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Academic Superlatives |
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PIONEERING LEADERSHIP AND EXCELLENCE
Henry Armsby built the respiration calorimeter in 1899 to measure the net energy value of livestock feed. His groundbreaking research in the early 20th century helped lead to animal feeds with greater nutritive value. We have the oldest and largest mushroom research and educational program in the country, helping Pennsylvania become the No. 1 source of domestic mushrooms. Animal Scientist John Almquist pioneered research on animal fertility at Penn State. His Dairy Breeding Research Center became a major force for reproductive physiology and artificial insemination development in the 1950s and ‘60s. Many of the techniques for livestock improvement have also been applied to other species, including humans. The Ice Cream Short Course is the oldest and best-known ice cream production course in the world. From its humble beginning in 1924, it has now attracted more than 4,200 participants representing every state in the nation and every continent except Antarctica. Nittany Lion Red—the first commercially successful geranium grown from seed—was developed by Penn State researchers Dick Craig and Darrel Walker in 1965. It was the first open-pollinated cultivar that is true to type from seed, and this opened up a whole new era in geranium production. PS Power Play—a Penn State-bred Angus bull born in 1972—left an unprecedented mark on the Angus breed. Two decades of worldwide sales of Power Play’s semen earned more than $2 million. An estimated 20 percent of the world's black Angus cattle count him as an ancestor. The College of Agriculture was a pioneer and national model for utilizing a statewide computer network, databases and e-mail to deliver research and educational information to clientele. Pennsylvania Extension Network (PENpages), which preceded the Web, allowed access to Penn State resources from home and business computers. We house the premier public agricultural analytical laboratory in the United States , testing more than 60,000 samples each year from 45 states and Puerto Rico, including research samples from more than 30 universities. The College of Agricultural Sciences has the largest scholarship program in the University, awarding over $1.5 million annually to more than 650 students. We are home to the largest undergraduate food science program in the East, and the second largest in the country. We have the largest turfgrass program in the nation. Turfgrass varieties bred at Penn State are found on 90 percent of the world's golf courses. DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
College geneticists are helping develop blight-resistant American chestnut trees to re-populate Pennsylvania forests with this once-dominant hardwood species. Penn State researchers developed and continue to enhance a Web-based disease forecasting system now in use to predict the potential for Asian soybean rust, an exotic disease that threatens the nation's soybean crops. College research is leading to solutions for the reduction of odors and gaseous emissions from agricultural facilities, including livestock and mushroom operations. In the emerging field of chemical ecology, our researchers are working to develop sentinel plants that can detect the presence of harmful chemicals and warn us of bioterror agents. College scientists also are developing sensors using insect antennae to detect explosives, drugs or toxins. Our faculty and staff are developing geospatial technologies, such as geographic information systems and global positioning systems, to aid in digital mapping of farm operations and community infrastructure. The aim is to improve responses to livestock disease outbreaks and other bio-emergencies. College researchers were the first to show that high-frequency, noncontact ultrasound can kill bacteria such as anthrax. This approach may lead to methods for decontaminating surgical equipment, food, mail, or the air handling systems in buildings and airplanes. Researchers and extension educators in the College are working to develop and promote alternative energy sources that are renewable, environmentally friendly, and that expand markets for agricultural products. These include soy-based biodiesel fuel, hydraulic fluid, waste plastic, and wind power. A SAMPLING OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS/INITIATIVES
Plant geneticist Majid Foolad has developed the Penn State Cherry Tomato, a variety with high levels of nutritionally beneficial lycopene that resists tomato diseases common in Pennsylvania. Research in the College continues to lay the groundwork for state nutrient management regulations that have helped to improve water quality in the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. About 16 million acres of state-owned Pennsylvania forestland are being better managed based on sustainable forestry research conducted in the College. Pennsylvania is the top chocolate-producing state in the nation in part due to the College's research and outreach initiatives. The cocoa research program is supported by a $1.5 million endowment from the chocolate industry to study the molecular biology of cocoa. Food safety research and extension efforts in the College are contributing to improvements in the safety of our food supply, from farm to table. For instance, the Egg Quality Assurance Program largely developed by Penn State poultry scientists, helped lead to significant reductions in Salmonella in the state's flocks and eggs. |
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