October 2025
“Unified Science, Worldwide Impact”
In this issue, we explore how shared priorities are shaping the future of collaborative research around the globe through a partnership with Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, new leadership for the Center for Mathematical Biology and training for research administrators across the country. The Huck Institutes of Life Sciences core facilities also successfully hosted the inaugural core facilities open house in September.
Also, be sure to register for the upcoming symposia, center kickoff meeting, summits and training opportunities available across Huck and the University.
Strategic Research
The event will bring together Penn State faculty, students and administrators with colleagues from Ghana’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to share Ghana’s research and innovation landscape, explore shared priorities and build connections that can expand opportunities for collaboration. The symposium will be co-led by Dr. Camelia Kantor, associate director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, and Dr. Marian Dorcas Quain, deputy director-general of CSIR.
“I am excited to experience how Penn State fosters interdisciplinary science and to consider how similar models might be adapted in Ghana. The exchange of ideas will benefit both our institutions and help us prepare the next generation of scientists to tackle global challenges.”
Quain and Kantor will also launch a new Penn State-Ghana seed grant program, designed to support interdisciplinary research partnerships between faculty at the two institutions, during the symposium.
The seed grant program will provide one-year awards ranging from $5,000 to $30,000 to support Penn State faculty working with Ghanaian colleagues. Funding contributors include CSIR Ghana and Penn State through the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, the College of Agricultural Sciences, the Eberly College of Science and the College of Health and Human Development.
“This seed grant starts from the idea that long-term international partnerships need early investment and mutual commitment. We hope it will inspire projects in areas like tropical diseases, sustainable agriculture, environmental science and biotechnology, but more importantly, spark faculty-to-faculty connections that lead to lasting networks and impacts.”
Lee Kump, John Leone Dean of the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, said the symposium underscores Penn State’s commitment to building global partnerships.
Wenrui Hao, professor of mathematics in the Penn State Eberly College of Science and 2025-26 Huck Leadership Fellow, has been named the new director for the Center for Mathematical Biology in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
“The scientific study of living things is increasingly quantitative, exposing new opportunities for innovative research and interdisciplinary collaboration. This center draws on Penn State's considerable strengths in an array of disciplines — with a common theme of using mathematical, statistical and computational tools to provide insight and understanding to biological observations and data analysis, which Wenrui is strongly positioned to lead.”
Hao, who joined Penn State in 2016 as an assistant professor after earning a doctorate in applied mathematics from the University of Notre Dame, focuses his research on health-related computational modeling: digital twin modeling, where he creates a dynamic virtual model of a patient or group of people to simulate disease progression in order to analyze and improve potential treatment options; virtual clinical trials, using digital tools and technologies to recruit participants, collect data and monitor outcomes without requiring in-person visits; personalized treatment predictions for Alzheimer’s disease; and data-driven computational modeling of aneurysms.
Salmonella Dublin, a type of bacteria that primarily infects cattle but some strains also can adapt to infect humans, is increasingly becoming resistant to antibiotics, making it a growing public health threat, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Researchers at Penn State investigated how strains of the pathogen — which can cause severe illness and death in cattle and blood infections and hospitalization in humans are evolving and spreading across humans, cattle and the environment in the United States.
“Humans usually get infected by eating contaminated beef, milk or cheese, but direct contact with cattle by farm workers, for example, is also a risk. This study shows that to tackle antibiotic-resistant Salmonella Dublin, we must use a One Health approach — looking at how humans, animals and the environment are interconnected in the spread and evolution of this dangerous pathogen.”
In findings published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, the researchers reported that despite some genetic differences across 2,150 strains of Salmonella Dublin, the bacteria remained highly similar.
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Skilled Training in Administration and Institutional Research (STAIR) program, funded by a $5 million NSF award and housed in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State is on a mission to bring accessible training opportunities to research administrators across the country. Despite being essential to grant procurement, system compliance and so much more that underpins research discovery and technological advancement, research administration remains one of the least visible career paths in academia, with the fewest training opportunities.
“STAIR is funded via a unique type of NSF award in which the leadership team is a mix of faculty and research administrators with two main goals: to provide training in research administration and to offer team-based proposal development consultancy. STAIR is not just another student training initiative; it is a bold, national model for professionalizing the field and building the future workforce in research administration from the ground up.”
Over the course of 10 weeks this fall, students will gain insight into the inner workings of a major research institution; from seeing first-hand how research is developed to attending meetings with research administrators and faculty leading proposals. They will have the opportunity to gain real-world experience in the complexity, creativity and impact of research administration by engaging in live sessions, mentorship, self-paced learning and exposure to real grant development processes, including budgeting, compliance and career pathways in research support.
Five students from a national pool of more than 600 were selected to participate.
Bacterial speck is a common disease affecting tomatoes that can result in lower yields for growers. A new study led by researchers at Penn State gives new clues on how a plant’s microbiome can be used to combat the pathogen.
The research — published in the journal Environmental Microbiome — examined how disease suppressive microbiomes of a tomato plant’s phyllosphere, the portion of the plant above ground, differed from the microbiomes of plants that were conducive to bacterial speck.
“If we can learn more about which microbes are driving down the disease, it’s possible that we could isolate and combine them in the future for growers to use as a treatment. Additionally, some of the most important crop diseases are fungal, so if we can show that this process works for fungi, that could open up even more research and possible applications.”
The study was inspired by the way some soil microbiomes can develop season over season to eventually suppress plant disease.
💰 Funding Opportunity
The Penn State Center for Human Evolution and Diversity (CHED) is accepting seed grant proposals for the 2025–26 academic year to be submitted by Oct. 22.
CHED seeks proposals for small grants of up to $5,000 from multi-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research teams, representing at least two Penn State departments, working on projects related broadly to the understanding of human evolution and diversity. Successful proposals will describe new or ongoing projects which require a piece of equipment, reagents and/or funds to pay for undergraduate research assistance or research subject reimbursement to advance a promising project. Proposals are welcomed from new research teams or teams who have been previously awarded CHED seed grants. Proposals that are community facing and with outreach elements will be prioritized.
Core Topics
More than 120 researchers attended the first-ever Huck Core Facilities Open House last month, which featured informational posters, opportunities to talk with facilities staff, and even some interactive demonstrations.
“The goal of the open house was to make life science researchers more aware of the instrumentation and services available to them in the Huck Core Facilities. Many of them are available 24/7 to trained users.”
While the event was attended by a variety of faculty, staff, and students, it was the most recent arrivals—the incoming cohort of new graduate students—that the exhibition was organized to reach. Among the attractions was a quiz open to graduate students. Sophie Olson of the Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology (BMMB) program and Shirley Guo of Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Biosciences (MCIBS) tied for first, while Emma Hutchinson of BMMB and Victoria Holmes of MCIBS came in second and third. The winners were presented with medals and coupons to Penn State's Berkey Creamery.
Check out our photo album of the event.
Students and other researchers at Penn State have access to the CSL Behring Fermentation Facility, a biotechnology pilot plant capable of research-scale and pilot-scale production of cells, proteins and other products.
The facility provides equipment and expertise to university-affiliated and independent government and industry researchers interested in fermentation and related technologies, including cell separation and disruption, biomolecule production and purification and process monitoring. The CSL Behring Fermentation Facility includes upstream capabilities, biomass processing capabilities as well as purification and analytical capabilities.
“Not only do these facilities support Penn State’s faculty members, but they also help to train students for impactful careers and support industry partnerships that aim to translate research findings into products and services that benefit the public.”
This is an externally-written story by CSL. Click here to view the full article.
Upcoming Events
🗓️ October 15 @ 9AM-1PM 📍3rd floor commons, Millennium Science Complex
This event will bring together researchers, administrators, and students from Penn State and Ghana to strengthen institutional ties, showcase opportunities for collaboration, and launch a new seed grant program.
Featured Speakers
Two Fellows of the U.S.–African Frontiers Fellowship Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will headline the Symposium:
Dr. Marian Dorcas Quain, Deputy Director-General, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana
Dr. Camelia Kantor, Associate Director of Strategic Initiatives, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Penn State
🗓️ October 16 @ 12-1PM 📍3rd floor commons, Millennium Science Complex
Join Dr. Wenrui Hao, newly appointed director for the Center for Mathematical Biology to learn about new directions, collaboration opportunities, and more!
🗓️ October 16 & 17 @ 9AM-5PM 📍603 Innovation Hub (downtown)
Restorative Practices Training, hosted by Postdoc & Faculty Affairs, offers a framework and tools for cultivating more inclusive, empathetic, and resilient research groups — promoting psychological safety, equity-oriented discourse, and conflict navigation (all goals in restorative cultures).
At other top institutions, restorative practices have been adopted in academic settings to strengthen lab culture, reduce relational harm, and support community building.
For real-time event information and to submit your own, check out our Google Calendar.
Media
📸 Photo of the Month
Photo credit: Dan Lesher, Digital Content Producer for the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
Description: Viewpoint of the “Verne M. Willaman Gateway to the Sciences” bridge from the corner of Shortlidge and Science—right outside the Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building entrance.
Capture method and equipment used: Sony a7iv + Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM, @ f/7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500.
View our full gallery and download photos on Flickr.
Thanks to Dan for submitting this photo. If you have a photo you would like featured, shoot us an email at [email protected] and include the above information.
Huck in the News
Huck research attracts media attention from around the world. Here are some highlights from the past month:
Penn State researchers explore 3D bioprinting to restore blood flow in reconstructive surgery [3D Printing Industry]
Ancient DNA shows what really spread the farming revolution [Earth.com]
Sticker-like sensor tracks sweat for early health warnings [Health Tech World]
Study finds links between human genetic variation, gut mycobiome, and chronic disease risk [News-Medical]
PSU releases new guide on identifying bees in Pennsylvania [The University Network]
Organic beekeeping is healthier for bees - and their keepers [Earth.com]
Do you have an important or impactful story to share? Have something to celebrate? Let us know by emailing [email protected].
