Penn State ranks among the top ten American universities in research expenditures . University researchers collaborate with industrial, educational, and agricultural partners at home and abroad to disseminate and apply knowledge. The university is recognized internationally for its strengths in such diverse areas as high energy astrophysics , chemical engineering , materials science , national security , meteorology , business logistics , and agriculture . Penn State research delves into virtually every facet of the human condition. Research teams of faculty and students, both undergraduate and graduate , contribute to the rich intellectual environment of Penn State.
Interdisciplinary research grows more important all the time.
Penn State is proud to feature many interdisciplinary consortia and centers including the Applied Research Laboratory , the Environmental Resources Research Institute , the Gerontology Center , the Life Sciences Consortium , the Materials Research Laboratory , and the Children, Youth and Families Consortium . A gene for a protein that fuels lung-cancer growth is more active in women than in men, according to a recent report by a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh . The team also discovered that nicotine found in cigarettes induces gene activity. The report offers the first biological explanation for the greatly increased risk women face versus men in developing lung cancer . If substantiated in future studies, this research could provide a valuable marker for predicting which women are most likely to develop the disease or dangerous pre-cancerous changes.