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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

Putting data to work to solve pressing health issues
Research day

Interaction was key during a poster session with more than 50 presentations.

(Image: Tommy Leonardi)

Putting data to work to solve pressing health issues

The first-ever Research Day at the Smilow Center for Translational Research showed how the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics links clinical epidemiology and biostatistics within the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn Health System, and Penn community.

Ali Sundermier

By river, ocean, or wind, rocks round the same way
Jerolmack.river rocks

A mathematical formula predicts the way that river rocks, ocean pebbles and dune sands acquire a rounded shape, Penn researchers found. Credit: AniVar/Wikipedia

By river, ocean, or wind, rocks round the same way

Observations from Puerto Rican river rocks, New Mexican sand grains, Italian ocean pebbles, and the lab lent Douglas Jerolmack and his team insight into a general geophysical process.