News | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

Three Penn State researchers have been awarded the highest honor the United States government bestows on early-career scientists and engineers. They are (from left to right): Catherine Berdanier, associate professor of mechanical engineering; Margarita Lopez-Uribe, Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor and associate professor of entomology; and Lauren Zarzar, professor of chemistry. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 24, 2025

Three faculty receive Presidential Early Career Award for scientists, engineers

Three Penn State researchers have been awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the White House announced on Jan. 14.

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First author Prabhav Borate, a graduate student in engineering science, demonstrates how lab earthquakes are created: by grinding two blocks of rock together until a failure occurs. Credit: Poornima Tomy / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 23, 2025

Predicting lab earthquakes with physics-informed artificial intelligence

By refining an artificial intelligence approach to predicting earthquakes in the laboratory, or labquakes, engineers at Penn State are paving the way to one day help forecast natural earthquakes.

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Yongsoo Kim, associate professor of neural and behavioral sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine, is leading a new five-year, $17.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Mental Health. Credit: Jason Plotkin / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 23, 2025

$17.9M NIH grant to research neurodevelopment disorders

Illuminating key biological pathways that underlie neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is the goal of a new five-year, $17.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health to a national team of researchers.

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Treating hair loss may be as simple as developing therapies to flip a molecular “switch,” according to a new study by researchers from Penn State; the University of California, Irvine; and National Taiwan University. Credit: iprogressman / Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 23, 2025

Mane attraction: Molecular ‘switch’ may control long scalp hair

Treating hair loss may be as simple as developing therapies to flip a molecular “switch,” according to a new study by researchers from Penn State; the University of California, Irvine; and National Taiwan University.

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Tao Zhou, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics, received a five-year, $660,000 CAREER award from the U.S. National Science Foundation to develop stretchy, injectable hydrogel electrodes to treat spinal cord injuries. Credit: Poornima Tomy / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 23, 2025

NSF CAREER Award supports pursuit of ‘soft’ solutions for spinal cord injuries

Engineering science and mechanics researcher Tao Zhou to develop stretchy, injectable hydrogel electrodes to treat spinal cord injuries.

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Researchers attached QR codes to the backs of thousands of bees to track when and for how long they left their hives. Credit: Provided by the researchers. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 22, 2025

‘Buzz me in:’ Bees wearing itty bitty QR codes reveal hive secrets

Researchers attached QR codes to the backs of thousands of bees to track when and for how long they left their hives.

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The biosensing platform developed by Penn State engineering researchers incorporates two-pass laser induced graphene with commercial transistors to simultaneously test for SARS-CoV-2 and vitamin C. Credit: Heshmat “Amir” Asgharian / Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 21, 2025

Biosensing platform simultaneously detects vitamin C and SARS-CoV-2

Penn State engineering researchers have developed a portable and wireless device to simultaneously detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and vitamin C, a critical nutrient that helps bolster infection resistance, by integrating commercial transistors with printed laser-induced graphene.

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The finding that the resident geese employed short-term abandonment of hunted locations to avoid predation, but maintained long-term fidelity to the wildlife management areas, surprised the researchers and ran counter to findings from similar waterfowl studies. Credit: Steve Higgins, Flickr. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 21, 2025

Despite knowing where and when people hunt, Canada geese don’t flee far

Geese appear to understand when and where hunting takes place but are willing to risk the danger to stay close to resources and their primary habitats, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

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Orfeu Buxton, Elizabeth Susman Professor of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State, will present the 2025 Pattishall Research Lecture, “Sleep Health Across the Life Span,” on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. in the Edna Bennett Pierce Living Center (110 Henderson Building). Credit: via Getty Images; A Mokhtari and Annandistock. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 17, 2025

Feb. 5 lecture to discuss how sleep health affects daily life, long-term health

Orfeu Buxton, Elizabeth Susman Professor of Biobehavioral Health, will present the 2025 Pattishall Research Lecture

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Christina Grozinger was appointed the new director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State. Credit: Christina Grozinger / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 17, 2025

Christina Grozinger to lead Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences as director

Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research, has been named the new director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State.

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