Rock Ethics Institute launches collaboration with Freiburg research institute
| psu.edu
Five Penn State scholars affiliated with the Rock Ethics Institute will participate in an international workshop Oct. 20-22 in Freiburg, Germany, launching a new collaboration with the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies. The workshop will explore ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence, technology and sustainability, building on Penn State's longstanding strategic partnership with the University of Freiburg.
Plant science graduate student committed to improving food security
| psu.edu
Sarah Flanagan, a doctoral student in plant science and food security, has been involved with the World Food Prize Foundation and its mission of world food security since high school. Now, she is set to return for the Norman E. Borlaug Dialogue, Oct. 20-22.
Can AI help discover new food physics? Researchers pair AI with human expertise
| psu.edu
A team led by researchers at Penn State have shown how AI agents, guided by human expertise, can extract and organize experimental data from scientific literature into a searchable database that helps reveal previously unreported relationships in food science.
$3.7M NIH grant to further improve patient safety in central line placements
| psu.edu
Penn State researchers have spent more than a decade making central line placement safer for patients. Now, a $3.7 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute will allow the researchers to expand their system and further reduce complications, infections and other injuries for patients receiving central lines.
Engineers at Penn State contribute to national $20M liver bioprinting project
| psu.edu
Xiaojun “Lance” Lian, associate professor of biomedical engineering and of biology at Penn State, will contribute to a nearly $20 million project, funded as part of the Genesis Mission initiative, that seeks to create biocompatible liver tissue for transplants using bioprinting.
Q&A: Upcoming conference continues to connect women across the dairy industry
| psu.edu
For more than two decades, Penn State Extension’s Women in Dairy Conference has provided an opportunity for women in the dairy industry to exchange ideas, gain new knowledge and build professional connections. Ginger Fenton, dairy extension educator who helped organize this year’s conference, discussed the conference’s history and the value of opportunities to learn and connect in this Q&A.
Genome detectives: Students sequence the genome of a harmful plant pathogen
| psu.edu
Graduate students in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences contributed to the first complete genome sequence of a harmful plant pathogen from an ornamental Prunus host through an active-learning activity in a plant disease diagnosis course.
Penn State’s College of Ag Sciences launches Regenerative Agriculture Center
| psu.edu
Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is launching a new Penn State Regenerative Agriculture Center on 125 acres of college-managed property at Rockview in Centre County.
The hidden chemistry beneath our feet: Susan Brantley on the role of rocks in our everyday lives
| nasonline.org
Rocks are the source of many of the materials we rely on every day, but they also play a much broader role in shaping our planet. For Earth Science Week, which this year highlights critical minerals, we spoke with NAS member and geochemist Susan Brantley about her research.
Nepal flood shows why warning systems must watch the mountains, not just the rivers
| by Tejal Shirsat, Christopher Scott, Padmendra Shrestha
The catastrophic flood began with a rock-and-ice collapse high above the river system, showing why monitoring rivers and large glacial lakes alone may not provide enough warning.
Tiny droplets can form soft networks for brain-inspired computing
| psu.edu
A team of researchers and engineers at Penn State is taking inspiration from the natural computer of the human brain to build soft networks of water-based droplets, connected by membranes like those found in the walls of living cells.
Recycled plastic asphalt may boost pavement performance, limit particle release
Asphalt containing recycled plastic held together better than conventional asphalt and showed a lower level of plastic-like particles after combined traffic and moisture-related laboratory testing, according to a study led by Penn State researchers. The findings suggest that improved pavement durability may help limit particle release, the team said, but field studies are needed to determine whether the same pattern occurs on real roads.