11/15
Science & Technology
Why media should rethink the way it covers science
Why media should rethink the way it covers science
A Q and A with Kathleen Hall Jamieson, and Annenberg School for Communication professor, on the challenges and dynamics of science reporting.
Only one approach could plausibly have avoided catastrophe in Syria
Only one approach could plausibly have avoided catastrophe in Syria
Could the U.S. have better protected civilians from mass atrocities during the Syrian conflict in 2013? Research from political scientist Ian Lustick reveals that only one approach—persuading Assad to treat the protests as a reform movement rather than a violent revolution—might have helped.
How the Morris Arboretum is working to extend cherry blossom season
How the Morris Arboretum is working to extend cherry blossom season
The director of horticulture at Morris Arboretum on the beauty, unpredictability, and future for cherry tree season.
Penn Global Seminar provides students with mind-opening experiences
Penn Global Seminar provides students with mind-opening experiences
During spring break, 15 students from the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Wharton School, Management and Technology program, and School of Arts and Sciences traveled to Beijing and Shanghai to learn more about engineering and technology innovations in China.
Two Penn professors named Guggenheim Fellows
Two Penn professors named Guggenheim Fellows
The School of Arts and Sciences’ Charles Yang and Charles L. Bosk, also of the Perelman School of Medicine, have been named Guggenheim Fellows.
When ancient technology and high-tech robots intersect
When ancient technology and high-tech robots intersect
In one Penn lab, a stone-sculpting machine is helping archaeologists solve long-held mysteries of very old tools.
Risk tolerance linked to amygdala and prefrontal cortex brain regions
Risk tolerance linked to amygdala and prefrontal cortex brain regions
New research links willingness to take risks to brain structure and function, specifically the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and connections between the two.
Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand visits Penn, with scientific partnerships in mind
Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand visits Penn, with scientific partnerships in mind
The princess met with President Amy Gutmann and leaders of Penn’s health schools on Thursday, April 5, to discuss future collaboration aimed at advancing health and science.
Researchers show that cells’ perception of stiffness is a matter of time
Researchers show that cells’ perception of stiffness is a matter of time
The relative stiffness of a cell’s environment is known to have a large effect on that cell’s behavior, including how well the cell can stick or move. Now, a new study by University of Pennsylvania researchers demonstrates the role timing plays in how cells perceive this stiffness.
Two Penn undergraduates receive coveted Goldwater Scholarships
Two Penn undergraduates receive coveted Goldwater Scholarships
Two juniors at the University of Pennsylvania have been selected as Goldwater Scholars, awarded to undergraduates pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, math, or engineering.
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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