Surgeons at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and a biomedical engineer teamed up to devise a new way to "fix," or stabilize, broken ribs. By reducing trauma and pain, the procedure could benefit the 100,000 patients per year in the U.S. who suffer multiple broken ribs.
The new procedure employs a thoracoscope, which gives surgeons a high-definition view of the inner surface of the ribcage; and a titanium plate attached to the broken rib by post-and-sleeve bolts. The hardware is positioned and secured through a system of fine cables. The entire operation requires just a few short incisions.
A big "Thank you!" to everyone who submitted entries for the Penn State Today pet photo contest. This spring's contest was the most popular to date, with more than 200 submissions. It was a difficult task to whittle down so many wonderful photos to a Top 10 list, but here are the winning entries:
— Geddy, hamster, submitted by Colleen Ganzelli, former student at Penn State Altoona
— Henry and Penny, French bulldogs, submitted by Justin Ingala, 2006 alumnus
The Chesapeake Bay watershed includes almost two-thirds of Pennsylvania. Mainly via the Susquehanna River, the state supplies fully half of the Bay’s freshwater flow and the largest share of its agricultural pollution.
Addressing water quality problems in the Bay requires cleaning up the waterways that feed into it. To that end, Penn State's Agriculture and Environment Center integrates research and extension, and puts a huge emphasis on building community partnerships.
As Penn State’s 2018-19 academic year begins at all 24 locations, scattered across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the University's campuses continue to grow and change, and this year is no different.