Project ECHO to host special session on measles for healthcare providers
| psu.edu
With Pennsylvania recording the highest number of cases across the country in the recent national measles outbreak, primary care providers across the state are preparing for potential cases in their own communities. To help doctors and clinic staff get the latest information, Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) at Penn State is hosting a free, virtual session on Oct. 15 focused on the virus.
Fat in ice cream waste can be economically recycled, study suggests
Millions of pounds of nutrient-rich ice cream go to waste each year, according to the International Dairy Foods Association, discarded after production. Nearly 5% of the raw materials used in ice cream production end up as waste — representing millions of dollars in lost product per year. This waste primarily results from batches thrown out for quality issues and equipment cleaning.
Frog's coat of bacterial armor helps protect it from fungal disease
| psu.edu
The bacteria living on frogs’ skin could serve a vital role in protecting the animal from a deadly fungal disease. A team of researchers led by Penn State scientists found that frogs’ natural skin bacteria can help them fight disease and improve their chances of survival.
Liver, gut bacteria alter food molecules, influence body’s biological activity
| psu.edu
The liver, as well as gut bacteria, in humans can alter molecules in food to influence signaling pathways that can activate or deactivate an array of genes, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.
Trump administration coal loss builds momentum for similar cases
| news.bloomberglaw.com
Legal challenges against the Trump administration’s emergency orders keeping coal plants open could pick up steam after a recent DC Circuit decision rejected the administration’s justification for one Michigan order, legal scholars say.
Penn State chemist receives 2026 Schmidt Science Polymath Award
| psu.edu
Lauren Zarzar, professor of chemistry and materials science and engineering, has been named a recipient of the 2026 Schmidt Science Polymath Award.
Master Watershed Steward’s decade-long service demonstrates impact
| psu.edu
Geoffrey Selling has spent the past decade volunteering with Penn State Extension’s Montgomery County Master Watershed Steward program, dedicating more than 3,000 hours to service projects, both as a project manager and program leader.
Simulated nuclear facilities offer hands-on cybersecurity learning
| psu.edu
Students in NUCE/CYBER 443: Cybersecurity for Nuclear Facilities learn about simulated cyberattacks and have the opportunity to design responsive security measures.
Nakamura to discuss barriers to accessing environmental public benefit programs
| psu.edu
Shotaro Nakamura, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology and Education at Penn State, will give the talk “Monetary and non-monetary barriers to accessing environmental public benefit programs: experimental evidence from California,” at noon on Friday, Sept. 25, in 157 Hosler Building on Penn State’s University Park campus.
Sept. 25 talk to highlight importance of resilient water infrastructure
| psu.edu
Roberto Fernández, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Penn State, will give the talk “Living with Water” on Sept. 25 in the Earth and Engineering Sciences Building at University Park. The talk will also be available via Zoom.
Darrell Schlom to deliver 2026 Taylor Lecture in Materials on Sept. 25
| psu.edu
The theme of the 2026 Nelson W. Taylor Lecture in Materials is “Extending materials science into the impossible.” The lecture, by Darrell Schlom, Tisch University Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Cornell University, will be held 8:15-11:30 a.m. on Sept. 25 in the HUB-Robeson Center’s Heritage Hall.
Flight of imagination
| pennstatermag.com
An array of Penn State alumni, faculty, and students have played an essential role in NASA’s upcoming Dragonfly mission, a groundbreaking exploration of Saturn’s largest moon in search of a new understanding of the origins of life on Earth.