Science & Technology

Discovering new ways to control light

Researchers found a magnetic property in a class of materials that enables light manipulation on the nanoscale, with implications for applications such as information storage and energy harvesting.

From Penn Engineering Today

Talking energy at Penn

Energy Week 2022, hosted by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology, runs April 4-8. It includes student presentations, along with conversations about renewables, energy and the war in Ukraine, and much more.

Michele W. Berger , Lindsey Samahon

Five Penn students are 2022 Goldwater Scholars

Five juniors have received 2022 Goldwater Scholarships to pursue research careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. Penn's newest Goldwater Scholars are Joshua Chen, Allison Chou, Shriya Karam, Laila Barakat Norford, and Andrew Sontag.

Louisa Shepard

A new class of materials for nanoscale patterning

Recent research demonstrates how a new class of polymers can produce small, precise patterns on the nanometer scale, with future implications for large-scale computer chip fabrication.

Evan Lerner

Correcting night blindness in dogs

Researchers in the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues have developed a gene therapy that restores dim-light vision in dogs with a congenital form of night blindness, offering hope for treating a similar condition in people.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Decoding a material’s ‘memory’

A new study details the relationship between particle structure and flow in disordered materials, insights that can be used to understand systems ranging from mudslides to biofilms.

Erica K. Brockmeier



In the News


The Guardian

Corporations using ‘ineffectual’ carbon offsets are slowing path to ‘real zero’, more than 60 climate scientists say

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences signed a pledge asserting that corporate carbon offsets are ineffectual and hinder the energy transition.

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Bloomberg

More companies ditch junk carbon offsets but new buyers loom

Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says that there needs to be broader accountability for false statements in voluntary carbon markets.

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The Conversation

Many wealthy members of Congress are descendants of rich slaveholders — new study demonstrates the enduring legacy of slavery

A co-authored study by Ph.D. student Neil Sehgal of the School of Engineering and Applied Science found that legislators who are descendants of slaveholders are significantly wealthier than members of Congress without slaveholder ancestry.

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Salon.com

Climate change despair has never been higher — but experts say hope is still possible

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that the obstacles to avert critical planet warming are entirely political, rather than physical or technological.

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KYW Newsradio (Philadelphia)

Crumbling America: The infrastructure crossroads

Howard Neukrug of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses where America’s water infrastructure needs to be shored up and what improvements can be made to aging pipes and unreliable delivery mechanisms.

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New Republic

Who’s going to tell Harris the truth about carbon markets?

Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design says there’s no guarantee that trees planted to offset carbon emissions will stay standing indefinitely.

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The Wall Street Journal

Gavin Newsom raises gas prices again

Danny Cullenward of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy at the Weitzman School of Design estimates that California gas prices could climb 65 cents a gallon in the near term and by nearly $1.50 by 2035.

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Inside Climate News

Hurricane threat poised to keep rising, experts warn

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that every Celsius degree of warming increases maximum winds in the strongest storm by about 12%, equating to a 40% increase in wind damage.

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MSNBC

Climate expert on Hurricane Milton’s rapid intensification as ‘extreme weather becomes more extreme’

Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Hurricane Milton's rapid intensification is part of a trend fueled by climate change.

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The Wall Street Journal

Why robots are getting less work at U.S. factories

Researchers at Penn are developing microrobots that can clean teeth and high-tech dental implants to fight off bacteria through red light therapy.

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