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Science & Technology
Engineers pave way for chip components that could serve as both RAM and ROM
Engineers pave way for chip components that could serve as both RAM and ROM
The hurdle for making individual chip component devices has always been in manufacturing high-temperature ferroelectric materials. Now a team of researchers at the School of Engineering and Applied Science has shown a potential way around this problem.
2021 cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows for Academic Diversity named
2021 cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows for Academic Diversity named
The competitive program, managed by Office of the Vice Provost for Research, is designed to support early career researchers and scholars while enriching the Penn community.
A blueprint for designing and synthesizing new, multifunctional materials
A blueprint for designing and synthesizing new, multifunctional materials
By combining theory, computational simulations, chemical synthesis, and assembly, researchers demonstrate how an “inverse design” strategy can create unique materials using difficult-to-mix nanocrystals.
How HIV infection shrinks the brain’s white matter
How HIV infection shrinks the brain’s white matter
Researchers from Penn and CHOP detail the mechanism by which HIV infection blocks the maturation process of brain cells that produce myelin, a fatty substance that insulates neurons.
Climate change-resistant corals could provide lifeline to battered reefs
Climate change-resistant corals could provide lifeline to battered reefs
Corals that withstood a severe bleaching event and were transplanted to a different reef maintained their resilient qualities, according to a new study led by Katie Barott of the School of Arts & Sciences.
Vaccines, variants, and the evolving lexicon of COVID-19
Penn Today shares the third update to the pandemic glossary, providing insights into the jargon becoming an everyday part of conversations and news headlines about the ongoing public health crisis.
Black in Marine Science is building a community
Black in Marine Science is building a community
Postdoc Camille Gaynus of the School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues formed a nonprofit dedicated to lifting up Black voices in marine science and inspiring a new generation to follow their curiosity about the ocean.
Reconsiderations of past, present, and future in a new environmental humanities book
Reconsiderations of past, present, and future in a new environmental humanities book
Featuring contributions from scholars representing a range of disciplines, ‘Timescales: Thinking Across Ecological Temporalities,’ is an outgrowth of the Penn Program for Environmental Humanities.
Vijay Kumar reappointed dean of Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science
Vijay Kumar reappointed dean of Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science
Kumar, the Nemirovsky Family Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, will serve as dean through June 30, 2027.
Newly described horned dinosaur from New Mexico was the earliest of its kind
Newly described horned dinosaur from New Mexico was the earliest of its kind
With a frilled head and beaked face, Menefeeceratops sealeyi lived 82 million years ago, predating its relative, Triceratops. Researchers including Peter Dodson, of the School of Veterinary Medicine, and Steven Jasinski, who recently earned his doctorate from the School of Arts & Sciences, describe the find.
In the News
NPR
More retailers are using AI. What does this mean for privacy?
Joseph Turow of the Annenberg School for Communication weighed in on how machine learning and automation are shaping the job market and consumer privacy.
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Psychology Today
Hyenas inherit their moms’ social connections
Erol Akçay of the School of Arts & Sciences and former postdoc Amiyaal Ilany discussed their research on hyena’s social networks. “We show that a simple process—social inheritance—is important to understanding network structure and dynamics,” said Akçay.
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WESA Radio (Pittsburgh)
More than 1,000 cases of mysterious bird disease reported in Pennsylvania
Scott Weber of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Penn’s Wildlife Futures Program said wildlife veterinarians are concerned about the numerous reports of sick or dead songbirds in the Mid-Atlantic region. “It does seem to be spreading through the U.S. pretty quickly, and spreading to a fairly wide geographical area,” he said.
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NPR
A mysterious illness is killing Mid-Atlantic songbirds
Lisa Murphy of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about the Wildlife Futures Program’s research on the illness killing songbirds in the Mid-Atlantic region. "I think what's especially challenging about this is that it's not localized ... to one specific geographic area [and] it's not localized to one particular bird species,” she said.
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U.S. News & World Report
‘Transmitted down the leash:’ Anxious owners, anxious dogs
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about the reciprocal relationship between pets’ and their owners’ feelings. “You can think of many contexts in which having an animal that can anticipate your thoughts is wonderful, in terms of training or performing tasks for people,” he said. “But in the context of an owner who's experiencing a lot of anxiety, you can see the disadvantage.”
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The New York Times
The hills are alive with the flows of physics
In the lab of Douglas Jerolmack, researchers led by doctoral candidate Nakul Deshpande of the School of Arts & Sciences explored how landscapes gradually move over time.
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MIT Technology Review
These creepy fake humans herald a new age in AI
Aaron Roth of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke about synthetic data and privacy concerns. “Just because the data is ‘synthetic’ and does not directly correspond to real user data does not mean that it does not encode sensitive information about real people,” he said.
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6ABC.com
Cyberattack temporarily shuts down JBS meat processing plants, including one in Montgomery County
Gary Althouse of the School of Veterinary Medicine commented on a ransomware attack that targeted one of the largest suppliers of beef, pork, and chicken in the U.S. “With food production, computerized systems are used in most aspects of it. We need to identify where these vulnerabilities are," he said.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
These Penn scientists discovered how the brain engages in imagination
Joseph Kable of the School of Arts & Sciences and alumni Arthur Lee and Trishala Parthasarathi used MRI brain scans to study the neuroscience of imagination.
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Scientific American
A better way to cool ourselves
Dorit Aviv of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and international collaborators wrote an opinion piece about their work developing a healthier and more sustainable alternative to air conditioning.
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