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  • Robots to the rescue

    Penn researchers created a fleet of robots to navigate unknown underground environments as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Subterranean Challenge.
    a legged robot walks down a mine past a dummy wearing a yellow vest and a red backpack that is hanging from a metal fence nearby
    A legged “dog” robot, made by Penn spinoff Ghost Robotics, navigates through the Number 9 mine in Lansford, PA. The robots were designed to detect artifacts, like backpacks and dummy personnel, to mimic a real-life search-and-rescue mission underground.  

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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