News

$3M grant to aid researchers testing pregnancy weight-management platform

For women whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is high before they get pregnant, gaining excessive weight during pregnancy is associated with serious health problems for them and their babies, according to the Institute of Medicine.

Life before air conditioning: Curly hair kept early humans cool

Curly hair does more than simply look good — it may explain how early humans stayed cool while conserving water, according to researchers who studied the role human hair textures play in regulating body temperature.

New center to promote agricultural conservation in Pennsylvania

As part of an ongoing effort to promote soil and water conservation on farms, Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has launched the Center for Agricultural Conservation Assistance Training in partnership with the Pennsylvania State Conservation Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Heard on Campus: Martha Nelson on the SARS-CoV-2 virus in deer

“There don’t appear to be evolutionary adaptations required for human SARS-CoV-2 virus to transmit in deer so far,” said Eberly College of Science alumna Martha Nelson, reflecting on her past two years of work as a staff scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Penn State Extension launches spotted lanternfly survey for the 2023 season

The Penn State Extension Grape and Wine Team is calling on farmers and vineyard owners in the mid-Atlantic region to participate in a survey aimed at tracking the spread and severity of spotted lanternfly populations during the 2023 season.

Andrew Read named interim senior vice president for research

Andrew Read, director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, has been selected to serve as interim senior vice president for research at Penn State during the two-year appointment of Lora Weiss as director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Research and Development Office. Read’s position will be effective July 1.

Lora Weiss selected to serve as CHIPS R&D director

Lora Weiss, senior vice president for research at Penn State, has been selected to serve as director of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Research and Development (R&D) Office for a two-year appointment beginning July 1, pending final clearance. During Weiss’ assignment, Andrew Read, currently director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and Entomology and Eberly Professor of Biotechnology, will serve as interim senior vice president for research.

Essential process for SARS-CoV-2 viral replication visualized

During the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, a long string of connected proteins is cleaved apart into individual proteins. This process is interrupted by an FDA-approved drug to treat COVID-19; however, the mechanistic details of this cleavage process are still unclear. Now, a team led by researchers at Penn State has produced the most detailed images to date of this process, revealing that these proteins are cleaved in a consistent order likely dictated by the structure of the protein string.

Penn State junior Ian Rivera earns Astronaut Scholarship

Ian Rivera, a junior Millenium Scholar from Caguas, Puerto Rico, majoring in mechanical engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, has earned a 2023 Astronaut Scholarship.

‘Vector Biology Boot Camp’ empowers disease professionals

Penn State Extension, in partnership with the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, recently hosted the three-day “Vector Biology Boot Camp” to provide hands-on experience for vector-borne disease professionals in field collection and identification of medically important ticks and mosquitoes in the Northeast.