Much-anticipated Pollinator and Bird Garden underway in Arboretum at Penn State

November 21, 2019

"Following an intense collaboration between Penn State scientists and our design consultants, Didier Design Studio, we believe we have successfully married aesthetics with state-of-the-art knowledge about the biology of pollinators and birds," said Kim Steiner, director of the Arboretum and professor of forest biology in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Molecular genetics professor selected for prestigious Mercator Fellowship

November 18, 2019

John Carlson, professor of molecular genetics in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, recently was named Mercator Fellow and Visiting Professor at Georg-August University of Göttingen in Germany.

Course offers first-generation students the opportunity to study abroad

November 14, 2019

For many first-generation college students, study abroad experiences seem out of reach. However, a new course offered by the Environmental Resource Management program in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences aims to make that aspiration a reality.

First-year student awarded study abroad funding as Borlaug-Ruan intern

November 12, 2019

Emma Steely, a first-year environmental resource management student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, had the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica through her participation in the Pennsylvania School for Excellence in the Agricultural Sciences at Penn State.

Soil-judging team places 4th at regional contest, qualifies for nationals

October 24, 2019

The Penn State Soil Judging Team placed fourth at the Northeast Regional Collegiate Soil Judging Contest in Easton, Maryland, in early October, qualifying for the national championship to be held in Ohio in the spring of 2020.

College of Agricultural Sciences to host Minority Alumni Panel

October 21, 2019

The Office of Multicultural Affairs in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences will showcase the career paths and accomplishments of five notable alumni during a minority alumni panel in November.

From Mount Nittany to Patagonia: Students prep for study abroad in Chile

October 4, 2019

Over winter break, Penn State students in the embedded course, “ERM 499: Natural Resources in Chile/Patagonia,” will spend two weeks exploring the culture of Chile and the vast region of Patagonia with a focus on natural resources, climate and sustainability.

Extremely dry, hot conditions this fall causing early, muted foliage display

October 4, 2019

With last year being the wettest year on record in Pennsylvania, and this year staring out wet again, 2019 was set up to be the mother of all fall foliage displays. Trees in most areas were in great condition going into late summer. But then it quit raining — in a big way.

Daddy daycare: Why some songbirds care for the wrong kids

October 3, 2019

Interspecific feeding — when an adult of one species feeds the young of another — is rare among songbirds, and scientists could only speculate on why it occurs, but now, Penn State researchers have new insight into this behavior.

Ash tree species likely will survive emerald ash borer beetles, but just barely

September 7, 2019

“Lingering ash." That’s what the U.S. Forest Service calls the relatively few green and white ash trees that survive the emerald ash borer onslaught. Those trees do not survive by accident, and that may save the species, according to Penn State researchers, who conducted a six-year study of ash decline and mortality.

Penn State researchers lead the way in Water-Energy-Food research in Africa

September 5, 2019

Three Penn State researchers — Rachel Brennan, in the College of Engineering, and Mike Jacobson and Brian Thiede, in the College of Agricultural Sciences — recently received $250,000 in University Strategic Plan seed funding to address global Water-Energy-Food (WEF) challenges.

Making the Most of Microbes for Soil Restoration and Function

September 4, 2019

The Bruns research group aims to understand how beneficial functions of soil microorganisms can be promoted through better management of agricultural and mining-impacted lands. The group focuses on microbial processes important in nutrient cycling and water retention.

Deer browsing is not stopping the densification of Eastern forests

September 3, 2019

Selective browsing by white-tailed deer has been blamed by many for changing the character and composition of forest understories in the eastern U.S.; however, its impact on the forest canopy was previously unknown.

College of Agricultural Sciences names 2019 Harbaugh Scholars

August 26, 2019

The latest Harbaugh Faculty Scholars include Julian Avery, assistant research professor of wildlife ecology and conservation.

Forest ecology and physiology professor honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

August 14, 2019

Marc Abrams, professor of forest ecology and physiology and Steimer Professor of Agricultural Sciences in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work.

Student explores urban forestry at internships in Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.

August 7, 2019

Jess Sourbeer, of Pittsburgh, has found her niche in forestry through internships at both Penn State Extension and Architect of the Capitol, the federal agency in charge of maintaining Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Five added to Student Engagement Network’s Faculty Academy

July 31, 2019

Julian Avery, assistant research professor, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, is among those named as one-year fellow.

Graduate students awarded National Institute of Food and Agriculture fellowships

July 22, 2019

Sarah Isbell and Mara Cloutier, both Penn State graduate students and Microbiome Center researchers, will be supported in their studies by fellowships paid for by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Storer named Distinguished Alumnus for outstanding career, support of students

July 22, 2019

Jack Storer, who earned the bachelor’s degree in forestry in 1950, has another commendation to add to his impressive inventory of achievement: the Penn State Distinguished Alumni Award, which is the highest honor presented by the University to alumni.

Some green ash trees show some resistance to emerald ash borers

July 3, 2019

Genes in green ash trees that may confer some resistance to attacks by the emerald ash borer express themselves only once the tree detects the invasive beetle's feeding, according to Penn State researchers.

College of Agricultural Sciences junior named Hollings Undergraduate Scholar

July 3, 2019

Jessica Briggs, a junior in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship this spring.

Ecosystem science head retires after 30-plus years with land-grant universities

June 26, 2019

If Mike Messina has learned one thing from working for land-grant universities in three states for more than three decades, it's something he heard often during his stint with Texas A&M University: "Remember who you came to the dance with."

Professor of wildlife resources honored for lifetime achievement in conservation

June 14, 2019

Margaret Brittingham, professor of wildlife resources in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, recently received PennFuture’s 2019 Woman of Lifetime Achievement in Conservation Award in recognition of her lifelong work to protect natural resources.

Penn State researchers to boost endangered Chesapeake logperch population

June 11, 2019

As fishes go, the Chesapeake logperch is hardly impressive.

Best oral presentation at the Society for Economic Botany Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio

June 10, 2019

Graduate student Teal Jordan (M.S. Forest Resources) was awarded best oral presentation this past week at the Society for Economic Botany conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Northeastern deer more susceptible to wasting disease than those to the west

June 6, 2019

Some deer are more susceptible to chronic wasting disease that is spreading through herds of white-tailed deer across much of the United States, according to Penn State researchers, who have identified a panel of genetic markers that reliably predict which animals are most vulnerable to the contagious neurological disorder.

Penn State students take a global look at sustainable agriculture in Costa Rica

May 24, 2019

A group of Penn State students explored a different type of classroom when they traveled to the tropics over spring break as part of the embedded course “Environmental Resource Management 499: Costa Rica Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resources,” offered in the College of Agricultural Sciences.

Eastern forests shaped more by Native Americans' burning than climate change

May 21, 2019

Native Americans' use of fire to manage vegetation in what is now the Eastern United States was more profound than previously believed, according to a Penn State researcher who determined that forest composition change in the region was caused more by land use than climate change.

Native forest plants rebound when invasive shrubs are removed

May 15, 2019

Removing invasive shrubs to restore native forest habitat brings a surprising result, according to Penn State researchers, who say desired native understory plants display an unexpected ability and vigor to recolonize open spots.

Outstanding Alumni Honored

May 7, 2019

Our 2018 Outstanding Alumni were honored at our annual alumni and friends banquet on April 7, 2018, at the Ramada Conference Center in State College, PA.