Vivek Shenoy: Mathematical Models for the Mechanical Body
While they can seem imperfect on the surface, our bodies are in fact finely tuned machines. Joint surfaces glide effortlessly across one another. Tendons and muscles work together to control our movements, letting us run laps, hold conversations, scarf down cheesesteaks and play piano. This complex collection of biological levers, springs and pulleys is enough […]
Penn Engineers Test Drug Transfer Using Placenta-on-a-Chip
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science have demonstrated the feasibility of their “organ-on-a-chip” platform in studying how drugs are transported across the human placental barrier.
GRASP’s VIO-Swarm Flies on its Own
GRASP researchers Giuseppe Loianno, Aaron Weinstein and Adam Cho invited Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Tom Avril and photographer Tim Tai to check out their latest quadrotors. Dubbed VIO-Swarm, these flying robots use stereoscopic vision instead of GPS or external cameras to figure out where they are and where they’re going, opening up the possibility of using […]
Raymond Gorte Elected to National Academy Of Engineering
Raymond Gorte, Russell Pearce and Elizabeth Crimian Heuer Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) “for fundamental contributions and their applications to heterogeneous catalysts and solid state electrochemical devices.” Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded an engineer. Academy […]
Penn Engineers Receive $6.1 Million Grant from Office of Naval Research to Reduce Software Complexity
The larger a fortress, the more spots there are for attackers to sneak in. One might think of software in a similar way: making software more complicated can also make it more vulnerable. “The trend of increasing software complexity has no end in sight,” says Mayur Naik, Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science (CIS). […]
Inventing the Interconnected Future
Anesthesiologists carefully monitor an infant during surgery to assure she receives a steady flow of oxygen. Yet should anything go awry, by the time the pulse oximeter on her finger indicates a falling oxygen level, she may already be in danger. To develop a more protective earlier warning system, engineers with Penn Research in Embedded […]
How the Brain’s Control Over Itself Emerges
Danielle Bassett, Eduardo D. Glandt Faculty Fellow and Associate Professor in the departments of Bioengineering and Electrical and Systems Engineering recently worked with colleagues in the departments of psychiatry and physics, bioengineering postdoctoral student Evelyn Tang, bioengineering graduate student Ari Kahn, and Bassett lab alumni Chad Giusti and Shi Gu on a study that looks […]
Combatting ‘Fairness Gerrymandering’ with Socially Conscious Algorithms
Decision-making algorithms help determine who gets into college, is approved for a mortgage, and anticipate who is most likely to commit another crime after being released from jail. These algorithms are made by programs that ingest massive databases and are instructed to find the factors that best predict the desired outcome.
Shu Yang Named 2018 American Chemical Society Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Fellow
The American Chemical Society Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) has selected a new class of PMSE Fellows for 2018. The following distinguished PMSE members have been chosen:
Nanoscale Drug Delivery for Hard-to-heal Tissues
Jason Burdick, professor in the Department of Bioengineering, recently published a study with colleagues in the Perelman School of Medicine, the VA Medical Center, bioengineering graduate student Feini Qu, and Burdick lab alumna Julianne Holloway on a new method of repairing damaged tissue in the meniscus. Burdick’s research group develops and tests polymeric materials for […]