India’s COVID crisis "Everyone’s biggest worry was that India... was extremely vulnerable, given that its population of 1.4 billion people live in very densely populated areas,” says Harsha Thirumurthy. Pictured: Jaipur, India. (Image: Adam Auerbach) India’s COVID crisis Political scientist Tariq Thachil of the School of Arts & Sciences and economist and public health expert Harsha Thirumurthy of the Perelman School of Medicine take a look at what’s happening in India with the pandemic's second wave and what can be done to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Becoming a bioengineer, both at home and on campus This year, the electrocardiogram (ECG) module was redesigned in a way that allowed both in-person and at-home students to create a device to measure their heart rate. These types of innovations also provide new ways to think about STEM education and distance learning more broadly. (Image: Bioengineering Educational Lab) Becoming a bioengineer, both at home and on campus This spring, the Bioengineering Modeling, Analysis, and Design lab was able to safely resume in-person instruction while adapting its curriculum to keep remote learners engaged.
Six from Penn elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences Six faculty from Penn were elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. The honorees include (clockwise from top left) Cristina Bicchieri, Michael Hanchard, Vijay Kumar, Kenneth Zaret, Sarah Tishkoff, and Stanley Plotkin. They join more than 250 honorees for 2021, recognized for their efforts to help solve some of the world’s most urgent challenges. Six from Penn elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences Faculty from the School of Arts & Sciences, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Perelman School of Medicine are honored for their efforts to help solve some of the world’s most urgent challenges.
Penn group wins EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge Penn group wins EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge The student-led project will reimagine the campus of West Philadelphia’s Andrew Hamilton School, including vegetable gardens, a food forest, and other green stormwater-management tools.
With impressive accuracy, dogs can sniff out coronavirus With impressive accuracy, dogs can sniff out coronavirus In a proof-of-concept study led by the School of Veterinary Medicine, dogs identified positive samples with 96% accuracy.
From ‘Indiana Jones’ to medieval robots In her work and her teaching, historian of science Elly Truitt challenges assumptions. “The people who lived in the Middle Ages were definitely no less intelligent than we are, and they didn’t think they were living in the middle of anything,” she says. From ‘Indiana Jones’ to medieval robots Historian of science Elly Truitt’s multidisciplinary investigations of the Middle Ages challenge assumptions about the period as a dark time in innovation and prompt a rethink of notions of ‘modern’ science.
Beyond topological insulators Graduate student Xingyue Han works in the lab of Liang Wu on terahertz signals, submillimeter waves not visible to the naked eye, and uses magnetic topological materials to study interactions between matter and light. (Pre-pandemic image) Beyond topological insulators Charlie Kane and Eugene Mele’s groundbreaking theories on the existence of a new class of materials continues to inspire an upcoming generation of physics researchers.
Turning back the clock on a severe vision disorder A mutation in the NPHP5 gene leads to a severe blinding disorder, Leber congenital amaurosis. Dogs with the condition that were treated with a gene therapy regrew normal, functional cone cells, labeled in red, that had previously failed to develop. The treatment led to a recovery of retinal function and vision. (Image: Courtesy of Gustavo Aguirre and William Beltran) Turning back the clock on a severe vision disorder Gene therapy triggered the regrowth of healthy photoreceptor cells and restored vision in dogs with a severe form of Leber congenital amaurosis.
How has COVID-19 prepared scientists and the public for future pandemics? How has COVID-19 prepared scientists and the public for future pandemics? Perry World House and the Penn Center for Research on Coronavirus and Other Emerging Pathogens hosted a virtual discussion on pandemic preparedness and lessons learned this past year.
‘Research at Penn’ showcases University breakthroughs and innovations ‘Research at Penn’ showcases University breakthroughs and innovations Produced by the Provost’s Office, the brochure highlights groundbreaking research from each of Penn’s 12 schools. This year it is online-only.