College of Health and Human Development ranked first in NIH-funding category
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According to The Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research, the Penn State College of Health and Human Development received more funding from the National Institutes of Health in 2025 than any other school of allied health in the nation.
Native garden at high school blooms thanks to work of Master Watershed Steward
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As a lifelong nature enthusiast, Erin Crump, of Montgomery County, has spent the past few years volunteering with Penn State Extension’s Master Watershed Steward program, working to establish a native garden at Wissahickon High School in Montgomery County, winning an award in the process.
Housing affordability in rural communities the focus of May 20 webinar
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Individuals interested in understanding forces impacting housing affordability and how it shapes rural communities in Pennsylvania can attend an upcoming webinar from Penn State Extension.
Materials science and engineering professor Joshua Robinson named MRI director
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Joshua A. Robinson, professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State, has been named director of the University’s Materials Research Institute, effective July 1.
Drones match farm planning effectiveness of more expensive tech, study finds
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Environmental scientists and water resource managers need precise, high-resolution maps to reveal areas that farmers should avoid when planting crops, to limit polluting waters with phosphorus from fertilizer or manure. Making those maps has depended on an expensive, sometimes unavailable technology, but a team led by Penn State researchers has developed a cheaper approach that can be just as effective.
How can the same genetic mutation lead to different clinical outcomes?
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A team led by Penn State scientists has developed methods to evaluate how genetic variants elsewhere in an individual’s genome work with a deletion on chromosome 16 — associated with varying neurodevelopmental outcomes including autism, developmental delay and congenital abnormalities — to help determine the features that the individual will manifest.
Vasant Honavar named vice provost for artificial intelligence at Penn State
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Vasant Honavar, who currently serves as the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Biomedical Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence, will guide a comprehensive AI strategy and advance Penn State's leadership in human-centered and ethical AI innovation across teaching, learning, research and operations.
Hunters’ appreciation of a targeted deer-management program transcends harvest
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Too many white-tailed deer are damaging forests in the U.S. by eating young plants before they can grow, limiting forest regeneration and damaging biodiversity. To mitigate this challenge, the Pennsylvania Game Commission implemented an initiative called the Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) that helps landowners manage deer populations by allowing hunters to harvest more female deer where they are overabundant.
Ag department head earns American Society of Civil Engineers award
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Suat Irmak, professor and head of Penn State’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, received the prestigious Royce J. Tipton Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers at the 2026 World Environmental and Water Resources Congress, held April 26-29 in Mobile, Alabama.
Penn State Altoona research lab repeats sweep of two competition categories
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Members of the Penn State Altoona Integrated Social Science Research Lab (ISSRL) were successful once again at the annual Penn State Behrend-Sigma Xi Undergraduate Student Research and Creative Accomplishment Conference held in Erie on Saturday, April 25. The competition is open to Penn State students and undergraduates from other colleges and universities in the Erie region.
Plant genes influence bacterial evolution in legume-bacteria partnership
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Legumes like soybeans, alfalfa, peas, beans, peanuts and many more can mutualistically partner with soil bacteria called rhizobia to benefit both organisms. Not just any rhizobia will do, however, as specific rhizobia match with specific plants for the best crop outcome, according to a team led by Penn State researchers, who recently discovered that plant genes strongly influence which rhizobial strains plants chose from a diverse mixture.
Penn State places fourth, breaks school record in Shell Eco-Marathon competition
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The Penn State Shell Eco-Marathon Team finished in fourth place at the 2026 Shell Eco-Marathon United States Challenge, which took place April 7-11 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis.