11/15
Science & Technology
Robert W. Carpick Named Director of Penn's Nanotechnology Institute
Robert W. Carpick has been appointed Penn Director of the Nanotechnology Institute. Carpick is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Three University of Pennsylvania Professors Named 2007 AAAS Fellows
PHILADELPHIA - Three faculty members of the University of Pennsylvania have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
“Heftier” Atoms Reduce Friction at the Nanoscale, Study Led By Penn Researcher Reveals
PHILADELPHIA - A research team led by a University of Pennsylvania mechanical engineer has discovered that friction between two sliding bodies can be reduced at the molecular, or nanoscale, level by changing the mass of the atoms at the surface. Heavier atoms vibrate at a lower frequency, reducing energy lost during sliding.
Penn Veterinarian Completes NIH Collaboration in First-Ever Sequencing of Domestic Cat Genome
PHILADELPHIA - A multi-center, National Institutes of Health-funded report that appears in the scientific journal Genome Research details the first assembly, annotation and comparative analysis of the domestic cat genome, Felis catus. A University of Pennsylvania researcher is on the team.
Penn's Autonomous Car "Little Ben" Advances to the Finals of the DARPA Urban Challenge
PHILADELPHIA - "Little Ben," the autonomous vehicle engineered by University of Pennsylvania and Lehigh University faculty and students to drive itself, has advanced to the finals of the 2007 DARPA Urban Challenge.
It's A Small World After All: NanoDay 2007 @ Penn
WHO: Faculty from the Nano/Bio Interface Center of the University of Pennsylvania sponsor a day of nanotechnology education and outreach for the Penn community, as well as regional high schools and neighbors.
Penn Scientists Share $2 Million to Develop Tool to Study Proteins at Work in Living Cells
PHILADELPHIA - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania will share in a three-year grant worth approximately $2 million to develop technology to identify, in real time, proteins at work inside living cells. Partnering with Anima Cell Metrology Inc., the resulting technology will be used in basic science research and in the development of drugs and novel medical treatments.
Penn Researchers Pinpoint the Brain Waves That Distinguish False Memories From Real Ones
PHILADELPHIA - For the first time, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are able to pinpoint brain waves that distinguish true from false memories, providing a better understanding of how memory works and creating a new strategy to help epilepsy patients retain cognitive function.
Penn Science Cafe Presents: The Dark Side of the Moon Mission, With Dr. Ravi Sheth
WHO: Dr. Ravi Sheth, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
Penn Scientists Receive Five-Year, $2.5 Million Grant to Study Climate Change in Mongolia
PHILADELPHIA - A team of ecologists and evolutionary biologists from the University of Pennsylvania has received a five-year, approximately $2.5 million grant to examine the ecological and societal consequences of increased grazing and rising temperatures in the Lake Hvsgl region of northern Mongolia.
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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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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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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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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