In conjunction with the first White House Maker Faire being held today, the University of Pennsylvania signed a joint letter along with more than 150 other institutions, pledging support to foster a “generation of makers.” The letter details the need for young tinkerers, inventors and entrepreneurs to bring life to future innovations.

Draw a line with a pencil and it’s likely that somewhere along that black smudge is a material that earned two scientists the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. The graphite of that pencil tip is simply multiple layers of carbon atoms; where those layers are only one atom thick, it is known as graphene.

One of the defining features of cells is their membranes. Each cell’s repository of DNA and protein-making machinery must be kept stable and secure from invaders and toxins. Scientists have attempted to replicate these properties, but, despite decades of research, even the most basic membrane structures, known as vesicles, still face many problems when made in the lab.

Scientific research is one of the main drivers of technological innovation. Whether it is a drug for treating cancer or a new material for building solar panels, every new invention owes its existence to fundamental discoveries about the workings of the world.

Many epilepsy patients respond to medication for preventing the onset of seizures, but for individuals whose seizures remain uncontrolled, everyday activities, like driving a car, can become suddenly dangerous.

The beauty of the universe is perhaps nowhere quite as readily apparent as in the rarefied air of Chile’s Atacama Desert. More than three miles above sea level, it’s closer to the edge of space than almost anywhere else on the planet.

President Amy Gutmann today announced the launch of the Penn Center for Innovation, a new initiative that will provide the infrastructure, leadership and resources needed to transfer promising Penn inventions, know-how and related assets into the marketplace for the public good.   

The brain’s so-called “reward” system plays a large role in human behavior. Certain activities can trigger the release of dopamine, one of the chemical messengers involved in this system, which produces positive, reinforcing feedback within the brain.

The Y-Prize—an invention and business plan competition sponsored by the Wharton School’s Mack Institute for Innovation Management and the School of Engineering and Applied Science—culminated with a win for a robot desi

Two University of Pennsylvania professors have been awarded Humboldt Research Awards to fund year-long collaborations with colleagues in Germany.