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Ashley Wallace, 2024 Models of Excellence Recipient

Ashley Wallace, 2024 Models of Excellence Recipient
Ashley Wallace, PhD (LRSM, Associate Director of Diversity & Student Engagement) receives recognition for outstanding contributions to the University of Pennsylvania!
Dr. Ashley Wallace is being honored for her exceptional efforts in coordinating the Diversity Equity Engagement at Penn in STEM (DEEPenn STEM) weekend. This initiative, crafted for undergraduates, especially those with limited access to resources and guidance for pursuing advanced degrees in the STEM fields, seeks to empower and equip prospective graduate students with essential information necessary for making well-informed decisions about advanced degree options.
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DEEPenn STEM 2023 Helping to Provide a “Roadmap” to be Successful in Graduate School

DEEPenn STEM 2023 Helping to Provide a “Roadmap” to be Successful in Graduate School

Dr. Ashley Wallace, the LRSM Associate Director of Diversity & Student Engagement, coordinated the second iteration of Diversity Equity Engagement at Penn in STEM (DEEPenn STEM) weekend that took place in person October 6-8, 2023.   Aiming to diversify graduate-level programs and the global workforce through methodical recruitment and retention efforts, DEEPenn STEM was created specifically for those with limited access to resources and guidance for pursuing advanced degrees in the STEM fields.  It was designed to serve as an integral part of the STEM pathway for students to pursue summer research experiences (ex: REUs) at Penn and successfully transition into graduate school and/or STEM careers.  Not only showcasing the interdisciplinary nature of STEM-related graduate research at Penn, the event also addressed the unspoken rules and questions for prospective graduate students, providing participants with a “roadmap” to be successful in graduate school and related endeavors. Following a highly successful inaugural program in 2022, the program saw significant growth in expanding to 5 schools (Schools of Arts & Sciences, Engineering & Applied Science, Medicine, Nursing, and Veterinary Medicine), showcasing an even greater variety of pathways in STEM that Penn has to offer.  Sixty-nine (69) undergraduate students from universities and colleges across the USA participated in the 3-day program.  Key highlights include: keynote address delivered by Penn’s esteemed Provost Dr. John L. Jackson, dessert reception hosted by Dr. Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum (Vice Provost for Student Engagement), remarks by Deans of each school, faculty research talks, instructional workshops, panel discussions, poster presentations, and a number of opportunities to network with current Penn faculty, staff, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows.  The LRSM co-sponsored the event and supported the attendance of 5 students from our Partnership for Research and Education in Materials, with the University of Puerto Rico.

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The LRSM Receives $18 Million Renewal Grant

The LRSM Receives $18 Million Renewal Grant

The Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) has secured an $18 million renewal grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The LRSM has been funded by the NSF for half a century, with the laboratory’s distinguished status as an NSF-Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) since its establishment in 1994. The generous infusion of $18 million is poised to fortify LRSM’s ongoing mission of conducting groundbreaking interdisciplinary research and fostering innovation. With this support, LRSM is well-positioned to drive forward its two new Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), focusing on the development of innovative materials capable of adapting to their surroundings and external stimuli, as well as the creation of tissue-like synthetic biomaterials constructed from cellular building blocks. These initiatives promise to open new frontiers in materials science, further solidifying LRSM’s standing as a beacon of pioneering research in the field.

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In Memoriam: Gilbert J. Sloan, Ph.D., 1928-2023

In Memoriam: Gilbert J. Sloan, Ph.D., 1928-2023

We are sorry to report the passing of Dr. Gilbert J. Sloan on May 25, 2023. He was 94 years old and still a volunteer in the LRSM for ~15 years. Gil retired from DuPont in 1994, having started with the company in the Central Research Department in 1953, after a successful career, first as a senior research scientist and later as Manager of Analytical Services. In 1972-3 he spent a sabbatical year as a visiting scientist at University College, Wales with Prof. Sir John Meurig Thomas, former director of the Royal Institution and Chair of Chemistry at Cambridge University.

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Philly Materials Day 2023

Philly Materials Day 2023

Philly Materials Day, a day-long science and engineering festival, returned to an in-person program this year on Saturday, February 11, 2023. More than 85 volunteers from 15 different LRSM-affiliated research groups combined forces with Drexel’s Materials Science and Engineering department to run a series of hands-on demonstrations for more than 600 attendees (K-12 students and their families).

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Charles J. McMahon, Professor Emeritus, MSE

Charles J. McMahon, Professor Emeritus, MSE

Charles J. McMahon, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, passed away on December 10, 2022, at the age of 89. Dr. McMahon earned a bachelor’s degree in Metallurgical Engineering in 1955 from the University of Pennsylvania and returned in 1963 for a postdoctoral fellowship in the newly formed Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science (now the Department of Materials Science and Engineering). He joined the faculty of that department, where he remained throughout his career. In addition, he was a member of the LRSM community and a valued participant in ARPA- and NSF-MRL block grants.

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The Inaugural Diversity Equity Engagement at Penn in STEM Weekend Event

The Inaugural Diversity Equity Engagement at Penn in STEM Weekend Event

Dr. Ashley Wallace, the LRSM Assistant Director of Education and Outreach, coordinated the inaugural Diversity Equity Engagement at Penn in STEM (DEEPenn STEM) weekend that took place in person October 7-9, 2022. In an effort to address low representation of certain groups in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), DEEPenn STEM provided prospective graduate students from historically marginalized and traditionally underrepresented backgrounds with the resources to be successful in graduate school and related endeavors. Aiming to diversify graduate-level programs and the global workforce through methodical recruitment and retention efforts, DEEPenn STEM was created to serve as an integral part of the STEM pathway for students to pursue summer research experiences (ex: REUs) at Penn and successfully transition into graduate school and/or STEM careers.

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news release

The Return of Science Cafés

The Return of Science Cafés

After a 2 1/2 year hiatus, the LRSM restarted its Science Café’s in Wilmington Delaware, with a presentation by Ottman Tertuliano on August 23rd. “Breaking Bones at the Nanoscale to Heal Them,” was quite a relatable topic with the, predominantly, older audience who were all too familiar with bone issues and repair. Ottman entertained, and enlightened those in attendance for 40 minutes, followed by questions from the captivated audience.

The LRSM Science Café’s began back in 2010, in collaboration with the PBS Nova series “Making Stuff” and had been going strong until February of 2020, when it, like many other in-person events, was paused during the pandemic.  Many of the talks have been captured over the years and can be streamed from our video archives page, including this month’s talk.

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A Half Century of Research and Educational Outreach

A Half Century of Research and Educational Outreach

The 48th meeting of the North American Thermal Analysis Society (NATAS) Conference met at Case Western Reserve University August 1-5, 2022.  A special session was held entitled the “Andrew McGhie Honorary” organized by Janis Matisons from Intertape Polymer Group.  McGhie has been a longstanding leader in NATAS, and his contributions to thermal analysis was rewarded by the Mettler Award in Thermal Analysis in 2011.  In 1992, McGhie was also awarded the NATAS Outstanding Service Award and became a NATAS Fellow in 1989. He is also a Past President of NATAS (2007).



Collaboration Helps Decode the Structural Signals of Flow in Disordered Materials

Collaboration Helps Decode the Structural Signals of Flow in Disordered Materials

If you squeeze very gently, no toothpaste comes out of the tube. Increase the force a bit and the toothpaste suddenly begins to flow. This transition from “no-flow” to “flow” is called yielding, and it is a ubiquitous feature of disordered materials (e.g., dense particle suspensions, foams & emulsions, and metallic glasses). A study led by Larry Galloway, a graduate student in Paulo Arratia’s lab, and Max (X.) Ma, a MRSEC alum from Arjun Yodh’s lab, provides new insights on how the evolution of the material micro-structure, quantified using the concept of excess entropy, can be used to predict this yielding transition in disordered materials. To do so, the team employed novel experimental methods (Galloway, Keim, Ma, Arratia, Jerolmack, and Yodh), numerical simulations (Teich, Graham, Kammer, Arratia, Jerolmack), and theory (Galloway, Celia Reina). The team found that the quantity excess entropy can be used to characterize the sample microstructure, as well as to develop a phenomenological model that captures flow quite well in both experiments and simulations in cyclically sheared dense colloidal systems. In particular, the team finds that the inception of flow (i.e., yielding) is marked by the material loss of memory.

Nature Physics article

news release

Yang Group Develops Inflatable Photonic Displays

Yang Group Develops Inflatable Photonic Displays

Se-Um Kim, a postdoctoral researcher in Shu Yang’s lab, together with fellow postdocs, Young-Joo Lee and Dae Seok Kim, and graduate students Jiaqi Liu and Haihuan Wang, have developed a new photonic display platform via pneumatic inflation of thin membranes made from the main-chain chiral nematic liquid crystalline elastomers (MCLCEs), where the liquid crystal mesogens are arranged in a helix. By taking advantage of the large elasticity anisotropy and large Poisson’s ratio (> 0.5), the researchers geometrically program the size and the layout of the encapsulated air channels to achieve broadband color shift from near-infrared to ultraviolet wavelengths with less than 20 % strain perpendicular to the helical axis of MCLCEs. Each channel could be individually addressed as a color “pixel” to match with surroundings or to display 7-segment digits. It overcomes physical constraints in traditional photonic crystals made from isotropic materials. The large degree-of-freedom in the layout of the pixels and the air channels, together with unique mechanochromic performance of MCLCEs offers new insights to create new biomimetic, highly responsive and complex photonic devices with relatively simple operations.

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The Perpetual Fragility of Creeping Hillslopes

The Perpetual Fragility of Creeping Hillslopes

Pour a pile of sand onto a table. It will avalanche until the slope relaxes to the angle of repose, where friction prevents gravity from pulling grains downward. All experience tells us that the pile should then just sit there. By probing a seemingly static sandpile with a highly sensitive optical interference technique, however, our experiments have revealed a seething and ceaseless creeping motion. The dynamics of the sandpile are remarkably similar to a cooling glass, suggesting that mechanical disturbances in granular systems play a role akin to thermal fluctuations in glasses. This similarity can be harnessed to change the softness (or strength) of the sand pile by applying different disturbances. This work explains how ubiquitous granular materials such as soil move below their angle of repose, and how distinct perturbations may excite the catastrophic loss of strength that is associated with failure such as landslides. Our findings contribute to emerging evidence of deep connections in the mechanical behavior of disordered materials across scales, as part of IRG1.

press release

LRSM Awarded New PREM Grant

LRSM Awarded New PREM Grant

A Partnership for Research & Education in Materials (PREM) between the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) (Humacao and Cayey undergraduate campuses) and the University of Pennsylvania (PENN) Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC) will sustain a long-term and successful collaboration between UPR and PENN that began in 1998. The program will advance scientific discovery and technical development by widening and diversifying the amount of current and potential participants doing high-quality research. It strengthens research thanks to an active year-around collaboration between researchers at the two Hispanic-serving institutions and PENN on subjects as the study of novel carbon-based materials with interesting electrical properties and the modification of surfaces of common materials that can be used as sensors and purification devices. This rich research environment serves as the base for expanding and developing a pipeline model that has proven to be successful in increasing the mentioned underrepresented group in research careers. The model focuses on the recruitment, retention, and graduation of undergraduate Hispanics, women, and Afro-Latin students from disadvantaged backgrounds (low income, first-generation in college) into materials research. It begins as early as PreK-12 with outreach activities to make youth aware of exciting and rewarding research careers in materials, and then doing actual research during their college studies starting at freshman and sophomore levels.

news release

Congratulations to the 2021 MRS Fellows!

Congratulations to the 2021 MRS Fellows!

Please join us in congratulating Professors Eric Stach and Shu Yang on being selected as Fellows of the Materials Research Society. MRS Fellows are recognized for “sustained and distinguished contributions to the advancement of materials research”.

Eric Stach was recognized “For the innovative development and application of in situ and operando methods for the characterization of nanoscale phenomena in materials, largely through transmission electron microscopy”.

Shu Yang was recognized “For outstanding contributions to the design, synthesis, assembly, and fabrication of responsive, foldable, and buildable soft and bioinspired materials, and for pioneering research on mechanical instabilities and photonic structures.”

You can read more about this award through the link below.

news release

Mark Licurse, Engages Students via Remote Learning and Tabletop SEM

Mark Licurse, Engages Students via Remote Learning and Tabletop SEM

This past fall, 2020, LRSM’s Director of Education and Outreach, Dr. Mark Licurse, and Prof. David Pope, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, developed a new online-only class “Failure Analysis of Engineering Materials.” The class was featured by Penn Engineering Today in an article by Melissa Pappas. The spin was that it was originally planned to be even more hands-on than other classes, focused on real-world problems and failures, but the pandemic forced them to start from scratch to ensure students could engage virtually. “We had designed this course to be very hands-on and expose students to real-world situations where materials fail, break or collapse, having potentially devastating consequences,” says Licurse. “We would ask students to act like detectives to figure out how and why a material had failed, showing the applicable significance of materials science and mechanical engineering.” 

Luckily, they were able to take many illustrative images using a new tabletop Scanning Electron Microscope, purchased with help of the Penn MRSEC. The resulting class was well-received with high levels of student engagement. Clearly the pandemic is changing all aspects of life, but from here the question will be how will this class’ success shape future versions of the class? This remains unknown, but lessons learned will immediately be applied to the LRSM’s Summer Course in Materials Science for High School Students (the Penn Summer Science Initiative).

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Quick News Links

  • Zahra Fakhraai, is finding new ways to manufacture stable glass news release
  • Bo Zhen, Twisting Two-dimensional Atomic Sheets news release
  • Chris Murray observes composite superstructure growth from nanocrystals in real time news release
  • Eric Stach to Serve as MRS Vice President news release
  • Paulo Arratia & Shu Yang create innovative water collecting devices news release
  • Karen Winey Named AAAS Fellow news release
  • Randall Kamien Named APS Editor in Chief news release
  • John Crocker and Robert Riggleman use “Metadynamics” to find Rare Low-energy Canyons in Glassy Materials news release
  • Liang Feng Creates Microlaser Chip Technology that Communicates in “Qudits” news release
  • Deep Jariwala and Eric Stach win the Nokia Bell Labs Prize  news release
  • Liang Wu Insights Into Properties of Recently Discovered Family of Superconductors news release
  • Deep Jariwala Redesigned FETs for Energy-Efficient Chips news release
  • Arratia & Jerolmack Investigate How Mudslides Move news release
  • Karen Winey Receieves ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry  announcement
  • Arratia & Jerolmack Help the Philly Orchestra with Their Flow news release
  • Deep Jariwala & Liang Wu Discover How a Magnetic Property Can Manipulate Light in Semiconductor Materials  news release
  • Charlie Johnson, Bo Zhen and Ritesh Agarwal demonstrate topological control capabilities in an acoustic system.  news release
  • Karen Winey and a New Class of Polymers That Can Improve Nanopatterning  news release
  • Ritesh Agarwal and Eugene Mele uncover unexpected properties in a complex quantum material news release
  • Chinedum Osuji, presented 2021 Intel Outstanding Researcher Award news release
  • Douglas Durian elected 2021 AAAS Fellow news release
  • Zahra Fakhraai Receives ACS WCC Award news release
  • Rob Riggleman & Eric Stach, Along With Other Penn Researchers, Are Refining Data Science news release
  • Deep Jariwala & Eric Stach Develop New Atomically Thin Material news release
  • Bo Zhen, 2021 winner of the International Commission for Optics (ICO) news release
  • Eric Detsi & Eric Stach receive NSF Grant to develop more eco-friendly batteries news release
  • Charlie Johnson study of atomically-thin, twisted graphene with unique properties news release
  • Karen Winey uses DEXS to Design New Fuel Cell Electrolyte news release
  • Zahra Fakhraai describes thin films of glass can be fabricated denser and more stable news release
  • The 11th annual Philly Materials Day is virtual at www.phillymaterials.org
  • LRSM Awarded New PREM Grant news release
  • Shu Yang appointed chair in Materials Science and Engineering and Chinedum Osuji as chair in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  • Eric Detsi Nanoscale Studies for ‘Next-gen’ Li-ion Batteries read article
  • Deep Jariwala, FE-FET could make chips more space efficient and powerful read article
  • Chinedum Osuji New Filtration Membranes with Uniform, One-nanometer-wide Pores read article
  • Liang Wu "Dials" in the Magnetism read article
  • Kane and Mele - Beyond Topological Insulators read article
  • Bo Zhen Named 2021 Sloan Research Fellow news release
  • Liang Wu studies new regime for analyzing properties of topological materials news release
  • Marija Drndić group fabricate materials with single atom-sized pores for liquid and gas filtration. news release
  • Eleni Katifori, awarded the 2021 APS Early Career Award for Soft Matter Research. news release
  • Eric Stach & Zahra Fakhraai partner with others in initiative to advance solar energy research news release
  • Virgil Percec describes a new approach for creating realistic synthetic cells news release
  • Daeyeon Lee Named Evan C Thompson Term Chair for Excellence in Teaching news release
  • Shu Yang, other Penn Researchers, Archimedic and NextFab address the facemask shortagemore at Open Medical
  • Douglas Jerolmack and Paulo Arratia find the size of particles matters news release
  • Agarwal & Feng describe novel ways of increasing information density in optical communication networks news release
  • Randy Kamien uses LRSM testing equipment on Kirigami designs news release
  • Eleni Katifori describes how vascular networks create a diverse array of structures and designs.  news release
  • Andrea Liu researches materials with 'memory' news release
  • Liang Wu Receives the William L. McMillan Award, Forbes 30 Under 30  news release
  • Liang Feng is Working on New Topological Insulators That Reroute Photonic ‘Traffic’  news release
  • Marija Drndić Organizes NSF Workshop "Enabling Quantum Leap"  news release
  • Zhen & Mele Discover New Topological Phases news release
  • LRSM's Xeuss 2.0 X-ray scattering instrument is helping the Murray group design better fuel cells news release
  • Agarwal, Kane, Mele, and Rappe Research Quantum Materials That Can Be Controlled With Light news release
  • Shu Yang Demonstrates Reversible Adhesive That Works Like Snail Slime news release
  • Lee Bassett Designs Nanostructured Diamond Metalens For Compact Quantum Technologies news release
  • Bo Zhen is pushing the boundaries of optics news release
  • Ivan Dmochowski - Alan MacDiarmid Term Professor news release
  • Liang Feng - NSF Career Award news release
  • Deep Jariwala - YIP Award news release
  • Charles Kane and Eugene Mele receive the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award news release
  • Virgil Percec, the chemistry behind cellular communication news release
  • Lee Bassett Develops Room Temperature 2D Platform for Quantum Technology news release
  • Andrea Liu and Eleni Katifori characterize the limits of multitasking in biological networks news release
  • Marija Drndić insights into atomically thin materials using nanoscale images of 2D membranes news release
  • Charles Kane and Eugene Mele thank the Electrons while accepting their Breakthrough Prize news release
  • Randall Kamien and Mike Tanis - the Art of Kirigami news release
  • Igor Bargatin - Ultrathin, Ultralight ‘Nanocardboard’ news release
  • Zahra Fakhraai is the 2019 Recipient of the John H. Dillon Medal news release
  • Congratulations to LRSM-MRSEC faculty John C. Crocker & Shu Yang Elected to American Physical Society Fellowship news release
  • Shu Yang & Alison Sweeney "Inspired" Future with Giant Clams news release news article
  • Eric Stach & First JEOL NEOARM in the United States news release
  • Shu Yang & Randall Kamien are Making Complex 3-D Surfaces with 2-D Sheets news release
  • Kathleen Stebe, with Randall Kamien, reveal surprising insights into how cells respond to surface curvature news release
  • Raymond Gorte Elected to National Academy of Engineering news release
  • Zahra Fakhraai and Elizabeth Rhoades develop motion capture-like technology for tracking protein shape news release
  • LRSM Outreach is Living in a material world news release
  • Douglas Durian investigates phenomenon in foams in which the average bubble size grows larger news release
  • Kathleen Stebe & Randy Kamien Study Geometry's Role in Cell Behavior news release
  • Lisa Tran & Randy Kamien Demonstrate How to Control Liquid Crystal Patterns news release
  • Daeyeon Lee and Kathleen Stebe Develop Filters That Use Nanoparticles to Prevent Slime Build-up news release
  • Alison Sweeney & Shu Yang Mimick Giant clams to Enhance Biofuel Production news release
  • Shu Yang and KIST Researchers Offer Insights Into Lightweight Material That Expands With Heat  news release
  • The LRSM and other Penn Departments Focus on Helping Colleagues in Puerto Rico  news release
  • Charlie Johnson, Ivan Dmochowski, Jeffery Saven and Others Use New Type of Graphene Sensor to Answer a Fundamental Nanotechnology Question  news release
  • Dennis Discher, and Team, Engineer Macrophages to Engulf Cancer Cells in Solid Tumors.  news release
  • Arjun Yodh Discovers Why Drying Liquid Crystal Drops Leave Unusual ‘Coffee Rings’.  news release
  • Alison Sweeney reveals new findings on how Hatchetfish scatter light for camouflage.  news release
  • Zahra Fakhraai and Yue Zhang Discover a Surprising Property of Glass Surfaces news release
  • Penn Researchers, Lead by Virgil Percec, Push the Limits of Organic Synthesis news release
  • Charlie Johnson, and other MRSEC Researchers, Are Among the First to Grow a Versatile Two-dimensional Material news release
  • Cherie Kagan & Christopher Murray, along with Nader Engheta & James Kikkawa, Demonstrate a ‘Hybrid Nanomanufacturing’ System news release
  • Andrea Liu Helps Solve a Decades-old Question About Glass Transitions news release
  • Tom Lubensky PNAS Paper to Describe Mysterious Rafts in Membranes news release
  • Virgil Percec, Dan Hammer, Paul Heiney, Michael Klein - Cubic Membranes Might Provide Defense of Sick Cells. news release
  • Robert Carpick & Ju Li, Contribute to New Understanding of Friction on Graphene. news release
  • Arjun Yodh Named AAAS Fellow for seminal contributions to the field of experimental soft condensed matter physics, especially in optical measurements and applications in biophysics. news release
  • Penn MRSEC Team Develop Nanoscale ‘Muscles’ Powered by DNA news release
  • Eleni Katifori Finds Straightforward Way to Model Growth of Vein Networks news release
  • Zahra Fakhraai & Robert Riggleman receive 3-year, $1.2 million NSF grant to study molecule packing in ultra-thin glass films news release
  • Philip Nelson explains how he teaches programming in physics class. article
  • Mark Licurse engages Girard College seventh graders in a week-long science program. news release & photos
  • Shu Yang and Randall Kamien Aim to Develop a Nanotech Garment news release
  • Marija Drndić lab builds and tests transistors inside a microscope. news release ACS Nano
  • Andrea Liu elected to the National Academy of Sciences. news release
  • Randy Kamien Wins Prestigious Award in Liquid Crystal Science news release
  • Virgil Percec Puts a New Twist on Chirality news release
  • Amish Patel Demystifies the ‘Dewetting’ Process news release
  • Shu Yang Receives Heilmeier Research Award news release
  • Russell Composto, Zahra Fakhraai, and Daeyeon Lee are leading an international collaboration on Shelter Science news release
  • Dennis Discher Elected to the National Academy of Medicine news release
  • LRSM Faculty, Charlie Johnson and Marija Drndic, awarded $2 million EFRIs for 2D Materials news release
  • Shu Yang group design material that could help diagnose concussions news release
  • Marija Drndić & Jeffery G. Saven Use Nanoscopic Pores to Investigate Protein Structure news release
  • Alison Sweeney - Diving Deep for Alternative Energy news release
  • Ritesh Agarwal & Eugene Mele with Sajal Dhara Discover New Chiral Property of Silicon, With Photonic Applications. news release
  • Dennis Discher and LRSM Collaborators garner Physical Sciences Oncology Center from NIH. news release
  • Former LRSM Student, Krishan L. Luthra, Pioneers a Materials Breakthrough after Decades of Research. read more
  • Kathleen Stebe, Shu Yang, and Randall Kamien: Liquid-crystal-based Compound Lenses That Work Like Insect Eyes news release
  • Virgil Percec Develops Custom Artificial Membranes to Study the Molecular Basis of Disease news release
  • Cherie Kagan & Paulo Arratia - Penn Engineering 2015 Teaching Awards news release
  • New soft matter topical group of the American Physical Society led by Randall Kamien read more
  • Gazette article on Charles Kane's discovery of topological insulators read article
  • Talid Sinno, John Crocker, Kathleen Stebe use 'Soft' Nanoparticles to Model Behavior at Interfaces news release
  • Arjun Yodh and Tom Lubensky Discovers New Liquid Crystal Configurations news release
  • Robert Carpick helps explain Anti-wear Motor Oil Additive properties. news release
  • Nader Engheta & Zahra Fakhraai Develop a Way of Making Light-bending 'Raspberry-like Metamolecules' news release
  • Shu Yang, with help from Daniel Gianola, develop 'smart' windows. news release
  • David Srolovitz Elected to National Academy Of Engineering news release
  • Zahra Fakhraai Awarded Sloan Fellowship news release
  • Penn Student Chronicles the Emergence of Interdisciplinary Science Through Architecture news release
  • A.T. Charlie Johnson & Ritesh Agarwal Develop New Technique for Making Graphene Competitor, Molybdenum Disulfide news release
  • Philip Nelson discusses the ins and outs of authoring a science textbook news release
  • Shu Yang Named National Academy of Inventors Fellow news release
  • Randall Kamien and Shu Yang, Outline Basic Rules for Construction With a Type of Origami [ news release
  • Charles Kane and Eugene Mele, Win Benjamin Franklin Medal news release
  • Douglas Durian (U Penn) in collaboration with Remi Dreyfus (CNRS/Solvay), as part of the joint Compass laboratory, have studied the morphology of fingered flow in laboratory models of sandy soils with hydrogel particle additives. view paper
  • Alison Sweeney Receives 2014 Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering read more
  • Arjun Yodh's group research helps uncover mechanism behind Solid-Solid Phase Transitions news release
  • Marija Drndic, Jennifer Lukes and Christopher Murray Study Nanocrystals by Passing Them Through Tiny Pores. news release
  • Virgil Percec, Paul Heiney: 'Onion' Vesicles for Drug Delivery news release C&EN article
  • Arjun Yodh Reappointed Director of LRSM
  • RET Alumn, Trey Smith receives Teacher as Hero Award read more
  • Charles Kane Elected to National Academy of Sciences news release
  • Philadelphia Science Festival 2014 read more
  • Science at the Sixers with Matthew Lohr and Daniel Beller highlight
  • Paulo Arratia - ‘Design for Failure’ With Model Material news release
  • Tom Lubensky and Charles Kane are "Stretching Boundaries" read more
  • Yodh, Lubensky and Collings are Turning Water Droplets Into ‘Gemstones’ news release PNAS link
  • Randy Kamien: Planting a Liquid-Crystal Garden read more press release
  • Shu Yang: superhydrophobic coatings watch video
  • Stebe, Kamien & Yang Add Another Tool in Their Directed Assembly Toolkit read more
  • Karen Winey: Computer Model That Will Help Design Flexible Touchscreenss read more
  • Dennis Discher and Stem Cell Differentiation read more
  • Kagan group ground breaking research published in ACS Nano demonstrates in-situ repair of nanocrystal surfaces allows large-area nanocrystal device fabrication in air and solvents. read article in ACS Nano
  • Research by Arjun Yodh of Physics and Astronomy indicates that stuttering may be caused by blood flow and hemodynamic changes in parts of the brain that control speech. read more
  • Dawn Bonnell, NBIC Director, appointed to Vice Provost for Research
  • MRSEC Team members win a $2 million, four-year NSF grant
  • Randy Kamien named Simons Investigator
  • Drndic: Advance in Nanotech Gene Sequencing Technique
  • LRSM-COMPLOIDS Workshop on Soft Matter April 17-19
  • Jennifer A. Lewis, "Printing Functional Materials" 3:00PM, LRSM Auditorium poster
  • Dennis Discher: "Protein 'Passport' That Help Nanoparticles Get Past Immune System" highlight
  • Dawn Bonnell Elected to National Academy of Engineering press release
  • Crocker & Sinno Use DNA to Make Crystals That Can Switch Configurations press release
  • Yodh, Durian groups Show Math Behind Growth of 'Coffee Rings' press release
  • Randall Kamien and Tom Lubensky, Help Create 'Recipe Book' for Building New Materials. press release
  • Penn team making waves with liquid crystals read more press release
  • SAS Interview with Charles Kane on Topological Insulators read article
  • LRSM Science Café @ World Cafe Live read more
  • Russell J. Composto receives NSF Special Creativity Award read more
  • Facilities for Nanotechnology in Philadelphia workshop 1.8.13 more info
  • Daeyeon Lee on crack-free nanoparticle films read more
  • Charles Kane Named Simons Investigator and Awarded $500,000 Grant read more
  • Watch video recorded during LRSM's 50th Celebration! watch the videos
  • Charles Kane Named Simons Investigator and Awarded $500,000 Grant read more
  • Kathleen Stebe Shows New Way of Assembling Particles Into Complex Structures read more
  • Daniel Hammer: Natural Plant Protein Into Drug-delivery Vehicles read more
  • Charlie Johnson Expands the Use of Carbon Nanotubes read more
  • Celebrating LRSM's 50th! read more
  • PREM Event: The New Science of Disordered Materials view poster
  • 2nd COMPASS Symposium March 28, 2012 view poster
  • Dennis Discher Elected to National Academy of Engineering read more
  • Philly Materials Science and Engineering Day, February 4, 2012 read more
  • Lukes and Winkelstein named 2012 Penn Fellows
  • Charlie Kane, 2012 Oliver E. Buckley Prize more
  • LRSM-NIMS Materials Workshop read more
  • Inside cover Advanced Materials, December 8, 2011 read article
  • LRSM awarded a six-year MRSEC grant from the NSF read more