News

Graduate students in the EGR training program’s inaugural group. Credit: Penn State

Training grant supports graduate students studying gene regulation

A new $2.4 million-dollar program to train graduate students in the area of eukaryotic gene regulation (EGR) has been established at Penn State with funding from the National Institutes of General Medical Sciences of the U.S. National Institutes of Health and from Penn State matching support.

Jordan Hughey has been awarded a scholarship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Minority Ph.D. (MPHD) program.

BG Student Wins Sloan Foundation Scholarship

Jordan Hughey has added the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Minority Ph.D. award to an impressive list of accolades.

The speed and error rate of DNA Synthesis differs between regions of the genome that form the usual DNA structure (B DNA) and those regions that can form other structures (non-B DNA). Regions that can form G-quadruplexes (illustrated) slow down DNA synthesis and increase error rates, other non-B DNA structures can have the opposite effect. This phenomenon could help explain increased human genetic variation and increased divergence between human and orangutan at these sites and has implications for understanding cancer and neurological diseases associated with non-B DNA. IMAGE: WILFRIED GUIBLET, PENN STATE

DNA structure impacts rate and accuracy of DNA synthesis

The speed and error rate of DNA synthesis is influenced by the three-dimensional structure of the DNA. Using “third-generation” genome-wide DNA sequencing data, a team of researchers from Penn State and the Czech Academy of Sciences showed that sequences with the potential to form unusual DNA conformations, which are frequently associated with cancer and neurological diseases, can in fact slow down or speed up the DNA synthesis process and cause more or fewer sequencing errors.

Professor named 2018 distinguished member of Association for Computing Machinery

Vasant G. Honavar, professor and Edward Frymoyer Chair of Information Sciences and Technology, has been named a distinguished member of the Association for Computing Machinery, the world’s largest and most prestigious association of computing professionals. Honavar, who is one of 49 distinguished members named for 2018, was recognized for his outstanding scientific contributions to computing.

Chad Nihranz receives Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award

Chad Nihranz, a doctoral student in ecology, is the 2018 recipient of the Intercollege Graduate Student Outreach Achievement Award.

Divyanshi Srivastava awarded the Academic Computing Fellowship

Doctoral student Divyanshi Srivastava has been awarded the Academic Computing Fellowship. The fellowship, established in 1987, is offered through a partnership between the Graduate School and Penn State Information Technology Services.

Driving Discovery and Revealing Insight In Any Genome

Join us for this exciting seminar.

Biological Data Analysis: The Right Way

How Penn State’s annual data reproducibility boot camp has shaped data collection in the biological sciences

Penn State and Geisinger team up to establish new program for graduate students

$2.4M program is designed to train the next generation of biomedical scientists

Penn State's valued relationship with its graduate students

President Eric Barron's letter to the University community