On Wednesday, September 2, the Penn Materials Science and Engineering MSE Society will host its annual Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream Social from 5:00–6:00 p.m. in the Quain Courtyard. Join us […]
Faculty - News
Congratulations to Professor Emerita Dawn Bonnell
Congratulations to University of Pennsylvania Senior Vice Provost and Penn Materials Science and Engineering Professor Dawn Bonnell on attaining the distinguished title of Professor Emerita. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. […]
Faculty - News - Research
Getting into the nitty gritty of sand
From scorching feet to the perfect sandcastle to the silicon in phones, materials scientist Shu Yang explains the surprising physics hiding in a single handful of beach sand. Read the […]
Faculty - News - Research
Buildings that cool like African elephants
Inspired by the cracked, water-trapping skin of elephants, Penn researchers have developed a low-cost cement tile that cools buildings by capturing and slowly evaporating water—turning a structural flaw into a […]
Faculty - News - Research
How Sea Stars Build Materials That Can See
Researchers led by Ling Li and collaborators across Penn Engineering, Virginia Tech, MIT, Bowdoin College, the University of South Carolina and the Zuse Institute Berlin have uncovered how sea star […]
Events - News - Students
PhD Thesis Defense – Vinayak Vinayak
Title: Effects of Polymer Brush, Nanoparticle, and Solvent Characteristics on Nanoparticle Adsorption Date: Thursday, July 9, 2026 Time: 10:30 am Location: Singh Center for Nanotechnology, Glandt Forum Abstract: Tissues stiffen in aging, […]
Events - News - Students
PhD Thesis Defense – Katie Sun
Title: Effects of Polymer Brush, Nanoparticle, and Solvent Characteristics on Nanoparticle Adsorption Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2026 Time: 9:00 am Location: Singh Center for Nanotechnology, Glandt Forum Abstract: As filtration and separation […]
Faculty - News - Research
Tiny, knotted robots jump, fly, and plant seeds
Researchers at Penn Engineering have developed tiny, soft robots using opposable materials that are capable of leaping meters into the air with flexibility, responsiveness, and programmability. Read the full story […]
Alumni - Faculty - News
From Lab to Launch: How Vanessa Chan Is Training Ph.D. Engineers for Real-World Impact
Vanessa Chan’s course, Applying Your Thesis to the Real World, is helping Penn Engineering Ph.D. students move beyond technical discovery to understand how research becomes real-world impact. Through industry mentorship, stakeholder […]