News from

Mechanical Engineering

Reset All Filters
111 Results
Powering AI from space, at scale

Powering AI from space, at scale

A new design for solar-powered data centers reduces weight, power consumption, and overall complexity, making large-scale deployment more feasible.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Awards and accolades for Penn faculty
Ben Franklin statue in front of Penn’s College Hall.

nocred

Awards and accolades for Penn faculty

A roundup of the latest appointments and awards for various faculty members in Penn Engineering, Penn Nursing, and Penn Dental Medicine.

2 min. read

Why are icy surfaces slippery?
An icy bench in a city.

Despite the commonality of water and ice, says Penn physicist Robert Carpick, their physical properties are remarkably unique.

(Image: mustafahacalaki via Getty Images)

Why are icy surfaces slippery?

Winter Storm Fern brought icy and snowy conditions to the Northeast and other parts of the country over the weekend. Penn Today asks physicist Robert Carpick about the unique properties of ice, the science of curling, and how close we are to ‘nonslip’ ice. 

5 min. read

A ‘Rosetta stone’ for molecular systems
Prashant Purohit (left) and Penn Engineering’s Celia Reina (right) in front of a whiteboard.

Penn Engineering’s Prashant Purohit (left) and Celia Reina.

(Image: Bella Ciervo)

A ‘Rosetta stone’ for molecular systems

Penn Engineering’s Prashant Purohit (left) and Celia Reina (right), in collaboration with recent doctoral graduate Travis Leadbetter, have spent years developing a mathematical “Rosetta stone” that can translate molecular movements into predictions of larger effects.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Two Penn faculty elected American Physical Society Fellows
Ritesh Agarwal and Doug Jerolmack.

Ritesh Agarwal (left), Srinivasa Ramanujan Distinguished Scholar in Materials Science and Engineering, and Douglas Jerolmack, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Professor of Earth and Environmental Science and professor of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics.

nocred

Two Penn faculty elected American Physical Society Fellows

Ritesh Agarwal of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Douglas Jerolmack of the School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Engineering have been elected by their peers in recognition of their contributions to the field.

2 min. read

Students test one way to combat extreme heat in Philadelphia
Nafisa Bangura (left) and Angelica Dadda (right) doing hands-on experimental work in the Composto Lab.

Nafisa Bangura (left) and Angelica Dadda (right) examine CoolSeal-treated asphalt bricks in the Composto Lab to better understand how this coating behaves in controlled environments.

nocred

Students test one way to combat extreme heat in Philadelphia

Third-year students Nafisa Bangura and Angelica Dadda expanded upon a multidisciplinary research endeavor to evaluate a reflective pavement coating as a tool to mitigate extreme heat. Their work may inform policy efforts to improve urban heat resilience.

4 min. read

Helping robots work together to explore the Moon and Mars
forthcoming

nocred

Helping robots work together to explore the Moon and Mars

Penn Engineers, NASA, and five other universities tested robotic systems designed to help unmanned explorers cooperate in the dunes of White Sands, New Mexico, paving the way for Moon and Mars exploration.

5 min. read