News | The Huck Institutes (en-US)

Matt Langland, who recently graduated from Penn State with a bachelor’s degree in environmental resource management, examines salt-encrusted soils in New Mexico's migratory bird habitats. Credit: Contributed photo. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 16, 2025

College of Ag Sciences grant program supports student learning, experiences

A grant program in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences aims to enhance student learning by empowering faculty and students to design immersive, hands-on projects that bridge classroom knowledge with real-world partnerships.

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Nanyin Zhang, the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Chair in Brain Imaging and professor of biomedical engineering, of electrical engineering and of engineering science and mechanics; Patrick Drew, professor of engineering science and mechanics, of biomedical engineering, of neurosurgery and of biology; and Nikki Crowley, associate professor of biology and of biomedical engineering, Huck Early Career Chair in Neurobiology and Neural Engineering and director of the Penn State Neuroscience Institute at University Park, received a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation to gain insight into the purpose of dreams. Credit: Keith Hickey/Penn State. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 16, 2025

When dreams turn dark: Neuroscientists to study nightmares and mental health

Dreams, and likely nightmares, are experienced universally across humans and animals, but neuroscientists still do not know why. Now, with a three-year, $1.2 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State will study the underlying mechanisms of nightmares and their relationship with anxiety-related mental health disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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Jul 16, 2025

MRI advancements herald new possibilities for plant imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging is an established tool for human medical diagnostics, but recent advancements mean that it now offers plant researchers unprecedented capabilities for non-invasive visualization of plant structures and systems.

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Credit: Keith Hickey / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 15, 2025

Optical tweezers help elevate single-molecule research at Penn State

The instrument, supported by a new NIH infrastructure grant, uses laser light to ‘tweeze’ tiny objects like DNA molecules and proteins.

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Credit: Sharon Siegfried / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 15, 2025

Grant to help establish AI, health research lab at Harrisburg

A pair of Penn State Harrisburg faculty have been awarded funding to establish a research lab focused on using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to improve health care access and outcomes.

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Jul 15, 2025

What if Pennsylvania apples disappeared?

Penn State’s fruit tree task force helps farmers protect both their harvest and their future. From hands-on support to innovative blossom-thinning techniques, the work of Penn State researchers and educators is vital for the success of agriculture across the commonwealth.

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Graduate student Chad Smies and postdoctoral scholar Jiyeon “Joan” Baek manipulate a solution that will be used to visualize protein expression in the mouse brain. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 14, 2025

The breadth of the brain

Researchers in the Penn State Neuroscience Institute study the brain’s many aspects in a variety of ways, with implications from mental health to aging and disease.

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Researchers reconstructed a high-resolution 3D image of a tick-borne Powassan virus. Credit: Courtesy of the Hafenstein lab at the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 09, 2025

Structure of tick-borne virus revealed at atomic resolution for the first time

Rates of the Powassan virus infections — which can cause seizures and paralysis — are increasing across commonwealth, nation.

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A flexible, skin-like sensor can monitor movement and electrical signals inside the body, with the potential to aid healing and bladder control. Credit: Huanyu “Larry” Cheng and Jennifer M. McCann. All Rights Reserved.

Jul 09, 2025

Skin-like sensor monitors internal, external body movement, electrical signals

A new skin-like sensor developed by an international team led by researchers at Penn State could help doctors monitor vital signs more accurately, track healing after surgery and even help patients with bladder control issues.

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Postdoctoral fellow Laurel Seemiller studies the biology and long-term consequences of adolescent alcohol usage. Credit: Michelle Bixby / Penn State. Creative Commons

Jul 08, 2025

Q&A: Does adolescent alcohol use impact future risk of addiction?

Postdoctoral fellow Laurel Seemiller studies the biology and long-term consequences of adolescent alcohol usage. In this Q&A, Seemiller spoke about her research and her experience at Penn State.

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