Red blood cells, long thought to be passive bystanders in the formation of blood clots, actually play an active role in helping clots contract, according to a new […]
McBride and Wei Named Environmental Innovations Initiative Faculty Fellows
Two Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) faculty — Samantha McBride, William K. Gemmill Term Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, and Nathan Wei, Assistant Professor — have been […]
Cracking the Code of Force-Driven Chemistry
When asked to think of a chemical reaction, you might picture bubbling liquids in a beaker, or maybe applying heat to a mixture until something transforms. But some […]
No Plan, No Problem: Teaching Robots to Build Without Blueprints
Bees, ants and termites don’t need blueprints. They may have queens, but none of these species breed architects or construction managers. Each insect worker, or drone, simply responds […]
Wensi Wu Uses Digital Twins to Explore the Hidden Mechanics of the Human Heart
When Wensi Wu, Research Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), first stepped into the world of computational modeling, she wasn’t thinking about hearts or hospitals. She […]
Cloudy with a Chance of Lifesaving and More Cost-Effective Weather Predictions
Written by Nathi Magubane for Penn Today. When Hurricane Katrina reached the Gulf Coast in 2005, emergency responders were blindsided by a storm surge that defied predictions. In […]
Knowing When to Bend or Break: Penn Engineers Examine the Fracture Mechanics of 3D Graphene Structures
When do materials bend and when do they break? For Ottman Tertuliano, AMA Family Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM), this question is one he normally […]
Carpick and Roberts Receive Student Choice Awards
Each year, the Penn Engineering undergraduate student body thoughtfully selects the recipients of these awards for their dedication in teaching, mentorship and student advocacy. This year, two members […]
Using Surface Fractures on Earth, Mars, and Europa to Predict Habitability
This article was written by Nathi Magubane for Penn Today. When a mudflat crumbles on Earth, or an ice sheet splinters on one of Jupiter’s moons (Europa), or […]
Breaking the Pattern: How Disorder Toughens Materials
This article was written by Ian Scheffler for Penn Engineering Today. Cut open a bone and you’ll see a subtly disordered structure. Tiny beams, called trabeculae, connect to […]