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  • Physics of disaster: How mudslides move

    Researchers led by Penn’s Douglas Jerolmack and Paulo Arratia used samples from the deadly 2018 Montecito mudslides to understand the complex forces at work in these disasters.
    house surrounded by boulders carried by a mudslide
    During the 2018 Montecito mudslides, powerful flows of debris pushed boulders out of creek-carved canyons toward homes, causing destruction and 23 deaths. New findings from a Penn-led team leveraged recent developments in physics to understand the forces that govern the mudslides. (Image: Douglas Jeromack)

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  • A world shaped by water and access
    Three people test water below a sand dam.

    Griffin Pitt, right, works with two other student researchers to test the conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, and temperature of water below a sand dam in Kenya.

    (Image: Courtesy of Griffin Pitt)

    A world shaped by water and access

    Griffin Pitt’s upbringing made her passionate about water access and pollution, and Penn has given her the opportunity to explore these issues back home in North Carolina and abroad.

    Oct 8, 2025