Training the next generation of scientists on soft materials, machine learning and science policy

The National Science Foundation’s Research Traineeship Program’s latest series of grants are going toward programs focused on artificial intelligence and quantum information science and engineering. Chinedum Osuji has received one of these grants to apply data science and machine learning to the field of soft materials, alongside co-PIs Russell Composto, Zahra Fakhraai, Paris Perdikaris, and Andrea Liu.

CNET

Social media may be affecting your mental health. Here’s how to tell

A quoted study by Melissa Hunt of the School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues suggests that limiting social media use to 30 minutes a day can improve well-being.

USA Today

Livestreamed violence compounds America’s horror and inspires copycats, experts say. When will it stop?

PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that the digital trail of evidence left by violent criminals needs study, resources, and intervention to avoid exacerbating community trauma and damaging mental health, especially for people of color.

Karen L. Brooks for Penn Medicine Magazine

The New York Times

Want to regain parents’ trust, public health institutions? Be humble

David Rubin of the Perelman School of Medicine says that there’s no data on what two years of masking children in an early learning environment might do to their socio-emotional development.

Live Science

What happens in your brain while you sleep?

David Raizen of the Perelman School of Medicine speaks on the evolutionary importance of sleep, the consequences of sleep deprivation, and the unanswered questions of the sleep process.

Pennsylvania Capital Star

Philly DA Krasner not alone among progressive prosecutors fighting GOP attacks

John Holloway of Penn Carey Law’s Quattrone Center says that blaming prosecutor Larry Krasner for Philadelphia’s high trends in gun crime is too simplistic.

Philadelphia Business Journal

Philadelphia cell and gene therapy leaders reveal the local industry’s biggest challenges right now

David L. Porter of Penn Medicine spoke on a panel about how private-sector support might help academic institutions like Penn retain scientists.

Philadelphia Inquirer

Vaping habits differ by race and sexual orientation among teens, study finds

A study by Andy Tan of the Annenberg School for Communication and colleagues finds that vaping habits vary among teens based on race, sexual orientation, and the intersection of those two identities.

The New York Times

Can you get hooked on melatonin?

Philip Gehrman of the Perelman School of Medicine says that people can become psychologically dependent on anything and notes that very few medications undergo studies on their long-term effects.