Huck Institutes

It’s St. Patrick’s Day 🍀—but Salmonella Dublin is no lucky charm. New research from @Erika__Ganda & Sophia Kenney examines 19 outbreaks in Brazil, finding widespread antimicrobial resistance and links to human strains—highlighting zoonotic risk 🔗journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/sp…

New research featuring Seogchan Kang & Ananda Bandara 🌱 Their study shows certain Trichoderma fungi can boost tomato growth while reshaping rhizosphere microbial communities and restoring bacterial richness in disturbed soils. 🔗sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Sharon Huang, Reese Professor of Information Sciences and Technology and a Huck co-hire, has been named the head of the new Department of Informatics and Intelligent Systems in the College of Information Sciences and Technology. psu.edu/news/informati…

The inaugural Penn State-Ghana Research Partnerships Seed Grant Program has awarded 9 projects that aim to fuel global impact, including crop disease surveillance, removing heavy metals from mining wastewater and understanding multimodal traffic streams. psu.edu/news/huck-inst…

On Wednesday, CoreCon26 welcomed research staff members from multiple University campuses for discussion, breakout groups, poster presentations, networking, and more. See our full album of the event on flickr: flic.kr/s/aHBqjCMhAY

The Huck Institutes is calling for innovative, interdisciplinary and collaborative life sciences research funding proposals for the 2026-27 Seed Grant Program, due May 1. psu.edu/news/huck-inst…

Congrats to Andrew Patterson, professor and associate Huck director, who was recently elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, an honorific leadership group within the American Society for Microbiology. psu.edu/news/research/…

Working with Huck's Cryo-EM Facility, researchers have demonstrated a stretchy, conductive type of plastic that could help power implantable biomedical devices like longer-lasting pacemakers or glucose monitors. psu.edu/news/research/…

This article from AARP discusses the benefits of, and approaches to, increasing the right kinds of fiber intake. Huck co-hire Vishal Singh is quoted as an expert, building off of his recently published research. aarp.org/health/healthy…

🐝 What happens when a hive is opened? Some bees line up in uniform rows — while others keep working. Unlike typical guarding, this appears ordered and deliberate. Ph.D. student Robbie Kelly is studying this behavior: bees primed for threats, escalating only if needed.

Earlier this month, Robert Sainburg and Candice Maenza of the Huck's Center for Movement Science and Technology authored an article for The Conversation discussing some surprising findings from their recent research: theconversation.com/stroke-survivo…

Avoiding carbs? Eating the wrong alternatives could result in increased weight gain, according to research by Penn State scientists including Vishal Singh, a Huck co-hired faculty member in the College of Health and Human Development. psu.edu/news/health-an…

The Penn State chapter of Graduate Women in Science recently hosted their 2026 Empower Conference, a day-long professional development opportunity to network, reflect, build skills, and hear the personal and career journeys of diverse STEM professionals.

What is sourdough, really? 🍞🦠 @jwmc1987 explains how it differs from conventional bread — in under 60 seconds. 🎥 Watch: youtube.com/shorts/PKmW_5G…

Gut feelings don’t lie 😉💘 Microbiome-inspired Valentine’s Day cards celebrating balance, diversity, and connection. Save below and share the love!

Is whole milk really the new superfood? Medscape talked to experts—including Penny Kris-Etherton, Evan Pugh Professor of Nutritional Sciences— about the emerging debate surrounding the nutritional benefits of dairy products. medscape.com/viewarticle/ne…

Last week, Huck faculty, staff, and grad students welcomed applicants to the Huck's grad programs, toured them through labs, talked about what PSU offers, and promised them that we almost never get this much snow. See the full album on our Flickr page: flickr.com/photos/huckins…

Another week of our 𝑴𝒊𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒊𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 YouTube Shorts! What can you eat to support a healthy gut microbiome? Vishal Singh explains in under 60 seconds. 🦠🥗 @pennstateNUTR | @huckinstitutes 🎥 Watch here: youtube.com/shorts/Frc_JLb…

Many biological processes exhibit differences governed by circadian rhythms. PSU researchers recently found in mice that a protein that helps the gut absorb nutrients while blocking pathogens is controlled by nighttime liver metabolism of tryptophan psu.edu/news/huck-inst…

What an inspiring day! Our January 16 Interview Day was full of prospective scholars excited about exploring interdisciplinary paths and innovative research. Thank you for bringing such amazing energy! 💙