PA State Data Center to host Data User Conference on June 4
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Data users from across the commonwealth are set to gather at Penn State Harrisburg for the Pennsylvania State Data Center's annual Pennsylvania Data User Conference on June 4. Registration is now open.
Biology professor awarded the 2026 Karin E. Foley Women’s Leadership Award
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Janine Kwapis, Paul Berg Early Career Professor in the Biological Sciences, was recently awarded with the 2026 Karin E. Foley Women’s Leadership Award.
Rwenzori Mountains’ first major fire in 12,000 years marked new era for climate
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Researchers have made a surprising discovery in sediment core samples from lakes in the East African Rwenzori Mountains: A 2012 wildfire that ravaged 16 square miles of the forest and alpine landscapes at more than 13,000 feet above sea level was unprecedented in at least the last 12,000 years.
New Beescape updates include county-level plant recommendations for pollinators
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Penn State’s Beescape tool is gaining a new feature that allows users to download county-specific lists of pollinator-attractive plants, offering a more localized approach to improving pollinator habitats across Pennsylvania.
U.S. Geological Survey grant to fund ag study of PFAS in small watersheds
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Researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have received a grant of nearly $309,000 from the U.S. Geological Survey, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, to study the movement and impacts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in small agricultural watersheds across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Worker bumble bees help determine which baby bee will become queen
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A new study led by researchers at Penn State explored why some bumble bee larvae become workers and others become queens, despite coming from the same eggs.
Students partner with local businesses to address challenges around sustainability
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How can a small business be more sustainable? A group of students and two community partners sought to answer this question during the Common Intellectual Experience, an initiative that teams Penn State Lehigh Valley students with local small-business owners to address challenges around sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint.
Leadership insights: Provost Sotiropoulos on AI, doctoral education and the land-grant mission
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In a recent op-ed, Executive Vice President and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos shares his thoughts about the impact of AI on doctoral education and how those changes could shape Penn State’s land-grant mission.
Extension agronomist provides tips to save farmers money on fuel and fertilizer
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As fuel and diesel prices rise, an educator with Penn State Extension offers practical tips to help save farmers money.
Researchers, community collaborate at food security symposium
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Researchers from Penn State and representatives from Pennsylvania-based community organizations participated in the Food Security and Access for Healthy Futures Symposium at Penn State University Park on April 24. The event aimed to identify needs of state and regional food distribution systems and to create a space for new research collaborations to tackle challenges that state residents face with food insecurity, access and more.
Architecture alumna’s thesis reimagines urban design, wins thesis competition
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Makaila Haislip, a recent architecture graduate from the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School, was named the winner of the Department of Architecture’s 2026 Kossman Senior Design Award for her thesis project that rethinks how cities grow and who gets to shape their futures.
Sustainability expert to discuss food supply chains on May 19
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Alex Neill, an associate lecturer and doctoral researcher in applied social sciences at Newcastle University in Tyne, England, will give the talk “Towards Zero Waste Dining: Evaluating the Impact of Interventions on Sustainable Consumer Behavior” from noon to 1:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, in 111 Borland Building on Penn State's University Park campus.
