11/15
Science & Technology
Pushing the limits of scientific discovery with machine learning
Pushing the limits of scientific discovery with machine learning
Penn Engineering’s Nat Trask is combining applied mathematics and traditional physics modeling with the powers of machine learning to design some of his first machine-learning-powered, self-driving labs at Penn.
What’s That? The Rittenhouse Orrery
What’s That? The Rittenhouse Orrery
The Rittenhouse Orrery is a nearly intact 18th-century mechanical model of the solar system, demonstrating the motions of the planets and their satellites around the sun, built by astronomer David Rittenhouse.
Embracing the power of deep learning in safety-critical systems
Embracing the power of deep learning in safety-critical systems
Pengyuan Eric Lu, a Ph.D. candidate at the Penn Research in Embedded Computing and Integrated Systems Engineering Center, focuses his research on enhancing the reliability and safety of cyber-physical systems, in which “smart” technology interacts with the physical world.
Racing to the future
Racing to the future
Rahul Mangharam’s scaled-down, self-driving race cars are revamping engineering education at Penn.
Building solutions for brain disorders
Building solutions for brain disorders
Penn Engineering’s Flavia Vitale’s work developing devices that help people living with brain disorders has earned her a CAREER award, which will support her lab’s research in materials and devices that interface with different chemical and electrical signals inside the brain.
Sound research as a lens to understanding the world
Sound research as a lens to understanding the world
Researchers across Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences are turning to sound for new answers to questions on subjects from birdsong to the benefits of music exposure.
Shedding light on cellular metabolism to fight disease
Shedding light on cellular metabolism to fight disease
In Yihui Shen’s lab, the assistant professor of innovation in bioengineering, aims to advance the understanding of metabolism and open doors to new cancer treatments and therapies.
Does heat travel differently in tight spaces?
Does heat travel differently in tight spaces?
New research led by Penn scientists offers insights into fundamental problems in fluid mechanics, findings that pave the way for more efficient heat transfer in myriad systems.
Understanding how a red seaweed reduces methane emissions from cows
Understanding how a red seaweed reduces methane emissions from cows
New research from the School of Veterinary Medicine has implications for addressing a leading contributor to climate warming.
Four academic journeys explored
Four academic journeys explored
Vijay Balasubramanian and Tukufu Zuberi in the School of Arts & Sciences, Amy Hillier in the School of Social Policy & Practice, and Brittany Watson in the School of Veterinary Medicine share their academic paths toward interdisciplinary work.
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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