This week's top stories from across Penn State:
COMBATING HAZING: An op-ed written by Penn State President Eric Barron on the topic of hazing and dangerous drinking appeared in PennLive. In the piece, Barron reflects on the critical importance of partnership to the success of any national efforts to promote student safety and combat hazing and dangerous drinking in fraternity and sorority life on college campuses across the country.
PENN STATE TOMATOES: Valentine's Day may have passed for this year, but if you're in love with sweet, firm, antioxidant-rich and award- winning "Valentine" tomatoes that will perform well in your garden this season, you're in luck, thanks to a researcher in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
HARRISBURG CHANCELLOR: John Mason, Jr.—an alumnus of Penn State Harrisburg, former associate dean for the College of Engineering, and vice president for research and economic development at Auburn University—has been appointed chancellor of Penn State Harrisburg.
NCAA CHAMPIONS: The Penn State Nittany Lions rode a superb performance in the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships national finals to claim yet another NCAA title. Head coach Cael Sanderson's team was nearly perfect in the finals and clinched its seventh NCAA title in the last eight years on a pin from junior Bo Nickal.
FURRY FRIENDS: Two years ago, when Kaia the golden retriever arrived at the Children’s Hospital, the canine became the first facility dog ever in a Pennsylvania children’s hospital, and the Facility Dog Program began. “Having Kaia makes such a difference.”
POLLINATOR GARDEN: Investment from Penn State alumnus and leading philanthropist Charles H. “Skip” Smith will enable The Arboretum at Penn State to fulfill its longstanding vision for a garden that will attract and sustain native pollinator species of birds and insects.
FALSE MEMORIES: In a study, the researchers found that as people age, they may be more likely to rely on a type of memory — called schematic memory — that helps them remember the gist of an event, but not necessarily the details. This inability to remember details, though, could lead to difficulty in distinguishing between a memory of something that really happened and something that a person thought happened, but did not — a false memory.
CLIMATE CHANGE: A team of researchers in Uganda are investigating the connections between climate change, rainfall, agriculture, food security, wildlife habitats and regional economics as well as the prevalence of certain diseases.