Penn State asks visitors to help 'stop the spread' of spotted lanternfly - Insect poses nearly $18 billion threat to Pennsylvania agriculture

August 30, 2018

The start of the academic year and football season brings thousands of students, families and fans to University Park, and Penn State wants to make sure those visitors are not chauffeuring a certain unwanted guest.

TREE Fund grant allows rights-of-way research to continue

August 29, 2018

Penn State Altoona has been awarded a grant for year one of a four-year research project from the Tree Research and Education Endowment (TREE) Fund. The grant will support research evaluating long-term effects of electrical right-of-way vegetation management on floral and faunal communities.

The Entomological Society of America Names Winners of 2018 Professional and Student Awards

August 22, 2018

Please join us in congratulating Margarita Lope-Uribe who is the recipient of the Early Career Research Award. This award recognizes a student transition or early professional who has made outstanding research contributions to the field of entomology.

Beer, wine at risk from spotted lanternfly invasion

August 22, 2018

As the invasive insect also has a proclivity for fruit plants, particularly grapes, that means the main ingredients of both beer and wine are now in its sights.

Plant virus alters competition between aphid species

August 22, 2018

In the world of plant-feeding insects, who shows up first to the party determines the overall success of the gathering; yet viruses can disrupt these intricate relationships, according to researchers at Penn State.

Genetically modified mosquitoes may be best weapon for curbing disease transmission

August 20, 2018

Mosquitoes are some of the most deadly creatures on the planet. They carry viruses, bacteria and parasites, which they transmit through bites, infecting some 700 million people and killing more than 1 million each year.

New technology improves CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in mosquitoes, other species

August 13, 2018

A technology designed to improve CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in mosquitoes and other arthropods succeeds with a high degree of efficiency, while eliminating the need for difficult microinjection of genetic material, according to researchers.

Native? Exotic? Do We Care? Squash Bees

August 8, 2018

Entomologist and urban bee specialist Doug Sponsler joins Billy and Tony early in the morning in a community garden spot in West Philadelphia to observe squash bees and talk about what counts as native. Squash are not strictly native to Philadelphia. They were introduced by Indians before European colonization. The bees followed the squash cultivation from its original distribution. Are they native? How much does it matter?

2019 Graduate Student Recruitment Weekend

August 7, 2018

By invitation only - Travel expenses for eligible applicants will be paid by the Penn State Entomology Department. Apply by December 14th for priority consideration!

Penn State helps to assemble expert task force to combat spotted lanternfly

August 6, 2018

Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences helped to assemble a multistate, interdisciplinary task force of more than 80 university, regulatory and agricultural industry representatives to fight the looming threat presented by the spotted lanternfly.

Spotted lanternfly headlines College Exhibits Building at Ag Progress Days

August 3, 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.

College of Agricultural Sciences students awarded NIFA fellowships

August 2, 2018

Eight graduate students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are among the 101 recipients of fellowships from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

What you need to know about the new invasive tick species found in Centre County

August 2, 2018

State health and agriculture officials are urging the public to be vigilant in checking humans and animals for ticks after a new invasive species was found in Centre County.

Faculty Spotlight: Cristina Rosa

August 1, 2018

This is the 10th of eleven short news articles written by students, during the professional development class. This year we had the students interview their advisor(s), in an effort to help them better understand the larger context of their projects.

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.

Helping pollinators highlighted at Ag Progress Days Yard and Garden Area

July 31, 2018

The benefits of creating pollinator-friendly landscapes is a focus of the Yard and Garden Area this year at Ag Progress Days, Aug. 14-16.

Dr. Christina Grozinger elected as Fellow of the Entomological Society of America

July 31, 2018

The Governing Board of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) has elected 10 new Fellows of the Society for 2018. Election as a Fellow of ESA acknowledges outstanding contributions to entomology in research, teaching, extension and outreach, administration, or the military.

Pollinator Panic: Interdisciplinary team creates pollinator education video game

July 30, 2018

Communicating the intricate structure of pollinator communities can be a difficult task, but thanks to a collaboration between the School of Visual Arts and the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State, there is a new tool that could have success both inside and outside of the classroom.

Survey: Pollination Services of Blueberries in the Mid-Atlantic Region

July 30, 2018

If you grow blueberries on your farm, please consider participating in this short survey.

Experts: Invasive tick likely in state

July 30, 2018

An exotic tick turning up in some neighboring states has yet to be documented in Pennsylvania, but two Penn State professors researching the invasive bloodsucker say it’s probably here, too.

Calvin assumes new leadership role in combating spotted lanternfly threat

July 20, 2018

Dennis Calvin, director of Penn State Extension and associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences since 2009, has assumed a new role overseeing the college's efforts to combat the invasive spotted lanternfly. His appointment, which comes with the title of associate dean and director of special programs, was effective July 1.

Faculty Spotlight: David Hughes

July 18, 2018

This is the 9th of eleven short news articles written by students, during the professional development class. This year we had the students interview their advisor(s), in an effort to help them better understand the larger context of their projects.

Art of Discovery - Zombie Ants augmented reality

July 13, 2018

Zombies are real—and they'll be at Penn State's Art of Discovery Booth at the Arts Festival from 11 to 1 p.m on July 13. Learn how a parasitic fungus turns ants into its mindless zombie servants through multimedia sculpture and augmented reality!

Buzzworthy: Dickinson College using grant to save bees

July 13, 2018

A field of flowers in Carlisle isn't being grown for its beauty. It's a pollinator garden and is now being used for bigger research.

Faculty Spotlight: Margarita López-Uribe and Heather Hines

July 12, 2018

This is the 8th of eleven short news articles written by students, during the professional development class. This year we had the students interview their advisor(s), in an effort to help them better understand the larger context of their projects.

Buzzing Hard, Part 2

July 10, 2018

It’s not just about honey. Cities are full of bees, and in this double episode we hear about Brisbane bees and the Australian native alternative to European honey bees from Tim Heard of Sugarbag Bees, we talk with urban bee researcher Scott MacIvor from Toronto, and we go on an urban bee field trip on top of a chocolate factory with researcher Doug Sponsler and bee keeper Don Shump of the Philadelphia Bee Company.

Penn State faculty members use visual arts, multimedia, and technology to communicate research in new ways.

July 10, 2018

David Hughes, Penn State professor of entomology and biology, studies the effects of something that sounds like it’s straight out of a science fiction story: a fungus that infects living ants, takes control of their muscles against their will, and forces the ant to become a mindless zombie driven to help spread the fungus to take over even more ants. Now, “The Zombie Ant Experience,” an installation in the Millennium Science Complex at University Park, brings this research to life through art.

Keep an eye out for the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect found in PA

July 5, 2018

Some of you may have heard of the spotted lanternfly. Even if you have, I want to revisit this insect pest to enlist you in the effort to monitor its movement in our area.

Insect Invaders: Perils of Global Trade

July 5, 2018

As Japan rebuilt its economy in the decades following World War II, it shipped goods to U.S. consumers who loved the low prices. In more recent decades, China has taken Japan’s role as the low-cost shipper to the U.S. The way Hannah Burrack sees it, it just makes sense we have all these invasive pests from Asia.

Faculty Spotlight: Matt Thomas & Beth McGraw

June 28, 2018

This is the 7th of eleven short news articles written by students, during the professional development class. This year we had the students interview their advisor(s), in an effort to help them better understand the larger context of their projects.