complex figure of synthetic reef

Co-Design Artificial Reef Structures that Help Harness Wave Energy

In the race to power the world with renewable energy, we look to an underutilized resource from the ocean: wave energy. Energy from ocean waves could provide about 10% of the world’s electricity needs, reducing more than 3% of global carbon dioxide production. In the United States, around 50% of […]


image of a spiraling Biodegradable Seed carrier

Winning the Fast Company’s 2024 WorldChangingIdeas award

We won the Fast Company’s 2024 WorldChangingIdeas award. “E-seeds: Autonomous Self-burying Seed Carriers for Aerial Seeding”, was recognized across four categories: Agriculture (https://lnkd.in/eJRCqYMg), Developing World Technology (https://lnkd.in/eE_SvNZV), Experimental (https://lnkd.in/ezuV64wf), and Nature (https://lnkd.in/eac6gj5s).. | Read more |


decorative image of carbon architecture

Toward carbon-negative architecture

A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Weitzman and Penn Engineering are working to develop a new building system that would reduce carbon in all aspects of concrete construction. | Read more |


Concrete Cell Stress graphic

Threading high-performance, self-morphing building blocks across scales toward a sustainable future

Inspiree by biological structural materials, Yang, Liang Feng (Penn Engineering, MSE) and Masoud Akbarzadeh (PennDesign, Architecture) have received $4.6M grant from National Science Foundation (NSF) in collaboration with researchers at Princeton University (Andrej Košmrlj and Pierre-Thomas Brun), Rowan University (Xiao Hu) and Rutgers University Camden (David Salas-de la Cruz) to drive eco-future manufacturing of highly efficient […]


Emily Zinselmeier, One of Eight 2018 Thouron Award Winners from Penn

Emily Zinselmeier, a 2017 graduate, has received the prestigious Thouron Award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. She majored in materials science and engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and architecture with a minor in Hispanic studies from the School of Arts and Sciences. She co-founded Penn’s chapter of the American Academy of Environmental […]


Mimicking Giant Clams to Enhance the Production of Biofuel

Alison Sweeney of the University of Pennsylvania has been studying giant clams. She refer to the clams as “solar transformers” because they are capable of absorbing bright sunlight at a very high rate and scattering it over a large surface area. When the light is distributed evenly among the thick […]


Memorandom of Understanding Signing Ceremony between KIST-MLSRD and UPENN-LRSM & AESOP

In an exciting development, we signed a Memo of Understanding to spur increased collaboration between  Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Materials and Life Science Research Division (MLSRD) and two centers of excellence at the University of Pennsylvania.  These include the newly launched Center AESOP (Center for Analyzing Evolved […]


Sabin named 2015 IVY Innovator in Design

Jenny Sabin, is principal of Jenny Sabin Studio, an experimental architectural design studio, and director of the Sabin Design Lab at Cornell AAP, a hybrid research and design unit with specialization in computational design, data visualization, and digital fabrication.


AESOP Goes Live!

Announcing the new entity: “Analyzing Evolved Structures and Solutions as Optimized Patterns, Products, and Paradigms Science for the Human Habitat”