7.30
Science & Technology
Researchers reach new heights with light-based levitation
Researchers reach new heights with light-based levitation
Penn researchers are working to engineer nanoscale features on ultra-lightweight materials, finding the ideal combination that will allow those materials to lift themselves into the air using the energy provided by light.
Niko Simpkins: At the nexus of engineering and music
Niko Simpkins: At the nexus of engineering and music
For Niko Simpkins, a musician who performs, produces, and engineers his own tracks, the most exciting processes combine structure and flexibility, creativity, and rigor. As a third-year student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, he sees his mechanical engineering education as a framework for problem solving that might serve him across a broad set of endeavors, and for now, he’s more interested in learning than narrowing to any one particular career path.
Five Penn faculty named 2021 Sloan Research Fellows
Five Penn faculty named 2021 Sloan Research Fellows
The fellowship recognizes extraordinary U.S. and Canadian researchers whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make them stand out as the next generation of scientific leaders.
New bioprinting technique allows for complex microtissues
New bioprinting technique allows for complex microtissues
Researchers at the School of Engineering and Applied Science have demonstrated a new bioprinting technique that enables the bioprinting of spatially complex, high-cell-density tissues.
The world’s first general purpose computer turns 75
The world’s first general purpose computer turns 75
The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC), built at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering, sparked the “birth of the computer age” thanks to a team of women programmers.
From animals to people and back again
From animals to people and back again
Penn researchers are studying the propensity of SARS-CoV-2 to cross between species, and they are working to protect people, pets, and wildlife from COVID-19 infection.
GRASP Lab’s coolest robot yet
GRASP Lab’s coolest robot yet
The Lab’s latest GRASP Lab’s latest modular robotic system is a series of units made out of blocks of ice. These robots could be deployed to research in the Antarctic, or even an extraterrestrial planet.
An ‘electronic nose’ to sniff out COVID-19
An ‘electronic nose’ to sniff out COVID-19
Through a newly funded grant, researchers across the University are developing a device that can rapidly detect COVID-19 based on the disease’s unique odor profile.
A call for a global ban on lead paint
A call for a global ban on lead paint
In a paper for the United Nations Environment Programme, researchers from the School of Arts & Sciences and the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues make a case for ceasing production and use of lead paint worldwide.
Penn Dental, Penn Engineering unite to form Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry
Penn Dental, Penn Engineering unite to form Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry
The new Center will bring the two schools together to accelerate the development of new solutions and devices to address unmet needs in oral health.
In the News
Psychology Today
Hyenas inherit their moms’ social connections
Erol Akçay of the School of Arts & Sciences and former postdoc Amiyaal Ilany discussed their research on hyena’s social networks. “We show that a simple process—social inheritance—is important to understanding network structure and dynamics,” said Akçay.
FULL STORY →
NPR
More retailers are using AI. What does this mean for privacy?
Joseph Turow of the Annenberg School for Communication weighed in on how machine learning and automation are shaping the job market and consumer privacy.
FULL STORY →
WESA Radio (Pittsburgh)
More than 1,000 cases of mysterious bird disease reported in Pennsylvania
Scott Weber of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Penn’s Wildlife Futures Program said wildlife veterinarians are concerned about the numerous reports of sick or dead songbirds in the Mid-Atlantic region. “It does seem to be spreading through the U.S. pretty quickly, and spreading to a fairly wide geographical area,” he said.
FULL STORY →
NPR
A mysterious illness is killing Mid-Atlantic songbirds
Lisa Murphy of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about the Wildlife Futures Program’s research on the illness killing songbirds in the Mid-Atlantic region. "I think what's especially challenging about this is that it's not localized ... to one specific geographic area [and] it's not localized to one particular bird species,” she said.
FULL STORY →
U.S. News & World Report
‘Transmitted down the leash:’ Anxious owners, anxious dogs
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about the reciprocal relationship between pets’ and their owners’ feelings. “You can think of many contexts in which having an animal that can anticipate your thoughts is wonderful, in terms of training or performing tasks for people,” he said. “But in the context of an owner who's experiencing a lot of anxiety, you can see the disadvantage.”
FULL STORY →
The New York Times
The hills are alive with the flows of physics
In the lab of Douglas Jerolmack, researchers led by doctoral candidate Nakul Deshpande of the School of Arts & Sciences explored how landscapes gradually move over time.
FULL STORY →
MIT Technology Review
These creepy fake humans herald a new age in AI
Aaron Roth of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke about synthetic data and privacy concerns. “Just because the data is ‘synthetic’ and does not directly correspond to real user data does not mean that it does not encode sensitive information about real people,” he said.
FULL STORY →
6ABC.com
Cyberattack temporarily shuts down JBS meat processing plants, including one in Montgomery County
Gary Althouse of the School of Veterinary Medicine commented on a ransomware attack that targeted one of the largest suppliers of beef, pork, and chicken in the U.S. “With food production, computerized systems are used in most aspects of it. We need to identify where these vulnerabilities are," he said.
FULL STORY →
Philadelphia Inquirer
These Penn scientists discovered how the brain engages in imagination
Joseph Kable of the School of Arts & Sciences and alumni Arthur Lee and Trishala Parthasarathi used MRI brain scans to study the neuroscience of imagination.
FULL STORY →
Scientific American
A better way to cool ourselves
Dorit Aviv of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and international collaborators wrote an opinion piece about their work developing a healthier and more sustainable alternative to air conditioning.
FULL STORY →