April 22 talk: Using voluntary controls to reduce peak electricity demand
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Christina McGranaghan, an assistant professor of applied economics at the University of Delaware, will give the talk, “Taking a Load Off: Experimental Evidence of Preferences for Control with an Application to Residential Electricity Demand,” at noon on Wednesday, April 22.
Geography undergraduate researches satellite estimates of Antarctic meltwater
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A Penn State geography student is using satellite data to study uncertainty in Antarctic surface hydrology through undergraduate research in the Cryosphere and Climate Lab.
Seed from Midwest ginseng farms planted in eastern forests raises questions
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To meet global demand for American ginseng, the medicinal plant traditionally collected in the forests of Appalachia and traded and used internationally, the plant now is commonly cultivated on forest farms in the U.S. Northeast. But new research has revealed that much of the seed for that agroforestry enterprise is coming from field-based, artificial-shade ginseng farms in Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada — and it may be influencing the genetics of naturally occurring ginseng.
Plant scientists receive $1.96M NIH grant to study plant-bacteria partnerships
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A team of plant scientists in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $1.96 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund a study of how beneficial plant-bacteria partnerships evolve, persist, and can be harnessed to improve health and agriculture.
Penn State Berks to host Earth Day celebration, April 22
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The Penn State Berks Sustainability Council will host its annual Earth Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, in the Perkins Plaza, located just outside the Perkins Student Center, with a rain location of the Gaige Technology and Innovation Building. The Earth Day celebration will include community organizations, student tables, and activities, including planting in the campus garden. The event is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served.
Communication, Science & Society Initiative awards four interdisciplinary grants
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The Communication, Science & Society Initiative, a research partnership between Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences in the College of the Liberal Arts, has announced the grant recipients from its 2025 request for proposals.
Unlocking unusual superconductivity in a lightweight element
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New research led by Penn State researchers has demonstrated that superconductivity can be maintained in magnetic fields stronger than the usual limit by sandwiching atomically thin films of a lightweight element called gallium between two other materials to engineer quantum interactions at the interfaces between the layers.
Pennsylvania DEP secretary to deliver keynote at Climate Solutions Symposium
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Jessica Shirley will deliver the keynote address May 20 at the 2026 Penn State Climate Solutions Symposium, where she will outline priorities for building a more resilient Pennsylvania.
PennTAP advances statewide decarbonization with $5M for small manufacturers
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More than $5 million has been awarded through the first round of the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) grant program to small manufacturers across Pennsylvania for projects that focus on reducing industrial emissions and helping lower energy costs. PennTAP manages the program's $40 million Small-scale Award Track.
Explore nature and wellness at the Arboretum’s 'Wild Wellness' festival
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This spring, the community is invited to explore the benefits of movement, art and wellness in the natural surroundings of the Arboretum at Penn State during the annual Wild Wellness Festival and Market on Sunday, April 26.
Registration is now open for inaugural Penn State Research Ethics Conference
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The Penn State community is invited to register for the inaugural Research Ethics Conference, to be held on Sept. 10. The one-day event is open to faculty, students, staff and postdoctoral scholars interested in exploring how research ethics shape the quality, credibility and impact of scholarly work across disciplines.
Digital Twins Hub’s Faculty-in-Residence Program highlights mentorship, research
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The Digital Twins Hub, one of five research hubs housed within the Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, has launched a new program that spotlights University researchers integrating digital twins in innovative ways and to bridge the literacy gap between emerging technologies and undergraduate education.