11/15
Science & Technology
Seeking refuge in the climate emergency
Seeking refuge in the climate emergency
The Perry World House 2020 Global Shifts Colloquium looked at the need to address mass displacement and why climate change poses a national security threat.
Climate Week offers something for ‘every member of the Penn community’
Climate Week offers something for ‘every member of the Penn community’
With participation from schools, centers, and groups across the University and a focus on the interplay of the climate emergency with social justice issues and the global pandemic, Climate Week at Penn will run September 21-25. The week’s dozens of events will help participants learn about the climate crisis—and then act.
Research Recovery Program supports scholars impacted by the pandemic
Research Recovery Program supports scholars impacted by the pandemic
A new funding mechanism offers grants designed to help researchers mitigate unexpected costs and provides opportunities for scholars to delve into new areas of study.
Merging big data and marine biology
Merging big data and marine biology
Junior Ashna Sethi found an opportunity to delve into one of her passions this summer with paleobiologist Lauren Sallan’s lab in the School of Arts & Sciences.
Using PennOpen Pass for the early detection of COVID-19
Using PennOpen Pass for the early detection of COVID-19
The daily symptom tracker is a critical step in ongoing efforts to safely resume academic, research, and clinical activities across campus.
Engineers develop laser-controlled, cell-sized robots
Engineers develop laser-controlled, cell-sized robots
Researchers at Penn Engineering are creating microscopic robots with semiconductor processing that can be controlled, and made to walk, as small as biological cells.
Decision-making and anxiety in the time of COVID-19
Decision-making and anxiety in the time of COVID-19
Penn experts discuss the psychology behind decision-making, how anxiety and stress impacts behavior, and share strategies for deciding how to safely reengage with society.
Penn Engineering and Nursing partner with Hillrom on Internet-of-Things Technology
Penn Engineering and Nursing partner with Hillrom on Internet-of-Things Technology
A collaboration with nursing, engineering, and the medical device provider will develop new technologies to assist clinicians via “safe AI.”
Progress toward a treatment for Krabbe disease
Progress toward a treatment for Krabbe disease
The inherited disease, which typically kills children before their second birthday, has no cure, but a School of Veterinary Medicine study in a canine model offers hope for an effective gene therapy with lasting results.
High school students lead ‘Maskathon’ during remote summer program
High school students lead ‘Maskathon’ during remote summer program
A virtual Maskathon showcased high school students’ problem solving, product development, and creativity with their tech-integrated face masks.
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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