News from

News Archive

Every story published by Penn Today—all in one place.
Reset All Filters
7462 Results
Designing cleaner, greener concrete that absorbs carbon dioxide
Masoud Akbarzadeh holding up one of the fabricated materials.

The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.

nocred

Designing cleaner, greener concrete that absorbs carbon dioxide

Penn engineers, materials scientists, and designers have developed a 3D-printed concrete solution based on diatomaceous earth that has enhanced carbon capture, is stronger, and uses fewer materials like cement.

6 min. read

Library research in action: Wandering the stacks with Mengliu Cheng
Mengliu Cheng.

History doctoral student Mengliu Cheng.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Libraries)

Library research in action: Wandering the stacks with Mengliu Cheng

The history doctoral student is working on a dissertation about agricultural science in modern China with the help of Penn Libraries’ Zilberman Family Center for Global Collections.

From Penn Libraries

2 min. read

New teacher-staffing model rethinks ‘one-teacher, one-classroom’
Two teachers having a discussion in a classroom.

Image: SolStock via Getty Images

New teacher-staffing model rethinks ‘one-teacher, one-classroom’

A new study by Penn GSE’s Richard Ingersoll evaluates a team-based model of organizing teaching staff in elementary and secondary schools that integrates teams of teaching staff in contrast to this traditional one-teacher, one-classroom approach.

From Penn GSE

2 min. read

$2.6M NIH grant backs search for genetic cure in deadly heart disease

$2.6M NIH grant backs search for genetic cure in deadly heart disease

Sherry Gao, Presidential Penn Compact Associate Professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering and in bioengineering at Penn Engineering is the co-recipient of a $2.6 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to develop new gene editing tools that could address one of the underlying mutations that causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic disease that thickens the heart’s walls, making it harder for the organ to pump blood.

Wensi Wu uses digital twins to explore the hidden mechanics of the human heart
computational mapping of a human heart.

Image: Floriana via Getty Images

Wensi Wu uses digital twins to explore the hidden mechanics of the human heart

Wu, a research faculty member at Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, develops “digital twins” of the human heart through computational modeling that capture both the visible and invisible aspects of cardiac function.

Melissa Pappas

2 min. read

New Penn Vet study uncovers a key guardian of gut health and metabolism
Oriol Sunyer pointing to rainbow trout, the fish species used for the reported study.

Oriol Sunyer points out rainbow trout, the fish species used for the reported study.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Vet)

New Penn Vet study uncovers a key guardian of gut health and metabolism

Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine unveil the critical role of secretory immunoglobulin M (sIgM) in maintaining microbiota balance, regulating metabolism, and protecting against disease.

Martin Hackett

2 min. read

Annenberg School launches Master of Communication and Media Industries program
Annenberg School for Communication exterior and the silhouette of a student.

Image: Eric Sucar

Annenberg School launches Master of Communication and Media Industries program

For the first time in 25 years, Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication will offer a master’s program. The new Master of Communication and Media Industries (MCMI) is a reimagining of the Annenberg School’s inaugural academic program in 1954; its curriculum will be defined by its exploration of rapid technological change, global interconnectivity, and evolving professional demands.

From Annenberg School for Communication

1 min. read

Can data from the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?
Close-up of ATLAS detector at CERN.

ATLAS’s wheel-like end-cap reveals the maze of sensors primed to catch proton smash-ups at the LHC. Researchers comb through billions of events in search of fleeting “ghost” tracks that might expose cracks in string theory.

(Image: Courtesy of CERN)

Can data from the Large Hadron Collider snap string theory?

Theoretical physicist Jonathan Heckman of the School of Arts & Sciences has put a spin on ideas related to testing string theory: Rather than looking to verify it, he and his collaborators sought a novel way to falsify it. Heckman and Ph.D. candidate Rebecca Hicks explain string theory, researchers’ quest to unify physics, and what their new paper puts forward.

10 min. read