About us...

The College of Agricultural Sciences is an integral component of the Penn State University research enterprise.  With research expenditures exceeding $81 million in 2006, the College ranks 11th among peer colleges in the most recent NSF comparison of research activity.  Included in this broad array of research are nearly 250 Agricultural Experiment Station projects that our faculty conduct as a part of our land grant mission.  Our researchers also contribute to resident education and to outreach education through Cooperative Extension, ensuring that our mission of knowledge discovery is seamlessly connected with access to that knowledge.

Exciting research is being conducted by our College faculty.  Our research portfolio addresses both near-term and long-term problems.  We contribute to fundamental advances in the basic sciences, but we also provide science-based solutions that address current stakeholder concerns.  Among our focus areas are such topics as environmental sustainability, bioenergy and bio-based products, plant response to environmental stress, reproductive biology, and rural community vitality.  We solve problems at the local, state, regional, national, and international scales.  Some of our recent highlights include leadership in the national effort to combat soybean rust, investigation into the underlying causes of colony collapse disorder in honey bees, transition of apple orchards to certified organic production, and leadership in the national battle against Johnnes disease in livestock.

Bookmark our College Research home page.  I think you will find it provides “one-stop shopping” for the latest news from our researchers and activities of interest to you in the College and University communities.

Dr. Bruce A. McPheron
Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Education
Director of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station