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Turning bicycles into an engineering study tool
Penn students riding bikes over a bridge in Amsterdam.

Students explored Amsterdam with a bike tour and even a bicycle scavenger hunt.

(Image: Elizabeth Feeney)

Turning bicycles into an engineering study tool

Penn students explore the Netherlands’ cycling infrastructure and learn about bicycle design principles in Dustyn Roberts’ popular Penn Global Seminar.

5 min. read

Flying high with the Penn Aerial Robotics club
A robotic aerial drone on Penn’s Locust Walk.

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Flying high with the Penn Aerial Robotics club

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.

7 min. read

Can surface fractures on Earth, Mars, and Europa predict habitability on other planets?
A view of a planet in the solar system.

(On homepage) A global view of Jupiter’s moon Europa displaying extensive surface fractures—long, curving lines carved into the ice by tidal forces from Jupiter. These cracks hint at dynamic activity beneath Europa’s frozen shell and may provide clues about the moon’s potentially habitable subsurface ocean.

(Image: Courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech)
 

Can surface fractures on Earth, Mars, and Europa predict habitability on other planets?

Geophysicist Douglas Jerolmack has used the mathematical framework developed for understanding fracture patterns on Earth to survey two-dimensional fracture networks across the solar system, which could offer insights into detecting potentially habitable environments on other planets.
Building bridges: A feat of engineering and artistry
The Glass Bridge

Architect Masoud Akbarzadeh and research assistant Boyu Xiao of the Weitzman School of Design, along with collaborators including Yao Lu of Jefferson University, defied conventional engineering by constructing a 30-foot-long bridge entirely from 16 millimeter hollow glass units. Their effort is now showcased at the Corning Museum of Glass.

(Image: Courtesy of the Corning Museum of Glass)

Building bridges: A feat of engineering and artistry

At the Corning Museum of Glass, professor of architecture Masoud Akbarzadeh and his team have turned fragility into strength with a 30-foot-long span of shimmering glass, blending ancient wisdom with cutting-edge design to redefine the future of structural engineering and architecture.
What can theoretical physics teach us about knitting?
knitted squiggles

(On homepage) A close-up of a highly structured self-folding knit, where carefully designed stitch patterns create a repeating wave-like geometry. This fabric’s shape is dictated entirely by its stitch arrangement, demonstrating how knitting can be programmed to form complex, three-dimensional structures without the need for additional shaping forces. Such advancements in knitigami—the fusion of knitting and origami—could lead to innovations in deployable textiles, soft robotics, and adaptive materials.

(Image: Courtesy of Lauren Niu)

What can theoretical physics teach us about knitting?

Penn physicist Randall Kamien, visiting scholar Lauren Niu, and collaborator Geneviève Dion of Drexel bring unprecedented levels of predictability to the ancient practice of knitting by developing a mathematical model that could be used to create a new class of lightweight, ultra-strong materials.
Looking to the past to understand the impacts of human land use in South Asia
R. Ramesh adjusts measuring tape at archaeological site.

R. Ramesh, assisting superintending archaeologist at the Archaeological Survey of India, adjusted a measuring tape at an archaeological site in India before he and Penn's Kathleen Morrison took samples for paleoenvironmental analysis from a Neolithic (3000-1200 BCE) deposit. 

(Image: Courtesy of Kathleen Morrison)

Looking to the past to understand the impacts of human land use in South Asia

An international group of scholars, including archaeologists from the School of Arts & Sciences, synthesized archaeological evidence in South Asia from 12,000 and 6,000 years ago.

5 min. read

Turning the desert into an oasis
People gather around a large map placed on the floor.

In Senegal, the ambitious Dakar Greenbelt project seeks to create an extensive network of ecological infrastructure in and around the city to sustainably address environmental concerns and enhance urban life. With support from David Gouverneur and Ellen Neises, Ph.D. candidate Rob Levinthal in the Weitzman School of Design led two courses that included a field trip to Dakar, that culminated in students presenting their visions for parts of the Greenbelt.

(Image: Courtesy of Chaowu Li)

Turning the desert into an oasis

Students from the Weitzman School of Design journeyed to Senegal to help with a massive ecological and infrastructural greening effort as part of their coursework. The Dakar Greenbelt aims to combat desertification and promote sustainable urban growth.
The practice of art collection as a collaboration
People looking at the After Modernism exhibit at the Arthur Ross Gallery.

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The practice of art collection as a collaboration

As part of an undergraduate course, Penn faculty and students curated an Arthur Ross Gallery exhibition of works from the Neumann family’s extensive collection of modern and contemporary art.
Penn Center for Innovation celebrates 10 years
Scientists holding a model of something (forthcoming)

(Image: Eric Sucar)

Penn Center for Innovation celebrates 10 years

The University’s nexus for technology transfer supports researchers in their innovative efforts, from CAR T to mRNA advancements that have dramatically reshaped the world.