Music was form of resistance for women during Civil Rights Movement
Research from Penn State suggests that “freedom songs” could have also helped empower black women to lead others when formal leadership positions were unavailable.
Research
Research
International leaders convene at Penn State to map future of nuclear power
8/12/19
To continually support the safety and efficiency of the world’s power supply, international leaders in nuclear safety and regulation convened at Penn State on July 1 to establish and guide an upcoming research project to be conducted in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Global climate solution leaders to participate in Drawdown conference
8/12/19
"Research to Action: The Science of Drawdown," which takes place from Sept. 16–18, 2019, at The Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, will feature climate solutions experts from around the globe, including 15 members of the conference's steering committee.
Brains trained on e-devices may struggle to understand scientific info
8/12/19
When people overuse electronic devices, it could lead to weaker activity in areas of the brain that are key to understanding scientific texts, according to a team of researchers.
Evidence found for cloaked black hole in early universe
8/8/19
A team of astronomers has announced the likely discovery of a highly obscured black hole existing only 850 million years after the Big Bang, using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This is the first evidence for a cloaked black hole at such an early time.
Penn State names Georgia Tech's Lora Weiss senior vice president for research
8/8/19
Lora G. Weiss, interim senior vice president of the Georgia Institute of Technology and interim director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute, has been named senior vice president for research at Penn State. Weiss, who will begin her new role on Sept. 16, is an accomplished scientist and educator with more than 30 years of experience in higher education.
Study shows benefits to changing students' mindsets about learning
8/7/19
A groundbreaking experimental study with more than 12,000 ninth grade students in the United States confirmed that a low-cost online program that takes less than an hour to complete can help students develop a growth mindset — the belief that intellectual abilities are not fixed but can be developed. This finding is important because student motivation often suffers when students have been exposed to the idea that their intellectual abilities can't change.
Whole genome sequencing may help officials get a handle on disease outbreaks
8/6/19
In a series of studies, researchers showed that whole genome analysis can provide highly detailed information on pathogens in a timely fashion. The findings could help public officials prepare treatment and prevention options when disease outbreaks threaten the public.
Where curiosity leads
8/5/19
One scientist’s quest to create a replacement for plastics led him to something entirely different — a biofoam that fills traumatic wounds, stops bleeding, and dissolves as the wound heals.
How we care for the environment may have social consequences
8/1/19
Anyone can express their commitment to the environment through individual efforts, but some pro-environmental or “green” behaviors may be seen as either feminine or masculine, which Penn State researchers say may have social consequences.
New tool could reduce security analysts’ workloads by automating data triage
8/1/19
During a cyberattack, security analysts focus on answering four key questions: What happened to the network, what was the impact, why did it happen, and what should be done? And while analysts utilize advancements in software and hardware tools in their response, the tools are unable to answer these questions as well as humans can. Researchers at Penn State and the U.S. Army Research Office have developed a technique that could significantly improve the performance of security analysts.
Barn owls may hold key to navigation and location
8/1/19
The way barn owl brains use sound to locate prey may be a template for electronic directional navigation devices, according to a team of Penn State engineers who are recreating owl brain circuitry in electronics.
Penn State Beaver student, professor create polymer
7/31/19
Student Kelan Fogarty and chemistry professor Michael Hay are spending the summer in the lab doing research in relation to a polymer they have created.
Researchers estimate societal costs of the opioid epidemic
7/30/19
The devastating consequences of the opioid crisis are far-reaching in the United States, impacting public health as well as social and economic welfare. Penn State researchers recently collaborated to address the issue in a supplement of The American Journal of Managed Care.
Penn State-led Global Building Network at forefront of building performance
7/30/19
A large-scale interdisciplinary effort led by Penn State, called the Global Building Network, is underway to create high-performance buildings, which are buildings capable of achieving net-zero carbon-based energy usage while increasing occupant performance and reducing health risks.
Need help with your diet? Beware the big picture
7/26/19
Richard Vann, assistant professor of marketing, is one of the authors of “Big Picture, Bad Outcomes: When Visual Perspectives Harm Health Goal Pursuit,” a Journal of Consumer Psychology article now available online. For the article, Vann conducted three experiments which outline how third-person perspectives actually can be discouraging when it comes to pursuing health goals.