Still Life
University Park Airport Emergency Response Exercise
Commencement across Penn State: Spring 2012
Spring commencement 2012 under way
Penn State, Moroccan students problem-solve together
Finals Week Spring Semester 2012
Painting the Lines at Beaver Stadium
Did They Get It Right? - RedTails
Iconic Penn State elm taken down over spring break 2012
We ... are Penn State (December 19, 2011)
Disease stricken matching elm tree slated for removal
Penn State's creamery, from the cow to the cone
Satellite images of nighttime lights, which normally are used to detect population centers, also can help keep tabs on diseases in developing nations, according to new research. An international research team that includes Matthew Ferrari, an assistant professor of biology at Penn State, found that the new technique accurately indicates fluctuations in population density -- and thus the corresponding risk of epidemic -- that can elude current methods of monitoring outbreaks. The research, reported in the current issue of the journal Science, is expected to help medical professionals to synchronize vaccination strategies with increases in population density. (more)
A unique and innovative analysis of how social media can affect the spread of a disease has been designed and implemented by a scientist at Penn State studying attitudes toward the H1N1 vaccine. Marcel Salathe, an assistant professor of biology, studied how users of Twitter -- a popular microblogging and social-networking service -- expressed their sentiments about a new vaccine. He then tracked how the users' attitudes correlated with vaccination rates and how microbloggers with the same negative or positive feelings seemed to influence others in their social circles. The research is considered the first case study in how social media sites affect and reflect disease networks, and the method is expected to be repeated in the study of other diseases. The results will be published in the journal PLoS Computational Biology. (more)
A free public lecture titled "On the Eve of Eradication? Outbreak Dynamics and Vaccine Policy in the Developing World" will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 19 in room 100 of the Thomas Building on the University Park campus. The lecture, part of this year's Penn State Lectures on the Frontiers of Science series, will be delivered by Matthew Ferrari, assistant professor of biology at Penn State. This will be the fifth of six lectures in the series, which takes place on consecutive Saturday mornings. It is not necessary to register for the event. (more)
In fact they can, thanks to their cold, wet, amazing noses that can pick up odors in the low parts-per-billion range, says Nancy Dreschel, a veterinarian in Dairy and Animal Science at Penn State. (more)
