An early start at research Rising senior Donnisa Edmonds (right) practices placing electrodes on her colleague to measure physiological responses. As part of her research with the EDEN lab, she tracks the physical responses of children as they perform a series of tasks. An early start at research As part of the Jumpstart for Juniors program through the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, rising seniors can spend the summer working with faculty on unique and fascinating projects.
Keeping parasites from sticking to mosquito guts could block disease transmission Mosquitoes infected with the parasite Crithidia fasciculata may offer a valuable model for studying other parasite diseases, according to a study led by Penn Vet’s Michael Povelones and Penn State Brandywine’s Megan Povelones. Here, a microscopic image shows the hindgut of Aedes aegypti mosquito infected with Crithidia expressing green fluorescent protein. (Image: Michael Povelones) Keeping parasites from sticking to mosquito guts could block disease transmission Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine show how a new model for studying the way parasites known as kinetoplastids adhere to mosquitoes’ insides could illuminate strategies for curbing diseases.
Unraveling the brain’s reward circuits The investigation explored the "reward neurons" in the brain. (Image: Amber Alhadeff) Unraveling the brain’s reward circuits Food, alcohol, and certain drugs all act to reduce the activity of hunger neurons and to release reward signals in the brain, but alcohol and drugs rely on a different pathway than does food.
Meaningful science, with students at the helm Jenni Punt (center), a professor of immunology at Penn Vet, is leading the One Health@Penn research community. (Image: Eric Sucar) Meaningful science, with students at the helm With CANINE, a collaboration between the School of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences’ Biology Department, undergraduates are breaking new ground in immunology.
Through a marriage of bioengineering breakthroughs, ‘the best of both worlds’ Andrei Georgescu with a mockup of an organ-on-a-chip. (Photo: Kevin Monko) Through a marriage of bioengineering breakthroughs, ‘the best of both worlds’ Dan Huh, Sunghee Estelle Park, and Andrei Georgescu on the promise of combining two cutting-edge organ engineering techniques to create new breakthroughs in understanding the human body.
From the bench to bedside, boardroom, and beyond Penn Life Sciences & Management seniors from the Trident Therapeutics team present their final capstone project to a room of more than 100 of the “who's who” of biotechnology. (Photo: Brooke Sietinsons) From the bench to bedside, boardroom, and beyond Penn’s Life Sciences & Management program empowers the next generation of biotechnology leaders with an education in both business and the natural sciences.
Pokémon activates a unique part of the brain, offering insights into its structure Pokémon activates a unique part of the brain, offering insights into its structure In a study of adults who played the game extensively as children, Penn and Stanford researchers discovered that a particular area of the visual cortex lights up when players view characters from the original version.
At Weiss Tech House, a race from idea to prototype in one semester Laura Ceccacci of AutoTrach considering design questions with Weiss Tech House mentor Varun Sanghvi. Teams used off the shelf equipment to work on their prototypes. (Photo: Gwyneth K. Shaw) At Weiss Tech House, a race from idea to prototype in one semester The student-run incubator hosted its first hardware accelerator this spring, offering cash, mentoring, and access to specialized equipment to four teams.
Cohort of PIP/PEP winners celebrate at luncheon Penn President Amy Gutmann with the winners of the 2019 Presidential Engagement Prize and Presidential Innovation Prize Cohort of PIP/PEP winners celebrate at luncheon Nine students received handcrafted certificates at the annual luncheon, held May 3, that recognizes the work of graduating seniors awarded the President’s Engagement and Innovation prizes.
Two Penn faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences Eugene Mele and Nancy Speck are among the 100 new members elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Two Penn faculty elected to the National Academy of Sciences Eugene Mele of the School of Arts and Sciences and Nancy Speck of the Perelman School of Medicine are welcomed into the Academy for their “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”