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Science & Technology
University of Pennsylvania receives $25 million gift to create data science building
University of Pennsylvania receives $25 million gift to create data science building
The largest gift in Penn Engineering’s history—a $25 million commitment from alumnus Harlan M. Stone to support the construction of a new Data Science Building—will serve as a hub for cross-disciplinary collaborations that harness expertise, research, and data across Penn’s 12 schools and numerous academic centers.
Researchers create better light-trapping devices
Researchers create better light-trapping devices
A new study shows how the performance of optical resonators can be improved using topological physics, which can lead to more efficient lasers, sensors, and telecommunication devices.
A second life for leaves
A second life for leaves
Taking a scientific approach to managing campus land, Facilities and Real Estate Services is partnering with soil scientists and ecologists to study how mulching plots with leaves fares for soil health and biodiversity.
Memory recall and spatial navigation elicit similar electrical activity in brain
Memory recall and spatial navigation elicit similar electrical activity in brain
Penn neuroscientists show for the first time that low-frequency oscillations called theta waves appear in both cases, a finding that could eventually help diminish memory loss.
To improve algorithms, embed human principles into code
To improve algorithms, embed human principles into code
“The Ethical Algorithm” describes how algorithms can inadvertently share private information or perpetuate racial and gender biases, and offers principled solutions that can help researchers design the next generation of socially-aware algorithms.
Mentoring circles support a journey through STEM
Mentoring circles support a journey through STEM
An initiative of the Biomedical Postdoctoral Council Diversity Committee has established an informal network of “mentoring circles” for postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates in STEM, with a particular emphasis on including participants from underrepresented backgrounds.
Advancing algorithmic care
Advancing algorithmic care
Experts from Penn share their perspectives on the role of advanced algorithms and AI in health care and what the future holds for digital health technologies.
Helping Philadelphia tackle trash with technology
Helping Philadelphia tackle trash with technology
Last fall, a team of undergraduates developed a high-tech solution to help the city target one of its persistent problems: the illegal dumping of construction and trash debris.
JPOD @ Philadelphia, 365 days later
JPOD @ Philadelphia, 365 days later
One year after the launch of the partnership between Penn and Johnson & Johnson Innovation, the Pennovation Center celebrated the early successes of this innovative program.
An easier way of sneaking antibodies into cells
An easier way of sneaking antibodies into cells
Penn Engineers have found a plug-and-play solution that makes antibodies compatible with the delivery vehicles commonly used to ferry nucleic acids through the membrane of a cell without damaging either.
In the News
The New York Times
How Narwhal the ‘unicorn’ puppy may have grown a tail on his head
Margret Casal of the School of Veterinary Medicine explained that the puppy with a tail on its face that went viral is likely the result of another embryo that didn’t fully separate in utero.
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Forbes
The real story about organoids: What you should know about ‘brains in a dish’
Hongjun Song of the Perelman School of Medicine explained how brain organoids were developed. “In the last five years scientists figured out how to turn stem cells into 3D cell structures, and eventually [developed] so-called brain organoids, which look like not only cell types in the brain but also cell architectures,” he said.
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The New York Times
You got a brain scan at the hospital. Someday a computer may use it to identify you
Aaron Roth of the School of Engineering and Applied Science commented on research that paired MRI scans with facial recognition software. “It is clear that eventually this will be a worrying attack” on stored medical data, he said.
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Inside Higher Ed
Twitter’s gender imbalance
Rachel Werner of the Perelman School of Medicine authored a study that found that while men and women use Twitter at equal rates, the site has not reduced gender disparities in academia overall.
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PBS
Study finds kittens bond with their human caregivers like babies do
Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine advised readers to keep in mind that while babies and kittens are similar, they’re not analogous; scientific findings about one may not hold true for the other. “We should be open-minded about the idea that there are other variables [at play],” he said.
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Smithsonian Magazine
Women scientists were written out of history. It’s Margaret Rossiter’s lifelong mission to fix that
M. Susan Lindee of the School of Arts and Sciences praised academic Margaret Rossiter’s research on women’s contributions to science. “We have to look at her past work carefully,” said Lindee, “and re-examine all those brilliant strategies that women used to contest institutional power, which was oriented around preventing them from succeeding.”
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The Hill
R&D, not Greenland, can solve our rare earth problem
Research into rare earth metals by Eric Schelter, Patrick Carroll, Ph.D. student Justin Bogart, and alumnus Connor Lippincott of the School of Arts and Sciences was cited.
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Earth Magazine
Researchers find no link between testosterone and a lack of cognitive empathy
New research by Gideon Nave of the Wharton School found that, contrary to past research, increased testosterone levels do not impair men’s ability to empathize. “We found that there is no evidence to support this effect of testosterone, but that doesn’t rule out any possible effects,” said Nave. “From what we know, though, it seems that if testosterone does have an influence, the effect is complex, not linear.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Breeding has shaped dogs’ brains, MRI scans reveal
Wilfried Mai of the School of Veterinary Medicine weighed in on a study that analyzed cognitive differences between dog breeds. “The paper demonstrates very nicely differences in brain morphology with either reduction or hypertrophy [larger size] of certain brain areas that are known to be associated with specific behaviors,” he said.
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WESA Radio (Pittsburgh)
Wheels, drones and Rescue Randy: DARPA robotics competition puts mine rescue to the test
A four-legged robot from the School of Engineering and Applied Science was among robots performing underwater search and rescue in a competition. “They're doing everything completely autonomously, so every step they take is kind of a minor victory for us,” said C. J. Taylor. “We always feel that we could do better. We learn so much from each of these events and that gives us new ideas about things that we want to try.”
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