Penn State THON 2026&nbsp;has raised&nbsp;$18,841,726.53&nbsp;for Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital. This surpasses THON 2025’s record-breaking total of $17,737,040.93 by&nbsp;more than $1.1 million.&nbsp;

Penn State THON 2026 raises record-breaking $18.8 million | Penn State University

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Penn State THON 2026 has raised $18,841,726.53 for Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Golisano Children’s Hospital. This surpasses THON 2025’s record-breaking total of $17,737,040.93 by more than $1.1 million. 

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Campus Life

Penn State THON 2026 raises record-breaking $18.8 million 

Earth and Mineral Sciences

College of Earth and Mineral Sciences

Penn State's Office of Faculty Affairs has named 14 new distinguished professors for 2026, recognizing outstanding academic contribution to the University.

Penn State names 14 new distinguished professors for 2026 | Penn State University

Penn State's Office of Faculty Affairs has named 14 new distinguished professors for 2026, recognizing outstanding academic contribution to the University.

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Academics

Administration

Penn State names 14 new distinguished professors for 2026

Penn State announces several strategic investments&nbsp;to&nbsp;help&nbsp;position the&nbsp;University&nbsp;as a leader in artificial intelligence education, cross-disciplinary&nbsp;research&nbsp;and innovation.

Penn State makes strategic investments to prepare students for an AI-driven future | Penn State University

Penn State announces several strategic investments to help position the University as a leader in artificial intelligence education, cross-disciplinary research and innovation.

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Research

Penn State makes strategic investments to prepare students for an AI-driven future 

Finance OST: New financial shared services model begins operations 

Two Penn State professors elected to National Academy of Engineering

February trustees recap: The impact of THON; capital projects approved

Run, Hide, Fight: Community reminded of steps to take if faced with a threat

Penn State to recognize Read Across America 2026 with ‘Roar Where You Are’

Women's ice hockey's Tessa Janecke nets gold with Team USA

Top pictures from the 2026 Penn State Today winter photo contest

Passionate, prepared communications students ready for THON livestream

Penn State's AI Transformation

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WATCH: Provost Sotiropoulos discusses Penn State’s AI Transformation initiative 

Things to Do at Penn State: Feb. 19-26

What to know before visiting THON Weekend 2026 

Bunton-Waller legacy strengthened with $1M enrichment fund in Liberal Arts

THON weekend parking, traffic and transit update for Feb. 20-22

Lloyd appointed to two-year term as dean of the Penn State College of Education

Interactive map showcases Penn State’s service, statewide community impact

Penn State Laureate plans to explore commonwealth through a documentary lens

Hidden Gems: The Oliver LaGrone Cultural Arts Center at Penn State Harrisburg

Penn State town hall addresses factors affecting research

With rout of Ohio State, Penn State wrestlers win sixth straight Big Ten title

Things to Do at Penn State: Feb. 12-19

Gov. Shapiro proposes $30M for State-Related University Performance Fund

Penn State Centre Stage presents a new musical by Salzman and Cunningham

‘Hadestown’ will come to Happy Valley for two nights, March 2–3

Penn State remains on solid financial footing, focused on institutional priorities

Four from Penn State women's ice hockey to participate in Winter Olympics

Town hall on Feb. 12 to address research environment

School of Music to celebrate Lunar New Year with family friendly concert 

Save the Date: Bring Our Children to Work Day to return to Penn State  

Penn State campuses commemorate 2026 National Black History Month with events

Cirque Kalabanté showcases beauty and artistry of West Africa on Feb. 11

Penn State launches campus master planning effort for University Park 

Penn State Researchers Answer Volcano Questions from Elementary School Students

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Ask a scientist: What happens to animals during a volcanic eruption?

The Medical Minute: Why am I so dizzy?

Annual Substance Use and Addiction Conference to be held on May 4

Parking information for Penn State Athletics Winter Sports Weekend

Report: Targeted support, belonging initiatives key for financially insecure students

Penn State featured in U.S. News’ 2026 ‘Best Online Programs’ rankings

Benefits Asked and Answered: How do Penn State’s health care plans work? 

University Park classes, activities and work canceled from 5 a.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday

Women's ice hockey clinches title, historic milestone in weekend action

Precaution, preparation urged ahead of winter storm hitting University Park this weekend

'Midnight Clear' for snow removal in effect this weekend, Jan. 24-26

Photo contest: Share your best picture of winter at Penn State

Sustainable Food Systems Network to host action-focused Food Justice Summit

Things to Do at Penn State: Jan. 22-29

COACHE committee announces University-wide priorities developed from faculty survey results

51st annual MLK Jr. Banquet brings communities together in ‘Undaunted Hope’

Penn State western campuses open new degree programs to meet workforce demand

Events to commemorate 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Penn State campuses

Ten Penn State alumni to receive Distinguished Alumni Awards in 2026

University Park campus and community transportation options during winter months

Latest News

THON26_Confetti Celebration

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POTD 013126 men's hockey vs. Michigan State at Beaver Stadium

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Womens gymnastics vs Maryland 012426

2026 MLK Day of Service_Magic Yarn Project

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POTD student studying Pattee Library 12122025

Neil DeGrasse Tyson at Eisenhower Auditorium

Around Campus

More research news

A team led by researchers at Penn State used a plant-based material to separate and recover dysprosium, a heavy rare earth element used in industrial manufacturing, from other rare earth elements. According to the researchers, the approach is environmentally friendly, as well as more sustainable and efficient than other commercial approaches.

Plant-based material offers sustainable method of recovering rare earth element | Penn State University

A team led by researchers at Penn State used a plant-based material to separate and recover dysprosium, a heavy rare earth element used in industrial manufacturing, from other rare earth elements. According to the researchers, the approach is environmentally friendly, as well as more sustainable and efficient than other commercial approaches.

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Plant-based material offers sustainable method of recovering rare earth element

A team led by Penn State researchers reported a novel material made of cheap, commercially available plastics that can handle four times the energy of a typical capacitor at temperatures up to 482 F. They published their work in Nature.&nbsp;

New plastic material could solve energy storage challenge, researchers report | Penn State University

A team led by Penn State researchers reported a novel material made of cheap, commercially available plastics that can handle four times the energy of a typical capacitor at temperatures up to 482 F. They published their work in Nature. 

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New plastic material could solve energy storage challenge, researchers report

Assistant Professor&nbsp;Nutifafa&nbsp;Doumon&nbsp;and doctoral candidate Souk Yoon&nbsp;“John”&nbsp;Kim in Penn State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering found that adding a chemical derived from&nbsp;hydrogen and carbon&nbsp;may&nbsp;help organic solar cells&nbsp;become&nbsp;a&nbsp;more&nbsp;viable&nbsp;alternative.

Additive may strengthen organic solar cells | Penn State University

Assistant Professor Nutifafa Doumon and doctoral candidate Souk Yoon “John” Kim in Penn State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering found that adding a chemical derived from hydrogen and carbon may help organic solar cells become a more viable alternative.

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Additive may strengthen organic solar cells

Featured Research

A new study offers a look at how the building blocks of life might have originated in the cosmos. Penn State scientists suggest that the amino acids found on the asteroid Bennu did not require warm, liquid water to form, as previously assumed. The team analyzed tiny samples, consisting of roughly 4.6-billion-year-old rocks, delivered by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to Earth in 2023.

Radioactive space can host building blocks of life, asteroid samples reveal

Researchers at Penn State say they’ve developed a new hydrogel material inspired by octopus skin that can encode images directly into its structure. The imprinted images then disappear and reappear when the skin is exposed to subtle changes in temperature or a surrounding solvent. The result is a “4D” synthetic smart skin capable of revealing hidden images and shifting surface patterns.

Study: Octopus-inspired material could lead to better camouflage tech

How a new father behaves toward his baby can change family dynamics in a way that affects the child’s heart and metabolic health years later, according to a new study by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development.

Early dad's involvement linked to lasting child health, study finds

About half of older men suffer from sleep problems, back pain or both, according to Soomi Lee, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State. Lee recently led a study to investigate whether one precedes the other and found that back problems can predict sleep problems years later in men over 65 years old.

Study: Back pain might predict future sleep problems among men

Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi was featured in a CEO Magazine interview highlighting her belief in the transformative power of higher education and her efforts to expand access, advance ethical innovation, and strengthen the university’s educational, research, and economic impact.

President of PSU is redefining the power of education to transform lives

A new study led by researchers at Penn State found melanoma case rates tracking higher in counties with higher areas of cultivated land, where the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides can be higher.

Penn State study finds higher incidence of skin cancers in Pa.’s Farm Belt

In a significant advancement for materials science, scientists have successfully created niobium sulfide metallic nanotubes with stable, predictable properties for the first time. An international team, including Penn State researchers, achieved the long-sought feat using an unexpected ingredient—common table salt. According to researchers, the discovery could pave the way for faster electronics, efficient superconducting wires, and future quantum technologies.

Study: Common salt helps create nanomaterial for high-speed electronics

Researchers at Penn State have proposed a novel design for a lithium-ion (Li) battery. It could address the long-standing performance and stability issues of standard Li batteries in extreme temperatures. The design, dubbed the All-Climate Battery (ACB), was developed to fix a core flaw in standard Li batteries.

‘All-Climate Battery’ developed at Penn State could keep EVs running in extreme heat, cold

The discovery of a possible “super-Earth” less than 20 light-years from our own planet is offering scientists new hope in the hunt for other worlds that could harbor life, according to an international team including researchers from Penn State. They dubbed the exoplanet, named GJ 251 c, a “super-Earth” as data suggest it is almost four times as massive as the Earth and likely to be rocky planet.

Newly discovered ‘super-Earth’ offers prime target in search for alien life

A "super-Earth" exoplanet in the habitable zone of its star has been detected by an international team, including Penn State researchers, less than 20 light-years away, putting it near the top of the list for best places to look for life beyond our solar system.

'Super-Earth' less than 20 light-years away is an exciting lead in the search for life

Organic beekeeping can support healthy and productive honey bee colonies, and a new study led by researchers at Penn State found that adopting organic honey bee colony management is not only profitable, but in some cases, it can be even more profitable than conventional management. The research couldn't come at a more opportune time, as a separate study found that 2025 marked the largest-ever honey bee colony losses in the United States, citing viruses spread by parasitic mites as the culprit.

Researchers discover solution to major issue in beekeeping

Electric vehicles (EVs) can have lower fuel costs and reduce emissions relative to cars that use gasoline, but they are only a practical option if drivers have convenient ways to charge them. For people who live in multi-unit dwellings or in urban areas, access to charging infrastructure may be particularly limited, which in turn limits EV adoption. To address this issue, a team of researchers at Penn State created a scalable framework to develop, analyze and evaluate using streetlights as a low-cost, equitable EV charging option.

Streetlights could power the future of EV charging, researchers find

An ancient society near the southern shores of Lake Titicaca in modern-day Bolivia was once one of the continent’s most powerful civilizations. Known as Tiwanaku, the ancient society is widely considered by archaeologists to be one of the earliest examples of civilization in the Andes and a precursor of the Inca empire, but it mysteriously disappeared about a thousand years ago. Now, a team led by scientists at Penn State and in Bolivia have discovered a Tiwanaku temple, shedding new light on what the society looked like in its prime.

Hidden temple discovered that could rewrite the history of an ancient empire

Electric space heating systems and appliances like water heaters can help American homeowners reduce their energy use, and possibly their utility bills, according to a team led by researchers at Penn State.

Want lower utility bills? Study reveals how to cut back energy consumption

The violent collision and merger of two black holes emits gravitational waves — ripples in spacetime — that can cause the resulting newborn black hole to recoil and rapidly move, sometimes escaping its own galaxy. Now, an international team that includes a Penn State researcher has measured the direction of this recoil for the first time, as well as its speed.

 Scientists detect strange signal in gravitational waves

Tiny red objects spotted by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are offering an international team of scientists, including researchers at Penn State, new insights into the origins of galaxies in the universe — and may represent an entirely new class of celestial object: a black hole swallowing massive amounts of matter and spitting out light.