News
Jul 13, 2026
Paintable electrodes could power creative and colorful wearable sensors
Engineers at Penn State are blending art and science to create cute, paint-on tattoos that could help spot heart attacks early, power robotic prosthetics and read brain waves — all within a colorful, customizable system that can be easily washed away or reapplied.
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Jul 10, 2026
Penn State Master Gardeners to share gardening expertise at Ag Progress Days
Whether diagnosing plant problems, identifying insects or planning a landscape, Penn State Extension Master Gardeners can help visitors tackle gardening questions with research-based advice in the Yard and Garden Area during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days, Aug. 11-13, at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs.
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Jul 07, 2026
Team led by Penn State researcher receives national biopharmaceutical award
A research team led by Andrew Zydney, Bayard D. Kunkle Chair and professor of chemical engineering at Penn State, has received the inaugural Most Impactful Project Award from the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL).
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Jul 06, 2026
Postdoctoral fellow earns NIH award to study neurological effects of alcohol
Gwendolyn Burgess, a postdoctoral fellow in biology at Penn State, has been awarded a Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. This competitive honor is awarded to those who show promise as independent researchers and aims to enhance their training experience.
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Jul 06, 2026
Sending a 'We Are!' to these Penn Staters — July 6
As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 20 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.
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Jul 01, 2026
Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams receive 2026 IEE seed grants
Fourteen interdisciplinary research teams have received funding through the Institute of Energy and the Environment’s (IEE) 2026 Seed Grant Program. The program supports basic and applied research that lays the groundwork to pursue external funding and is guided by IEE’s five strategic research themes. This year, the program awarded seed funding to more than 40 researchers across 10 colleges and campuses and 21 departments and units.
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Jun 25, 2026
Newly discovered corn trait may help improve crop drought tolerance
Some corn plants are genetically predisposed to develop longer, less constricted water-conducting tissues and deeper roots, which helps them deal with drought. That’s the conclusion of a team led by Penn State researchers that conducted a study of the plant’s xylem tissue that moves water upward from the roots out to the leaves. They found that corn plants with longer metaxylem vessel elements also tend to have rapidly elongating roots, deeper root systems, stronger water transport capacity, greater water capture and improved drought adaptation
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Jun 25, 2026
Huck staffers recognized at annual awards
The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences recognized several staff members for outstanding work over the past year at the annual “Pulse of the Huck” meeting.
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Jun 24, 2026
Q&A with Penn State neurobiology student Evelyn Mastaglio
Evelyn Mastaglio is a second-year student pursuing a degree in neurobiology, one of the newest majors in the Penn State Eberly College of Science. Drawn to the field for its unique blend of biology, psychology and anatomy, Mastaglio made the switch from the college’s biology major as soon as the neurobiology major became available. With research experience spanning evolutionary biology and the genetics of Alzheimer's disease, she is already carving out a path toward a career in medicine and neuroscience.
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Jun 22, 2026
GAP funding awarded to 12 Penn State research commercialization projects
Twelve research projects have been selected for the 2026 Penn State Commercialization GAP Fund. Awarded projects receive $75,000 in funding and other support to develop promising proof-of-concept research into commercial ready technology. As the name suggests, GAP funding is targeted towards research projects that — despite exciting potential — are sometimes stuck in the funding gap between government grants and commercial investment. Attracting commercial attention often requires extensive development and testing to show that a product is safe, effective at scale and properly positioned within the marketplace.
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