Congratulations to Xue “Sherry” Gao on her lab’s renewal of the NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA). The $2M+ grant provides five more years to advance genome engineering and explore fungal natural products as a source of new small-molecule therapeutics. #GenomeEngineering
Penn Aerial Robotics revealed three fully integrated aircraft for SAE Aero Design West and flight-tested them in NJ. From a 10-ft cargo UAV to a blown-lift micro design and a fully autonomous VTOL tailsitter, the team is pushing the limits of electric aviation and precision payload delivery.
Shujie Yang is using ultrasound to develop programmable acoustic tweezers that manipulate cells without contact. His work at Penn Engineering explores sound-based microrobots with potential for diagnostics, immunology and future cancer therapies. https://bit.ly/3MRMkbY
“You need to be able to understand other people's ideas and perspectives to bring out the best, most ingenious solutions,” says Tsu-Jae King Liu, President of the National Academy of Engineering. Episode 9 of "Innovation & Impact" is live. https://bit.ly/3OyMgOJ
Congratulations to CarboWells, winners of the 2026 Y-Prize Competition! The team proposed using 3D-printed concrete developed by the Yang Lab to plug millions of leaking oil wells across the U.S., helping capture carbon in the process. They’ll receive $15,000 to advance their research.
As part of its spotlight on Pennsylvania “firsts,” 6abc highlights ENIAC, the world’s first electronic computer, born at Penn. Shown by Penn Engineering’s Paul Shaffer. This Sunday marks ENIAC’s 80th anniversary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qb2afLoljf8
Penn researchers found that raindrops on dry sand form rolling “sandballs” that can increase erosion up to 10x. These self-organize into “peanut” and “donut” shapes. The findings refine models of landscape change and soil loss. https://bit.ly/3LVcOcd
Penn Engineering launches the Michael and Jennifer Ternoey Glassman Penn Scholars Program (GPS), a new pre-college STEM initiative for rising high school seniors in the School District of Philadelphia, offering mentorship, hands-on learning and college prep.
https://bit.ly/3ZU11hi
Sarah Rottenberg applied human-centered design to support three Penn Forward working groups shaping ideas for Penn’s next decade. As executive director of the Integrated Product Design program, she helped bring design thinking into strategic university planning.
https://bit.ly/4jKnira
Robert Carpick (@meam-penn.bsky.social) joins Science Friday host Ira Flatow to explain why ice is slippery. He describes how ice structure, surface water molecules & temperature interact to reduce friction.
https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/why-is-ice-slippery/
To mark the 10th anniversary of Nature Microbiology, Penn Engineering’s @delafuentelab.bsky.social shares his vision for the future of microbiology, where machine intelligence accelerates discovery while human creativity leads the science.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02218-x
Real or artificial tree? Lorena Grundy weighs in on the holiday debate with CBS News Chicago to share insight into this familiar holiday question.
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/video/a-real-christmas-tree-or-an-artificial-one-the-debate/
2025 was a year of transformative progress for Penn Engineering, with breakthroughs spanning cancer research, water-harvesting materials, and AI-powered discovery.
https://www.seas.upenn.edu/2025-year-in-review/
Penn Engineering marked major achievements at the PCI Celebration of Innovation event, with Liang Feng (pictured, right) named Emerging Inventor of the Year and faculty earning 26 patents across AI, energy, health, and semiconductor tech.
Join us on Tuesday, 12/9 at 12pm to see Deans' Distinguished Visiting Professor, Eva Dyer of @pennengineering.bsky.social, present her seminar at the Computational Neuroscience Initiative! #PSOMDDVP tinyurl.com/2ewyww87
Computer scientist Konrad Kording and economist Ioana Marinescu have developed an interactive model that incorporates assumptions from both their fields to predict how AI will affect wages, jobs, and the overall economy. @upenn.edu @pennengineering.bsky.social
For CIS Prof. Chris Callison-Burch, today’s AI boom reflects 25 years of work across symbolic AI, statistical ML and generative models. Now, as director of Penn Engineering’s MSE-AI Online, he’s preparing the next generation of AI leaders.
https://bit.ly/43J9A16
Group photo taken after the symposium
That's a wrap on the 16th Grad Student Symposium in CBE@Penn [11.14.2025]. Great day of talks, posters, and networking among students, faculty, industry representatives and colleagues. Thanks to Lonza, Axalta and Arkema for generous sponsorship! @cbe-penn.bsky.social @pennengineering.bsky.social
Penn Engineering and Ashoka University have signed a new MoU to deepen collaboration in research and graduate study, including a 4+1 pathway for Ashoka undergraduates to pursue an accelerated master’s degree at Penn Engineering.
https://bit.ly/3K0T2L5
University of Pennsylvania and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania sign a cooperative AI advising agreement
@governor.pa.gov @pennengineering.bsky.social
Vanessa Chan, Vice Dean for Innovation at Penn Engineering, sat down for a conversation with Mike Walter of CGTN-America, about the importance of affordable, clean energy across all sectors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdM5TEGDP70
Ralph Teetor lost his sight at six but used his heightened senses and passion for engineering to change how the world drives. From the piston ring to cruise control, his inventions reshaped the auto industry and influence today’s vehicle technology.
https://bit.ly/4oVItYG
A new “tumor-on-a-chip” from Penn Engineering recreates the environment of solid tumors, revealing why CAR T-cell therapy often struggles.
https://bit.ly/49l4lIh
Penn Engineers have developed a mathematical “Rosetta Stone” that translates microscopic movements into large-scale behaviors, from protein folding to crystal growth, and used it to solve a 40-year-old problem.
https://blog.seas.upenn.edu/a-rosetta-stone-for-molecular-systems/
Penn Engineers are advancing photonics with energy-efficient displays and light-powered computing. Innovations include voltage-tunable optical resonators for sharper images and a reconfigurable photonic processor for adaptable computation.
https://bit.ly/43nXnOU
Penn Engineering's Derek Ho is using machine learning and fluorescence imaging to detect microplastics in Cobbs Creek. The team hopes this data will encourage city and state agencies to restore the creek. @meam-penn.bsky.social
https://bit.ly/46OeKL7
In August, White Sands National Park in New Mexico provided a setting for engineers to test robots designed to map hazards and climb dunes on the Moon or Mars. The TRUSSES team is now set to demonstrate their system at NASA's Ames Research Center in California.
https://bit.ly/4nxphQN
To combat extreme heat in Philadelphia this summer, Penn Engineers Nafisa Bangura, Angelica Dadda and Dylan York evaluated CoolSeal, a reflective pavement coating to mitigate urban heat.
https://bit.ly/4nrnht4
A new review from the lab of @ravi-radhak.bsky.social connects how a tumor's physical properties and the tiny messengers it releases, called extracellular vesicles (EVs), could shape the future of cancer treatment and therapies.
blog.seas.upenn.edu/penn-enginee...
Penn's new home for energy science, the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology (VLEST), has earned a LEED Platinum certificate--the highest standard in sustainable building design. Learn more about VLEST: https://bit.ly/3JywOwM @pennengineering.bsky.social @vagelosenergy.bsky.social
