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Kathy Kelley

Ag Sciences faculty members honored for international efforts

3/22/13

Two faculty members in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are among five people honored by the University's Office of Global Programs with 2013 Spirit of Internationalization Awards. The college's honorees were Kathleen Kelley, associate professor of horticultural marketing and business management, and Audrey Maretzki, professor emeritus of food science and nutrition.

Pa. apple growers to benefit from addition of tree-fruit pathologist

Pa. apple growers to benefit from addition of tree-fruit pathologist

3/20/13

Pennsylvania has a strong tree-fruit industry, led by the nation's fourth largest apple crop. But diseases that damage fruit can severely limit production, causing potentially millions of dollars in losses annually. Helping growers manage these diseases and minimize associated costs is the job of tree-fruit pathologist Kari Peter, who began work in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences on March 1.

Horticulture organizations fund Penn State research

State horticulture organizations fund Penn State research projects

3/19/13

New and ongoing tree-fruit research in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences received a boost with the recent awarding of funds totaling more than $182,000 by the State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Apple Marketing Board.

An artist's rendering of Mushroom Hollow

Penn State Arboretum to feature Children's Garden

3/15/13

Penn State’s Board of Trustees approved the construction of a Children's Garden, the latest addition of The Arboretum at Penn State, at its meeting today (March 15) in Hershey, Pa. Created as an interactive site in which children can explore the natural world, the garden was part of the 2002 master plan for the Arboretum, which opened in 2009.

big-racked buck

Deer dispersal research and chronic wasting disease

3/15/13

Research done in the College of Agricultural Sciences on dispersal of young white-tailed deer will inform efforts to manage the outbreak of chronic wasting disease in Pennsylvania and predict how chronic wasting disease will spread.

Alumnus creates first endowed professorship in food science

Alumnus creates first endowed professorship in food science

3/12/13

A distinguished researcher in the field of food microbiology has created the first endowed professorship in Penn State’s Department of Food Science in the College of Agricultural Sciences. Larry Beuchat, 1965 agriculture graduate, created the Dr. Larry Beuchat Professorship in Food Microbiology with a gift of $1 million to recognize the Penn State faculty who inspired him and to encourage a new generation of researchers.

stray gas bubbling up

Webinar to examine stray shale-gas migration into groundwater

3/8/13

Investigations into natural gas from shale development migrating into groundwater will be the focus of a free, Web-based seminar offered by Penn State Extension. To be presented at 1 p.m. on March 21, "A Geochemical Context for Stray Gas Investigations in the Northern Appalachian Basin," is part of a monthly series of one-hour webinars.

Biogas refinery

Webinar to cover land-use planning around renewable energy projects

3/7/13

Penn State Extension will offer a Web-based seminar focusing on the potential pros and cons of land-use planning related to renewable energy projects. To be presented at noon and 7 p.m. on March 20, "Renewable Energy Implementation and Land Use Regulations -- Is There Conflict?" will give participants a look at the different categories of typical renewable energy projects, zoning and permitting challenges, and how municipalities have been responding.

Inspecting a pond

Extension offers online courses to help with pond management

3/6/13

At this time of year, when many ponds are frozen over, it may seem too early to start thinking about managing them. But now is a good time for pond owners, and those they hire to manage their water impoundments, to consider participating in courses designed to help them make sound decisions.

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Elm tree near Old Main

Plant Pathology Department heads campus tour

6/19/13

Throughout the summer, the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology will be celebrating its 50-year anniversary with a number of special events and an exhibit, "Healthy Plants for a Healthy World: 50 Years of Plant Pathology at Penn State,” on display through Sept. 17, in The Eberly Family Special Collections Library, 104 Paterno Library, Penn State University Park. From 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on June 22, members of the Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology will briefly introduce the public to the exhibit and to the science of plant pathology and then lead a walking tour of plants on campus -- highlighting the common diseases of trees, shrubs, and ground covers; what causes these diseases; and how they can be managed.

Plant pathology professor to present talk on American elm diseases

6/13/13

On Saturday, June 15, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., Penn State Professor of Plant Pathology Gary Moorman will present a talk and discussion about Dutch elm disease and elm yellows, two diseases that threaten University Park's American elm population, the largest stand of mature elms in the eastern United States. He will also discuss past and future plans to protect Penn State's iconic elms. The talk will be held in Foster Auditorium in Paterno Library. A tour of plants on campus will follow the discussion. The public is welcome to attend.

Sean Palmer with Greg Nye

Alumnus ensures 2013 U.S. Open goes off without a hitch

6/13/13

As did most fledgling golfers in the mid-1990s, Sean Palmer grew up admiring Tiger Woods, one of the most successful golfers in the history of the sport. So when, decades later, Woods arrived at the Merion Golf Club on the outskirts of Philadelphia to practice for the U.S. Open (set to take place at the club from June 13 to 16), Palmer -- now a first assistant golf professional -- was more than pleased.

cup of hot cocoa and spoon of cocoa powder

Cocoa may help fight obesity-related inflammation

6/12/13

A few cups of hot cocoa may not only fight off the chill of a winter's day, but they could also help obese people better control inflammation-related diseases, such as diabetes, according to Penn State researchers.

Female faculty member and female student examining honey bees in the lab.
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Inspiring Research-Honey Bees

6/11/13

Whole colonies are dying in record numbers. Why the bees are dying is a mystery. Penn State, one of the country's leading honey bee research facilities, has been investigating the problem.

Gravel dredging barge

Research shows river dredging reduced fish numbers, diversity

6/7/13

Comparing dredged and undredged sections of the Allegheny River, reduced populations of fish and less variety of aquatic life occurred in areas where gravel extraction took place, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Penn State donors Earl '61 and Kay Harbaugh

Donor-advised fund allows couple to support entrepreneurship faculty

6/3/13

A Penn State alumnus and his wife have leveraged the Pennsylvania State University Charitable Gift Fund (PSUCGF), a donor-advised fund, to enhance an entrepreneurship faculty member’s efforts in the College of Agricultural Sciences. The $200,000 gift from longtime donors and volunteers Earl ’61 and Kay Harbaugh will create the Harbaugh Entrepreneurship Scholar to support Dr. Mark Gagnon, whose work includes entrepreneurship research and student entrepreneurship education.

portrait of C. Alfred Smith

Penn State commemorates 150 years of graduate education

6/3/13

The year 2013 is a milestone in Penn State's history. One hundred fifty years ago, the University conferred its first graduate degree. Since then, it has conferred more than 100,000 master's, doctoral and other advanced degrees.

John Kaminski (right), director of Penn State's Golf Course Turfgrass Management program, inspected a green with former student Sean Cline during Cline's internship at Medinah Country Club. The course, which hosted the 2012 Ryder Cup, is managed by Penn State alumnus Curtis Tyrrell.

Penn State turfgrass program hits trifecta of major U.S. golf events

5/31/13

"Trifecta" is a term usually associated with horse racing. But the Penn State turfgrass program hit a trifecta of sorts this year in the world of professional golf. Graduates of Penn State's turfgrass programs -- the largest turfgrass curriculum in the country -- will oversee the courses hosting all three major U.S. tournaments in 2013:

Chelsea Kyler in ash plantation

Forest science major immersed in emerald ash borer research

5/31/13

Forest Science major Chelsea Kyler is conducting research in an ash tree plantation on the University Park campus, which was established years before she was born, focusing on the effects of the emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle native to Asia.