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Chemistry

A physics treasure hidden in the pattern of wallpaper
Kane.Wallpaper pattern

The unusual symmetries present in everyday wallpaper and wrapping paper played a role in the discovery of a new type of insulating material.

A physics treasure hidden in the pattern of wallpaper

Charles Kane and Andrew Rappe of the School of Arts and Sciences were part of an international team that has identified a new form of insulating material that may one day provide a basis for quantum computing. The patterns found in everyday wallpaper played a role in the discovery.

Katherine Unger Baillie

A maverick among chemists
Madeleine Joullie Madeleine Joullie, professor of chemistry and the first woman to join Penn’s chemistry faculty

A maverick among chemists

Madeleine Joullie, the first woman to join Penn’s chemistry faculty, was also the University’s first affirmative action officer, which she says is the most important thing she’s done.

Ali Sundermier

Two faculty members elected to National Academy of Sciences
Berger-Goldberg

Shelley Berger and Karen Goldberg

Two faculty members elected to National Academy of Sciences

Shelly Berger and Karen Goldberg are among 84 new members elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors for a scientist.

Katherine Unger Baillie , Karen Kreeger , Ali Sundermier

The Morris Arboretum was partly funded by beer, says brewery historian
Morris Brewery Dock and Pear streets

An artist rendition of a Frederick Gutekunst photograph of the Morris Brewery at Dock and Pear streets, built in 1745. The Ritz movie theater now sits in its place.

The Morris Arboretum was partly funded by beer, says brewery historian

A brewery historian will speak at the Arboretum on April 19 about the Morris family’s status as Philadelphia’s second—and arguably most significant—brewing clan.
Penn chemists develop 'motion capture' technology for tracking protein shape

Penn chemists develop 'motion capture' technology for tracking protein shape

In many modern animated movies, the trick to achieving realistic movements for individual characters and objects lies in motion-capture technology. This process often involves someone wearing a tracking suit covered in small, colored balls while a camera captures the position of those colored balls, which is then used to represent how the person is moving.