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Penn Engineering’s ‘Innovation & Impact’ podcast

Penn Engineering’s ‘Innovation & Impact’ podcast

“Innovation & Impact” is a monthly podcast from Penn’s School Engineering & Applied Science, hosted by Dean Vijay Kumar in conversation with leading global experts on the latest breakthroughs and innovations in science, technology and medicine.

Enabling robots to chart a better course
Shadow of a drone over a map of housing units.

Image: Francesco Scatena via Getty Images

Enabling robots to chart a better course

A novel, open-source system has the ability to streamline disaster recovery and parcel delivery by rapidly generating a smooth path plan that cuts travel time and avoids obstacles.

From Penn Engineering

2 min. read

An AI tool to speed antibiotic discovery
Jacob R. Gardner, César de la Fuente and Marcelo Torres, holding a 3D-printed example of the kind of antibiotic peptide they generated

(From left) Co-authors Jacob R. Gardner, César de la Fuente and Marcelo Torres, holding a 3D-printed example of the kind of antibiotic peptide they generated using AI.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

An AI tool to speed antibiotic discovery

APEX is an AI model that predicts whether or not a given peptide is likely to have antimicrobial properties. Now, APEXGo can identify antibiotic candidates with laboratory activity against disease-causing bacteria, simply by searching large datasets.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Qubits in the classroom

Qubits in the classroom

Thorlabs, a provider of optical equipment, has donated a suite of quantum teaching tools that allow Penn Engineering undergrads to experiment with the quantum properties of light.

SmartDJ lets users reshape audio experiences with simple words
Yiduo Hao and a researcher using a microphone and a laptop outdoors.

As a test, Yiduo Hao (left) recorded the sounds of spring in Philadelphia, then used SmartDJ to transform them into the sounds of a forest.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

SmartDJ lets users reshape audio experiences with simple words

Penn Engineers have created an AI-powered audio editor specifically for stereo that responds to simple requests in everyday language.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Inside NSF AIRFoundry, Senator McCormick gets a look at the future of RNA discovery
Senator Dave McCormick (second from left) and Andrew Hanna (left) in the lab at AirFoundry.

Senator Dave McCormick (second from left) and Andrew Hanna (left) observing Hanna’s robotic system for rapidly formulating large numbers of lipid nanoparticles.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

Inside NSF AIRFoundry, Senator McCormick gets a look at the future of RNA discovery

A visit to Penn’s Artificial Intelligence-driven RNA BioFoundry gave U.S. Senator Dave McCormick a firsthand look at how federal investment in science translates into shared research infrastructure, student training, and regional economic development.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Nhlanhla Mavuso: Innovating computer chips to run more efficiently
Nhlanhla Mavuso looking at an electronic board in the Moore Building.

Nhlanhla Mavuso of Fluid Silicon at work in the Moore Building.

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Nhlanhla Mavuso: Innovating computer chips to run more efficiently

Fluid Silicon, a platform from President’s Sustainability Prize winner Nhlanhla Mavuso, allows computer chips to continuously monitor their health and self-tune as their characteristics change. The technology has the potential to reduce energy usage in data centers and improve reliability in mission-critical applications.

2 min. read

Margaret Zhu: A robotic solution for safer tree trimming
Margaret Zhu working in the Venture Lab.

Margaret Zhu and the Serpent Robotics team fine-tuning their robot at Tangen Hall.

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Margaret Zhu: A robotic solution for safer tree trimming

Margaret Zhu and the Serpent Robotics team have leveraged Penn resources to create a tree-cutting robot, improving safety in a dangerous industry. The President’s Innovation Prize allows Zhu to iterate and pilot the device over the next year.

3 min. read

Using AI to help predict cardiac arrests
A doctor looking at EKG heart data.

Image: SimpleImages via Getty Images

Using AI to help predict cardiac arrests

A Penn Engineering and Penn Medicine team built CAMEL, an artificial intelligence model that forecasts dangerous cardiac rhythms before they strike. Their findings pave the way for a new era of real-time, predictive heart care.

2 min. read