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School of Engineering & Applied Science
New GRASP project aims to leverage ‘embodied intelligence’ via a robotic squirrel
A team of engineers from Penn's GRASP lab has designed a mechanical squirrel with "embodied intelligence," capable of pulling off parkour feats using multi-sensory adaptation to interact with its surroundings.
Dental plaque is no match for catalytic nanoparticles
A recent study found that nanoparticles can break down dental plaque with nanoparticles that target biofilms, preventing tooth decay in humans and animal models without damaging surrounding oral tissue.
Vet students’ goat dairy aims to fill a nutrition gap in Gambia
Briana Wilson plans on becoming a small-animal vet, but this summer she is immersing herself in far-flung ventures in faraway places at the Gambia Goat Dairy, helping to create a sustainable, commercial herd of milking goats.
University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering launches online master’s in computer science
The School of Engineering and Applied Science has introduced MCIT Online, an affordable master's degree program available through Coursera, open to students without any previous background in computer science.
Using statistics to uncover the truth about individual cells
Researchers at Penn have developed a better method for interpreting data from single-cell RNA sequencing technologies.
ModLab’s ‘SMORES’ are expanding robot autonomy
A self-assembling modular robot for extreme shapeshifting (SMORES) is designed to experience environmental features and modify its movement and function in response, bringing a new level of autonomy to the world of robotics.
Making complex 3-D surfaces with 2-D sheets
Using liquid crystal elastomer, researchers are able to transform 2-dimensional rubber-like sheets into malleable, three-dimensional shapes, with a precise amount of control for various shape sequences.
A cryptocurrency collaboration
A partnership with Ripple, the University Blockchain Research Initiative, will bring innovation to cryptocurrency and blockchain.
Sharing space to support ‘better science’
Across disciplines, Penn researchers in the Computational Neuroscience Initiative put their heads together to better understand the brain.
Harnessing DNA tricks to boost nanosensors
Researchers have found a way to increase the sensitivity of graphene sensors using a trick of DNA engineering. The sensors might one day be used to monitor and treat HIV.
In the News
“PBS NewsHour”
An 11-year-old changed election results on a replica Florida state website in under 10 minutes
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Matt Blaze discussed a hacking experiment, saying it was “not surprising that these precocious, bright kids would be able to do it because the websites that are on the internet are vulnerable…. What was interesting is just how utterly quickly they were able to do it.”
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CNN
81-year-old runner is breaking records but says ‘the best is yet to come’
Lyle Unger of the School of Engineering and Applied Science shared his expertise on the relationship between exercise and longevity.
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Inside Higher Ed
Ivy League degree for the nontraditional student
The School of Engineering and Applied Science will start offering an affordable and fully online degree for working adults. “This is a meaningful expansion of what we can do,” said Provost Wendell Pritchett.
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Technical.ly Philly
The Drone From This Penn Spinout Can Fly Inside Mines Without Maps or GPS
Exyn Technologies will be sending out a drone to explore a Latin American mine using only its own onboard sensors. The startup, which originated in Penn’s GRASP lab, was cofounded by Dean Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Philly’s First Maker Faire: A Summer Carnival of Innovation
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Dean Vijay Kumar, Dan Koditschek, and Mark Yim were participants in Sunday’s Maker Faire, hosted at Pennovation.
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