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Getting into the nitty gritty of sand  
Created materials in the lab.

Penn Engineering materials scientist Shu Yang and Weitzman School of Design architect Masoud Akbarzadeh teamed up to develop a 3D concrete printing system that captures carbon dioxide and boosts the structural performance of the building materials. The solution is based on diatomaceous earth and offers enhanced carbon capture and structural fortitude while using relatively fewer materials.

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Getting into the nitty gritty of sand  

Materials scientist Shu Yang explains the hidden physics of a day at the beach, like why some sands scorch your feet, what makes the perfect sandcastle, and how the same humble grains end up in windows and smartphones.
Summer storms
Summer storms

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Summer storms

A roundup of stories from Penn Today on water quality, AI and sustainability, clean fuel production, and managing stormwater runoff.

Penn Today Staff

2 min. read

Buildings that cool like African elephants
A tabletop display of off-white tiles in the foreground. Dorit Aviv and Shu Yang are standing behind it.

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Buildings that cool like African elephants

Inspired by the cracked, water-trapping skin of elephants, Penn researchers have developed a low-cost cement tile that cools buildings by capturing and slowly evaporating water—turning a structural flaw into a climate solution.

3 min. read

NATO explores the future of robotics at Penn’s GRASP Lab

NATO explores the future of robotics at Penn’s GRASP Lab

A NATO Allied Command Transformation delegation visited the Penn’s GRASP Lab in June to learn how researchers are advancing robotics and autonomous systems with applications spanning disaster response, infrastructure, and national security.

Soaking up the sun
Soaking up the sun

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Soaking up the sun

A roundup of stories from Penn Today on solar innovation and protection.

Penn Today Staff

2 min. read

Virtual patients, real-world training

Virtual patients, real-world training

Researchers from Penn’s Linguistic Data Consortium have received a two-year, $4 million grant to collaborate on STELLAR (Steering-Vector Enhanced LLM Agents for Realistic Digital Twins in Mental Health), an AI-driven simulation of virtual patients that allows trainees to practice clinical interviews.

The impact of microplastics—and how to limit exposure
Derek Ho in the lab pointing to a beaker of water in front of two lab techs.

To better visualize microplastics, researchers in the McBride Lab at Penn Engineering use fluorescent dyes like Nile Red, which attach to plastics and make them glow under specific light. Environmental researcher Derek Ho developed a system used in their lab called the Fluorescent Imaging Microplastic Analysis Platform, or FIMAP. It uses machine learning to detect and identify plastic particles larger than about 20 microns in complex water samples.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

The impact of microplastics—and how to limit exposure

Microplastics researchers Samantha McBride and Derek Ho of Penn Engineering and Vijay Bhatia of the Philadelphia Water Department discuss how microplastics get into ecosystems and human bodies, offering practical ways to minimize exposure.

3 min. read

Speed and precision for medical imaging
Rohit Jena in front of computer monitors.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

Speed and precision for medical imaging

A new open-source algorithm dubbed “FireANTS” can be applied not just in medical research, but clinical practice as well.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Unearthing new cancer treatments from fungi
Chunxiao Sun holding a fungal sample on a petri dish.

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Unearthing new cancer treatments from fungi

Penn Engineers led by Xue “Sherry” Gao have developed a gene-editing tool built specifically for fungi, unlocking a hidden library of molecules—including some with early anti-cancer promise—from one of biology’s most overlooked kingdoms.

3 min. read