11/15
School of Engineering & Applied Science
The physics of fat droplets reveal DNA danger
Penn Engineers are the first to discover fat-filled lipid droplets’ surprising capability to indent and puncture the nucleus, the organelle which contains and regulates a cell’s DNA.
For a new generation of antibiotics, scientists are bringing extinct molecules back to life
Marrying artificial intelligence with advanced experimental methods, Penn Engineering’s Machine Biology Group has mined the ancient past for future medical breakthroughs, bringing extinct molecules back to life.
New family welcome: ‘The right place; the right time’
President Liz Magill and Provost John L. Jackson Jr. welcomed first-year and transfer students and their families in an afternoon celebration on College Green.
SCALAR: A microchip designed to transform the production of mRNA therapeutics and vaccines
Researchers have developed a platform that could rapidly accelerate the development of mRNA-based lipid nanoparticle vaccines and therapeutics at both the small and largescale, SCALAR.
Penn GEMS brings STEM to summer camp
Penn GEMS, an annual engineering, math, and science camp for middle school students, is a weeklong dive into various engineering disciplines, made possible with philanthropic support for community partnerships.
Closing the carbon cycle with green propane production
Researchers from Penn have helped develop a new carbon-capture solution for a cleaner, more energy-dense fuel source.
Penn Engineering’s Michael Posa on robots in the real world
With funding from the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award, Posa is working on a new teaching method where robots interact with objects in the real world to build real-world intelligence via small data sets.
QR code for cancer cells
Researchers from Penn Engineering have created a new synthetic biology approach to uncover why some cells become resistant to anti-cancer therapies.
Hard at work, crews make progress during summer construction
Ahead of the arrival of students, summer on campus bustles with construction teams advancing various building projects and maintenance work. Here, a look at what’s happening now.
Nudge Cartography: Building a map to navigate behavioral research
Ph.D. candidate Linnea Gandhi of the Wharton School and research assistant Anoushka Kiyawat discuss the development of their team’s innovative research tool.
In the News
Grumpy voters want better stories. Not statistics
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Duncan Watts says that U.S. voters ignored Democratic policy in favor of Republican storytelling.
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A sneak peek inside Penn Engineering’s new $137.5M mass timber building
Amy Gutmann Hall aims to be Philadelphia’s next big hub for AI and innovation while setting a new standard for architectural sustainability.
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Superhuman vision lets robots see through walls, smoke with new LiDAR-like eyes
Mingmin Zhao of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues are using radio signals to allow robots to “see” beyond traditional sensor limits.
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New building at University of Pennsylvania aims to become hub for AI research
Amy Gutmann Hall, set to open in early 2025, is dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and data science.
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First look: Inside Penn’s new Amy Gutmann Hall, the region's largest mass timber building
Amy Gutmann Hall will be a catalyst for groundbreaking artificial intelligence research and collaboration across disciplines, with remarks from Dean Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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