Cellular maintenance crew may miss as much as half of certain misfolded proteins
| psu.edu
A new study led by Penn State scientists revealed that proteins containing a certain type of structure are more likely to misfold, yet nearly half still manage to evade the cellular maintenance crew that would typically remove the malfunctioning protein. The misfolded proteins that persist could accumulate in cells, disrupting the balance of protein production and recycling and potentially contributing to aging and disease, according to the researchers.
NIH awards Penn State CTSI $28.2M to improve rural health
| psu.edu
Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at Penn State College of Medicine recently received a seven-year, $28.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. The funding will help the institute pioneer scalable models to solve health challenges in rural areas and turn medical discoveries into real-world treatments, according to Jennifer Kraschnewski, who directs CTSI.
Schuylkill student connects agriculture and conservation through Co-Op
| psu.edu
For Penn State Schuylkill Co-Op student Isabella Whitsel, an interest in agriculture and environmental stewardship came together this summer through a hands-on internship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Raystown Lake. Whitsel, a second-year agricultural science student, worked as a Student Conservation Natural Resource intern at the Raystown Lake Project.
Sept. 9 talk to discuss modeling historic flood impacts on housing markets
| psu.edu
Jingzhou Wang, a graduate student in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education at Penn State, will give the talk “Flood Risk and Housing Markets without Flood Insurance: Evidence from 1930s Pittsburgh,” at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 9, in 157 Hosler Building on Penn State's University Park campus.
Center for Socially Responsible AI invites 2027 seed funding proposals
| psu.edu
Penn State’s Center for Socially Responsible Artificial Intelligence invites short proposals for its annual seed funding program. Applications will be accepted through Nov. 2, with projects expected to start in spring 2027 and last up to two years.
Ocean heatwaves linked with poorer health among children in coastal communities
| psu.edu
Marine heatwaves — periods of abnormally warm ocean temperatures — may have negative health effects on children who live in coastal communities in low- or middle-income countries, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Q&A: Can U.S. parks promote safety, recreation and environmental protection?
| psu.edu
National parks in the United States have a potentially contradictory dual mission: protect natural areas while also facilitating recreational use of those areas. In this Q&A, Bing Pan, professor of recreation, park, and tourism management, addressed how to balance these factors and more.
Data center projects in Pennsylvania face stronger local scrutiny after Shapiro’s executive order
| by Mike Helbing
Governors across the country are relying on their executive powers to address the increasing public backlash against data center proposals.
Sept. 4 talk to focus on training neural networks to improve volcano monitoring
| psu.edu
Rebecca Bussard, postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Geosciences at Penn State, will give the talk “Mitigating Atmospheric Noise in InSAR Time-series Over Volcanic Targets Using a Convolutional Neural Network,” at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, in 117 Earth and Engineering Sciences Building on the University Park campus and via Zoom.
AI streamlines search for new ceramics that generate electricity
| psu.edu
To streamline the search for new piezoelectric materials, or those that emit an electric charge when manipulated, a team led by materials science researchers at Penn State introduced a new framework that combines an existing artificial intelligence model with human expertise and experimentation.
Barbara Rolls reflects on career that transformed nutritional sciences
| psu.edu
Barbara Rolls will retire on Aug. 31 after 34 years at Penn State, leaving a lasting legacy of groundbreaking research, mentorship and leadership in nutritional sciences.
Master Watershed Steward couple work together to improve the environment
| psu.edu
Starting as Master Gardeners and wanting to help protect local waterways, Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward program volunteers Jim and Teddy Emberg, of Westmoreland County, have taken that interest and applied themselves to the program in more ways than one.