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Modeling careers in STEM
Allyson Mackey, Melissa Kelly, Ping Wang, and Vanessa Chan speaking to audience.

This year’s Women in STEM Symposium featured (left to right) Allyson Mackey of the School of Arts & Sciences, Melissa Kelly of Penn Center for Innovation, Ping Wang of the Perelman School of Medicine, and Vanessa Chan of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. 

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Modeling careers in STEM

At Penn’s annual Women in STEM Symposium, Vanessa Chan, Allyson Mackey, Ping Wang, and Melissa Kelly shared lessons from their experiences.

3 min. read

Quantum communications
3D rendering of artist's interpretation of quantum entanglement.

Leveraging principles of quantum mechanics to securely transmit messages has promised a revolution in encryption, keeping sensitive information secure. Now, a collaborative team of researchers including the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Liang Feng and Ph.D. candidate Yichi Zhang have developed a system that enables more stable, robust, high-efficiency, and long-range quantum communication—paving the way for practical, high-dimensional quantum networks.

(Image: Courtesy of Jian Fan)

Quantum communications

Penn and CUNY researchers collaborated to develop a device that uses quantum principles to relay information securely—an advance that could improve encryption in critical service areas like banking and health care.
Breakthrough in energy-saving process could transform data storage
Ritesh Agarwal looks through a microscope in his lab.

Ritesh Agarwal is the Srinivasa Ramanujan Distinguished Scholar and a professor of materials science and engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Engineering Today)

Breakthrough in energy-saving process could transform data storage

Researchers led by Ritesh Agarwal of the School of Engineering and Applied Science have discovered a groundbreaking, ultra-low-energy method for creating amorphous materials, which could boost the efficiency of phase-change memory technology, potentially revolutionizing data storage.

Extending battery lifespan and capacity through self-healing materials
Electric cars in lines with batteries exposed.

Image: iStock/PhonlamaiPhoto

Extending battery lifespan and capacity through self-healing materials

Eric Detsi, associate professor in materials science and engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, has developed batteries that heal from the damage sustained by charging, extending their lifespan.

Ian Scheffler

Toward carbon-negative architecture
A rendering of the carbon-absorbing and storage system

A rendering of the carbon-absorbing and storage system developed by the Penn team and its partners suggests how minimized material use and maximized surface area are expressed in the structure's slabs, columns, and beams.

(Image: Courtesy of Weitzman News)

Toward carbon-negative architecture

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Weitzman and Penn Engineering are working to develop a new building system that would reduce carbon in all aspects of concrete construction.

From the Weitzman School of Design

Twisted sheets yield electrifying outcomes
Artist's rendering of a quantum computing unit.

iStock/Bartlomiej Wroblewski

Twisted sheets yield electrifying outcomes

Researchers uncovered how twisting layers of a material can generate a mysterious electron-path-deflecting effect, unlocking new possibilities for controlling light and electrons in quantum materials.