News

White-throated sparrows are among the best-studied North American songbirds. With a typical wingspan of 6 to 7 inches, it breeds primarily in northern boreal coniferous and mixed forests and, a short-distance migrant, winters mainly in the southeastern U.S. To make these migrations, the bird's body changes significantly. IMAGE: PAUL BARTELL / PENN STATE

Songbird-body changes that allow migration may have human health implications

Songbirds that pack on as much as 50 percent of their body weight before migrating and that sleep very little, exhibit altered immune system and tissue-repair function during the journey, which may hold implications for human health, according to Penn State researchers.

A simple treatment using four small molecules converts human astrocytes – a common type of cells in the nervous system – into new neurons, which develop complex structures after 4 months, as pictured. Credit: Gong Chen Lab, Penn State

Simple drug combination creates new neurons from neighboring cells

A simple drug cocktail that converts cells neighboring damaged neurons into functional new neurons could potentially be used to treat stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain injuries. A team of researchers at Penn State identified a set of four, or even three, molecules that could convert glial cells—which normally provide support and insulation for neurons—into new neurons.

Dr. Melissa Rolls with current and prospective graduate students

Prospective Grad Students Get A Taste of Life at Penn State

Students interested in the Bioinformatics and Genomics; Plant Biology; Neuroscience; and Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences graduate programs were given a warm welcome on a snowy weekend.

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.

Lung inflammation from childhood asthma linked with later anxiety

Persistent lung inflammation may be one possible explanation for why having asthma during childhood increases your risk for developing anxiety later in life, according to Penn State researchers.

Six Huck Institutes IGDP students receive awards in spring 2017

Penn State's valued relationship with its graduate students

President Eric Barron's letter to the University community

Call for nominations: IGDP student excellence

Attention Huck Institutes Intercollege Graduate Degree Program (IGDP) chairs and faculty: The Huck Institutes is seeking nominations for exceptional graduate students to be highlighted on the Huck Institutes website and social media.

Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences builds on commitment to graduate student professional development

Over the past two years, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, with the assistance of members of Penn State's Industrial/Organizational Psychology program, has built and implemented a developmental system for graduate students in the Intercollege Graduate Degree Programs (IGDPs) in the life sciences.

Announcing Huck Graduate Research Innovation Grant recipients for 2016

The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of Huck Graduate Research Innovation (GRI) Grants.