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Erica Brockmeier

Articles from Erica K. Brockmeier
Atomically-thin, twisted graphene has unique properties
a film of hexagons twisted into a spiral

New collaborative research describes how electrons move through two different configurations of bilayer graphene, the atomically-thin form of carbon. These results provide insights that researchers could use to design more powerful and secure quantum computing platforms in the future.

Atomically-thin, twisted graphene has unique properties

Researchers describe how electrons move through two-dimensional layered graphene, findings that could lead to advances in the design of future quantum computing platforms.

Erica K. Brockmeier

How schools of ‘microswimmers’ can increase their cargo capacity
a school of fish in a circle

Inspired by observations made at the Georgia Aquarium, a new study by Penn’s Arnold Mathijssen and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute found that when a school of microscopic, self-propelled droplets known as “microswimmers” moves in the same direction inside a narrow channel, they can increase the cargo capacity—the number of particles they can carry—by tenfold.

How schools of ‘microswimmers’ can increase their cargo capacity

Penn researchers describe how groups of microscopic, self-propelled droplets can transport more material through narrow channels using a process called collective hydrodynamic entrainment.

Erica K. Brockmeier

A visual archive of an iconic American boulevard
a 1960s car parked in front of the motel sunset in los angeles

Artist Edward Ruscha amassed a huge collection of photographs of Sunset Boulevard during the late 20th century. Now, Penn’s Francesca Ammon is leading a digital humanities project called “Sunset over Sunset,” which will use these images to understand the impacts of small-scale changes on the urban environment. (Image: From Sunset Blvd. shoot, Ed Ruscha, 1966. Streets of Los Angeles Archive. The Getty Research Institute, 2012.M.1. © Ed Ruscha)

A visual archive of an iconic American boulevard

A trio of undergraduate students worked this summer with Professor Francesca Ammon to catalog and organize photographs for the digital humanities project ‘Sunset over Sunset.’

Erica K. Brockmeier

A how-to guide for Gateway testing
three people wearing personal protective equipment directing another person inside of a large plastic tent

As students return to campus this fall, Penn Cares will be conducting Gateway testing at the high-rise tent at Du Bois (pictured during December 2020) for all enrolled undergraduate and graduate students.

A how-to guide for Gateway testing

Penn Today provides details on the Penn Cares testing program and how undergraduate and graduate students can fulfill their Gateway testing requirements.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Urban renewal, community activism, and green spaces in Historic Germantown
Leo Wagner on a city street

In addition to his interests in urban planning, Wagner, pictured in Prague in summer 2019, is also minoring in Spanish, French, and Latin American/Latino Studies

Urban renewal, community activism, and green spaces in Historic Germantown

As part of a Summer Humanities Internship, rising junior Leo Wagner conducted research on community responses to infrastructure projects in the mid-20th century and how the member sites are currently using their green spaces.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Identifying an elusive molecule key to combustion chemistry
a close-up of a blue flame of methane on a natural gas burner

Researchers at Penn and Argonne National Laboratory have made the most direct observation of a key intermediate, a carbon-centered radical, formed during the breakdown of hydrocarbons during combustion and in the atmosphere. This benchmark study could help researchers design fuels that burn more efficiently in the future.

Identifying an elusive molecule key to combustion chemistry

Researchers made the most direct observation of a key intermediate formed during the breakdown of hydrocarbons during combustion and in the atmosphere, results that could help in the future design of fuels that burn more efficiently.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Through the thin-film glass, researchers spot a new liquid phase
individual panes of glass in different colors stacked on top of each other

Research from the lab of Zahra Fakhraai describes a new liquid phase in thin films of a glass-forming molecule. These results demonstrate how these glasses and other similar materials can be fabricated to be denser and more stable, providing a framework for developing new applications and devices through better design.

Through the thin-film glass, researchers spot a new liquid phase

A new study on thin films of glass shows how they can be fabricated to be denser and more stable, providing a framework for new applications and devices through better design.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Decoding how the brain accurately depicts ever-changing visual landscapes
people walking across an intersection

A collaborative study that employs a combination of sophisticated algorithms and models developed by post-doctoral researcher Eugenio Piasini and professor Vijay Balasubramanian details the time scales of visual information processing across different regions of the brain. The researchers found that deeper regions of the brain encode visual information more slowly, providing a mechanism for identifying fast-moving objects and images more accurately and persistently.

Decoding how the brain accurately depicts ever-changing visual landscapes

A collaborative study finds that deeper regions of the brain encode visual information more slowly, enabling the brain to identify fast-moving objects and images more accurately and persistently.

Erica K. Brockmeier

On the hunt for new exoplanets
the NEID spectrometer inside of a telescope dome

The NEID fiber feed mounted on the WIYN telescope obtained during commissioning of the instrument. This state-of-the-art spectrometer has officially started its scientific mission of discovering new exoplanets. (Image: NSF’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory/KPNO/NSF/AURA)

On the hunt for new exoplanets

A state-of-the-art instrument called NEID, from the Tohono O’odham word meaning “to see,” has officially started its scientific mission: discovering new planets outside of the solar system.

Erica K. Brockmeier

A new metric for designing safer streets
megan ryerson cycling down a city bike lane

Using eye tracking data from cyclists navigating through Center City, researchers from the lab of Megan Ryerson (above) describe how biometric data can be used to find potentially challenging and dangerous areas of urban infrastructure. (Image: Thomas Orgren)

A new metric for designing safer streets

Penn researchers demonstrate how biometric data can help city planners more proactively design and evaluate the safety of urban infrastructure for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Erica K. Brockmeier

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