Mayur Naik: Building Better Software
In many industries and academic fields, more people are finding it helpful to know some basic programming, but not all of them want to get full degrees in computer science. Meanwhile, as modern software ecosystems grow more and more complex, even those who do spend their undergraduate years studying computer science cannot learn everything. As […]
Penn Engineers Present New ‘Eye-on-a-Chip’
At the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dan Huh and colleagues presented their research on a new ‘eye-on-a-chip,’ an artificial organ composed of living cells and a blinking, hydrogel eyelid. Researchers could potentially use the eye as a model to study conditions such as dry eye disease, and to […]
Looking for Patterns in the Folded Genome
Jennifer Phillips-Cremins and colleagues recently collaborated on a new technique, published in Nature Methods, of searching for folding patterns in the human genome. A profile of Phillips-Cremins, published in the same journal, explores the path of interests that led her to this type of research.
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 […]