Using artificial intelligence to detect discrimination
A new artificial intelligence tool for detecting unfair discrimination — such as on the basis of race or gender — has been created by researchers at Penn State and Columbia University.
Science and Technology
Science and Technology
Meteorology graduate student wins NSF fellowship to study tornado formation
7/17/19
Shawn Murdzek, a graduate student studying meteorology and atmospheric science in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, received a 2019 Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. He is one of seven EMS students and 24 Penn State students to receive the honor.
NSF mid-scale award sets off the first extension of IceCube Neutrino Observatory
7/16/19
The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, the Antarctic detector that identified the first likely source of high-energy neutrinos and cosmic rays, is getting an upgrade.
Engineering faculty member receives grants totaling $1.5M for bioprinting
7/16/19
Ibrahim Tarik Ozbolat, Hartz Family Career Development Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics, has received four grants totaling about $1.5 million to explore ways to bioprint biological tissues like bone, lungs and other organs for use as models in a variety of studies.
Using deep learning to improve traffic signal performance
7/15/19
Traffic signals serve to regulate the worst bottlenecks in highly populated areas but are not always very effective. Researchers at Penn State are hoping to use deep reinforcement learning to improve traffic signal efficiency in urban areas, thanks to a one-year, $22,443 Penn State Institute for CyberScience Seed Grant.
What makes a piece of news fake?
7/15/19
Social media exposes users to a myriad of misinformation including fake news, or news stories with intentionally false information. In fact, during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, fake news engaged more people than real news, according to a BuzzFeed News analysis. A team of researchers is working to help explain why a piece of news is detected as being false.
Penn State researcher sees potential for ancient life on Martian surface
7/15/19
Photos taken by the Mars Curiosity rover may show a desolate rocky landscape to some, but to Penn State researcher Christopher House, the photos show potential for ancient life.
2D perovskite materials found to have unique, conductive edge states
7/15/19
A new class of 2D perovskite materials with edges that are conductive like metals and cores that are insulating was found by researchers who said these unique properties have applications in solar cells and nanoelectronics.
Faculty, students receive recognition from leading civil engineering journal
7/11/19
A research paper submitted by faculty and students in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State has been honored with the 2019 Outstanding Article Award by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Journal of Advances in Civil Engineering Materials.
Researchers detail privacy-related legal, ethical challenges with satellite data
7/11/19
A team of Penn State researchers is reminding policymakers, industry and citizens that satellite data, left unchecked, can be as dangerous as it is useful and as threatening to national security and civil liberties as it is helpful to the national economy.
Microgrids, major changes: Professor leading effort to redesign power grid
7/9/19
When Hurricane Sandy hit the eastern seaboard in 2012, entire city skylines went completely black with the curious exception of a few small areas still emitting light, thanks to their use of combined heat and power systems, a key component to microgrids. Jim Freihaut, professor of architectural engineering in the Penn State College of Engineering, sees these microgrids not as exceptions but as the norm of the future.
TREE Fund grant to expand biology professor's research project
7/9/19
Carolyn Mahan, professor of biology and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona, has been awarded a grant from the nonprofit Tree Research and Education Endowment Fund for the expansion of her study on how plants and animals respond to right-of-way management.
IST researchers use mobile technology to enhance Arts Festival experience
7/3/19
For the 11th consecutive year, researchers from Penn State’s College of Information Sciences and Technology are assisting to enrich the community experience for Arts Festival attendees through technology. This year, the researchers hope to facilitate a connection between the festival and community that evokes emotion in festivalgoers through a mobile scavenger hunt game.
Using artificial intelligence to better predict severe weather
7/1/19
When forecasting weather, meteorologists use a number of models and data sources to track shapes and movements of clouds that could indicate severe storms. However, with increasingly expanding weather data sets and looming deadlines, it is nearly impossible for them to monitor all storm formations in real time. Now, there is a computer model that can help forecasters recognize potential severe storms more quickly and accurately, thanks to a team of researchers.
Sense of smell, pollution and neurological disease connection explored
7/1/19
A consensus is building that air pollution can cause neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, but how fine, sooty particles cause problems in the brain is still an unanswered question. Now a team of Penn State researchers, using mice, have found a possible way, but more research is still needed.
Physics postdoctoral researcher selected to meet with Nobel laureates in Germany
7/1/19
Aishwarya Kumar, a postdoctoral researcher in physics at Penn State, has been selected to participate in the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting.