News
Jul 31, 2026
Chemical engineering professor honored for work on plant-based tissue scaffolds
Amir Sheikhi, the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering and associate professor of chemical engineering at Penn State, recently received the 2025 Early Career Investigator Award from the journal BioResources. The award recognized a paper published by Sheikhi and his research team in 2026, titled “All-Cellulose Cryogels with Tunable Extracellular Matrix-MimeticArchitecture.”
Full Article
Jul 29, 2026
Honey from continental US may be as pesticide-free as imported organic honey
Honey from the continental U.S. can’t currently be certified organic due to specific land requirements, but farms in the Northeast may still produce honey that is as low in pesticide residue as imported organic honeys, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State, Cornell University and Auburn University.
Full Article
Jul 28, 2026
Industrial noise may alter bluebird behavior but not cognitive ability
Scientists have long wondered whether loud, human-caused noise interferes with wild animals’ cognition — their ability to think and learn — by causing stress, distraction or making it harder for them to focus. The results of a novel study of Eastern bluebirds conducted by a team of researchers at Penn State suggests that, at least in some cases, short-term noise doesn’t affect them much.
Full Article
Jul 28, 2026
Huck Institutes announces recipients of nine interdisciplinary seed grants
Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has awarded nine research teams seed funding for 2026-27. These grants support high-impact, innovative research projects that align with the Huck’s strategic research priorities and have the potential to drive scientific breakthroughs and generate significant return on investment.
Full Article
Jul 28, 2026
One Health Microbiome Center awards Interdisciplinary Innovation Fellowships
The One Health Microbiome Center (OHMC) of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State has selected three recipients for the 2026 Interdisciplinary Innovation Fellowship (IIF), a competitive funding opportunity that supports trainee-led projects bringing together diverse disciplines in innovative and impactful ways. This year, three recipients were each awarded funds to advance collaborative research through the development of new skills, tools and approaches that transcend traditional academic boundaries.
Full Article
Jul 28, 2026
Diets high in a particular type of fat help protect bees against pesticides
Diets rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids — a type of fat that supports brain function, cell growth and heart health — may help protect honey bees against the toxic effects of pesticides, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State.
Full Article
Jul 24, 2026
NIH grants $2.8M to develop tools for study of mosquito-microbe interactions
To improve scientific understanding of the pathogens involved with mosquito-borne diseases and begin addressing these challenges, the National Institutes of Health’s Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease recently awarded a pair of grants collectively worth more than $2.8 million to Jason Rasgon, professor of entomology and of disease epidemiology and Huck Chair in Disease Epidemiology and Biotechnology.
Full Article
Jul 20, 2026
Ganda, Kovac and Hao named Huck chairs
A trio of Penn State faculty members have been named Huck chairs by the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences in recognition of their research endeavors and track records of service to key Huck units.
Full Article
Jul 20, 2026
Community-engaged research unit awards seed grants
The Penn State Social Science Research Institute’s Community-Engaged Research, Action and Partnerships (CERAP) unit recently awarded six seed grants to support interdisciplinary community-engaged research. According to CERAP co-director and professor of biobehavioral health, Lori Francis, the funding will help develop new or strengthen existing community-engaged research partnerships.
Full Article
Jul 14, 2026
Fox Graduate School awards 36 graduate students Fox scholarships
Thirty-six Penn State graduate students have received scholarships of up to $10,000 from the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Endowment, established by Jeff and Ann Marie Fox’s $20 million naming gift to Penn State’s J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School. The 36 students are studying in 32 master’s or doctoral degree programs.
Full Article