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School of Engineering & Applied Science
Penn Researchers Show Stem Cell Fate Depends on ‘Grip’
The field of regenerative medicine holds great promise, propelled by greater understanding of how stem cells differentiate themselves into many of the body’s different cell types. But clinical applications in the field have been slow to materialize, partially owing to difficulties in replicating the conditions these cells naturally experience.
Penn Engineers Enable ‘Bulk’ Silicon to Emit Visible Light for the First Time
Electronic computing speeds are brushing up against limits imposed by the laws of physics. Photonic computing, where photons replace comparatively slow electrons in representing information, could surpass those limitations, but the components of such computers require semiconductors that can emit light.
Penn Researchers Develop Protein ‘Passport’ That Helps Nanoparticles Get Past Immune System
The body’s immune system exists to identify and destroy foreign objects, whether they are bacteria, viruses, flecks of dirt or splinters. Unfortunately, nanoparticles designed to deliver drugs, and implanted devices like pacemakers or artificial joints, are just as foreign and subject to the same response.
Penn Researchers Help Show That Blood Plasma Is Thicker Than Water
PHILADELPHIA — For decades, researchers thought that blood plasma behaved like water. But, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania and Saarland University in Germany, plasma is more elastic and viscous than water, and, like ketchup, its flow properties depend on the pressure it is under.
Penn Vet Team Uncovers a Pathway That Stimulates Bone Growth
PHILADELPHIA — Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have discovered that a protein called Jagged-1 stimulates human stem cells to differentiate into bone-producing cells.
Penn Glee Club: Still Singing After 151 Years
With its massive popularity among parents and adolescents alike, the Fox Network’s “Glee” certainly has staying power. But, its longevity is no match for the University of Pennsylvania’s Glee Club.
For Three Decades, Computer Science’s Susan Davidson Has Led by Example
PHILADELPHIA — After more than 30 years on the job, Susan Davidson has some perspective on her discipline.
Penn Researchers Use DNA to Make Crystals That Can Switch Configurations
PHILADELPHIA — Beyond serving as the backbone of modern biology, DNA has come to be a molecule of great interest to engineers. That a DNA sequence will naturally bind only with a complementary sequence could make it part of a configurable, and potentially programmable, building material.
Penn Research Shows Mechanism Behind Wear at the Atomic Scale
PHILADELPHIA — Wear is a fact of life. As surfaces rub against one another, they break down and lose their original shape. With less material to start with and functionality that often depends critically on shape and surface structure, wear affects nanoscale objects more strongly than it does their macroscale counterparts.
University of Pennsylvania Announces 2013 Thouron Award Winners
PHILADELPHIA – Three University of Pennsylvania students and two alumni have received Thouron Awards to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. The recipients are:
In the News
Scientific American
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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Interesting Engineering
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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Technical.ly Philly
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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6ABC.com
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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Philadelphia Business Journal
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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