Penn State Schuylkill celebrates 75th anniversary
July 28, 2010
'Go Joe XIII' kicks off at University Park
July 19, 2010
Alumni Association leads Europe tour
July 15, 2010
Penn State York honors John Romano
July 15, 2010
Car crash test excites campers
July 14, 2010
Arts Fest '10 under way
July 8, 2010
Children's Day opens 2010 Arts Festival
July 7, 2010
4thFest fireworks light up sky
July 4, 2010
Volunteers ready for 4thFest celebration
July 1, 2010
Summer Concert Band performs
June 22, 2010
Students prepare for finals
June 24, 2010
Camp gives 50 women a field-level look at Penn State football
June 11, 2010
Penn State 2010
University turns downed trees into treasured keepsakes
Saving elm trees from disease takes persistent, hopeful effort
TV Studio Time Lapse
Pistachios offer multiple health benefits
Researcher studies warming oceans' effects on coral reef life
Restored Old Main bell returns to new location at University Park
Penn State Kinesiology: Studying Altered Strides
As part of its ongoing efforts to control rising costs, Penn State is making some modifications to employee health benefits, starting in January 2011. "Penn State remains committed to maintaining excellent benefits in a time of limited resources," said Al Horvath, senior vice president for finance and business. "The changes we're going to be making in no way lessen our commitment to the health and well-being of our employees." At the same time, Penn State must take action to control costs, and health care costs are a major expense for the University. In discussing the University's strategic plan with faculty this spring, Executive Vice President and Provost Rod Erickson spoke about the efforts to control health care costs, as outlined in Goal 7 of the plan. "We simply cannot continue on our present trajectory with health care costs without bankrupting the University," he said. (more)
The garden demonstration plots at Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 17-19 at Rock Springs, will be abuzz this year not just with gardeners championing the importance of pollinators, but with many of the actual pollinators themselves, drawn to the vicinity by the specialized plantings designed to do just that. (more)
Yes, the dog days of summer are upon us...for most families that signals the longstanding tradition of back to school preparation. It's time to begin the search for the perfect backpack and notebook, shop for new clothing and shoes, get a haircut and maybe even sneak in a trip to the dentist. Regrettably, few parents think to schedule an eye exam for their child prior to the beginning of school. (more)
Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center was recently recognized as one of the nation's top 100 hospitals by Cleverley + Associates, of Columbus, Ohio. Cleverley + Associates, a leading health care financial consulting firm specializing in operational benchmarking and performance enhancement strategies, released the findings as part of its new publication: State of the Hospital Industry -- 2010 Edition. (more)
Rows of tiny raised blowfly corneas may be the key to easy manufacturing of biomimetic surfaces, surfaces that mimic the properties of biological tissues, according to a team of Penn State researchers. "Bioreplication began about 2001 or 2002," said Akhlesh Lakhtakia, Godfrey Binder Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics. "All the techniques currently available are not conducive to mass replications. In many cases you can make as many replicas as you want, but you need an insect for each replication. This is not good for industrial purposes." (more)
According to its annual impact report, PennTAP provided more 431 cases of technical assistance to clients across all 67 Pennsylvania counties in 2009. Clients reported $46.3 million in economic benefits and 477 jobs created or retained. In 2008, clients reported just more than $23 million in economic impact. (more)
It's no secret to any dog- or cat-lover that humans have a special connection with animals, but in a new journal article and forthcoming book, paleoanthropologist Pat Shipman of Penn State argues that this human-animal connection goes well beyond simple affection. Shipman proposes that the interdependency of ancestral humans with other animal species -- "the animal connection" -- played a crucial and beneficial role in human evolution over the last 2.6 million years.
Jellyfish moved into the oceans off the coast of southwest Africa when the sardine population crashed. Now another small fish is living in the oxygen-depleted zone part-time and turning the once ecologically dead-end jellyfish into dinner, according to an international team of scientists. "Originally there were sardines in the area but over fishing caused the sardine population to collapse in the 1960s and 1970s," said Victoria A. Braithwaite, professor of fisheries and biology, Penn State. "The sardines never recovered and jellyfish became a huge and serious problem, eating what the sardines had eaten."
A new initiative to improve children's nutrition education and increase the amount of healthy foods available in schools is a collaboration among Penn State researchers; Pennsylvania's Departments of Health, Education, and Agriculture; Pennsylvania food manufacturers and food distributors; and school districts across the state. The project, led by Penn State and supported for two years by an $800,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seeks to improve children's understanding of nutrition and help them make smarter food choices.
