Oct. 24 kicks off 'Plants for the People and the Planet' innovation series
| psu.edu
Solving real-world problems with innovative and interdisciplinary plant research is exactly what the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences aims to achieve by introducing a new seminar series: "Plants for the People," beginning this Friday, Oct. 24.
EarthTalks highlights critical minerals research with fall series
| psu.edu
Key to the economy and national security, critical minerals underpin clean energy, electric vehicle batteries, the power grid and beyond. The EarthTalks speaker series is centering critical minerals work and viewpoints at Penn State and across the sector.
Water, AI researcher honored with IEE 'Person of the Year' award
Chaopeng Shen, a leading innovator in blending artificial intelligence (AI) with water and Earth systems research, has been named the Institute of Energy and the Environment Person of the Year for 2025.
Flood impacts in Global South focus of Geography Coffee Hour
| psu.edu
Mook Bangalore, assistant professor of environmental policy in the Penn State School of Public Policy, will deliver a talk about flooding impacts in the Global South at the Department of Geography's Coffee Hour at noon on Oct. 24 at Penn State University Park.
Cuts threaten 'The Envy of the World': Penn Stater magazine interview
| psu.edu
In a new Q&A with the Penn Stater magazine, Andrew Read, Penn State’s senior vice president for research, highlights how publicly funded basic research drives innovation, fuels economic growth and benefits society — and warns of the risks if that support wanes.
Oct. 29 seminar to discuss effects of California power shutoffs
| psu.edu
A free talk by doctoral candidate Tiemeng Ma — “From Local Shocks to Regional Impacts: Economic Consequences of Public Safety Power Shutoffs in California on Western U.S. Residents and Sectors” — is set for Oct. 29. She will discuss her study on electricity shutoffs in California, as well as a framework that captured direct costs and indirect effects.
Pyle family invests in two things that shaped careers: technology, Penn State
| psu.edu
Rob Pyle, who earned undergraduate and master's degrees from Penn State in meteorology and atmospheric science, and his wife, Mary Ann, said technology and computing drove both their careers. To help Penn State students stay at the cutting edge, they established the Pyle Innovations in Technology Fund in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
Two Harrisburg leaders honored at Women in Technology awards
| psu.edu
Two members of the Penn State Harrisburg community — Shirley Clark and Vahid Motevalli — were honored recently at the 2025 Women in Technology Awards hosted by the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania.
Training doctoral candidates in AI-powered precision tools for agriculture
| psu.edu
Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered precision agriculture tools can help growers better manage their orchards by reducing waste, increasing resilience and helping guide decisions about water use, fertilizer application and pest control, according to researchers at Penn State. However, the team said, not enough agricultural scientists are trained to develop and use these tools in real-world farming situations. An project underway in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences aims to ease that shortage by training three doctoral degree students.
Atom-scale stencil patterns help nanoparticles take new shapes, learn new tricks
| psu.edu
Inspired by an artist’s stencils, researchers have developed atomic-level precision patterning on nanoparticle surfaces, allowing them to “paint” gold nanoparticles with polymers, or long chains of small molecules, to give them an array of new shapes and functions. The “patchy nanoparticles” developed by a multi-institutional team that includes researchers at Penn State can be made in large batches, used for a variety of electronic, optical or biomedical applications, or used as building blocks for new complex materials and metamaterials.
Q&A: The power of simulations for learning and system optimization
| psu.edu
Engineering management faculty member Ashkan Negahban shared his research on simulations to enhance learning and system performance. He explained why he enjoys research, the impact of his work and how he has seen students grow from conducting their own research projects.
Data centers and water use in Pennsylvania
| extension.psu.edu
Data centers are increasing in number and size across Pennsylvania placing increasing demands on the state's water resources.