Coral Growth & Reef Habitat Monitoring Using 3D Model Reconstructions
Join a coral reef monitoring project where you’ll turn underwater photo surveys into measurements of coral growth and reef change through time. You’ll learn practical workflows in 3D imaging and reef mapping while contributing to publishable research.
Exploring ML-based compression for rapid release of astronomical alerts
The Rubin Observatory will see millions of "transients" a night, but cannot release all of these to the wider astronomical community without heavily filtering them. We will explore recent advances in machine learning techniques that produce optimal compressions to address this problem.
Why do bones fracture? Building a computational and experimental mechanics framework
Much of what we know about bone fracture comes from single-event, equilibrium tests at large length scales. However, most fractures initiate at much smaller scales and develop gradually under repeated, cyclic loading as occurs during daily activity. Bone resists this damage remarkably well, in part because of its hierarchical structure: nanoscale collagen–mineral fibrils interact to slow crack growth and give the body time to repair itself. Understanding how these mechanisms operate across length scales is essential for improving treatments for bone fragility and inspiring tougher synthetic materials.
Research on Steady-State Microbial Behavior Associated with Early-Evolving Metabolisms
The Penn Geomicrobiology Laboratory is looking for a student researcher to support laboratory-based research activities associated with steady-state microbial growth via anaerobic chemostat cultivation at high temperatures.
Organizational Help With Educational Activities at the Penn Geomicrobiology Laboratory
The Penn Geomicrobiology Laboratory is looking for a student to help organize, document, and coordinate educational activities in collaboration with the Science Education Academy, a nonprofit organization focused on providing science experiences to local elementary school students.
Effects of industrial noise on animals in public lands
Contribute to keeping public lands undisturbed from industrial noise
Mechanisms & Applications of bacterial immune systems like CRISPR
We combine computational biology, biochemistry, and structural biology to address complex biological and biotechnological questions around the CRISPR adaptive immune system.
Israel James
I’m interested in how geology can be leveraged as a tool for carbon capture and storage and climate change mitigation. My main research interest is exploring how rocks can naturally store CO₂ through processes like mineral carbonation. During high school, I designed an independent research study testing basalt’s ability to sequester CO₂, which showed promising results in increasing alkalinity in CO₂-infused water. I have also conducted research as an intern in the Staats Lab of the Department of Pathology at Duke University School of Medicine, where I evaluated the impact of small molecule adjuvants on mouse splenocytes compared to Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) immune responses. At Penn, I’m excited to continue research that contributes to natural carbon removal solutions.
I serve on the External Committee for Penn Climate Ventures (PCV), where I help organize events that bring together students, founders, and industry leaders in the climate space. This includes supporting speaker panels, networking sessions, and Penn Climate Week. I also became a Class Ambassador with Penn Traditions, engaging with alumni and fostering school spirit. On the personal side, my faith is central to me, and I’ve found a community with Every Nation Campus (ENC) and Christian Union at Penn.
The Neuroscience of Cooperation: Cracking the Brain’s Code for Teamwork
Have you ever wondered how our brains decide when to cooperate, or when to put our own interests first? In my lab, we study the brain circuits that make teamwork possible. To do this, we use treeshrews, small primate-like animals with surprisingly sophisticated decision-making abilities. We train pairs of treeshrews to play a cooperation game based on game theory, where sometimes they must “insist” on their own choice and other times “accommodate” their partner’s. While they play, we record brain activity in regions like the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate, which are critical for social decision-making. By combining these behavioral tasks with cutting-edge tools like multi-electrode recordings and optogenetics, we aim to reveal how brain circuits compute fairness, trust, and cooperation. This project offers undergraduates the chance to work hands-on with behavioral training, neural recordings, and data analysis, all while tackling one of the biggest mysteries of social neuroscience.