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‘A Swiss cheese-like material’ that can solve equations
Nader Engheta, center, and two researchers who worked on the metamaterial project

‘A Swiss cheese-like material’ that can solve equations

Engineering professor Nader Engheta and his team have demonstrated a metamaterial device that can function as an analog computer, validating an earlier theory.

Evan Lerner , Gwyneth K. Shaw

The math behind March Madness
a close-up of a basketball play drawn on a chalkboard
  • Q&A

    • The math behind March Madness

    A Q&A with statistician Shane Jensen, who discusses the math behind sports team rankings, why March Madness has so many underdog victories, and how technology might change how analysts study sports teams in the future.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    Bridge to Ph.D. program provides a way forward for greater access in STEM fields
    a group of students and a professor looking at a chalk board covered in math equations

    Penn’s Bridge to Ph.D. program provides students from underrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to earn master’s degrees in mathematics while also preparing for a Ph.D. The students are advised by Ryan Hynd (not pictured) and Philip Gressman (center). 

    Bridge to Ph.D. program provides a way forward for greater access in STEM fields

    The pilot program in the Department of Mathematics enables students from underrepresented groups to become the next generation of enterprising mathematicians.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    How technology is making education more accessible
    Amrou Ibrahim zooms in to a text using a CCTV tablet Amrou Ibrahim, assistive technology specialist at the Student Disabilities Services Office, uses a camera-equipped tablet to zoom in on a book.

    How technology is making education more accessible

    Text-to-speech technology, smart pens, and smart glasses are just some of the assistive technologies that the Office of Student Disabilities Services employ on campus to meet all students’ needs in their learning environments.
    Two Penn faculty named 2019 Sloan Research Fellows
    head shots of Jessica Anna and Davi Maximo

    Chemist Jessica Anna and mathematician Davi Maximo are being recognized for their work that marks them as the next generation of scientific leaders. 

    Two Penn faculty named 2019 Sloan Research Fellows

    Jessica Anna and Davi Maximo of the School of Arts and Sciences are among the 126 recipients of this year’s Sloan Research Fellowships, which recognize early-career researchers and scholars in North America. Each will receive a two-year, $70,000 Fellowship for research.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    Celebrating science
    a stack of books in front of a chalkboard with math equations

    Celebrating science

    Eight Penn faculty share their favorite general interest books about science.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    Structures of the future
    Glass Bridge

    A model of an ultra-transparent bridge made of glass sheets, with a structure of polyhedral cells as hollow glass blocks. Use of materials and resources is minimized in the design, which was developed with the use of 3-D graphic statics.

    Structures of the future

    The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory, a research group based out of PennDesign, is showcasing an exhibit at the Pennovation Center that teases their work on designs with wide-reaching implications for construction.
    Understanding the social dynamics that cause cooperation to thrive, or fail
    Akcay hyenas cooperation

    Despite their reputation, spotted hyenas are often cooperative animals, dwelling in large groups and assisting one another during hunts. Penn biologist Erol Akçay modeled a theoretical social group to show how cooperation can arise or collapse. (Photo: Amiyaal Ilany)

    Understanding the social dynamics that cause cooperation to thrive, or fail

    Many examples of cooperation exist in nature, but it’s far from a universal characteristic of human or animal groups. Using a mathematical model, Erol Akçay showed that less randomly connected social networks make cooperation more likely, but those dynamics may ultimately lead to cooperation’s collapse.

    Katherine Unger Baillie