11/15
Science & Technology
Preparing the next generation of engineers to solve the world’s energy and sustainability problems
Preparing the next generation of engineers to solve the world’s energy and sustainability problems
Lorena Grundy is Penn Engineering’s new practice assistant professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering.
Pioneering efficient traffic control and sustainable energy solutions
Pioneering efficient traffic control and sustainable energy solutions
Nandan Tumu, a doctoral student in Electrical and Systems Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, is developing algorithms to improve traffic management for a more sustainable world.
Novel coupled nanopore platform offers greater precision for detecting molecules
Novel coupled nanopore platform offers greater precision for detecting molecules
An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Penn have created the first ever reusable coupled nanopore platform for detecting and guiding molecules, findings could pave the way for much improved DNA sequencing and molecule identification.
Boosting the frequency of sound waves to make the next generation of wireless devices
Boosting the frequency of sound waves to make the next generation of wireless devices
Vincent Kerler, a second-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences, spent the summer running simulations as part of Charlie Johnson’s research on topological insulators.
Understanding the cellular mechanisms driving solid tumors’ robust defense system
Understanding the cellular mechanisms driving solid tumors’ robust defense system
Researchers from Penn have identified a “forcefield-like” defense system in solid tumors and the genetic elements that can switch it off.
The mechanics of collaboration
The mechanics of collaboration
Penn Ph.D. student Xinlan Emily Hu leads a group of budding engineers and social scientists who study communication across teams. The group has developed a new toolkit aimed at helping researchers analyze and measure teamwork.
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will investigate the history of galaxies
NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will investigate the history of galaxies
Robyn Sanderson and collaborators are unearthing the history of the universe’s formation by looking for clues that reveal its “galactic fossil record.”
Uncovering new antibiotics inside the human gut
Uncovering new antibiotics inside the human gut
Researchers from Penn Engineering, led by César de la Fuente, have leveraged AI to discover dozens of potential new antibiotics in the human gut microbiome.
Three from Penn elected to the American Philosophical Society
Three from Penn elected to the American Philosophical Society
Dawn Bonnell, Katalin Karikó, and Drew Weissman have been recognized for extraordinary achievements in their fields.
A mission to supercharge scientific research
A mission to supercharge scientific research
Jacob Gardner, an assistant professor in computer and information science, wants to leverage AI to accelerate scientific research across disciplines.
In the News
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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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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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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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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The Independent
Climate scientists fear Trump will destroy progress in his second term – and the outcome could be ‘grim’
Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that a second Trump term and the implementation of Project 2025 represents the end of climate action in this decade.
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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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