Q&A: What does science say about plants as medicine?
| psu.edu
Plants have always played an integral role in traditional medicine and healing practices. In this Q&A, Kent Vrana, Elliot S. Vesell Professor of Pharmacology and director of the Center for Cannabis and Natural Product Pharmaceutics at Penn State College of Medicine, discussed the relationship is between plant science and human health and the growing role of plant-derived solutions in medicine.
Digital twins could help melt the mystery of Alaska’s thawing permafrost
| psu.edu
Researchers at Penn State have developed an artificial intelligence-powered modeling framework that uses fiber-optic sensors to monitor and predict permafrost degradation in the Arctic, offering a new tool for monitoring the stability of buildings and roads in this warming climate.
Building data centers in space is an intriguing idea on paper, but major engineering challenges must be solved
| by Wangda Zuo, Sven Bilén
Imagine if one company could become the railroad, electric utility and cloud-computing provider of the emerging space economy. That potential fueled excitement around the long-anticipated initial public offering of SpaceX. Investors are not simply betting on rockets anymore. They are betting on an entire orbital ecosystem.
Gary Perdew retires after more than 30 years at Penn State
| psu.edu
Gary Perdew, H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Agricultural Sciences, has retired from the College of Agricultural Sciences after more than 30 years at Penn State.
Heritage voices: The archaeology of indigenous South America
| archaeologypodcastnetwork.com
On this month’s episode, Jessica talks with Dr. José Capriles Flores (Associate Professor of Anthropology at Penn State). We talk about Dr. Capriles’ journey from visiting Tiwanaku as a child with his late biologist and ornithologist mother to studying zooarchaeology and environmental archaeology across extremely varied ecosystems in South America today.
Scientists detect alarming Atlantic signal as crucial ocean current nears tipping point
| thecooldown.com
Researchers are paying increasing attention to a growing cold blob in the North Atlantic near Greenland, where surface waters are cooling.
Master Watershed Steward’s enthusiasm for the environment takes root in projects
| psu.edu
Ken Pledger, of Cumberland County, has spent the past few years volunteering with Penn State Extension’s Master Watershed Steward program, putting in more than 500 hours of service working on a variety of tree-planting, stream testing and other environmental projects across the county.
Penn State guide to urban soil management to support safe, productive land use
| psu.edu
A just-released Penn State publication, “Guide to Urban Soil Management for Gardening, Farming, Horticultural Placements, and Green Infrastructure,” provides a comprehensive, science-based framework for assessing, testing and managing soils in urban environments to support safe, productive and sustainable land use.
Engineering design professor named engineering education fellow
| psu.edu
Sarah Zappe, assistant dean for teaching and learning and director of the Leonhard Center in the Penn State College of Engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education, one of the organization’s highest honors. The recognition acknowledges her significant contributions to engineering education through leadership, scholarship and service to the profession.
Electrical engineering entrepreneurs present posters at departmental competition
| psu.edu
Student and faculty researchers in Penn State’s Department of Electrical Engineering presented their work at the 2026 Electrical Engineering Student Research Poster Competition, which took place on April 6 in the Electrical Engineering West Building. Among the presenters were awardee teams from the department’s new EEntrepreneurship programs, who showcased their progress toward commercializing their research.
GAP funding awarded to 12 Penn State research commercialization projects
| psu.edu
Twelve research projects have been selected for the 2026 Penn State Commercialization GAP Fund. Awarded projects receive $75,000 in funding and other support to develop promising proof-of-concept research into commercial ready technology.
Research grant to support exploring sustainable architectural practices in Andes
| psu.edu
José Ibarra, assistant professor of architecture in the Stuckeman School at Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture, has received funding from the prestigious Graham Foundation to conduct fieldwork across the Andes mountains in South America.