SAFES Institute at Penn State University

It’s been a great few days at Ag Progress Days! If you’ll be out tomorrow, please stop by our table, learn about our Critical Issue Initiatives, pick out some SAFES swag, and play our eDNA game!

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.

College of Ag Sciences grant program supports student learning, experiences | Penn State University 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.

Climate can vary across large areas of land, but it also can vary within much smaller areas such as farms. A new study by researchers at Penn State examined whether these microclimates — the climate of a very small or restricted area — affect pollination by both wild and managed bees and resulting wild blueberry yields.

Warmer spots within fields have more blooms and more bees | Penn State University Climate can vary across large areas of land, but it also can vary within much smaller areas such as farms. A new study led by researchers at Penn State examined whether these microclimates affect pollination by both wild and managed bees and resulting wild blueberry yields.

Congratulations to Jill Hamilton, SAFES Affiliate, on being named as a Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences Leadership Fellow.

Huck announces 2025-26 Leadership Fellows | Penn State University Faculty members Jill Hamilton, Wenrui Hao and Gustavo Nader have been named the 2025-26 Huck Leadership Fellows. As fellows, they will take part in a yearlong, high-level professional development program.

Congratulations to our SAFES affiliates & associates who were awarded IEE Seed Grants. The program supports basic and applied research that lays the groundwork to pursue external funding and is guided by IEE’s five research themes. This year, the program awarded seed funding to 34 Penn State researchers across seven colleges and 17 departments and units.

Ten interdisciplinary research teams awarded IEE seed grants | Penn State University More than 30 researchers from seven Penn State colleges received seed funding from the Institute of Energy and the Environment to advance innovative, early-stage work addressing critical energy and environmental challenges.

Congratulations to SAFES Associate, Dave Abler on being selected to The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Department Executive Officers (DEO) program.

Five named Big Ten Academic Alliance Department Executive Officer fellows | Penn State University The Big Ten Academic Alliance Department Executive Officers program has gained five additional fellows from the Penn State ranks.

In Pennsylvania, 3.5 million people are served by private well systems, according to Penn State Extension. To better understand potential contamination of the groundwater feeding these systems, a team of researchers from Penn State conducted a novel three-year citizen science study of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — often referred to as forever chemicals — in 167 private wells across Pennsylvania.

‘Forever chemicals’ detected in 65% of sampled private wells in Pennsylvania | Penn State University To better understand potential contamination of the groundwater feeding the 3.5 million people served by private well systems in Pennsylvania, a team of researchers from Penn State conducted a novel three-year citizen science study of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — often referred to...

If you happen to be at the Climate Solutions Symposium today or tomorrow, stop by our SAFES Institute at Penn State University table and chat with us! Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences

Yesterday, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences faculty researchers, a few of our partners at USDA Agricultural Research Service and the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center staff traveled to visit a landowner that is interested in partnering with us on some research projects.

Our friends at Penn State Sustainability are hosting their 3rd annual Sustainability Summit on April 23rd. There are lots of ways to participate, see the flyer below for more information.

Yesterday, the staff from the Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center led a tour of the Lower Susquehanna region with leadership from Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences and Penn State Extension. The tour included several projects they have led with partners from the National Fish & Wildlife Service, the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, Stroud Water Research Center, US Geological Survey, TeamAg, and Lancaster Clean Water Partners. We rounded out the day with a stop at the Southeast Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

The Penn State Agriculture and Environment Center is at the Earth, Environment, and Sustainability Career Fair happening NOW to promote opportunities in the sector. Students can come to interact with employers until 3pm TODAY.