News

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Congratulations - Dr. Monica Jinwoo Kang!

We are pleased to announce that the 2025 AKPA Outstanding Young Researcher Award (OYRA) will be awarded to
 
Dr.
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Mark Trodden named dean of Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences

Mark Trodden has been named dean of the School of Arts & Sciences and the Thomas S. Gates Jr. Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, effective June 1. The announcement was made today by Penn President J. Larry Jameson and Provost John L. Jackson Jr.

In the Arnold Mathijssen lab, researchers used a gooseneck kettle, coffee grinder, and a pour-over setup alongside precise measurements and high-speed analysis to study the fluid dynamics and mechanics of coffee brewing to uncover ways to maximize flavor with fewer grounds. The findings could help researchers understand fluid dynamics.

For a better cup of coffee, look to physics

Researchers led by Arnold Mathijssen of the School of Arts & Sciences have applied fluid mechanics to brew the best cup of pour-over coffee using the fewest granules. The findings have potential application to other systems such as surface erosion, filtration, and even wastewater management.

Arnold Mathijssen

2025 Dean's Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research

Arnold Mathijssen is the recipient of the 2025 Dean's Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research. This award recognizes Professor Mathijssen’s multi-dimensional contributions to undergraduate education in the School of Arts and Sciences. The Dean's Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research is presented to SAS standing faculty members for meaningful engagement of undergraduate students in research due to exceptional nurturing and facilitating by faculty.

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Correlated Structural and Optical Characterization of Hexagonal Boron Nitride

Correlative imaging using transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence microscopy reveals the complex connections between material morphology, surface contaminants, and optical properties of hexagonal boron nitride.

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Congratulations to our ATLAS Faculty!

The 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics was awarded to researchers from the ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb Experiments at CERN!

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Congratulations to the Department of Physics and Astronomy’s Student Award Winners!

The Department Colloquium when the awards given out is scheduled for Wednesday, April 9th at 3:30pm in DRL A8.

 

The Elias Burstein Prize 

 

Jonathan Stensberg - “For his pioneering works on terahertz studies on topological superconductivity.”

The low aperture telescope at the Simons Observatory completed ‘first light’ in February 2025. Image: Courtesy of ACT Collaboration; ESA/Planck

New high-definition pictures of the early universe

New research by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) collaboration has produced the clearest images yet of the universe’s infancy—the earliest cosmic time currently accessible to humans. Measuring light that travelled for more than 13 billion years to reach a telescope high in the Chilean Andes, the telescope’s images reveal the universe when it was about 380,000 years old—the equivalent of hours-old baby pictures of a now middle-aged cosmos.

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Phil Nelson receives Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching

The Lindback Awards for Distinguished Teaching at the University of Pennsylvania were established in 1961 with the help of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation. Christian Lindback was President and principal owner of Abbotts Dairies Inc. and a Trustee of Bucknell University. The Foundation established Lindback Awards for Distinguished Teaching at colleges and universities throughout Abbotts Dairies Inc.’s service area in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia.

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Robert Johnson selected for the Provost's Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty

Congratulations to Bob Johnson, who has been selected for the Provost's Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty. This award is in recognition of his commitment to teaching at Penn, and only one such award is made each year across all the non-health schools (Annenberg, Design, Engineering and Applied Science, GSE, Law, SAS, Social Policy & Practice, Wharton).