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Physics

Connecting a star’s chemical composition and planet formation
a start in the center of a dark sky surrounded by orbiting planets and a ring of dust

Connecting a star’s chemical composition and planet formation

Along with developing a new statistical method for studying exoplanets, researchers from Penn found that the majority of stars in their dataset are similar to the sun, implying that many stars in the Milky Way could host their own Earthlike planets.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Insights into new ‘dials’ for controlling a material’s magnetism
a person wearing darkened glasses adjusting lenses on an optics table

Insights into new ‘dials’ for controlling a material’s magnetism

New research demonstrates how small amounts of strain can be used to control a material’s properties, with possible applications ranging from spintronic devices to faster hard drives.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Beyond topological insulators
liang wu lab

Graduate student Xingyue Han works in the lab of Liang Wu on terahertz signals, submillimeter waves not visible to the naked eye, and uses magnetic topological materials to study interactions between matter and light. (Pre-pandemic image)

Beyond topological insulators

Charlie Kane and Eugene Mele’s groundbreaking theories on the existence of a new class of materials continues to inspire an upcoming generation of physics researchers.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Developing a new platform for DNA sequencing
diagram showing double stranded DNA moving through different types of geometric pores on a slab of material

nocred

Developing a new platform for DNA sequencing

Research from the lab of Marija Drndić in the School of Arts & Sciences shows how solid state materials can be developed for large-scale automated sequencing by incorporating state-of-the-art fabrication and analytics.

Erica K. Brockmeier

How cells transport molecules with ‘active carpets’
a diagram of flow fields generated molecular motors

How cells transport molecules with ‘active carpets’

New research provides insights into the process of diffusion in living systems, with implications from novel active coatings to understanding how pathogens are cleared from lungs.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Two Churchill Scholars for Penn
Two students

Penn School of Arts & Sciences senior Adam Konkol (left) and December graduate Abigail Timmel have each been awarded a Churchill Scholarship for one year of graduate research study at the University of Cambridge in England. 

Two Churchill Scholars for Penn

Adam Konkol and Abigail Timmel have each been awarded Churchill Scholarships for a year of graduate research study at the University of Cambridge in England. Konkol and Timmel are among only 16 who were selected nationwide.

Louisa Shepard

Five Penn faculty named 2021 Sloan Research Fellows
portraits of from top left clockwise Ishmail Abdus-Saboor, Bo Zhen, Marc Miskin, Ziyue Gao, and Bhaswar B. Bhattacharya

Five Penn faculty named 2021 Sloan Research Fellows

The fellowship recognizes extraordinary U.S. and Canadian researchers whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of scientific leaders.

Erica K. Brockmeier