A federal grant that enhanced services for veteran students at Pennsylvania College of Technology recently ended, but its benefits will endure.

Pennsylvania College of Technology has been awarded a $600,000 grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry to develop a new sector apprenticeship in transportation. The apprenticeship will train bus mechanics, addressing the shortage of skilled bus service technicians and ensuring the consistent operation of public transit in urban and rural areas across the commonwealth.

More than 100 middle and high school students and teachers from throughout the state learned valuable lessons during the recent Cyber Challenge Day at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

Tina Marie Kline, associate professor of nursing at Pennsylvania College of Technology, recently completed a doctorate in nursing education and administration from William Carey University.

Paul Frank Baum, Evan Pugh University Professor of Mathematics at Penn State, has been honored by Penn State with the title of Atherton Professor. The University created the Atherton Professorship to recognize the continuing high level of scholarly or creative activity Evan Pugh Professors may pursue after their retirement.

A newly discovered protein naturally houses an unusual binding site that can differentiate between rare earth elements, and researchers at Penn State have made it even better. Rare earth elements are key components used in everything from modern tech to gasoline production. The protein, called LanD, enriches neodymium and praseodymium over other similar rare earth elements and has the potential to revolutionize industrial mining, researchers said.

According to a new study led by Penn State biologists, the composition of beneficial microorganisms within the mouth differs over a range of subsistence strategies — from nomadic hunter gatherers to farmers to industrialized groups. Additionally, lifestyle factors like smoking and diet can shape the oral microbiome.

A new method, developed by Penn State researchers, can test the activity of thousands of RNA enzymes, called ribozymes, in a single experiment.

Alaina G. Levine, president of Quantum Success Solutions LLC, professional speaker, STEM career coach, and author, will give the fall 2024 A. Dixon and Betty F. Johnson Lecture in Scientific Communication at 7 p.m. on Nov. 21 in 100 Thomas Building on the Penn State University Park campus. The free public lecture is open to the Penn State community.

Lu "Lucy" Bai, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology and of physics has been selected as the Verne M. Willaman Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

A team of researchers from Penn State College of Medicine found that misfolded versions of a protein exhibit tissue-specific toxicity linked to cell degeneration that may be linked to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study is a step forward in understanding the physiological processes that may contribute to ALS development and progression and identifies a potential therapeutic target, the researchers said.

Penn State Hazleton Benefiting THON, the campus’ THON chapter, will host a designer purse and gift card bingo on Sunday, Oct. 20. Doors open at 1 p.m. and games will start at 2 p.m. in the Dr. Thomas M. Caccese Gymnasium in the Physical Education Building. The event is open to the public. 

One of the most traditionally time-consuming, labor-intensive processes of apple production is blossom thinning, which involves manually pruning flowers so that remaining blooms can reclaim the plant’s resources to grow better fruit. More recently, the process has shifted to broad chemical spraying, which can have harmful environmental impacts. To assist producers and mitigate environmental harm, the USDA has awarded a three-year, $601,125 grant to a team of Penn State researchers for the development of a robotic precision spraying system.

U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, was honored with the 2024 Leadership Award presented by the Penn State Ag Council at its fall meeting in State College. Also recognized were members of the Pennsylvania in the Balance initiative and undergraduate student Jessica Herr.

In 2014, Jane Cook joined the second-ever training class of Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward volunteers. She was already active in the Monocacy Creek Watershed Association, but since then, she has logged more than 1,000 volunteer hours educating the public and restoring local watersheds.

The effectiveness of national voluntary programs asking companies to pledge to lower their pollution and greenhouse gas emissions depends on pressure from the public, according to a new study led by a Penn State researcher.

A Penn State Extension land-use webinar on Nov. 20 will guide local officials on the ins and outs of implementing “active transportation plans.”
 

Penn State Centre Stage will produce Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” with book and lyrics by Hugh Wheeler, music directed by Anne Van Steenwinkel, Nov. 12–22, at the Playhouse Theatre on the University Park campus.

Michael Barasch and Dr. Ravi Shah were part of different sections during their time in the Blue Band, but today they are giving back in the same way, by establishing scholarships for Blue Band instrumentalists. They have pledged funds to establish five scholarships each to be awarded annually over the next five years.

Longtime School of Music faculty member Daryl Durran and his wife, Lois Durran, a violinist, have made an estate commitment of $750,000 to establish the Daryl and Lois Durran Endowment for the School of Music, which will provide scholarship support to undergraduate and graduate students in the school. Daryl Durran, professor emeritus of pedagogy and performance in bassoon, retired in 2022 after 39 years on the faculty.

Viral country singer-songwriter and former reality-star contestant Sam Barber will bring his “Restless Mind” tour to Happy Valley at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Joyce Henri Robinson has been named interim director of the Palmer Museum of Art, effective Dec. 1. She has been a curator at the Palmer since 1997 and has served as assistant director since 2018. Erin M. Coe, director since 2017, is stepping down to become the executive director of the Rockwell Museum (a Smithsonian Affiliate) in Corning, New York. A national search will be launched for a new permanent director.

A new professional development course explores how Penn State faculty members and staff can help the parents, guardians and spouses of online learners while following federal and University privacy policies.

Donna Palumbo-Miele, executive director of the Center for Supply Chain Research at the Penn State Smeal College of Business, has been awarded the 2024 Women in Supply Chain award by Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive.

Matthew Gustafson, Robert and Judith Klein Professor of Finance in the Smeal College of Business at Penn State, will give the talk, “The Biodiversity Protection Discount,” at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 30, in 157 Hosler Building on the University Park campus. Lecture is free and open to the public.

Students are invited to expand their professional network and connect with businesses during the second annual Pittsburgh Connect: Penn State Student Networking Summit at the Energy Innovation Center in Pittsburgh from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 25.

Three Penn State Online MBA students attended the 2024 homecoming game — including one in an unconventional way.

President Cyril Ramaphosa met with Tesla and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk in New York to discuss investment opportunities in SA, the Presidency said on Tuesday.

A Kenyan court ruled on Friday that Facebook's parent company Meta could be sued in the East African nation over the dismissal of dozens of content moderators by a contractor.

Many executives have reservations about backing either candidate in the US presidential election.

Berlin must compensate Mozambicans who were not paid for working in the former East Germany, the top official in charge of atoning for the injustices of the communist dictatorship said on Monday.

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has become an AI powerhouse after securing Silicon Valley's largest-ever funding round. The company now faces the challenge of delivering on its promise to become the next Apple or Google.

Tencent Holdings and Ubisoft Entertainment SA's founding Guillemot family are considering options, including a potential buyout of the French video game developer, after it lost more than half its market value this year, according to people familiar with the matter.

The country’s clothes manufacturers are taking a beating from imported ‘preloved’ clothes and a struggling economy.

Dubai-based airline Emirates has banned pagers and walkie-talkies onboard its planes following sabotage attacks in Lebanon, and extended flight cancellations for Middle East destinations due to regional escalation.

Global food prices rose in September at their fastest rate since March 2022, with sugar prices surging as dry weather and fires damaged Brazilian sugarcane crops, the Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday.

Zimbabwe sought to assure citizens that its gold-backed currency would not suffer another steep devaluation and steps were being taken to assure its defence.

US-based academics Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson won the 2024 Nobel economics prize "for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity", the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on Monday.

China is trying to revive its economy from a COVID-era slump, but is it doing too little, too late?

In an extraordinary twist that has upended an already unpredictable election, the world's richest man has become Donald Trump's most influential supporter in his bid to return to the White House.

Indonesia has banned the sale of Google Pixel phones over the tech giant's failure to meet investment regulations, its industry ministry said, days after blocking sales of Apple's iPhone 16.

Kenya plans to re-introduce some of the tax hikes that sparked deadly protests earlier this year, the government announced Friday, while a new deputy president was sworn in after weeks of drama.

Indian buyers of gold brushed off record high prices and made purchases for the Dhanteras and Diwali festivals starting on Tuesday, hoping bullion would continue to rally and deliver promising returns amid a cooling stock market, industry officials told Reuters.

In a small neon-lit factory in Maputo, a dozen workers are hand-rolling premium cigars intended for the global market, seemingly undisturbed by the pungent tobacco smell.

SINGAPORE, Nov 8 - Asia and even China are shaping up as surprisingly resilient investment markets as Donald Trump returns to the White House, with fund managers optimistic the region can withstand tariffs better than Europe.

As 1 million people head to cast ballots, the election results are likely to be announced on Monday.

Trump's election as US president brings back a champion of the oil industry to the White House.

Penn State Lehigh Valley criminal justice program adjunct instructor Corallys Fernandez's work in the juvenile probation field was recently recognized on a state level.

Three artists whose work examines the ideas of social justice, civic engagement and democracy will be featured in an exhibition at the Ronald K. DeLong Gallery at Penn State Lehigh Valley from Nov. 18, 2024, to Jan. 23, 2025.

The pound stabilised on Friday after a volatile few sessions, but still headed for its longest stretch of weekly losses in nearly six years, as political and monetary uncertainty has prompted investors to favour the dollar lately.