Through
11/26
Science & Technology
Epidemiological Study by Penn Vet Professor Investigates Parasite-Schizophrenia Connection
Many factors, both genetic and environmental, have been blamed for increasing the risk of a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Some, such as a family history of schizophrenia, are widely accepted. Others, such as infection with Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite transmitted by soil, undercooked meat and cat feces, are still viewed with skepticism.
Penn and Berkeley Researchers Find Path to New Kinds of Computers With Faster-switching Ferroelectrics
Ferroelectric materials, commonly used in transit cards, gas grill igniters, video game memory and more, could become strong candidates for use in next-generation computers, thanks to new research led by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Penn’s ELISS Fellows to Host Two Discussions on Public Health
WHO: Ben Chrisinger, city and regional planning, School of DesignJohannes Eichstaedt, psychology, School of Arts & SciencesRuth Masterson Creber, nursing science, School of Nursing
Penn’s Celebration of Innovation Features Silfen Forum With Amy Gutmann and Walter Isaacson
University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann and David L. Cohen, chair of Penn’s Board of Trustees, invite Penn students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees and friends, as well as the region’s business and tech community, to a series of events from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct.
Penn Physicist Alison Sweeney Receives 2014 Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation announced Wednesday that Alison Sweeney, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania, will receive a 2014 Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering.
NanoDay@Penn Hands Out Research and Image Awards
By Madeleine Stone On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the University of Pennsylvania’s Nano/Bio Interface Center hosted its annual NanoDay@Penn, a public education and outreach event that featured a series of talks, demonstrations and exhibits concerning nanotechnology, a rapidly expanding scientific discipline that involves the manipulation of matter on the atomic and molecular scale.
Want to Change the World? Penn Has a Prize for That
The big banner on the ARCH on Locust Walk and the emails from President Gutmann to the senior class have gotten the message out: The search for entries in the inaugural President’s Engagement Prize competition is underway.
Penn Launches Climate Action Plan 2.0
Five years after releasing its original Climate Action Plan, the University of Pennsylvania today announced the launch of Climate Action Plan 2.0, a roadmap for environmental improvement and sustainability on campus to 2019 and beyond.
Penn Researchers Untangle the Biological Effects of Blue Light
Blue light can both set the mood and set in motion important biological responses.
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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