Leadership insights: Provost Sotiropoulos on AI, doctoral education and the land-grant mission
| psu.edu
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
| psu.edu
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
| psu.edu
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
| psu.edu
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
| psu.edu
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.
Harrisburg students awarded for 2026 capstone projects
| psu.edu
Outstanding student projects were recognized during the Penn State Harrisburg School of Science, Engineering, and Technology Capstone Design Conference held April 24.
Why Pennsylvania’s low-income residents are feeling the squeeze as gas prices rise
| by Hannah Wiseman
When gas prices rise, not everyone feels the pain equally. For low-income and rural Pennsylvanians, a trip to the gas station can mean choosing between a full tank and groceries.
Wildfires strike Florida, Georgia and America’s ‘wood basket’
| nytimes.com
Large fires, fueled by a record breaking drought, have been destroying homes and timber plantations in Southeastern states. This article quotes IEE Associate Director Erica Smithwick.
New reactor design produces renewable methane from carbon dioxide
An international team, led by Penn State’s Institute of Energy and the Environment Director Bruce Logan, has developed a new reactor design that efficiently converts carbon dioxide and renewable electricity into methane — the primary component of natural gas — while scaling the system up by roughly an order of magnitude without sacrificing performance.
New study shows microplastics are reaching wildlife in the most remote Amazon areas
| aol.com
Scientists just confirmed something unsettling about one of Earth’s most protected wild places: even there, microplastics are reaching the youngest, most vulnerable animals in the food web. This article links to the IEE news column Microplastics: Sources, health risks, and how to protect yourself.
Soil scientist awarded $1.6M NSF grant to study ‘living skin’ of arid ecosystems
| psu.edu
A Penn State soil scientist has received a $1.6 million, five-year grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to fund her team’s study of how increasing temperature fluctuations impact the biocrust microbiome — the complex, thin-layer microbe community that stabilizes soil, fixes nitrogen and drives nutrient cycling in drylands.
Collaboration drives community-based bioeconomy innovation in Brazilian Amazon
| psu.edu
An international project led by a Penn State team is helping to identify how community-based bioeconomies in the Brazilian Amazon can support forest conservation while increasing income opportunities for the traditional and Indigenous communities that protect and manage these landscapes.