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 […]
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 […]
Engineering Smart Robot Teams with Torrie Edwards (Video)
How can many robots work together effectively to collect information from the environment? This is a question Victoria Edwards, a fifth-year doctoral student in MEAM, is working to […]
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 […]
New MEAM Faculty Member Wensi Wu Brings Innovation to Cardiovascular Research
We extend a warm welcome to Wensi Wu, who joins the MEAM faculty as Assistant Research Professor. Wensi’s research sits at the convergence of applied mechanics, scientific machine […]
Rivers in a Changing World
This article was written by Kristina García for Penn Today. Photographs by Eric Sucar. The history of Philadelphia’s water lies mostly underground, buried and dormant. Watershed maps show […]
Yichao Shi Defends Dissertation on Revolutionizing Robot Power
Yichao Shi has successfully completed his doctoral dissertation on “Coupling Hard and Soft Interfaces to Realize Actuators and Energy Sources that Bring Robots Towards Animal Mobility” under the […]