11/15
Science & Technology
Envisioning campus as ‘living lab’ to improve bird habitat
Envisioning campus as ‘living lab’ to improve bird habitat
The University’s 300 acres in West Philadelphia serve as welcoming habitat for dozens of bird species. Chloe Cerwinka is documenting the area’s feathered inhabitants to improve their habitat.
Gamers should expect a subdued E3 this year, says Wharton professor
Gamers should expect a subdued E3 this year, says Wharton professor
Fewer new launches from big-league game publishers are expected at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, but the business of gaming will continue to grow and evolve online and with smaller games and upgrades.
Lauren Sallan honored by alma mater University of Chicago for achievements in paleobiology
Lauren Sallan honored by alma mater University of Chicago for achievements in paleobiology
The assistant professor in interdisciplinary studies at Penn is the first Ph.D. graduate to receive the Distinguished Service Award for Early Achievement award by her alma mater.
Digitized plant collection to answer how living in a ‘megalopolis’ affects flora
Digitized plant collection to answer how living in a ‘megalopolis’ affects flora
Digital records of the roughly 800,000 plant specimens from five mid-Atlantic states will create a digital herbarium, a database covering 400 years of native flora.
Detecting distant stars: Q&A with Jose Maria Diego and Jesus Vega
Detecting distant stars: Q&A with Jose Maria Diego and Jesus Vega
While observing an exploding star in a galaxy cluster billions of light-years away, two visiting scholars noticed a curious speck of light in their images. The light was from an ancient star more than 9 billion years ago, the most distant star ever detected.
Leveraging Penn’s expertise to meet challenges in the water sector
Leveraging Penn’s expertise to meet challenges in the water sector
A conference on campus brings together The Water Center at Penn and city officials and community members across the country to find solutions for better water utilities and access.
Paving the way for safer smaller batteries and fuel cells
Paving the way for safer smaller batteries and fuel cells
A new solid polymer electrolyte may be the key to making energy storage devices like lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries more efficient.
Bringing health innovation to life
Bringing health innovation to life
The Penn Center for Health, Devices and Technology weds health care professionals with visionary ideas and the technological know-how to build innovative medical devices.
Mathematical model explains why metastasis can occur even when cancer is caught early
Mathematical model explains why metastasis can occur even when cancer is caught early
Researchers are uncovering the unique nature of individual cancer "communities" and how they evolve, and applying math models to understand their growth.
Immune system function in the microgravity of space
Immune system function in the microgravity of space
Researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Perelman School of Medicine are developing a technology to better understand how microgravity negatively affects immune system function.
In the News
Scientific American
Grumpy voters want better stories. Not statistics
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Duncan Watts says that U.S. voters ignored Democratic policy in favor of Republican storytelling.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Climate policy under a second Trump presidency
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses how much a president can do or undo when it comes to environmental policy.
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Interesting Engineering
Superhuman vision lets robots see through walls, smoke with new LiDAR-like eyes
Mingmin Zhao of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues are using radio signals to allow robots to “see” beyond traditional sensor limits.
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Technical.ly Philly
A sneak peek inside Penn Engineering’s new $137.5M mass timber building
Amy Gutmann Hall aims to be Philadelphia’s next big hub for AI and innovation while setting a new standard for architectural sustainability.
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Salon.com
Exxon CEO wants Trump to stay in Paris climate accord
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences voices his concern about the possibility that the U.S. could become a petrostate.
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Associated Press
Amid Earth’s heat records, scientists report another bump upward in annual carbon emissions
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that total carbon emissions including fossil fuel pollution and land use changes such as deforestation are basically flat because land emissions are declining.
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The Wall Street Journal
How can we remove carbon from the air? Here are a few ideas
Jennifer Wilcox of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that the carbon-removal potential of forestation can’t always be reliably measured in terms of how much removal and for how long.
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Associated Press
California air regulators approve changes to climate program that could raise gas prices
Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that many things being credited in California’s new climate program don’t help the climate.
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Times of India
Self shocks turn crystal to glass at ultralow power density: Study
A collaborative study by researchers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science has shed new light on amorphization, the transition from a crystalline to a glassy state at the nanoscale.
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Interesting Engineering
U.S. achieves billion-fold power-saving semiconductor tech; could challenge China
A collaborative effort by Ritesh Agarwal of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues has made phase-change memory more energy efficient and could unlock a future revolution in data storage.
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