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Raindrop-formed ‘sandballs’ that erode hillsides tenfold
High-speed images of raindrops rolling on a sandy slope, forming peanut-shaped sandballs (top) and donut-shaped sandballs with hollow centers (bottom).

High-speed laboratory images capture two distinct “sandball” shapes formed when raindrops strike dry, sloped sand and roll downhill. (Top) Peanut-shaped sandballs, where grains coat the surface of a liquid core. (Bottom) Donut-shaped sandballs, which densify into rigid, wheel-like structures with a hollow center, enabling far more efficient sediment transport than splash erosion alone.

(Image: Daisuke Noto)

Raindrop-formed ‘sandballs’ that erode hillsides tenfold

Penn geophysicists and colleagues have uncovered Earth-sculpting processes that result from the formation of snowball-like aggregates they call “sandballs.” Their findings provide fundamental insights into erosion and will broaden scientific understandings of landscape change, soil loss, and agriculture.

3 min. read

An innovative AI tool to improve health care delivery in rural India
Fourth-year student Prithvi Parthasarathy standing with arms crossed in the Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building

Fourth-year neuroscience major Prithvi Parthasarathy is dedicated to innovating health care delivery.

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An innovative AI tool to improve health care delivery in rural India

Prithvi Parthasarathy, a fourth-year neuroscience major, designed an AI triage tool to improve hospital efficiency and patient care.

3 min. read

Powering AI from space, at scale

Powering AI from space, at scale

A new design for solar-powered data centers reduces weight, power consumption, and overall complexity, making large-scale deployment more feasible.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Awards and accolades for Penn faculty
An archway on Penn’s campus in the snow.

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Awards and accolades for Penn faculty

A roundup of the latest appointments and awards for various faculty members in the Graduate School of Education, the School of Arts & Sciences, and the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

Penn Today Staff

2 min. read

Physics of foam strangely resembles AI training
Six separate piles of foam.

Image: Dowprasook Deenu via Getty Images

Physics of foam strangely resembles AI training

Research by Penn Engineers reveals that as foams flow ceaselessly inside while holding their external shape, and this internal motion resembles the process of deep learning, the method typically used to train modern AI systems.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Awards and accolades for Penn faculty
Ben Franklin statue in front of Penn’s College Hall.

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Awards and accolades for Penn faculty

A roundup of the latest appointments and awards for various faculty members in Penn Engineering, Penn Nursing, and Penn Dental Medicine.

2 min. read

Why are icy surfaces slippery?
An icy bench in a city.

Despite the commonality of water and ice, says Penn physicist Robert Carpick, their physical properties are remarkably unique.

(Image: mustafahacalaki via Getty Images)

Why are icy surfaces slippery?

Winter Storm Fern brought icy and snowy conditions to the Northeast and other parts of the country over the weekend. Penn Today asks physicist Robert Carpick about the unique properties of ice, the science of curling, and how close we are to ‘nonslip’ ice. 

5 min. read

Penn Engineering’s Chris Callison-Burch on 25 years of AI innovation
Chris Callison-Burch teaching in a classroom.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering

Penn Engineering’s Chris Callison-Burch on 25 years of AI innovation

Penn Engineering faculty Chris Callison-Burch, a leading researcher in the artificial intelligence field, reflects on decades of technological innovations that have informed the present and future of AI.

2 min. read