12.8
School of Engineering & Applied Science
Schwarzman Scholarships announced
Two seniors and one graduate student will receive one year of graduate study in global affairs at China’s Tsinghua University.
Treating spinal pain with ‘engineered living tissue’ moves closer to reality
A multidisciplinary team at Penn successfully demonstrated the feasibility of an innovative new disc replacement made of living material.
New fellowship offers undergrads unfiltered, frank access to city leaders
Through the program, offered by the Penn Institute for Urban Research, 14 students will meet with a former Philadelphia mayor, Philly’s current director of planning and development, and more.
Six Penn researchers receive honors from American Physical Society
Three Penn researchers have been awarded prizes by the American Physical Society (APS), and three others were elected to its 2018 APS Fellowship class.
Johnson & Johnson lands at Penn
JPOD @ Philadelphia officially launched at Pennovation Works on Nov. 1, expanding the region’s ever-evolving innovation ecosystem.
Designing autonomous robots that change shape to adapt to challenging environments
Researchers at Penn’s ModLab have developed SMORES-EP, a robotic system capable of giving machines increasing autonomy. A recent paper details their work.
Wharton School receives $25 million gift from Nicolai Tangen and AKO Foundation
The gift, from the Wharton alumnus of the Class of '92, will establish a new Tangen Hall and an international student scholarship fund.
Educational leaders examine the ‘University of the Future’
“Beyond the Walls: The University of the Future” brought scholars, administrators, and technology experts together to discuss the future of higher education and the disruption of the traditional “brick and mortar” college campus.
Seven Penn researchers receive NIH Director Awards
Seven researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, and School of Engineering and Applied Science are to receive National Institutes of Health Director Awards, highly competitive grants to support innovative biomedical research.
Teachers become students to become better teachers at GRASP Lab’s RET program
The Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program run by the GRASP Lab in the School of Engineering and Applied Science is part of a larger National Science Foundation effort to get students interested in science and engineering at an early age. This summer, one cohort of students worked with robots in the Rehabilitation Robotics Lab at the Perelman School of Medicine.
In the News
NBC News
After a stressful election, experts warn blockchain is not the answer
Matt Blaze of the School of Engineering and Applied Science weighed in on blockchain voting. “The charlatans pushing for blockchain elections and online voting are doing the equivalent of advocating a healthcare policy that assumes we’re about to cure cancer,” Blaze tweeted. “Maybe we will, but best not to bet on it.”
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Popular Science
Cell phones pose plenty of risks, but none of them are cancer
Reviewing the results of a study exploring the relationship between cell phones and cancer, Kenneth Foster of the School of Engineering and Applied Science remains unconvinced of potential dangers. “Health agencies are saying that if there’s something there, it’s probably so small that there’s not likely to be a large effect on the population,” Foster said.
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The New York Times
The crisis of election security
Matt Blaze of the School of Engineering and Applied Science said that the investigation into Russian election interference has not found evidence that votes were actually altered, but also that “we haven’t looked very hard.” Furthermore, said Blaze, even if we were to look more closely, “it’s possible to do a pretty good job of erasing all the forensic evidence.”
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Bloomberg View
You’re probably not being microwaved right now
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Kenneth Foster described claims that a classified microwave weapon was used to injure diplomats as unlikely, due to the impossibility of producing radiation powerful enough to cause neurological damage.
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Bloomberg News
Millennium shuts down pioneering quant hedge fund
Michael Kearns of the School of Engineering and Applied Science discussed the closing of Prediction Company, a hedge fund. “Prediction was certainly far ahead of its time in realizing that many aspects of trading could be made not just quantitative but algorithmic,” said Kearns.
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