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AI and Machine Learning

Researchers take aim at hackers trying to attack high-value AI models

3/25/19

Machine-learning programs are increasingly being used in a range of important tasks, from selecting university candidates to powering voting machines. That makes them valuable — and vulnerable, according to Patrick McDaniel, William L. Weiss Professor of Information and Communications Technology at Penn State and an Institute for CyberScience associate.

Two women looking at a computer screen as another woman points to the screen

Analyzing design team interaction

3/22/19

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State will study the role team interactions have on engineering student teams’ performance during the design process.

pancreatic cell in diabetic

Lian receives ENGINE grant for stem-cell-based diabetes therapy

3/21/19

Xiaojun "Lance" Lian, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, was one of three recipients of the College of Engineering's ENGineering for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ENGINE) grant for "Small Molecule-Based Definitive Endoderm Kit and Pancreatic Progenitor Kit for Stem Cell Research and Therapy." The project focuses on differentiating stem cells into pancreatic beta cells to be used for therapies to treat Type 1 diabetes.

Head and shoulder shot of Andrew Zydney

Penn State named latest site for membrane research center

3/20/19

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center has named Penn State as a new site within the Membrane Science, Engineering and Technology (MAST) Center. The University will join the University of Colorado Boulder, the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and the University of Arkansas as MAST Center sites.

Pennsylvania Game Commission Elk Biologist Jeremy Banfield, at left, leads Penn State DuBois Wildlife Technology students in collecting data from a sedated elk near Benezette, PA.

Wildlife honors students get hands-on experience in elk range

3/19/19

Honors students in the Penn State DuBois Wildlife Technology program had an exclusive opportunity for hands-on learning recently with members of the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s (PGC) biological staff. The PGC is currently researching reproductive trends among Pennsylvania’s elk herd in hopes of improving the overall health of the herd and increasing the population.

Computer major stereotypes

Girls, low-income students less likely encouraged to study computers by parents

3/19/19

In a study of how incoming first-year college students perceive computing and computer majors, and who influences those perceptions, most students had positive feelings about computing and computer-related majors and jobs. However, gender and socioeconomic status seemed to play a role in whether parents shaped those perceptions.

PoreDesigner's workflow

PoreDesigner improves protein channel design for water treatment, bioseparations

3/15/19

PoreDesigner, a fully automated computational workflow process for altering the pore size of a bacterial channel protein, is the result of a collaboration between researchers from Penn State and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This process enables assembly of the proteins into artificial membranes for precise sub-nanometer scale separation of solutes of marginal size difference, which can improve water purification and bioseparations.

John Mauro, a glass expert and professor at Penn State, has maintained a lifelong relationship with his undergraduate adviser Arun Varshneya, who until recently taught at Alfred University.

Mentorship that began in college continues for glass scientist

3/14/19

Sometimes it’s the most casual of occurrences that have the most impact on the trajectory of our lives. For John Mauro, a glass expert and professor at Penn State, taking an introductory glass science course at Alfred University did just that.

illustration of alternative energy technologies

Energy 2100: Building the future energy economy

3/11/19

In May of 2018, environmental engineer Bruce Logan received funding from the provost’s office to launch “Energy 2100,” a multi-year initiative to harness Penn State’s vast and wide-ranging activity in the area of renewable energy research. The goal, Logan says, is to maximize the University’s contributions toward creation of a carbon-neutral global energy economy by the turn of the next century. He recently sat down to answer a few questions about this effort.

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