How One Student’s Experience is Helping to Shape Renewable Energy Education News / August 29, 2025 In the midst of the complicated landscape of energy, economics, and environmental policy, third-year Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) student Ngaatendwe Manyika is helping to develop a new course for the next generation of engineers building renewable energy sources. This summer, with the guidance of practice assistant professor in Chemical and Biomolecular... Read More
Yiding Zhang Defends Master’s Thesis on Computational Modeling of C. elegans News / May 21, 2025 For many students, the path to a graduate degree is a journey of self-discovery, and for Yiding Zhang, his journey has been one of academic evolution and unexpected passions. His master’s thesis, “A Computational Model of Caenorhabditis elegans Locomotion” focused on the computational modeling of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a tiny, transparent... Read More
Engineering Smart Robot Teams with Torrie Edwards (Video) News / March 6, 2025 How can many robots work together effectively to collect information from the environment? This is a question Victoria Edwards, a fifth-year doctoral student in MEAM, is working to solve. Drawing on complex systems theory, her work focuses on developing algorithms that instruct each robot to answer two questions: (1) What task... Read More
A PhD in MEAM: Fluid Mechanics with Sindu (Video) News / November 25, 2024 Meet Sindu Shanmugadas, a third-year doctoral student working at the intersection of electromagnetism and fluids in Haim Bau’s microfluidics lab. Sindu shares what makes Penn Engineering unique – including integrating teaching into our curriculum, which she specifically sought out: “I actually wanted a school that had TAing as a requirement because... Read More
MEAM Senior Named U23 National Team Male Athlete of the Year News / September 30, 2024 On Sept. 24, US Rowing announced its Under 23 National Team Male and Female Athletes of the Year, and Penn’s own heavyweight senior Sam Sullivan was chosen as Male Athlete of the Year. “I mean, it’s really exciting,” Sullivan said. “It was really special because it’s voted on by the... Read More
Innovative Robotics Research Wins Outstanding Student Paper Award News / August 15, 2024 Will Yang, a fifth year doctoral candidate, has been recognized for his work in dynamic motion robotics at the recent Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS) Conference which took place in Delft, Netherlands. Yang’s paper, “Dynamic On-Palm Manipulation via Controlled Sliding” received the Outstanding Student Paper Award. The idea for this research originated... Read More
MEAM Master’s Students Compete at ICRA 2024 News / July 23, 2024 he 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in PACIFICO Yokohama, held from May 13–17, was a thrilling experience for us emerging robotics enthusiasts. The event was an incredible gathering where the world’s leading robotics experts showcased and competed with their cutting-edge technologies. I am keeping this blog... Read More
PhD Candidate Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship News / June 6, 2024 Ben Shaffer, a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded the highly competitive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support inclusive of an annual stipend of $37,000. In an interview, Ben... Read More
Pasta Summer: Bringing A Product To Market News / March 25, 2024 Dagny Lott, SEAS ’24, Swarthmore, PA This summer I participated in a 13-week internship at NEPRI, an early-stage CPG (Consumer Product Goods) company. I’ve worked for a few start-ups before with as few as 10 or as many as 500 employees, but I never had the chance to help build... Read More
Oren Minsk Named 2024 Matthew Isakowitz Fellow News / February 13, 2024 Oren Minsk, a junior in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) is a recipient of the 2024 Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship Program. The program, designed to honor the legacy of Matthew Isakowitz, aims to cultivate the next generation of leaders in the aerospace industry through mentorship and career training. As one of... Read More
