Extension program builds confidence, skills for Spanish-speaking ag workers

November 17, 2025

After producers in Pennsylvania’s tree-fruit and poultry industries identified language barriers and safety concerns as critical challenges, Penn State Extension created English4Ag to teach conversational and industry-specific English to Spanish-speaking agricultural workers. The program, supported by an AgriProspects minigrant, is aimed at strengthening safety, communication and workforce retention.

World Food Prize event on rebuilding Ukraine co-hosted by College of Ag Sciences

November 13, 2025

Leaders from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences helped to lead discussions on rebuilding Ukraine’s agricultural sector during the 2025 World Food Prize Borlaug Dialogue, held Oct. 19-25 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Penn State’s College of Ag Sciences recognizes faculty for research impact

November 12, 2025

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences recognized exceptional achievements in research during its fourth annual Research Awards Ceremony held Oct. 28 at the Hintz Family Alumni Center on the University Park campus.

Nov. 12 seminar to spotlight sources, perceptions of environmental information

November 5, 2025

Shotaro Nakamura, an assistant professor of agricultural economics at Penn State, will deliver a free talk titled "Beliefs, Signal Quality, and Information Sources: Experimental Evidence on Air Quality in Pakistan" at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 12, in 157 Hosler Building on the University Park campus. The talk is hosted by the Initiative for Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy.

College of Ag Sciences students harvest global insights at World Food Forum

November 5, 2025

Students from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences participated in the World Food Forum, held Oct. 10-17 at the Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome, Italy.

Oct. 29 seminar to discuss effects of California power shutoffs

October 21, 2025

A free talk by doctoral candidate Tiemeng Ma — “From Local Shocks to Regional Impacts: Economic Consequences of Public Safety Power Shutoffs in California on Western U.S. Residents and Sectors” — is set for Oct. 29. She will discuss her study on electricity shutoffs in California, as well as a framework that captured direct costs and indirect effects.

Veterans’ mental health forged beyond the battlefield, researchers find

October 20, 2025

New research shows that veterans’ mental health after leaving the military is shaped by more than just combat, with childhood trauma, deployment experiences and gender all influencing post-9/11 veterans’ well-being, according to a team at Penn State.

Q&A: Is online grocery shopping affecting our eating habits?

October 20, 2025

A researcher at Penn State investigates how online grocery shopping is affecting food choices, household waste and nutritional disparities. In this Q&A, she discussed how online shopping affects what lands in our grocery carts — and what ends up in the landfill.

Recent alumnus uses global lessons to start new agricultural education program

October 17, 2025

Brandon Bixler, a 2024 graduate of Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has launched a new agricultural and environmental sciences program in the Career and Technical Education Department at McCaskey High School in Lancaster.

Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns

October 10, 2025

Power plants may emit higher amounts of pollution during lapses in federal monitoring and enforcement, such as during a government shutdown, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State.

Stuckeman School Oct. 8 roundtable to explore intergenerational design

September 29, 2025

The College of Arts and Architecture’s Stuckeman School at Penn State is hosting a public roundtable discussion panel to explore the concepts of designing across generations and designing for an aging society at noon Oct. 8 in the Stuckeman Family Building Jury Space.

Chapel Intern puts sustainable development into practice

August 27, 2025

Ben Lindgren, a Schreyer Scholar, interned with Whole Foods Market and Amazon in Austin, Texas, assessing sustainability practices through the Chapel Executive Internship Program.

'Mushroom Mania' workshop connects Pennsylvania educators to global solutions

August 27, 2025

More than 20 high school educators recently visited Penn State’s University Park campus as experiential learners for a new program focused on one of Pennsylvania’s highest-producing agricultural commodities: mushrooms.

Walmart funds Clearinghouse study on skill-based veteran employment programs

August 27, 2025

The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation to evaluate two innovative employment programs aimed at reducing underemployment among military veterans.

New screener offers empirical insights to improve veteran transitions

August 15, 2025

For the newest generation of U.S. veterans, transitioning to civilian life can pose profound challenges. According to Penn State researchers, post-9/11 veterans are younger and more diverse, and they face rising rates of trauma, mental health conditions, underemployment and service-connected disabilities. To help veterans tackle these hurdles, researchers have created an online assessment tool that assists veteran-serving organizations in identifying individualized risks and providing targeted, evidence-informed support.

Penn State Extension to offer webinar series on substance use education

August 14, 2025

Penn State Extension will present a free, four-part webinar series this summer, fall, winter and spring to help community members, families and professionals address substance use in rural communities, support youth well-being, and learn strategies for assisting individuals affected by substance use disorder or opioid use disorder.

Penn State Extension land-use webinar series begins Aug. 6

August 5, 2025

A Penn State Extension webinar series is aimed at helping community leaders navigate land-use challenges, with topics ranging from small farm economics and green infrastructure to solar development trends and artificial intelligence in planning. The Summer/Fall 2025 Land-Use Webinar Series begins Aug. 6 and runs monthly through November.

College of Ag Sciences alumna plants seeds for global experiences with students

August 4, 2025

Olivia Murphy-Sweet, the 2025 Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ Outstanding Recent Alumni Award recipient, returned to campus this spring and shared her academic and professional journey with students.

College of Ag Sciences faculty, student recognized at annual NACTA conference

July 11, 2025

A faculty member and a graduate student in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences received recognition at the 71st annual North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference in Alberta, Canada.

Science, art and action: Páramos 2025 Symposium ignites global collaboration

July 2, 2025

In early June, Bogotá, Colombia, became the center of global páramo research as faculty and students from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences joined forces with international partners to host the landmark Páramos 2025 Symposium.

Investigating the impacts of extreme heat on vulnerable populations

July 2, 2025

On the latest episode of “Growing Impact,” the podcast hosted by Penn State's Institute of Energy and the Environment, researchers discussed their project that looks to inform lawmakers with actionable insights to protect pregnant women and infants — populations particularly vulnerable to extreme heat.

Penn State College of Ag Sciences names Harbaugh Scholars for 2025

June 25, 2025

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has awarded funding to six faculty members across three teams to support the development of innovative curricula through the college's Harbaugh Faculty Scholars program.

Penn State MANRRS students shine at national training and career expo

June 25, 2025

Eight students from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences moved forward into their futures at the 39th Annual Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences Training Conference and Career Expo, held in April in Memphis, Tennessee.

Penn State students break down global issues through educational immersions

June 25, 2025

Future agricultural science teachers studying in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, at the University of Idaho and at 1890s land-grant universities, taught in classrooms across the country as part of the fourth cohort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture-supported Global Orientation to Agricultural Learning, or GOALs, program.

Penn State, Galway partner on empathy and engaged youth citizenship

June 23, 2025

Penn State recently held a seminar titled "Empathy and Engaged Youth Citizenship: What it Means and Why it Matters," presented by international visiting scholars Pat Dolan, professor and UNESCO Chair Emeritus at the University of Galway in Ireland, and Sean Campbell, CEO of Foroige, the largest youth development organization in Ireland. Mark Brennan, professor and UNESCO Chair on Global Citizenship Education for Sustainable Peace through Youth and Community Engagement at Penn State, hosted the event.

Strategic design approach boosts rural innovation, researchers find

June 18, 2025

Businesses that take a strategic approach to design are up to eight times more likely to develop innovative products than those that don't, according to a study by scientists from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

Graduate finds her purpose in ‘community, environment and development’ program

June 17, 2025

During her years at Penn State, recent graduate Olivia Karoly did more than complete a degree in community, environment and development. From dancing at THON to presenting research at the Undergraduate Exhibition, Karoly embraced a variety of opportunities.

Penn State Ag Sciences doctoral student awarded competitive national fellowship

June 12, 2025

Hazel Velasco Palacios, a doctoral candidate in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been awarded a writing fellowship to help support her research on health care access for Pennsylvania farmworkers in the mushroom and dairy industries.

The silent struggles of post-9/11 veterans

June 6, 2025

Veterans may carry a sense of isolation and the painful belief that their presence is a burden to those around them. When these thoughts persist over time, they could contribute to an increased risk of suicide, according to a new study by researchers at the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State.

Penn State’s Youth Food Lab attends UN Science, Technology, Innovation forum

May 30, 2025

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences was represented on the global stage as faculty and students participated in the United Nations’ 10th Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals, held at U.N. headquarters in New York City earlier this month.