Lena Blackburne’s legendary baseball rubbing mud has been a game-day staple for nearly a century, helping Major League pitchers achieve a better grip. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have scientifically confirmed its friction-enhancing properties, revealing its significance not just in baseball, but also in the broader field of materials science.
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Baseball’s ‘magic mud’
Douglas Jerolmack and Paulo Arratia led research that could someday crack the code of the mud smeared on baseballs for nearly a century that pitchers profess provides a perfect grip.
This year’s Women in STEM Symposium featured (left to right) Allyson Mackey of the School of Arts & Sciences, Melissa Kelly of Penn Center for Innovation, Ping Wang of the Perelman School of Medicine, and Vanessa Chan of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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Modeling careers in STEM
At Penn’s annual Women in STEM Symposium, Vanessa Chan, Allyson Mackey, Ping Wang, and Melissa Kelly shared lessons from their experiences.
Helen Jin, a doctoral student at Penn Engineering, is project lead for the Brachio Lab’s AI cyberbullying capability case study.
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Evaluating large language models for cyberbullying behavior
In the Brachio Lab, doctoral students at Penn Engineering probe AI models for signs of cyberbullying capabilities. This emerging problem with the rise of AI may pose challenges in areas like business, education, and public health.
For more than a decade, Penn students have been building and competing with unmanned aerial vehicles. They unveil their latest creations, an autonomous drone-like tilt-rotor aircraft and a model plane, before they head to an international competition in Los Angeles this spring.
Integrating a sociology education and love of portrait photography
Fourth-year Théa Kerekes developed a passion for photography long before she decided to study sociology, but the major has shaped how she sees the world.
Bringing together passions for nursing, community, and policy
Growing up in rural Alaska shaped Charlotte Brown’s interest in health care access, while being a Perry World House Student Fellow and Benjamin Franklin Scholar expanded her horizons.
Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Lance Freeman, of the Weitzman School of Design and the School of Arts & Sciences, studies how people interact with the built environment.
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Changing neighborhoods, changing times
Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Lance Freeman of the Weitzman School of Design and School of Arts & Sciences studies how people interact with the built environment.
Eileen Feng, a graduate student in Integrated Product Design.
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Combining AI and artmaking for youth well-being
Through a community-led partnership project, graduate student Eileen Feng and an interdisciplinary, cross-school team are working with local youth to tailor an AI-supported platform for healing through creative arts.
At a recent Project HERO workshop at one of SHOP’s partner sites, Aravind Krishan, center, gave a brief presentation on heart health and Taylor Brothers, left, gave a CPR demo.
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Expanding on a legacy of heart health education
Fourth-year Aravind Krishnan, the inaugural Sarah Katz Award recipient, is working to help shelter residents in Philadelphia better monitor their health.
