Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Libraries, will host “Freedom in the Equation,” an exhibit from the Science at Risk project, on view throughout the fall 2026 semester and located in Central Pattee Library’s Leisure Reading Room, at University Park. The exhibit is free and open to the public during the library’s hours of operation.
In conjunction with the exhibit, a talk titled “The Impact of Russia’s War on Ukrainian Agriculture and Education” will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at noon in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library. Speakers Vlad Konovalchuk and Lina Dotsenko will examine how the war has affected Ukraine’s agricultural sector and educational institutions.
The exhibit first debuted at the Harvard Science Center in 2025 and examines the impacts and costs of conflict and war on science and progress through the lens of Ukraine. It features 10 portraits of Ukrainian scientists, created by Niklas Elmehed, the official portrait artist of the Nobel Prize, alongside accompanying text detailing each scientist’s story. The featured scientists, whose careers spanned fields including cytogenetics, neurophysiology, mathematics, physics and geology, were repressed, imprisoned or killed either during the Soviet era or as a result of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, cutting short work that in many cases had global significance.
At Penn State, the exhibit’s portraits and text are supplemented with related materials drawn from the University Libraries’ own collections and resources, offering visitors additional context on the relationship between scientific freedom, education and conflict.
Additional support for “Freedom in the Equation” was provided by the Woskob New Century Fund in the College of Agricultural Sciences” and hosted in collaboration with Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences and the College of the Liberal Arts.
About the Presenters. Vlad Konovalchuk earned master’s and doctoral degrees in agricultural, environmental and regional economics from Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Dotsenko, who has a doctorate in economics, came to Penn State through a U.S. Department of Agriculture faculty exchange program. She has expertise in agricultural extension education and consulting.
After returning to Ukraine, the pair founded BRIDGES, which now serves as Penn State’s primary partner in the country. The organization connects Penn State researchers and educators with Ukrainian universities, producer groups and agricultural professionals, helping to tailor training and outreach efforts to local needs.
For more information about the Freedom in the Equation exhibit or supplemental Sept. 22 talk, including questions about accommodations, please contact Mark Mattson, International Partnerships librarian and head of Global Engagement Initiatives for Penn State University Libraries at mam1196@psu.edu or 814-863-2480.
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