Strategic city planning can help reduce urban heat island effect
May 23, 2023
The tendency of cities to trap heat — a phenomenon called the “urban heat island,” often referred to as the UHI effect — can lead to dangerous temperatures in the summer months, but new Penn State research suggests that certain urban factors can reduce this effect. The study found that trees had a…
Backlash to racial justice movements may boost risk of high BMI, obesity
Nov 2, 2022
Since its inception in 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement has helped raise awareness and mobilize efforts against racial inequality. It also has spurred controversy, and new research found that experiencing backlash to the movement may have negative health consequences for Black Americans. The…Lower than normal rainfall linked with a higher chance of food insecurity
Oct 25, 2022
Food insecurity is a growing problem in certain parts of the world, especially as climate change affects weather conditions around the globe. New research led by Penn State found that a lack of rainfall was associated with the highest risk of food insecurity in Tanzania. Specifically, the…
Intensifying heat waves threaten South Asia’s struggling farmers – many of them women
Jun 28, 2022
By Heather Randell, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography and SSRI cofund, Penn State and Emily M L Southard, Ph.D. Candidate in Rural Sociology and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Penn State, for The Conversation Sitting in a semi-circle in the yard outside of a village school…
Study explores link between earthquakes, rainfall and food insecurity in Nepal
Sep 10, 2021
The effects of monsoon rainfall on food insecurity in Nepal vary by earthquake exposure, with regions that experienced both heavy earthquake shaking and abundant rainfall more likely to have an inadequate supply of nutritious food. That is one of the conclusions of a study led by Heather Randell,…
Book co-edited by Penn State faculty explores gender relations in agriculture
Nov 16, 2020
While women represent a significant portion of the global agricultural workforce, they face many roadblocks to success, including limited access to land, technological advancements, education and financing. They also often are excluded from household-level and policy decisions that determine their…News Topics: College of Agricultural SciencesRural Sociology
Funding Renewed for Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness
Sep 22, 2020
Since its inception in 2010, the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State has provided professionals who deliver direct assistance to military families with information to help identify, select, and implement the right evidence-based programs and practices to address wide-ranging…
Penn State researchers to study political content sharing on Facebook
Sep 8, 2020
As the 2020 election draws closer, political content on social media is becoming more and more prevalent. A group of Penn State researchers is examining spontaneous sharing of political content on Facebook. According to principal investigator S. Shyam Sundar, James P. Jimirro Professor of Media…
Penn State Microbiome Center and GALT enter collaboration to advance research
Aug 5, 2020
The Penn State Microbiome Center and General Automation Lab Technologies (GALT) announced their collaboration to advance plant pathology, environmental microbiology and human gut microbiome studies. As part of this collaboration, GALT will support four research projects that will use the company’s…
'Feed the Future' grant to support women's empowerment research project in Ghana
May 5, 2020
A $450,000 grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Peanut Research will aid researchers in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences as they explore the potential to empower women farmers in northern Ghana through peanut production. “In…News Topics: College of Agricultural Sciences
Health services and programs being used by post-9/11 veterans
Mar 26, 2020
Providing quality healthcare to veterans with mental health issues is complex, especially given that there are some delays in receiving care from the VA system and veterans have a wider choice of healthcare options under the Veterans Choice Act/Veteran Community Care program. A recent study asked…
New study identifies which veterans are using programs to gain employment
Mar 23, 2020
Compared to veterans of other wars, those who have served since 9/11 have the highest unemployment rate, particularly among young male veterans. Within the first three months of disconnecting from active duty service, more than half of post-9/11 veterans reported using at least one program designed…
Penn State researchers lead the way in Water-Energy-Food research in Africa
Sep 3, 2019
Three Penn State researchers — Rachel Brennan, in the College of Engineering, and Mike Jacobson and Brian Thiede, in the College of Agricultural Sciences — recently received $250,000 in University Strategic Plan seed fundingto address global Water-Energy-Food (WEF) challenges. The award, said…
Unique graduate student cohort will explore gender and agriculture
Dec 20, 2018
Faculty in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are spearheading an initiative that will provide selected doctoral students with the opportunity for extensive study on gender and its relationship to agricultural production. "This student cohort will look at unexplored areas to yield…
Working together for global good: Penn State, Oxfam join forces
Jul 11, 2018
Developing lasting solutions to the problems of poverty, hunger and social injustice is the cornerstone of a new partnership between Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and Oxfam America, the U.S. affiliate of Oxfam, the global organization working to end the injustice of poverty in 90…
SSRI assistant director participates in empowering women in Cambodia project
Jun 6, 2018
In a perfect world, everyone would have access to nutritious, affordable food. However, as Rick Bates knows, there is no such thing as utopia when it comes to food security, as millions of people around the world have limited food resources. One of those places is Cambodia in Southeast Asia, one of…
Sexsmith receives Roy C. Buck Award for paper on health care access
Mar 26, 2018
PRI affiliate Kathleen Sexsmith, assistant professor of rural sociology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, is the recipient of the college's 2017 Roy C. Buck Faculty Award, which recognizes the best article accepted or published by a refereed scholarly journal in the social sciences…