News

Microbiologist in food science, E. coli Reference Center gets grant for research

A Penn State microbiologist and the huge collection of bacteria he oversees recently received a four-year, $371,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to be part of a multi-institutional $2.5 million research project aimed at predicting “bacteriophage” resistance from only a genome sequence.

Open house introduces researchers to institutes' resources

Discover the Materials Research Institute, Institutes of Energy and the Environment, and the Huck Institutes for the Life Sciences core facilities during an open house from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The open house will be held in the MSC’s third-floor Café Commons inside University Park’s Millennium Science Complex.

Nuclear engineer appointed to national fusion energy advisory committee

Jean Paul Allain was appointed to serve on the Fusion Energy Science Advisory Committee. The national committee provides advice and recommendations on scientific, technical and programmatic issues relating to fusion energy sciences program, overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science.

International consortium to better assess Africa drought risks, boost resilience

An international, Penn State-led consortium aims to improve drought risk analysis and management and increase societal resilience in Africa, funded by a three-year, $1.1 million grant from the Belmont Forum. This project aims to boost preparedness for drought to reduce food insecurity, poverty, health problems and the displacement of people.

Cancer drug could potentially be used against malaria

A cancer drug currently in clinical trials has shown the potential to protect from, cure, and prevent transmission of malaria. The breakthrough finding by an international team that includes researchers at Penn State offers new hope against a disease that kills over half a million people annually, most severely affecting children under five, pregnant women, and patients with HIV.

Penn State researchers to explore using quantum computers to design new drugs

The time it takes medicines to move from discovery to approved use for patients can take decades and cost billions of dollars. Now, a $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant will help a team of Penn State researchers study the use of quantum computer-based artificial intelligence (AI) to see if quantum computers can bring drugs to patients faster and cheaper.

Researchers to use $1.2 million grant to study early Alzheimer’s detection

A team of Penn State-led researchers received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help fund a project to develop a machine learning system for early Alzheimer’s disease detection. Alzheimer’s disease, a neurological condition and the most common form of dementia, affects nearly 6 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

‘Forever Chemicals’ persist through wastewater treatment, may enter crops

PFAS, a group of more than 4,700 fully synthetic compounds that are widely used in industrial and manufacturing processes and found in many consumer products, persist through wastewater treatment at levels that may impact the long-term feasibility of "beneficial reuse of treated wastewater."

Witzig new director of Center for Security Research and Education

Lisa Witzig has been appointed director of Penn State’s Center for Security Research and Education. With a career that spans over 40 years of working with the U.S. Intelligence Community and in the private sector, Witzig’s new responsibilities will include securing funding for interdisciplinary research on security-related topics and organizing opportunities to bring together key players in security-related fields together with Penn State faculty and students.

Wolf coat color reflects immunity to canine distemper virus, new study finds

The prevalence of black wolves versus gray wolves increases southward along the Rocky Mountain crest in North America, and the reason why has long puzzled scientists. Now, a team including researchers from Penn State, has found that not only does coat color reflect an animal’s immunity to canine distemper virus (CDV), but the changes in the proportion of black wolves may be due to changes in the frequency of CDV disease outbreaks, coupled with the mating behavior of the wolves and whether they select a mate with the same or a different coat color to themselves.