Good morning, State College.

State College’s fall weekend features local events including today’s Punkin’ Chunkin Fall Festival at Bald Eagle State Park, the Apple Festival in Howard, and a 112th Horticulture Show at the Snider Agricultural Arena.

Additional family-friendly fairs + cultural performances will continue through Sunday, offering free and affordable opportunities for all.

The Performing Arts School of Central Pennsylvania’s Nittany Ballet will perform The Nutcracker at Eisenhower Auditorium at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec.

12 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. The production, marking 30 years of a cherished tradition (including a sensory-friendly setup), promises a festive holiday journey on stage.

Assistant Professor Jonathan Kuo at Penn State was honored with NSF’s five-year CAREER Award to support his research on activating alkenes using palladium catalysts.

He used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy & planned a hands-on workshop to demonstrate his methods.

Connor Hill, a dual-enrollment student, won first place at the Regeneron Science Talent Search after researching noble polyhedra with a Penn State math professor.

He will begin majoring in math at MIT this fall (a notable milestone for local young STEM talent).

Heike Pfau, an assistant professor of physics, received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award at Penn State for five-year research on superconductivity.

She will study how pressure affects superconducting materials (including Majorana zero modes) and involve students in workshops.

Sarah Flanagan, a Penn State plant science doctoral student, is set to join the Borlaug Dialogue as part of the Reserve Corps from Oct.

20-22 in Des Moines—an event focused on global food security and sustainable agriculture. She credits the World Food Prize for inspiring her research on nutrient-dense crops.

Penn State’s Yan Li received a five-year NSF CAREER Award totaling $519,982 to fund her project that will transform power grid computing so operators can process data faster.

Undergraduate and graduate students will join the research (helping develop algorithms and models) as grid complexity grows.

Penn State junior Ben Stanton turned his class project into Sapphire, a documentary on Blue Band feature twirler Mackenzie Bronk’s final performance at Beaver Stadium last fall; the film was accepted into four festivals and won awards for Best Documentary and College-Sports Story at 2026 NATAS events.

Ten Penn State aerospace engineering undergraduates earned third place and a $750 award for their hybrid-electric tiltrotor design in the 43rd Annual Student Design Competition held in University Park.

The team developed two aircraft concepts as part of the AERSP 402 capstone course — a project that showcased their skills.

Penn State researchers explained how new technology tracks foodborne pathogens to improve food safety for local consumers.

They are testing whole genome sequencing and wastewater monitoring methods to quickly detect outbreaks and guide responses.

No. 5 Penn State women’s hockey edged Lindenwood 5-4 at Pegula Ice Arena when Sophie Morrow scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period.

The Nittany Lions will face Lindenwood again at noon today.

Penn State field hockey beat Ohio State in a penalty shootout Friday afternoon with key plays from Olivia Marthins and Lara Pyle.

The Nittany Lions will host Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 18 at the Field Hockey Complex.

NWCA All-Star Classic (presented by Nike Wrestling) will feature 20 top college wrestlers at Rec Hall on Tuesday, Nov.

24 at Penn State. FloWrestling will stream the event while details on matchups and ticket sales are announced.

Lexie Linderman, Noah Aberegg and Andrew Mercer discussed Penn State's challenges after linebacker Alex Tatsch's season-ending injury on this week's edition of The 107k Podcast.

They also reviewed the timeline for Koby Howard’s return, Rocco Becht's struggles, and Benjamin Brahmer's production ahead of Saturday's Michigan game.