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Science & Technology
New Prosthetic Limb, Electronic Traffic Glove and Mobile Solar Power Plant Win Penn's 2008 PennVention
PHILADELPHIA –- A new prosthetic accessory worn on the residual limb of a transtibial (below-knee) amputee was awarded the Grand Prize at the Fourth Annual PennVention competition for student inventors at the University of Pennsylvania's Weiss Tech House.
Penn Students Vie for Top Prizes in Annual Invention Competition: PennVention
PHILADELPHIA –- The Weiss Tech House, a student-run hub of technological innovation at the University of Pennsylvania, announced today the 11 student inventions that will compete in the fourth annual PennVention competition.
The Nanotechnology Institute Receives $3.5 Million to Foster Nanotechnology Research and Development
PHILADELPHIA –- The Nanotechnology Institute, or NTI, a consortium of Philadelphia-area research and technology organizations that includes the University of Pennsylvania, has received $3.5 million in funding from the commonwealth’s Pennsylvania Initiative for Nanotechnology.
Penn Researcher Explores a Lost Port City of the Mycenaeans in the Region of the Trojan War
PHILADELPHIA –- Along an isolated stretch of the eastern shoreline of Greece, a University of Pennsylvania classics professor and his colleagues are unlocking the secrets of a partially submerged “lost” harbor town believed to have been built by the Mycenaeans 3,500 years ago.
Penn Engineering Receives Largest Research Grant in School History to Lead Robotics Consortium
PHILADELPHIA –- The University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science has received the largest single award in the School’s 156-year history to help create the fundamental networks and technologies that will put unmanned machines on the front lines of battle.
University of Pennsylvania Chemist and Mathematician Awarded Sloan Research Fellowships
PHILADELPHIA -– Tobias Baumgart, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, and Joachim Krieger, assistant professor of mathematics at Penn, have been named Alfred P.
Penn Engineering Receives $7.5 Million to Develop Cooperation Principles for Robot Teams
PHILADELPHIA –- The University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science has received a five-year, $7.5 million grant to draw inspiration from biological organisms, including humans, in order to create principles of cooperation to control teams of next-generation, unmanned, robotic vehicles.
Penn Researchers Identify First Sex Chromosome Gene Involved in Meiosis and Male Infertility
PHILADELPHIA -– A team of scientists led by University of Pennsylvania veterinary researchers have identified a gene, TEX11, located on the X chromosome, which when disrupted in mice renders the males sterile and reduces female fecundity.
Penn Scientists Find a Protein That Inhibits Ebola From Reaching Out to Infect Neighboring Cells
PHILADELPHIA -– Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have identified a protein, ISG15, that inhibits the Ebola virus from budding, the process by which viruses escape from cells and spread to infect neighboring cells.
In the News
The Wall Street Journal
How the U.S. surrendered to China on scientific research
In an op-ed, PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel and Amy Gadsden and Scott Moore, all of Penn Global, said America’s “lead in science and technology fields has been significantly eroded.” The authors say the U.S. needs to “meet [China’s] strength with strength” by investing in innovation.
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The New York Times
‘Partly alive’: Scientists revive cells in brains from dead pigs
PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno weighed in on an experiment that revived tissue in the brains of dead pigs. “If ever there was an issue that merited big public deliberation on the ethics of science and medicine, this is one.”
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Associated Press
Senior’s weakness for scams may be warning sign of dementia
Jason Karlawish of the Perelman School of Medicine said a recent study on aging and scam awareness doesn’t prove a link between susceptibility and cognitive decline in seniors. However, Karlawish says, the results “should be a call to action to health care systems, the financial services industry and their regulators.”
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Science
This physicist is trying to make sense of the brain’s tangled networks
Danielle Bassett of the School of Engineering and Applied Science was profiled.
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Wired.com
Tracking readers’ eye movements can help computers learn
Dan Roth of the School of Engineering and Applied Science said it’s “clear to everyone” that signals within brain activity exist and may eventually improve machine learning.
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BBC
Do mosquitoes feel the effects of alcohol
Tanya Dapkey of the School of Arts and Sciences said it’s unlikely that mosquitoes feed on inebriated humans to get drunk themselves. However, she said, the fact that “alcohol makes us more attractive to them is an interesting question to me.”
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Philadelphia Magazine
Can the new Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics unlock the science of beauty?
Anjan Chatterjee of the Perelman School of Medicine was profiled for his work founding Penn’s Center for Neuroaesthetics, which aims to “understand the neural systems that underlie aesthetic experiences and choices,” exploring beauty, art, design, and architecture.
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Defense News
U.S. military changing ‘killing machine’ robo-tank program after controversy
Michael Horowitz of the School of Arts and Sciences said the controversy over the U.S. army’s plans for a new Advance Targeting and Lethality Automated System “demonstrates that there are continuing technological and ethical issues surrounding the integration of autonomy into weapon systems.”
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Philadelphia Citizen
Second (science) city no more
Kevin Mahoney of the Perelman School of Medicine and the Health System said Philadelphia is “creating new history” with its efforts to catch up to other major cities known for innovation. Penn is leading the way with investments designed to create jobs, fund research, and keep talent local.
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Science News
Physics explains how pollen gets its stunning diversity of shapes
The School of Arts and Sciences’ Alison Sweeney explained how phase separation contributes to the unique shapes of pollen grains.
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