News | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

Director Bruce Logan, fourth from left, stands with the IEE Research Award winners. From left to right are: Hong Wu, Lisa Emili, Nathaniel Warner, Brian Fronk and Margaret Busse. Lauren McPhillips is not pictured. Credit: Brenna Buck. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 27, 2025

Researchers recognized for excellence by Institute of Energy and the Environment

The Institute of Energy and the Environment recognized six Penn State faculty members for their research excellence.

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The findings are a step in identifying beneficial microorganisms that potentially could be used to improve mushroom harvests and prevent disease, the researchers said. Credit: Harshal S. Hirve/Unsplash. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 24, 2025

Harnessing mushroom microbiomes for better crop development

Microorganisms collected from the material in which button mushrooms are grown may benefit the development of future fungi crops, according to a study led by researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and published in the journal Fungal Biology.

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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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Farmers confer amidst their corn crop, garden and fish ponds. Typically, smallholder fish farms are family-run operations that raise tilapia in small areas of land along with a few crops and some livestock. Credit: Jacob Johnson. All Rights Reserved.

Jan 24, 2025

Researchers explore strategies to aid smallholder fish farmers in Zambia

Fish farming is key to food security in Africa; study shows that optimized agricultural resource management helps fish farmers in Zambia

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López-Uribe is the Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor of Entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons

Jan 24, 2025

López-Uribe awarded presidential honor for early career scientists

Margarita López-Uribe, the Lorenzo L. Langstroth Early Career Professor of Entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences, was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by President Biden earlier this month.

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Jan 24, 2025

Pennsylvania Sea Grant launches research video series

Pennsylvania Sea Grant, a program supported by Penn State and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has launched a new video series featuring eight research projects conducted across the commonwealth.

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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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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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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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