$6.87M grant to fund railroad research center at Penn State
| psu.edu
The funding will establish the Rail Center for Research Enhancing Short-line Transportation (Rail CREST), an initiative aimed at developing and deploying affordable technologies to improve the safety, efficiency, reliability and sustainability of short line and regional railroads. Two Penn State Altoona faculty members will lead the national project.
Social media users probably won’t read beyond this headline, researchers say
| psu.edu
In an analysis of more than 35 million public posts containing links that were shared billions of times on the social media platform between 2017 and 2020, the researchers at Penn State found that around 75% of the shares were made without the posters clicking the link first. Of these, political content from both ends of the spectrum was shared without clicking more often than politically neutral content.
ICDS Day 2024 highlights significance of interdisciplinary research
| psu.edu
The Penn State Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) recently hosted their annual symposium, "ICDS Day MMXXIV: Shaping the Future of Penn State’s Digital Research," which highlighted interdisciplinary research in computational and data sciences across the University.
Penn State selected for Council of Graduate Schools STEM Workforce Project
| psu.edu
Penn State, led by the Fox Graduate School, was one of 41 universities selected for the Council of Graduate Schools’ Broadening Participation in STEM Graduate Degrees and the U.S. STEM Workforce project.
Fox Graduate School names recipients of fall 2024 International Travel Grants
| psu.edu
The J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School at Penn State and Penn State Global have announced the awardees for the Fall 2024 Graduate Student International Travel Grants. Of 39 applications, seven were selected for $1,500 grants to assist them in presenting their research at international conferences outside the United States.
Fox Graduate School associate dean honored as Sloan Faculty Mentor of the Year
| psu.edu
Stephanie Danette Preston, associate dean for graduate educational equity and chief diversity officer for graduate education with the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School, was recently selected as the 2024 Faculty Mentor of Year for the Sloan Scholars Program.
Fuller family offers $23.3 million gift, stewardship of historic property
| psu.edu
A gift from Mort and Sue Fuller, valued at $23.3 million, has set in motion a transition in stewardship of property now to be known as "Penn State Fullers Overlook" and will provide opportunities for cutting-edge research, facilitate engaged learning and enable collaborative partnerships with sustainability-oriented organizations.
Penn State shows academic excellence in 2024 global ranking of academic subjects
| psu.edu
Penn State ranks in the top 50 in 19 subject area rankings and in the top 100 in the world in an additional 13 subjects, according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, which released its 2024 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects on Nov. 11.
Undergraduates can now apply for an Erickson Discovery Grant
| psu.edu
Undergraduates from all Penn State majors and campuses can now apply for an Erickson Discovery Grant to fund summer 2025 opportunities. Applications close Feb. 16.
Penn State water-energy-food nexus project takes a global approach
| psu.edu
Michael Jacobson, professor of forest resources in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, co-led the second Collaborative Learning School, a year-round virtual networking community of faculty, students and early career professionals that culminates in a two-week summer field workshop with U.S. and African scientists and practitioners. The school, which was held in Uganda last year, is funded by a five-year, $2 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant and is an initiative of the SustainFood Network.
The search to replace a critical semiconductor
| psu.edu
China recently limited the export of gallium nitride, a type of semiconductor used to manufacture a variety of consumer power electronics, such as cell phones and computers, as well as medical devices, cars, wind turbines, solar farms, LED lightbulbs and more. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Patrick Lenahan, distinguished professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, $1 million to investigate the possibility of replacing gallium nitride-based devices with boron nitride.
Aerospace graduate student receives NASA research opportunity
| psu.edu
Nate Osikowicz, a Penn State doctoral student in aerospace engineering, has received a NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities award. The award sponsors graduate students who have the potential to contribute to the development of innovative new space technologies.
Smallholder farmers, despite facing enormous challenges, produce a significant portion of the world's food, especially in regions like Africa and Asia. PlantVillage, a project aimed at empowering these farmers through smartphone technology and machine learning, has grown into a global initiative with ambitious plans to expand its impact and address the growing threat of climate change. Listen to the podcast.
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