11/15
Science & Technology
Novel ‘tunneling’ design for energy-efficient chips
Novel ‘tunneling’ design for energy-efficient chips
Experts have been experimenting with field-effect transistor technology (FET) for decades, but have been hindered by insurmountable tradeoffs in power and performance. Penn engineers have redesigned FETs with energy efficiency in mind.
Where does charcoal come from—and is it sustainable?
Where does charcoal come from—and is it sustainable?
Charcoal energizes everything from backyard barbecues to industrial metallurgy, but its environmental impact is worse than once thought. Research from the School of Arts & Sciences finds that policy changes could make charcoal more sustainable.
Unpacking barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in Latino communities
Unpacking barriers to COVID-19 vaccination in Latino communities
A study from Penn Nursing and others finds that for Latino or Hispanic populations in the U.S. four main barriers come into play: access to health care services, money, immigration concerns, and misinformation.
Through public art, the U.N. sustainability goals come to life
Through public art, the U.N. sustainability goals come to life
In FDR Park, a 10x10-foot mural sponsored by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and painted by Penn grad student Eliza Nobles represents the global target of clean energy for all.
Hands-on medical simulation, simplified
Hands-on medical simulation, simplified
Elizabeth Sanseau of CHOP and Annenberg’s Kyle Cassidy discuss Annenberg Hotkeys, a medical simulator developed during the pandemic to remotely prepare health care providers for emergency situations.
Want a good read? Check out these award-winning stories
Want a good read? Check out these award-winning stories
From the opening of the Penn Medicine Pavilion to the intricacies of broadband expansion—read some recent Penn Today stories that won district awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
New discoveries in kagome metals
New discoveries in kagome metals
A collaborative study reveals insights into the properties of a recently discovered family of superconductors, with implications for future applications in quantum computing and other technologies.
What our twice-a-year shifts to the clock do to the body
What our twice-a-year shifts to the clock do to the body
Disruptions to sleep patterns and the body's circadian rhythms are a toll of the twice-a-year shifts between Daylight Saving Time and standard time, says sleep expert Philip Gehrman.
Algorithm for 2D-to-3D engineering integrates art, nature, and science
Algorithm for 2D-to-3D engineering integrates art, nature, and science
Penn Engineering’s Shu Yang and researchers have developed a universal algorithm that allows 2D materials to remain lightweight and durable when converted to 3D structures.
Physics of disaster: How mudslides move
Physics of disaster: How mudslides move
Researchers led by Douglas Jerolmack and Paulo Arratia used samples from the deadly 2018 Montecito mudslides to understand the complex forces at work in these disasters.
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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