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Christopher Norris, a Penn State Mont Alto marketing student, traveled more than 6,000 miles to Japan and discovered that studying abroad was about more than exploring a new country; it was about gaining confidence, embracing the unfamiliar and seeing the world from a new perspective. In this first-person reflection, he shares how the experience transformed the way he views travel, independence and new opportunities.

Date Posted:

Twenty-five English language teaching professionals from 20 countries visited University Park June 11-26 to participate in an international exchange focused on emerging technology and ethical artificial intelligence use in the English language classroom.

Jody Pritt, associate vice provost for Penn State Global and international student and scholar advising, has been named interim vice provost for Penn State Global, effective Aug. 1.  A national search for a permanent vice provost will begin in the spring.

As previously announced, the Global Safety Network (GSN) will transition to a new platform as of Aug. 17, and is currently unavailable during the transitional period. During this time, Penn State Global Safety is hosting two "How-To" Webinars covering how international travelers will access the new GSN portal, create a profile and navigate the system.

Whether identifying a plant or animal disease, interpreting a soil test, or finding educational resources, users have turned to Tilva more than 40,000 times since the Penn State Extension artificial-intelligence tool launched in January. New features introduced in recent months are designed to help users continue those conversations in English or Spanish and connect with additional sources of trusted, research-based guidance.

Honey from the continental U.S. can’t currently be certified organic due to specific land requirements, but farms in the Northeast may still produce honey that is as low in pesticide residue as imported organic honeys, according to a new study led by researchers at Penn State, Cornell University and Auburn University.

Penn State students spent six weeks immersing themselves in Italian language, culture and traditions during the faculty-led program in Todi, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year.

During a three-week faculty-led program, students attended lectures, met with advocacy organizations, designed research projects and explored South African culture.

A group of 24 Penn State students traveled to Ireland this summer for the faculty-led program, “The Culture of Democratic Deliberation in Ireland.”

Ava Veith doesn’t understand why more athletes, when they finish playing collegiate sports on turfgrass, don’t pursue careers related to taking care of the playing surface that supported their exploits. To her, it’s a natural progression.

Kaylin Lamaute has been spending the summer finding answers to her fascinations in materials science and engineering through the Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem (ASPIRE) program, an international initiative primarily driven by the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

Penn State students from University Park and Lehigh Valley had the opportunity to travel to Italy this summer and learn firsthand for a three-week course, "Organized Crime in Film and Society."

A longstanding relationship between Pennsylvania and the Baltic nation of Lithuania is expanding through a newly formalized partnership between Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Penn State Global has removed the suspension of University-affiliated travel to the Middle East for faculty and staff. However, faculty and staff who are traveling will still be required to undergo strict review of their travel plans. Student travel remains suspended throughout the Middle East.

The current Global Safety Network system will remain open until close of business on July 31. The system will then be unavailable between Aug. 1 and Aug.16. During this period, new travel records cannot be created or submitted, so all University-affiliated travel occurring during the month of August will need to be entered in the current system by July 31.

Thirty students traveled to Ireland with Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences in May, as part of the three-credit course, ANSC 499: Ireland's Equine Industry, to see how horses are used in the country.

A group of Penn State students recently traveled to Seoul, South Korea, for a course, where they immersed themselves in the country’s rich culture. The course was one of 14 faculty-led education abroad programs offered by the College of the Liberal Arts this summer.

The Penn State faculty-led program in San José, Costa Rica, engaged students in cross-cultural psychology through classroom learning, community engagement and homestay experiences over three weeks.

Penn State Liberal Arts students traveled to Spain and Italy in May to gain hands-on experience with different cultures.

Over the course of eight years, Penn State students enrolled in the “Bicycling Culture and Urban Design” study abroad course have spent two weeks during the summer navigating Copenhagen. This year students also explored the biking culture in Berlin.

Project ECHO at Penn State has partnered with the Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance. Together, they have launched a new 14-session telementoring program: “Comprehensive Care at the Primary Care Level: Prevention and Management of Cardiometabolic and Renal Diseases.”

A semester in France helped Jenna Guarrera combine her studies in French and advertising while building professional connections that led to a summer internship.

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 19 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.

Ketan Dighe, a fourth-year doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering at Penn State, was recently awarded a two-year predoctoral fellowship in translational medicine by the PhRMA Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports innovative biopharmaceutical research. The award will support Dighe’s research on developing an affordable rapid companion diagnostic test for gonorrhea, which would help patients get matched to the therapies that are most likely to benefit them.

On July 1, Penn State’s Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering, and Design with Africa will host a joint symposium with the African-led Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) to strengthen and expand the Penn State-PASET partnership and collaboration.

Penn State is tied at No. 23 in the U.S. out of 184 nationally ranked institutions in the 2027 QS World University Rankings. Penn State also tied at No. 7 among U.S. public institutions, and at No. 5 among Big Ten universities, and is once again the top-ranked public university in Pennsylvania. Internationally, Penn State is tied at No. 92, placing the University in the top 6% worldwide among the 1,504 institutions ranked overall by QS.

Penn State Global and the Chinese Language Club jointly held “Chinese Language Night” in April at Penn State Abington. Organizers invited Joe Sam, president of the Zhengdao Chinese Language Association (ZDCLA), along with Chinese calligraphy artists and instructors, to lead a cultural program featuring traditional philosophy, live calligraphy demonstrations and interactive workshops designed to deepen intercultural understanding on campus.

Sarah M. Assmann, Waller Professor of Biology at Penn State, is working to better understand how plants respond to environmental signals — and is applying that understanding to develop crops more resilient to environmental stress. In this Q&A, Assmann discussed how plants cope with environmental stress, as well as how more resilient crops could not only increase agricultural food security but also help cool the warming climate.

Additional details are now available for the transition to a new platform for Penn State’s Global Safety Network by the start of the fall 2026 semester. The GSN is a required step in the international travel process for all Penn State students, faculty, staff or authorized volunteers (except for those traveling on Education Abroad programs).

Penn State materials science and engineering student Matias Moreno earned two of the nation's most competitive undergraduate scholarships — the Astronaut Scholarship and the Udall Scholarship — recognizing both his excellence in STEM research and his commitment to sustainability.

Six Penn Staters have received awards in the 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Student Program — five finalists and an alternate.

Payton Smith will travel to Senegal to immerse herself in the French language and culture of the region with the support of a Boren Fellowship.

As part of our regular “We Are!” feature, we recognize 20 Penn Staters who have gone above and beyond what’s asked of them in their work at the University.

Sabine Klahr, vice provost for Global at Penn State, has announced her transition to a phased retirement from the University, beginning July 1. During her phased retirement, Klahr will serve as special adviser in the Office of the Provost, supporting the advancement of key international initiatives and supporting the transition of leadership in Penn State Global.

Due to ongoing construction projects in Boucke Building on the University Park campus, Penn State Global staff normally assigned to the Boucke Building will be relocating for the summer. This will impact students, faculty and staff who are planning in-person interactions with the office throughout the summer. The relocation will last from May 11 through Aug. 14.

Penn State Altoona held its annual Student Awards Ceremony on Monday, April 27, in the Wolf Kuhn Theatre of the Misciagna Family Center for Performing Arts. The event concluded with the presentation of the Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker Award to senior psychology student Layna Henry.

Penn State University and Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea continue to strengthen their long‑standing strategic partnership through an impactful staff exchange program that emphasizes professional development, global engagement, the sharing of best practices in international education and championing institutional partnerships.

Penn State Global is announcing that the Global Safety Network, or GSN, will transition to a new platform by the fall 2026 semester. The upgrade is intended to streamline the travel documentation process for Penn State-affiliated travelers while also improving the efficiency of internal review and processing.

Recent News

Mont Alto marketing student's Maymester in Japan: 'An opportunity I couldn't pass up'

International exchange on emerging technology, ethical AI held at Penn State

Pritt named interim vice provost for Penn State Global

Webinars available for navigating new Global Safety Network system

Over 40,000 answers later, Extension tool Tilva’s impact is growing, evolving

Honey from continental US may be as pesticide-free as imported organic honey

Faculty-led program in Todi, Italy, celebrates 40th anniversary

Students gain global perspective on reproductive justice in South Africa

Penn State students explore democracy, culture and community in Ireland

Penn State turfgrass science doctoral student interns with MetLife Stadium crew

Quest for research answers takes undergraduate student to Japan

Students learn about origins of organized crime during three-week course in Italy

College of Ag Sciences and Lithuania advance agriculture through partnership