6.19
Science & Technology
Bacteria boost antifungal drug resistance in severe childhood tooth decay
Some young children experience severe tooth decay that resist normal therapies. New research led by Dongyeop Kim and Hyun (Michel) Koo of the School of Dental Medicine shows how plaque’s protective matrix can shield fungal cells from the drugs intended to kill them.
Putting data to work to solve pressing health issues
The first-ever Research Day at the Smilow Center for Translational Research showed how the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics links clinical epidemiology and biostatistics within the Perelman School of Medicine, Penn Health System, and Penn community.
How working dogs are sniffing out cancer
A Center for Public Health Initiatives seminar showcased the collaborative research at Penn and the Monell Chemical Senses Center that is working to detect early stage ovarian cancer.
New telemedicine app connects veterinarians and pet owners with behavioral expertise
A new telemedicine web-based app aims to expand access to expert advice on how to manage their pets’ behavior.
Tackling blindness with nanotechnology
To tackle blindness caused by open angle glaucoma, Brandon Kao, Rui Jing Jiang, and Adarsh Battu came up with Visiplate, a nanoscale ocular implant that shunts away excess fluid.
Restored Robbins House celebrates collaborative M&T spirit
The 200 or so students in the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology didn’t just need a workspace, they needed a home. And with the newly renovated Robbins House, they got one.
Three Penn faculty elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Three faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the Class of 2018 of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
48 years ago: PennDesign Dean Frederick Steiner on Earth Day
The dean of the School of Design discusses his inspiration for the original environmental awareness event, and its surprising endurance.
The Morris Arboretum was partly funded by beer, says brewery historian
A brewery historian will speak at the Arboretum on April 19 about the Morris family’s status as Philadelphia’s second—and arguably most significant—brewing clan.
Science steps out of the lab and into Philly’s parks and neighborhoods
Penn researchers and students help get people enthused about STEM fields at the 2018 Philadelphia Science Festival.
In the News
Nature
Microsoft’s Purchase of GitHub Leaves Some Scientists Uneasy
Post-doc Daniel Himmelstein of the Perelman School of Medicine discussed problematic elements of GitHub’s model. “Regardless of the Microsoft acquisition, GitHub, as a centralized and closed company, possesses a dangerous level of control over the open-source ecosystem,” said Himmelstein.
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The Washington Post
The Cybersecurity 202: We Surveyed 100 Experts. A Majority Rejected the FBI's Push for Encryption Back Doors
Matt Blaze of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke out against the FBI’s call to weaken encryption. “Strong encryption is absolutely critical for keeping our data safe from criminals. This is especially important for mobile devices such as cellphones, which are easily lost or stolen,” said Blaze.
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The Guardian
Tesla Fatal Crash: 'Autopilot' Mode Sped Up Car Before Driver Killed, Report Finds
The School of Design’s Erick Guerra said a Tesla crash was “clearly a technology failure.” Commenting on Tesla’s autopilot feature, Guerra said that “the technology is just not up to doing as much as people hope it can do.”
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Reuters
RPT-INSIGHT-Software and Stealth: How Carmakers Hike Spare Parts Prices
Aaron Roth of the School of Engineering and Applied Science discussed the continued use of software to establish the highest prices consumers are willing to pay, a common practice in retail and manufacturing.
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The Bees of Bandelier, Snail Memories, and the State of Science
Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center was interviewed for a podcast about media coverage of the “so-called crisis in science.” (Audio)
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The New York Times
G.D.P.R., a New Privacy Law, Makes Europe World’s Leading Tech Watchdog
Michael Kearns of the School of Engineering and Applied Science weighed in on the E.U.’s advancements in cybersecurity and consumer privacy.
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Foreign Affairs
Keep CRISPR Safe
President Amy Gutmann and PIK Professor Jonathan Moreno of the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences co-authored an article emphasizing the importance of letting “global scientific and biological ethics communities” lead the charge in facilitating the implementation of gene-editing technology.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn's Electric Race Car Team Seeks Fourth Title in Four Years
Eighty undergrads from a variety of departments, including Connor Sendel of the Wharton School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, are building an electric car with four-wheel drive with hopes of winning two competitions this June.
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Gizmodo
Astronaut Scott Kelly's DNA Did Not 'Change in Space' the Way You Think
The Perelman School of Medicine’s Mathias Basner joined the chorus of sleep experts dismissing initial reports that 7 percent of astronaut and identical twin Scott Kelly’s DNA “changed” while in space.
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The Verge
Crypto.com Is Not for Sale
After purchasing the domain name crypto.com in 1993, Matt Blaze of the School of Engineering and Applied Science has had to repeatedly fend off attempts by cryptocurrency enthusiasts to purchase the website for upwards of seven figures. Blaze has refused to sell, warning against the use of cryptocurrency as “investment vehicles.”
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