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Science & Technology
Penn Global Seminar provides students with mind-opening experiences
During spring break, 15 students from the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Wharton School, Management and Technology program, and School of Arts and Sciences traveled to Beijing and Shanghai to learn more about engineering and technology innovations in China.
Two Penn professors named Guggenheim Fellows
The School of Arts and Sciences’ Charles Yang and Charles L. Bosk, also of the Perelman School of Medicine, have been named Guggenheim Fellows.
Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand visits Penn, with scientific partnerships in mind
The princess met with President Amy Gutmann and leaders of Penn’s health schools on Thursday, April 5, to discuss future collaboration aimed at advancing health and science.
When ancient technology and high-tech robots intersect
In one Penn lab, a stone-sculpting machine is helping archaeologists solve long-held mysteries of very old tools.
Risk tolerance linked to amygdala and prefrontal cortex brain regions
New research links willingness to take risks to brain structure and function, specifically the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and connections between the two.
Researchers show that cells’ perception of stiffness is a matter of time
The relative stiffness of a cell’s environment is known to have a large effect on that cell’s behavior, including how well the cell can stick or move. Now, a new study by University of Pennsylvania researchers demonstrates the role timing plays in how cells perceive this stiffness.
Two Penn undergraduates receive coveted Goldwater Scholarships
Two juniors at the University of Pennsylvania have been selected as Goldwater Scholars, awarded to undergraduates pursuing research careers in the natural sciences, math, or engineering.
Topological phenomenon could light the path toward faster optical communications
A new study led by University of Pennsylvania physicist Bo Zhen investigated topological phenomena in open, or non-Hermitian, physical systems which could potentially lead to faster connection speeds in optical communications.
Energy podcast brings esoteric, provocative topics down to earth
A little more than a year into its podcast series, the Kleinman Center has hit its stride, bringing interesting and intriguing energy-related topics to a broad audience. Now, the key is to keep the momentum going.
By river, ocean, or wind, rocks round the same way
Observations from Puerto Rican river rocks, New Mexican sand grains, Italian ocean pebbles, and the lab lent Douglas Jerolmack and his team insight into a general geophysical process.
In the News
“PBS NewsHour”
An 11-year-old changed election results on a replica Florida state website in under 10 minutes
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Matt Blaze discussed a hacking experiment, saying it was “not surprising that these precocious, bright kids would be able to do it because the websites that are on the internet are vulnerable…. What was interesting is just how utterly quickly they were able to do it.”
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Wired.co.uk
Why people can't resist the viral lure of the Kiki Challenge
Damon Centola of the Annenberg School for Communication explained the phenomenon of dangerous viral challenges: “Slightly dangerous or slightly risky challenges may have the best combination of high-enough riskiness to make it easy to create emotional excitement about participating, but low-enough risk that they can spread with only moderate levels of social reinforcement.”
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Reuters
Viral content-vaccine scandal test Beijing’s grip on information control
The Annenberg School for Communication’s Kecheng Fang discussed the Chinese government’s failed attempts to suppress discourse about current events on WeChat, a popular messaging platform. “This is a guerrilla war. The government cannot tackle it just like it does traditional media,” said Fang.
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The New York Times
Worker ants: You could have been queens
The Perelman School’s Roberto Bonasio discussed the difficulties of studying insulin signaling in ants. The relevant genes, said Bonasio, are involved in numerous bodily functions, making it tough to isolate their role in differentiating queens from workers.
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The Washington Post
Testosterone boost feeds U.S. men’s hunger for luxury products, study indicates
Researchers at the Wharton School found that men who were given doses of testosterone expressed more interest in high-status goods. However, the study authors also noted that “status signals are not universal” and that results may vary between cultures.
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Technical.ly Philly
The Drone From This Penn Spinout Can Fly Inside Mines Without Maps or GPS
Exyn Technologies will be sending out a drone to explore a Latin American mine using only its own onboard sensors. The startup, which originated in Penn’s GRASP lab, was cofounded by Dean Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn Makes Third Big Biotech Bet, Helping to Raise $53M for Carisma
Cancer-fighting biotech company Carisma Therapeutics Inc. is the latest addition to Penn’s recently-announced investment plan. Roy Rosin, CIO at Penn Medicine, said, “Penn’s commitment is pretty exciting for this region.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Penn Invests $50 million in Biotech in a Bold Bid to Build Philly’s Innovation Cluster
Kevin B. Mahoney of the Perelman School of Medicine and UPHS confirmed Penn’s plans to invest in biotech companies, with long-range goals “to create jobs, synergy and an innovation cluster around Penn technology and spin outs.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Philly’s First Maker Faire: A Summer Carnival of Innovation
The School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Dean Vijay Kumar, Dan Koditschek, and Mark Yim were participants in Sunday’s Maker Faire, hosted at Pennovation.
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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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