NSF funds $3 million graduate training program focused on Food-Energy-Water

September 11, 2018

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $3 million grant to an interdisciplinary team of Penn State researchers to create a new graduate program that will train students to find solutions to real-world problems facing Food-Energy-Water (FEW) systems.

Soil could filter antibiotics from treated wastewater, protecting groundwater

September 10, 2018

Soil may be a natural filter that can act as a tertiary treatment for wastewater, preventing antibiotics from contaminating groundwater, according to researchers who conducted a study at Penn State's Living Filter.

Goddard Forum's inaugural Pa. One Health Symposium focuses on zoonotic diseases

September 7, 2018

The inaugural Pennsylvania One Health Symposium, which focused on zoonotic diseases — infectious diseases that are caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi spread between animals and people — was sponsored by the Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry and Environmental Resource Conservation.

College of Agricultural Sciences names Harbaugh Faculty Scholars

August 27, 2018

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has awarded funding to three individuals and two teams to support the development of innovative curricula under the college's Harbaugh Faculty Scholars program.

Going green: Student sustainability coordinator wants to end game-day waste

August 24, 2018

Jillian Barskey, an environmental resource management major in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, aspires to reduce game-day waste by serving as this year's student sustainability coordinator for Intercollegiate Athletics and Penn State's Sustainability Institute.

Surviving large carnivores have far-reaching impact

August 8, 2018

Anywhere large-bodied mammalian carnivore species are present, other, smaller carnivores are less likely to occur, according to an international team of researchers that conducted the first global assessment of carnivore interactions using camera trap data.

Penn State hydrologist Elizabeth Boyer honored by American Geophysical Union

August 6, 2018

Elizabeth W. Boyer, associate professor of water resources, has been honored with the 2018 Witherspoon Lecture Award by the American Geophysical Union. She will present the lecture at the organization's fall meeting, Dec. 10-14, in Washington, D.C.

Gardening for Butterflies

August 2, 2018

A Penn State Extension article about butterflies prepared by Margaret C. Brittingham, professor of wildlife resources, and Judith Mank, former graduate research assistant.

Spotted lanternfly headlines College Exhibits Building at Ag Progress Days

August 1, 2018

The looming threat posed by the invasive spotted lanternfly will take center stage in the College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building and Theatre during Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 14-16. Displays and presentations in the building also will highlight programs related to pond management and bait-fish production, hemp research, animal health, and agricultural policy.

Gluttonous grubs: Insecticide efficacy in turfgrass is focus of study

July 31, 2018

Research underway at the Joseph Valentine Turfgrass Research Center on the University Park campus is focusing on the effectiveness of a neonicotinoid insecticide — imidacloprid — in controlling grub populations.

Internship, classes provide valuable experiences for ERM major

July 31, 2018

Carrie Zamonski, of Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, is spending her summer at the beach -- but she's not there just for a vacation. Zamonski, a senior majoring in environmental resource management and minoring in watershed and water resources and marine science, is an intern at the Bald Head Island Conservancy in North Carolina.

Foresters' use of management tool focus of Penn State study

July 25, 2018

Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences examined the use and user-friendliness of SILVAH-Oak — short for Silviculture of Allegheny Hardwoods — a decision-support tool developed by the U.S. Forest Service for making silvicultural decisions in mixed oak forests.

Meet the Invasive Insect that Is Changing an Entire Forest Bird Community

July 23, 2018

Throughout the eastern United States, forests of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis, are under attack by a tiny invasive insect with an insatiable appetite for these giant trees. This attack is causing the decline of eastern hemlock and as a consequence, it is driving the disappearance of a variety of birds that are specialized to them, according to a recent study.

Study sheds new light on forests' response to atmospheric pollution

July 12, 2018

How forests respond to elevated nitrogen levels from atmospheric pollution is not always the same. While a forest is filtering nitrogen as expected, a higher percentage than previously seen is leaving the system again as the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, say researchers.

Students participate in inaugural Flight 93 Memorial Alternative Break

June 22, 2018

This spring, Penn State DuBois was the first university to participate in the inaugural Alternative Break Service Program at Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Although this is the first time the memorial has hosted an alternative break program, students in the Penn State DuBois Wildlife Technology program have participated in work at the site for five years, reclaiming areas that are former strip mines.

Gift from Skip Smith and sons to create Bird Garden in Arboretum

June 18, 2018

Charles H. “Skip” Smith, the Penn State alumnus and philanthropist whose giving has fueled the creation and supported the growth of The Arboretum at Penn State, has made a major new gift to enrich this University resource. Smith and his sons, David, Jeffry and John, have committed more than $1.8 million to launch construction of the Bird Garden in the Arboretum, which will be designed to attract birds year-round and educate the Arboretum’s many visitors.

Beth Boyer featured in The American Geophysical Union's (@theAGU) ecohydrology blog

June 18, 2018

Elizabeth Boyer is an Associate Professor of Water Resources in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Penn State University.

SOILS 499A/B traveled to Wexford, Ireland

June 14, 2018

How do a landscape and its people evolve through time? SOILS 499A & B examined this question, and focused particularly on the role natural resource management has played in the evolution of culture, society, and civilization in Ireland.

Doctoral degree student awarded scholarship by national soil society

June 8, 2018

A graduate student in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences recently was named the recipient of a scholarship from the Soil Science Society of America.

Study shows burning trash leaves toxins in soil

June 1, 2018

Burning trash in the backyard has long been known to cause air quality concerns, but a recent Penn State study sponsored by the Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority has found that the longtime practice of burning trash also puts harmful toxins in the soil.

Forest Resources Alumni Group names outstanding alumni for 2018

May 10, 2018

Five alumni recently received 2018 Outstanding Alumni Awards from Penn State's Forest Resources Alumni Group. The purpose of these awards is to recognize outstanding graduates of the former School of Forest Resources and the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Deer fawns more likely to survive in agricultural landscapes than forest

May 1, 2018

The cruel truth is that throughout the white-tailed deer's range only about half of all fawns live to see their first birthday — most are killed by predators. However, they have a much better chance of surviving if they are born in farmland rather than in forest, according to Penn State researchers, who collaborated with Pennsylvania Game Commission deer biologists.

SOILS 404 educates Philadelphia students about SOILS!

April 27, 2018

Dr. Patrick Drohan and Dr. Heather Gall received a grant (the Harbaugh faculty scholar award) from the College of Agriculture at Penn State to collaborate on urban green infrastructure education via their classes. As part of this grant's activities, Dr. Drohan's SOILS 404 (Urban Soils) class visited Greenfield Elementary School this past week to speak to 5th graders about soil and why it matters to people in cities.

Students partner with conservationists for tree planting, habitat improvement

April 27, 2018

A group of students in the Penn State DuBois Wildlife Technology program partnered with local and state organizations to help improve the habitat of a wild trout stream in the area.

To know the crow: Insights and stories from over a quarter century of crow study

April 1, 2018

Researcher, author and educator Kevin McGowan will recount the results of his 30-year study of more than 2,500 individual crows -- including their home and family life, flock life, and crow-human interactions -- at 5 p.m. on April 4 in 112 Forest Resources Building on Penn State's University Park campus.

Kaye receives Black Award for excellence in research

March 23, 2018

Jason Kaye, professor of soil biogeochemistry, is the recipient of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences' 2017 Alex and Jessie C. Black Award for Excellence in Research. The honor recognizes a tenure-track faculty member in the college whose significant accomplishments include exceptional and original agricultural research conducted at Penn State.

Kaye receives Black Award for excellence in research

March 23, 2018

Jason Kaye, professor of soil biogeochemistry, is the recipient of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences' 2017 Alex and Jessie C. Black Award for Excellence in Research.

Investment from Skip Smith to launch construction of Pollinators' Garden

March 20, 2018

Investment from Penn State alumnus and leading philanthropist Charles H. “Skip” Smith will enable The Arboretum at Penn State to fulfill its longstanding vision for a garden that will attract and sustain native pollinator species of birds and insects.

Researchers to study ramps' market, flavor profile, vulnerability to pest

March 7, 2018

A good way to describe ramps, it has been said, is to note what they are not. Ramps are not leeks, nor are they scallions or shallots. Ramps look like scallions, but they're smaller and have one or two broad, flat leaves.

Nontraditional student learns valuable lessons on road to reaching dreams

March 1, 2018

Josh Hersl, a senior forest ecosystem management major in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, has experienced a few roadblocks and detours on the road to reaching his dreams.