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Scott McDonald

Grant to aid students' grasp of science behind natural disasters

2/7/19

Scott McDonald, College of Education associate professor of science education, and The Concord Consortium in Massachusetts are using a four-year, $2.8 million National Science Foundation grant to develop data visualizations and simulations that help middle-school students understand big, system-level science ideas.

bumblebee with load

Bee dispersal ability may influence conservation measures

2/7/19

The abilities of various bee species to disperse influences the pattern of their population's genetic structure, which, in turn, can constrain how they respond to environmental change, as reported by an international team of researchers.

Sophia and dairy farm worker

Undergraduate students engage with Latino farmworker community through course

2/7/19

Because of significant labor shortages, Pennsylvania's dairy farms rely on Spanish-speaking immigrants as a key source of labor. However, cultural differences and language barriers can leave employers and workers lost in translation. A new, innovative community service-learning course — "Service-Learning with Pennsylvania Farmworkers" — offered by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences is aimed at breaking down those barriers.

A photorealistic model allows students to peer inside a partial outcrop created by structure-from-motion mapping.

Strategic Plan seed grant advancing immersive learning experiences at Penn State

2/7/19

Imagine a world where space and time do not matter, where it’s possible to witness critical events in the history of the Earth and humankind, or have a sneak peek into the future. That’s what Penn State researchers, through the help of immersive technologies such as virtual reality and investments in the University's infrastructure, are hoping to accomplish with a Penn State Strategic Plan seed grant.

astrocyte-converted neuron

Simple drug combination creates new neurons from neighboring cells

2/7/19

A simple drug cocktail that converts cells that are next to damaged neurons into functional new neurons could potentially be used to treat stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain injuries, according to a team of Penn State researchers who tested drug combinations on cell cultures in the lab.

Entrance to Chambers Building atrium area

National search underway for new dean of the College of Education

2/7/19

Penn State has launched a national search and is seeking candidates for the next dean of the College of Education. David H. Monk, who has led the college since 1999, announced in October 2018 that he will step down as dean on June 30 to pursue a phased retirement as a faculty member in the Department of Education Policy Studies.

A woman wearing a strapless gown poses for the camera.

I Am Woman: Isabel Leonard

2/7/19

In a Center for the Performing Arts interview, opera star Isabel Leonard takes time to provide insight into pants roles, role models and her most intensely private role—motherhood. Leonard will perform with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor John Mauceri, in “100 Years of Leonard Bernstein” Feb. 27 at Eisenhower Auditorium.

manure injection

Manure injection offers hope, challenge for restoring Chesapeake water quality

2/6/19

Widespread adoption by dairy farmers of injecting manure into the soil instead of spreading it on the surface could be crucial to restoring Chesapeake Bay water quality, according to researchers who compared phosphorus runoff from fields treated by both methods. However, they predict it will be difficult to persuade farmers to change practices.

Researcher to study how adversity can lead to susceptibility to disease

2/6/19

How adversity early in life can lead to susceptibility to disease will be studied through a project initially funded through Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute’s Bridges to Translation pilot grant program. Idan Shalev, Mark T. Greenberg Early Career Professor for the Study of Children's Health and Development, and assistant professor of biobehavioral health, was recently awarded funding through the National Institute on Aging to better understand how immune cells react and adapt to stress.

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