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Research suggests modular design competence can benefit new product development

5/21/13

A new research study suggests that supplier integration into the new product development process can be more beneficial if buyers increase their competency in modular design. A Penn State Smeal College of Business faculty member examines the ways modular design competence can mitigate costs and challenges associated with supplier integration while making best use of the benefits.

Slow earthquakes: It's all in the rock mechanics

5/20/13

Earthquakes that last minutes rather than seconds are a relatively recent discovery, according to an international team of seismologists including Penn State geoscientists. Researchers have been aware of these slow earthquakes only for the past five to 10 years because of new tools and new observations, but these tools may explain the triggering of some normal earthquakes and could help in earthquake prediction.

Review finds need for more water quality data in the Marcellus shale region

5/17/13

A review by faculty from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh published online in the journal Science, stresses the need for scientific data on water pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing and cites a lack of monitoring stations and requirements concerning confidentiality as potential causes.

Students' diet and physical activity improve with parent communications

5/16/13

College students eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise more on days when they communicate more with their parents, according to researchers at Penn State.

"Only a third of college students consumes a diet that is consistent with national recommendations," said Meg Small, research associate in the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development.

Benner's Hill on the Gettysburg Battlefied

Guide adds new voices to history of Gettysburg battle

5/15/13

For three days in July 1863, thousands of Gettysburg civilians and tens of thousands of soldiers were caught up in a battle that left often conflicting data and anecdotes. This makes writing about the Battle of Gettysburg both a dream and a nightmare for Civil War historians, according to a Penn State researcher.

three women researchers sitting around a table

The Mexican Children of Immigrants Program: Interpreting the numbers

5/8/13

Language barriers, fear of deportation, and community prejudice are problems often faced by Mexican immigrants that contribute to dramatic disparities in health and well-being between immigrants and the native-born U.S. population. These problems may be compounded by family and community characteristics, making it especially difficult for the children of immigrants to receive the basic services needed to promote a healthy future. Such complexities are the focus of a three-pronged program of investigation by a research team at Penn State's Penn State's Population Research Institute (PRI).

female student crossing police line at mock crime scene

Probing Question: Do women dominate the field of forensic science?

5/7/13

Exhuming corpses, analyzing bloodstained clothing, collecting "crime scene insects" (yes, maggots)...these are some of the grittier realities of life as a forensic scientist. Yet defying the stereotype that females tend to be squeamish about such things, an entire generation of young women have become entranced by the profession. In fact, they've pursued this career in such numbers that—unlike almost every other scientific discipline—one could argue that the booming field of forensic science is a female domain.

AMON globe logo

AMON: An Eye on the Universe

5/6/13

AMON stands for Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network. Its mission is to form a network of high-energy observatories across the globe that will search for previously unseen astrophysical signals and send alerts to more traditional telescopes in order to corroborate the possible celestial events.

avatar wearing a backpack

Bonding with your virtual self may alter your actual perceptions

5/2/13

When people create and modify their virtual reality avatars, the hardships faced by their alter egos can influence how they perceive virtual environments, according to researchers presenting their findings at 2013 Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Paris today (May 2).

man and woman posing near big horn sheep

Scientists make strides toward restoring bighorn sheep in the American West

5/2/13

As pneumonia continues to limit recovery of the once nearly extinct bighorn sheep population in the western United States, a research team including scientists from Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has made key discoveries that lead to a better understanding of the disease and how it might be more effectively controlled.

tissues in white boutique box

People may welcome talking tissue boxes and other smart objects

5/1/13

Just as people have embraced computers and smart phones, they may also give their blessing to talking tissue boxes and other smart objects, according to Penn State researchers. "Smart objects will become more and more a part of our daily lives," said S. Shyam Sundar, Distinguished Professor of Communications and co-director of the Media Effects Research Laboratory.

2 young men with game controllers

Leadership emerges spontaneously during games

4/29/13

Video game and augmented-reality game players can spontaneously build virtual teams and leadership structures without special tools or guidance, according to researchers. Players in a game that mixed real and online worlds organized and operated in teams that resembled a military organization.

Biofuel lab at Penn State

Changing cellulose-forming process may tap plants' biofuel potential

4/26/13

Changing the way a plant forms cellulose may lead to more efficient, less expensive biofuel production, according to Penn State engineers. "What every biofuel manufacturer wants to do is to get to the sugars," said Jeffrey Catchmark, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. "But the structure of cellulose itself can be an obstacle."

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Biting the Plant that Feeds You

9/1/98

She's part pilgrim and part vampire, purplish black and pear-shaped. Moments after her April birth, the aphid creeps along the smooth witch hazel leaf until she finds a suitable intersection of veins. She thrusts her needle mouth into the junction and begins to feed, sucking the sweet sap from the plant.

Students' diet and physical activity improve with parent communications

5/16/13

College students eat more fruits and vegetables and exercise more on days when they communicate more with their parents, according to researchers at Penn State.

"Only a third of college students consumes a diet that is consistent with national recommendations," said Meg Small, research associate in the Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development.

Untitled

New process cleanly extracts oil from tar sands and fouled beaches

3/17/11

A new, more environmentally friendly method of separating oil from tar sands has been developed by a team of researchers at Penn State. This method, which utilizes ionic liquids to separate the heavy viscous oil from sand, also is capable of cleaning oil spills from beaches and separating oil from drill cuttings, the solid particles that must be removed from drilling fluids in oil and gas wells. To watch a video about the research, visit http://bit.ly/dKMca9 online.

Research suggests modular design competence can benefit new product development

5/21/13

A new research study suggests that supplier integration into the new product development process can be more beneficial if buyers increase their competency in modular design. A Penn State Smeal College of Business faculty member examines the ways modular design competence can mitigate costs and challenges associated with supplier integration while making best use of the benefits.

Getting to the bottom of the zombie ant phenomenon

5/21/13

Rainforest ecologist David Hughes has a special interest in parasites, especially those that accomplish their ends by mind control: invading the brain of a hapless host -- ants, in this case -- and causing that creature to do its bidding. Scientists like Hughes say 'zombie ants' offer new insights into the role behavior plays in spreading disease.

Slow earthquakes: It's all in the rock mechanics

5/20/13

Earthquakes that last minutes rather than seconds are a relatively recent discovery, according to an international team of seismologists including Penn State geoscientists. Researchers have been aware of these slow earthquakes only for the past five to 10 years because of new tools and new observations, but these tools may explain the triggering of some normal earthquakes and could help in earthquake prediction.

Review finds need for more water quality data in the Marcellus shale region

5/17/13

A review by faculty from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh published online in the journal Science, stresses the need for scientific data on water pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing and cites a lack of monitoring stations and requirements concerning confidentiality as potential causes.

Benner's Hill on the Gettysburg Battlefied

Guide adds new voices to history of Gettysburg battle

5/15/13

For three days in July 1863, thousands of Gettysburg civilians and tens of thousands of soldiers were caught up in a battle that left often conflicting data and anecdotes. This makes writing about the Battle of Gettysburg both a dream and a nightmare for Civil War historians, according to a Penn State researcher.

three women researchers sitting around a table

The Mexican Children of Immigrants Program: Interpreting the numbers

5/8/13

Language barriers, fear of deportation, and community prejudice are problems often faced by Mexican immigrants that contribute to dramatic disparities in health and well-being between immigrants and the native-born U.S. population. These problems may be compounded by family and community characteristics, making it especially difficult for the children of immigrants to receive the basic services needed to promote a healthy future. Such complexities are the focus of a three-pronged program of investigation by a research team at Penn State's Penn State's Population Research Institute (PRI).

female student crossing police line at mock crime scene

Probing Question: Do women dominate the field of forensic science?

5/7/13

Exhuming corpses, analyzing bloodstained clothing, collecting "crime scene insects" (yes, maggots)...these are some of the grittier realities of life as a forensic scientist. Yet defying the stereotype that females tend to be squeamish about such things, an entire generation of young women have become entranced by the profession. In fact, they've pursued this career in such numbers that—unlike almost every other scientific discipline—one could argue that the booming field of forensic science is a female domain.

AMON globe logo

AMON: An Eye on the Universe

5/6/13

AMON stands for Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network. Its mission is to form a network of high-energy observatories across the globe that will search for previously unseen astrophysical signals and send alerts to more traditional telescopes in order to corroborate the possible celestial events.

avatar wearing a backpack

Bonding with your virtual self may alter your actual perceptions

5/2/13

When people create and modify their virtual reality avatars, the hardships faced by their alter egos can influence how they perceive virtual environments, according to researchers presenting their findings at 2013 Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems in Paris today (May 2).

man and woman posing near big horn sheep

Scientists make strides toward restoring bighorn sheep in the American West

5/2/13

As pneumonia continues to limit recovery of the once nearly extinct bighorn sheep population in the western United States, a research team including scientists from Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has made key discoveries that lead to a better understanding of the disease and how it might be more effectively controlled.