandemic H1N1 that began circulating in 2009 provides protection from severe illness from H5N1 — the strain causing the current bird flu outbreak — in a laboratory animal model.