Wild mushrooms harvesters in Mid-Atlantic region collect fungi, build community
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New research conducted by ethnobiologists — scientists who study the relationships between people and their environments — at Penn State revealed that harvesters collect a surprisingly wide variety of wild mushroom species in the region, primarily for food and medicinal purposes. In addition to foraging varied fungi, the researchers found that harvesters built communities focused on knowledge sharing and expansion.
Penn State alumna named to lead Department of Ecosystem Science and Management
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Carrie Laboski, a Penn State alumna and research leader for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service’s Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, has been named head of the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, effective Nov. 3.
Penn State Brandywine Earth sciences professor earns two national awards
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Laura Guertin, distinguished professor of Earth sciences at Penn State Brandywine, was awarded the Neil Miner Award by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers and the Geosciences Faculty Mentor Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research on Sept. 26.
Center for Mathematical Biology appoints new director
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Wenrui Hao, professor of mathematics, was named the new director of the Center for Mathematical Biology, which will host a kick-off meeting on Oct. 16 for researchers at Penn State to learn more about collaborative opportunities across the life sciences in artificial intelligence, computational modeling and other advanced technologies.
Stuckeman School to host award-winning designer San Fratello for Oct. 15 lecture
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The Stuckeman School in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State is hosting Virginia San Fratello, architect, interior designer and educator, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, as a part of the Department of Architecture’s fall 2025 lecture series.
College of Medicine awarded $3.3M grant to lead national preventive research hub
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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded Penn State College of Medicine a $3.3 million grant for two years to establish a national hub for guiding collaboration, data harmonization and community engagement across multiple awards funded by NIH institutes and centers.
Oct. 15 seminar to spotlight Colombia’s hydropower, electricity market
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A seminar by Penn State visiting scholar Camilo Younes-Velosa will explore "realities of climate change and the global energy transition" in Colombia's power market. His free talk is scheduled for noon on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in 157 Hosler Building on Penn State's University Park campus.
Q&A: What can the next generation of engineers learn from artists?
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Nicholas Meisel, associate director of engineering design graduate programs and associate professor of engineering design and of mechanical engineering, is the principal investigator on a new project, supported by a three-year, $400,000 grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation, that looks to integrate arts education into design for additive manufacturing coursework. In a Q&A, Meisel discussed why interdisciplinary education is so important when preparing students to use additive manufacturing technology.
Up to $7.5M to fund semiconductor innovation at Penn State
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A team of researchers at Penn State has been selected for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing program to develop innovative semiconductor systems. The team is one of only six university groups selected from outside of Texas, where the Texas Institute for Electronics at The University of Texas at Austin will coordinate the larger effort.
New tool helps forecast volcano slope collapses and tsunamis
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To help scientists forecast dangerous collapses, a researcher at Penn State and colleagues have developed a novel method to gauge a volcano's stability.
Children’s diet quality linked to distance from protected conservation areas
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Protected areas of defined geographic zones can slow biodiversity loss and bolster conversation efforts, but they may have unintended impacts on the diets of children who live nearby, according to new research from scientists at Penn State.
Q&A: Looking at the impacts of forever chemicals in landfills, water and more
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Onur Apul, who joined Penn State as an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering in August, spoke about his research into "forever chemicals."