Featured Stories
Penn State biochemist Denise Okafor awarded 2026 Sloan Research Fellowship
Denise Okafor, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of chemistry and Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Early Career Chair in Biophysics at Penn State, has been honored with 2026 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship. Awarded annually since 1955, the fellowship honors extraordinary researchers whose creativity, innovation and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of scientific leaders.
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Skeleton ‘gatekeeper’ lining brain cells could guard against Alzheimer’s
Brain cells are constantly swallowing material from the fluid that surrounds them — signaling molecules, nutrients, even pieces of their own surfaces — in a process known as endocytosis that is essential for learning, memory and basic neural upkeep. New research by Penn State scientists has revealed this vital process may be governed by a previously unknown molecular gatekeeper: a lattice‑like structure just beneath the surface of neurons called the membrane‑associated periodic skeleton.
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Domestication has changed the chemicals squash flowers use to attract bees
In a new study published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology, a team led by researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences found that domesticated flowers have different scent chemical profiles than wild plants in several species of squash. Additionally, the specialized pollinators of these plants—squash bees—detect different compounds, called floral volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in wild plants that they co-evolved with than in domesticated plants.
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News
Mar 18, 2026
Penn State engineers on multiple major projects funded by federal health agency
Penn State has been named as a sub-awardee on four teams selected for funding by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Three of the projects are funded through the ARPA-H Building Resilient Environments for Air and Total Health (BREATHE) program and aim to enhance indoor air quality, and one of the projects is funded through the ARPA-H Personalized Regenerative Immunocompetent Nanotechnology Tissue (PRINT) program and aims to bioprint organs on demand.
Mar 16, 2026
Four Penn State researchers receive iDEA-TECH awards from Sanofi
Four Penn State researchers and their colleagues have been awarded Innovations in Data Exploration, Analytics & Technology (iDEA-TECH) Awards from Sanofi, a global R&D-driven, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered biopharma company. The awards provide $150,000 in research funding to advance cutting-edge discoveries through novel AI and digital tools and new technologies.
Mar 13, 2026
Targeting two flu proteins sharply reduces airborne spread
A long-running debate in vaccine design revolves around whether a vaccine should be optimized to prevent the virus from replicating inside an infected host or prevent the virus from transmitting to others. New research led by Penn State scientists suggests there may not have to be a tradeoff.
News
Mar 18, 2026
Penn State engineers on multiple major projects funded by federal health agency
Penn State has been named as a sub-awardee on four teams selected for funding by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). Three of the projects are funded through the ARPA-H Building Resilient Environments for Air and Total Health (BREATHE) program and aim to enhance indoor air quality, and one of the projects is funded through the ARPA-H Personalized Regenerative Immunocompetent Nanotechnology Tissue (PRINT) program and aims to bioprint organs on demand.
Mar 16, 2026
Four Penn State researchers receive iDEA-TECH awards from Sanofi
Four Penn State researchers and their colleagues have been awarded Innovations in Data Exploration, Analytics & Technology (iDEA-TECH) Awards from Sanofi, a global R&D-driven, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered biopharma company. The awards provide $150,000 in research funding to advance cutting-edge discoveries through novel AI and digital tools and new technologies.
Mar 13, 2026
Targeting two flu proteins sharply reduces airborne spread
A long-running debate in vaccine design revolves around whether a vaccine should be optimized to prevent the virus from replicating inside an infected host or prevent the virus from transmitting to others. New research led by Penn State scientists suggests there may not have to be a tradeoff.
Mar 13, 2026
'Brain awareness week' informs public and spotlights neuroscience expertise
From March 16 to 22, the neuroscience research community at Penn State is joining "Brain Awareness Week," a global public health movement started by the Dana Foundation in 1996 to bring attention to science and public health issues concerning the human brain.
Events
Monday Mar
23
Connections between plant sciences and fermented beverage production: Examples from applied research in cider and wine
Plant Biology Seminar Series
Plant Biology
Monday Mar
23
Conserving genetic diversity of at-risk species across the data-availability spectrum
Huck Ecology Seminar Series
Ecology , Ecology Institute
Tuesday Mar
24
Medicinal Plants Workgroup Workshop Meeting
Plant Biology , Plant Institute
Events
Monday Mar
23
Connections between plant sciences and fermented beverage production: Examples from applied research in cider and wine
Plant Biology Seminar Series
Plant Biology
Monday Mar
23
Conserving genetic diversity of at-risk species across the data-availability spectrum
Huck Ecology Seminar Series
Ecology , Ecology Institute
Tuesday Mar
24
Medicinal Plants Workgroup Workshop Meeting
Plant Biology , Plant Institute
Tuesday Mar
24