This month, we are highlighting our core facilities, which house more than $50 million of state of the art instrumentation and are managed by a team of scientists who provide unparalleled expert support for interdisciplinary research. Later this month, join us for our Core Facilities Open House event, and consider submitting an application to our "Life at All Scales" seed grant program.

Andrew Patterson thrives on asking big questions that push science beyond the boundaries of a single lab. To pursue them, he relies on collaboration, cutting-edge technology and the expertise found in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences’ core facilities — shared laboratories that make transformative discoveries possible across Penn State and beyond.

In this new role, he will champion the resources that he said have helped to define his career. He will guide the strategic direction of Huck’s shared laboratories, working closely with their directors and faculty advocates to raise visibility, expand faculty use, support cutting-edge technology and foster collaboration on complex, multi-investigator projects.

Patterson’s own interdisciplinary research program spans the fields of molecular toxicology and microbiome science and uses metabolomics, bioinformatics, X-ray crystallography and microscopy tools — all with a goal of understanding how exposure to chemicals affects human health. Nearly all this work has relied on Huck’s core facilities.

Looking ahead, Patterson said he hopes to encourage more faculty to take advantage of these shared resources and to explore ways to better integrate the data they produce.

The grant is open to Penn State faculty members — tenured, tenure track or fixed term — who are Huck co-hires, members of Huck institutes or centers, or faculty of Huck Interdisciplinary Graduate Degree programs. Applicants must hold an appointment of half-time or greater at University Park or any Penn State Commonwealth Campus, including the College of Medicine, and have not previously conducted research in the MRI Core Facility. Recipients will be given 20 hours of consulting time and up to 40 hours of instrumentation time.

Proposals are due Sept. 30.

Thomas Neuberger, director of Penn State’s High-Field MRI Facility, is the co-author of a new paper recently published in The Journal of Plant Physiology that highlights the advances being made to use novel, non-invasive MRI techniques to better understand organic processes in plants.

Some recently developed MRI techniques have allowed researchers to non-invasively visualize metabolic processes and delicate plant structures in action, such as lipid imaging during seed development and aging, studies of plant development under stress conditions such as drought, the characterization of plant diseases, pest monitoring, and tracking nutrient transport. Another promising, rapidly emerging field is the use of low-field portable systems suitable for imaging plants in-situ.

Neuberger underscores a vital practical application addressing one of humanity’s most fundamental needs: food security.

Research Professor Cheryl Keller has been named the new director of the Genomics Core Facility in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. Previously the director of the Genomics Research Incubator — a collaboration between Huck and the Eberly College of Science — she steps into a role made available by Craig Praul’s promotion to director of Core Facilities last year.

Keller has a long association with Penn State: she obtained her doctoral degree in biochemistry, microbiology, and molecular biology from the University in 1999 and has worked in a number of postdoctoral and research-related roles for multiple labs, starting out with research utilizing genetic and molecular approaches to gain insight into embryonic muscle development in "Drosophila" before transitioning to neuroscience, where she explored potential mechanisms of GABAA receptor clustering in mice systems using a variety of genetic, molecular and cellular biology methods.

Read on to hear from the previous Genomics Core director, Craig Praul, as well as Keller’s own thoughts on her new role.

Two chemistry grad students will participate in novel internships in Core Facilities this fall, supported by the Huck and the Materials Research Institute.

Jessica Thompson, advised by Danielle Reifsnyder Hickey, will work with the Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility, jointly supported by Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and The Materials Research Institute's Materials Characterization Lab. Amanda Gramm, a member of Ganesh Anand’s lab, will work with the Huck’s Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Core Facility.

Hear what Jessica and Amanda hope to learn and contribute with this internship.

The guidelines provide a framework to ensure appropriate recognition of all individuals who contribute to scholarly work, including papers, posters, reports, presentations, and other academic outputs. Thoughtful consideration should always be given to acknowledging the contributions of core facility personnel and collaborators at all stages of research dissemination.

Review the guidelines and read the rest of the announcement here.

A petition launched by Penn State invites the University community to support continued federal investment in research that plays a vital role in life-changing solutions, powering economic growth across the commonwealth and beyond, and driving transformational discovery. The petition, which has already garnered more than 4,500 signatures, aims to engage University employees, students, alumni and friends to raise awareness of the impact that federally funded research has on the daily lives of all Pennsylvanians.

Below is a note sent by Andrew Read, Senior Vice President for Research at Penn State, reminding colleagues of the importance to sign and support the University’s research.

Join us to explore cutting-edge technologies that can advance your research. Plus, enjoy free food and a chance to win door prizes!

Open to all students, staff, and faculty in the life sciences. Registration is not required.

The Center for Chemical Ecology is hosting a research showcase for students and postdocs to share recent results in poster or 3-minute flash talk format, followed by a seminar from leading chemical ecologist Dr. Jennifer Thaler (Cornell University).

We welcome all chemical ecology-related research, irrespective of department!

Each month, we’ll explore a focused theme, highlight related funding opportunities, and hear from colleagues across disciplines who are advancing Alzheimer’s research.

This Outlook calendar file includes all State College Area School District (SCASD) closures and early dismissals for the upcoming academic year.

This information can be helpful for planning activities and events across the academic year, since these closures can influence caregivers in our community. While some colleagues have children in adjacent districts, SCASD is a logical reference point since it is where our University is located.

Huck research attracts media attention from around the world. Here are some highlights from the past month:

Do you have an important or impactful story to share? Have something to celebrate? Let us know by emailing [email protected].