AI Month at Penn nocred AI Month at Penn A monthlong series of talks, workshops, symposia, and more highlights how recent advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping robotics, health, education, and public life, all the while keeping human values at the center. 2 min. read
How a postwar research push changed Penn Researchers look through a microscope in a lab at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania around 1940.(Image: Courtesy of University Archives) News How a postwar research push changed Penn In the second of a limited series, “Chapters of Change” showcases another transformational moment in Penn’s past shaped by changes in society—World War II—during which the U.S.’s drive for knowledge sparked massive investments in research.
A stiff defense: Rethinking gum disease A section of healthy human gum tissue captured using an imaging technique called Second Harmonic Generation microscopy. In this sample, collagen fibers (shown in yellow), which give healthy gums their firm, resilient stiffness, are dense and well-organized—acting as a supportive scaffold for the surrounding cells (shown in teal).(Image: Hardik Makkar) A stiff defense: Rethinking gum disease Penn Dental Medicine’s Kyle H. Vining and Hardik Makkar take a biomaterials approach to understanding periodontal disease, using a hydrogel system to investigate how the physical properties of the gum tissue impact inflammation. 3 min. read
2025 PEP, PIP, and PSP winners: Where are they now? nocred 2025 PEP, PIP, and PSP winners: Where are they now? Nearly a year after being awarded the 2025 President’s Engagement Prize, President’s Innovation Prize, and President’s Sustainability Prize, the recipients—now alumni—provide updates on their projects. 3 min. read
2025 President’s Innovation Prize recipient: Sync Labs nocred 2025 President’s Innovation Prize recipient: Sync Labs 2025 President’s Innovation Prize recipients Melanie Herbert and Alexandra Popescu are leveraging AI and privacy-focused computing to address the crisis of an aging population and overburdened health care staff. 2 min. read
When bone behaves like a sponge To visualize the nanoscale structures, the Tertuliano lab often uses large-scale models like the one pictured.(Image: Sylvia Zhang) When bone behaves like a sponge Penn Engineers in the Tertuliano Lab have developed a nanoengineered 3D-printed scaffold for observing how cells feel force. 2 min. read
Penn fourth-year Yash Rajpal named 2026-27 Luce Scholar nocred Penn fourth-year Yash Rajpal named 2026-27 Luce Scholar Yash Rajpal, a University of Pennsylvania fourth-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering & Applied Science, is one of 16 recipients selected by the Henry Luce Foundation to be a 2026-27 Luce Scholar. 1 min. read
2025 President’s Sustainability Prize recipient: Nirby nocred 2025 President’s Sustainability Prize recipient: Nirby Launched by 2025 President’s Sustainability Prize recipient Piotr Lazarek, Nirby uses autonomous drones and satellite data to help farmers reduce their fertilizer use—which reduces farms’ carbon footprints and increases profits. 2 min. read
Robots that can see around corners using radio signals and AI (From left) Penn Engineering’s Zitong Lan, Haowen Lai and Mingmin Zhao.(Image: Sylvia Zhang) Robots that can see around corners using radio signals and AI Doctoral students at Penn Engineering have built a new system, powered by AI and radio signals, that allows robots to view around corners, with implications for vehicle safety and industrial efficiency. 2 min. read
Engineers sharpen gene-editing tools to target cystic fibrosis Beyond cystic fibrosis, the refined base editor could help researchers tackle a wide range of genetic diseases caused by single-letter DNA changes.(Image: Bella Ciervo) Engineers sharpen gene-editing tools to target cystic fibrosis Researchers at Penn Engineering have developed a modified base-pair editor that offers improved accuracy and could help treat diseases like cystic fibrosis. 2 min. read