Whether it is in a recital hall, operating room, or on a football field, the difference between “good” and “great” often comes down to fine motor control. Even for more mundane activities, the brain must orchestrate complicated combinations of nerve signals to accomplish any given task.

Even the mildest form of a traumatic brain injury, better known as a concussion, can deal permanent, irreparable damage. Now, an interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania is using mathematical modeling to better understand the mechanisms at play in this kind of injury, with an eye toward protecting the brain from its long-term consequences.

Whether it is playing a piano sonata or acing a tennis serve, the brain needs to orchestrate precise, coordinated control over the body’s many muscles. Moreover, there needs to be some kind of feedback from the senses should any of those movements go wrong.

Adult stem cells and cancer cells have many things in common, including an ability to migrate through tiny gaps in tissue. Both types of cells also experience a trade-off when it comes to this ability; having a flexible nucleus makes migration easier but is worse at protecting the nucleus’ DNA compared to a stiffer nucleus.

Three University of Pennsylvania faculty members are among this year’s Sloan Fellowship recipients. Since 1955, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has granted yearly fellowships to early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them the next generation of scientific leaders.

It’s only February, but two Penn professors are already having a career year.

On Feb. 1, around 400 middle school students assembled on Penn’s campus to test their mettle as part of an international robotics tournament. Organized through FIRST LEGO League (FLL), the competition is aimed at getting students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math.

When deciding what materials to use in building something, determining how those materials respond to stress and strain is often the first task. A material’s macroscopic, or bulk, properties in this area — whether it can spring back into shape, for example — is generally the product of what is happening on a microscopic scale.

By Marjorie FerroneFor eight weeks last summer, University of Pennsylvania junior Doug Roman had the opportunity to share his sustainability philosophy at schools in Buenos Aires.

Starting in late April, Penn will once again take part in the Philadelphia Science Festival, a celebration of the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering, and math. The popular program is entering its fourth year and continues to expand.