About the Department

November 22, 2024

Alternate stream water-testing method detects emerging contaminants

Pollutants known as “contaminants of emerging concern” or chemicals that could potentially harm human health and have been found in the environment, including pesticides, ingredients from personal care products, pharmaceuticals and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are increasingly found in streams and lakes. A team led by researchers at Penn State recently demonstrated the accuracy and utility of a new method to find even very low levels of these substances in surface waters. They reported their findings in the Science of the Total Environment.

November 21, 2024

Gas From Dairy Farm Manure Pit Causes Child to Lose Consciousness, Kills Ponies

October 29, 2024

The Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in the College of Agricultural Sciences is hiring a Lab Coordinator.

This is a full-time non-academic staff (Lab Coordinator-Engineering-Intermediate Professional) position.

October 25, 2024

Research team gets grant to study precision chemical thinning of apple blossoms

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.