Douglas Jerolmack Elected American Physical Society Fellow News / January 8, 2026 Jerolmack is recognized for pioneering investigations into the universal behaviors governing the formation, failure, and flow of soft earth materials, and for outstanding leadership in building a soft earth geophysics community. Read More
Using Surface Fractures on Earth, Mars, and Europa to Predict Habitability News / March 10, 2025 When a mudflat crumbles on Earth, or an ice sheet splinters on one of Jupiter’s moons (Europa), or an ancient lakebed breaks on Mars, do these fractures follow a hidden geometric script? Could similar patterns on another planet hint that water once existed there—and possibly sustained life? To most, these... Read More
Rivers in a Changing World News / December 3, 2024 he history of Philadelphia’s water lies mostly underground, buried and dormant. Watershed maps show a slow and persistent erasure of the streams that once covered the city, branching capillaries that stretched from Chestnut Hill to South Philadelphia. With 73% of the city’s waterways piped, visible water now exists mostly in large bodies:... Read More
The Secrets of Baseball’s Magic Mud News / November 4, 2024 The unique properties of baseball’s famed “magic” mud have never been scientifically quantified — until now. In a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science (Penn Engineering) and School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) reveal what makes... Read More
Penn Researchers Discuss Their Solutions to the Climate Crisis News / October 21, 2024 As society grapples with the impacts of a worsening climate—from the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events to rising sea levels and deadly heat waves—the need for actionable solutions has never been greater, Penn researchers say. At a Climate Week event, Penn’s Climate Solutions Showcase, faculty and researchers from the School... Read More
Teaching Doglike Robots to Walk on the Moon’s Dusty, Icy Surface News / April 18, 2024 At an elevation of around 6,000 feet near Mount Hood, located roughly 70 miles east of Portland, an interdisciplinary team comprising members from the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Texas A&M University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Temple University, and NASA, embarked on a field mission. The group of engineers, cognitive... Read More
Penn Engineers Uncover Universal Structure in Turbulent Air Flows Over Dune Fields News / April 11, 2024 Penn Engineers have uncovered an unexpected universal pattern in how turbulent airflows behave over natural dune fields, offering insights into one of the most perplexing phenomena in fluid dynamics: the physics of roughness-driven internal boundary layers. Internal boundary layers form when atmospheric flows encounter roughness transitions; think the interface of... Read More
At Ben Talks NYC, A Journey from Ocean Depths to Outer Space News / March 5, 2024 On a brisk night in January overlooking the skating rink in New York’s Bryant Park, alumni took a journey from the depths of the sea to the outer reaches of space, as part of the annual Ben Talks NYC, a series that began nearly a decade ago. This year’s event... Read More
Douglas Jerolmack Receives S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award News / January 1, 2024 Douglas Jerolmack, Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics and in Earth and Environmental Science, has been awarded the S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award. Presented in conjunction with the Engineering Alumni Society, this award recognizes outstanding service in stimulating and guiding the intellectual and professional development of undergraduate students at... Read More
The Alchemy Behind the Diamond: Unearthing Baseball’s Beloved Mud News / October 30, 2023 With the Phillies’ World Series hopes dashed by the Arizona Diamondbacks, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania are diverting their gaze to a lesser-known player in the baseball saga: the “magic mud.” This mysterious mire, harvested from a secret locale along the Delaware River, has long been an unsung companion... Read More
