Penn Engineering will host the second annual AI Month from April 1 to May 1.
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AI Month at Penn
The School of Engineering and Applied Science is hosting 2025 AI Month at Penn, a monthlong series of events throughout April dedicated to the theme “AI and Human Well-Being.”
The Penn 2025 Goldwater Scholars are third-year students (left to right, top to bottom) Tristen Brisky, Caitlyn Chen, Kason Kunkelmann, Nayoon Justina Lee, and Colby Snyder.
(Images: Courtesy of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships)
Five Penn third-year students are 2025 Goldwater Scholars
Five Penn third-year students have received 2025 Goldwater Scholarships, awarded to those planning research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.
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.
(Clockwise from bottom left) M. Susan Lindee, Marlyse Baptista, Jinbo Chen, George Cotsarelis, and Christopher B. Murray were elected 2024 AAAS Fellows.
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Five from Penn elected 2024 AAAS Fellows
Professors from the School of Arts & Sciences, Perelman School of Medicine, and School of Engineering and Applied Science are among 471 scientists, engineers, and innovators being recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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.
Nearly a year after being awarded the 2024 President’s Engagement Prize and President’s Innovation Prize, the recipients—now alumni—provide updates on their projects.
Penn fourth-year Jaskeerat Gujral named 2025-2026 ThinkSwiss Research Scholar
Gujral, a fourth-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences studying neuroscience with a minor in chemistry, and sub-matriculating in the bioengineering master's program in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has been selected for a ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, a program that aims to promote research opportunities in Switzerland to foster exchange between Swiss, U.S., and Canadian universities and research institutions.
Kayla Gay, who teaches middle school in Northwest Philadelphia, spent the summer learning about lab techniques that she can bring back to her classroom.
(Image: Courtesy of Kayla Gay)
From lab to classroom: The Center for Engineering MechanoBiology
Penn’s Center for Engineering Mechanobiology is a summer program for K-12 teachers in Philadelphia to work with scientists and engineers to develop innovative, hands-on lessons to engage students in STEM-integrated education.
