Featured Stories
Q&A: Tips to protect against ticks
May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and Pennsylvania consistently ranks as one of the top states in the nation for reported cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. However, there are ways to protect people, pets and livestock against ticks and the pathogens they carry, according to Erika Machtinger, associate professor of entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
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Dipanjan Pan named Huck director for innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems
Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences has named Dipanjan Pan, Dorothy Foehr Huck & J. Lloyd Huck Chair Professor in Nanomedicine and professor of materials science and engineering and of nuclear engineering, to serve as the Huck’s first director for innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems.
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Plant genes influence bacterial evolution in legume-bacteria partnership
In a recently published study, Penn State researchers described the complex relationship between plant host genes and rhizobial genes, and how plant genes strongly influence which rhizobial strains plants chose from a diverse mixture.
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News
May 22, 2026
Q&A: Ebola outbreak and public health emergency
This week, the World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency due to an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The outbreak, which has already killed more than 100 people, took longer to identify as the virus species is different than the species typically responsible for Ebola outbreaks. There is no vaccine for this species of Ebolavirus, but researchers are testing the effectiveness of a vaccine for a different species of the virus, according to Ebola expert Nita Bharti, associate professor of biology and Lloyd Huck Early Career Professor at Penn State.
May 22, 2026
College of Medicine appoints Indira Mysorekar to vice dean role
Penn State College of Medicine has appointed Indira U. Mysorekar, as vice dean for research, basic science and graduate studies within the Office of Research, Graduate Studies and Innovation, effective July 1. She will also be the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Medicine and professor of medicine and of cell and biological systems.
May 22, 2026
Novel biogel may solve a hairy problem for wearable brain-monitoring systems
A vital tool for healthcare practitioners, electroencephalography (EEG) systems measure electrical activity in the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp, but getting reliable readings can be surprisingly difficult. Hair interferes with contact between the electrodes and skin, and the gels used to improve those connections often dry out over time, weakening signal quality. Researchers at Penn State have developed a reusable material designed to solve both problems at once. The material is a thermoreversible semiconducting ionic biogel, meaning it becomes liquid when gently heated so it can move through hair and reach the scalp, then returns to a stable gel as it cools, keeping its conducting and semiconducting character.
News
May 22, 2026
Q&A: Ebola outbreak and public health emergency
This week, the World Health Organization declared an international public health emergency due to an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The outbreak, which has already killed more than 100 people, took longer to identify as the virus species is different than the species typically responsible for Ebola outbreaks. There is no vaccine for this species of Ebolavirus, but researchers are testing the effectiveness of a vaccine for a different species of the virus, according to Ebola expert Nita Bharti, associate professor of biology and Lloyd Huck Early Career Professor at Penn State.
May 22, 2026
College of Medicine appoints Indira Mysorekar to vice dean role
Penn State College of Medicine has appointed Indira U. Mysorekar, as vice dean for research, basic science and graduate studies within the Office of Research, Graduate Studies and Innovation, effective July 1. She will also be the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Medicine and professor of medicine and of cell and biological systems.
May 22, 2026
Novel biogel may solve a hairy problem for wearable brain-monitoring systems
A vital tool for healthcare practitioners, electroencephalography (EEG) systems measure electrical activity in the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp, but getting reliable readings can be surprisingly difficult. Hair interferes with contact between the electrodes and skin, and the gels used to improve those connections often dry out over time, weakening signal quality. Researchers at Penn State have developed a reusable material designed to solve both problems at once. The material is a thermoreversible semiconducting ionic biogel, meaning it becomes liquid when gently heated so it can move through hair and reach the scalp, then returns to a stable gel as it cools, keeping its conducting and semiconducting character.
May 19, 2026
New Beescape updates include county-level plant recommendations for pollinators
Penn State’s Beescape tool is gaining a new feature that allows users to download county-specific lists of pollinator-attractive plants, offering a more localized approach to improving pollinator habitats across Pennsylvania. The feature, developed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State’s Center for Pollinator Research in the College of Agricultural Sciences, allows users to generate lists of plants tailored to ecological conditions at the county level.
Events
Wednesday May
27
Quantum Machine Learning and Life Sciences Workshop
Center for Mathematical Biology
Wednesday May
27
Genome-Wide Comparative Analyses of Herpesvirus Populations
Genomics Core Facility
Thursday May
28
Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology Mini-Symposium
Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology , Plant Institute
Events
Wednesday May
27
Quantum Machine Learning and Life Sciences Workshop
Center for Mathematical Biology
Wednesday May
27
Genome-Wide Comparative Analyses of Herpesvirus Populations
Genomics Core Facility
Thursday May
28
Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology Mini-Symposium
Center for Root and Rhizosphere Biology , Plant Institute
Thursday May
28