Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering Symposium Honoring Kurt Petersen: “Small Tech, Big Impact: The Development and Commercialization of MEMS Sensors & Actuators”

Glandt Forum, Singh Center for Nanotechnology 3205 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

For two centuries, The Franklin Insitute has honored pioneering achievements in science, engineering, and industry. As the oldest comprehensive science awards program in the United States. The Franklin Insitute Awards celebrates Benjamin Franklin's legacy by honoring the Franklins of today. Through their remarkable contributions, our laureates inspire the Franklins of tomorrow. The 2025 Benjamin Franklin […]

Franklin Awards Symposium: Honoring Professor Naomi J. Halas – Rice University – Recipient of the 2025 Franklin Medal in Chemistry

Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology, Room 121 231 S 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

This symposium will feature cutting-edge contributions in plasmonics and nanonphonics research that are enabling advances in life sciences, energy sustainability, and information technology. Event Schedule 8:50 am:  Welcome 9:00 am: Prof. Rizia Bardhan, Iowa State University. 9:35 am: Prof. Stephan Link, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) 10:10 am: Break 10:30 am: Prof. Peter J. A. […]

ASSET Seminar: “Neurosymbolic Program Synthesis: Bridging Perception and Reasoning in Real-World Applications”

Levine 307 3330 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Abstract: Neurosymbolic Program Synthesis (NSP) integrates neural networks and symbolic reasoning to tackle complex tasks requiring both perception and logical reasoning. This talk provides an overview of the NSP framework and its applications in domains such as image editing, data extraction, and robot learning from demonstrations. We will delve into the key ideas behind NSP […]

JOHN A. QUINN DISTINGUISHED LECTURE IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING: “Sticky Nanoparticles: Electrostatic Assembly of Targeted Delivery Agents” (Paula Hammond, MIT)

Wu & Chen Auditorium

Abstract: Electrostatic assembly can be used to engineer coatings that yield release of different drugs, DNA or protein, resulting in highly tunable multi -agent delivery nanolayered release systems for tissue engineering, biomedical devices, and wound healing applications. Most recently, we have developed a modular nanoparticle approach using liposomal core particles and layering them with an […]

Energy-Efficient AI: The Franklin Institute Awards Laureate Symposium Honoring William James Dally

Amy Gutmann Hall, Auditorium 3333 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

The Franklin Institute Awards Laureate Symposium is dedicated to honoring William James Dally, recipient of the 2025 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science The event will feature Margaret Martonosi (H. T. Adams ’35 Professor of Computer Science, Princeton University), Yakun Sophia Shao (Associate Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, UC Berkeley), Joe […]

MEAM Master’s Thesis Defense: “A Computational Model of Caenorhabditis elegans Locomotion”

Towne 319 220 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, United States

Since discovered in 1897, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has surfaced as an excellent model organism for medical and genetic research. The worm propels itself through viscous-dominated creeping flows via undulatory motion. Moreover, experiments have revealed that the netamode’s swimming gait alters as a function of fluid viscosity. In the current research, we proposed a new […]

PICS Colloquium: Learning to Model the World (and Yourself) from Vision

PICS Conference Room 534 - A Wing , 5th Floor 3401 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

In this talk, I will discuss recent publications from my group that attempt at learning models of the world and the effect of the actions of an agent within that world self-supervised, solely via interaction. In particular, I will discuss the potential and challenges of video generative models as a candidate for such a world […]

ESE Ph.D. Thesis Defense: “Multiferroic Resonators for Wireless Power Transfer and Magnetic Field Sensing in Biomedical Systems”

Raisler Lounge (Room 225), Towne Building 220 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) composed of magnetostrictive and piezoelectric materials can translate information between the electrical and magnetic domains while exploiting mechanical resonance enhancement. Multiferroic MEMS devices such as these can be designed to perform magnetic field sensing and wireless power transfer (WPT) while maintaining device sizes on the order of 0.125 mm 2 . This […]

Spring 2025 Robotics MSE Thesis and Capstone Lightning Talks and Poster Session

Wu & Chen Auditorium

This is an in-person event with in-person attendance in Wu and Chen Auditorium for Lightning Talks and Levine Lobby for Poster Session. This year we will have an "Audience Choice" for best Lightning Talk and Poster. Please be sure to vote for your favorite! Voting will take place during the Poster Session using a QR […]

MEAM Ph.D. Thesis Defense: “Real-Time Perception and Mixed-Integer Footstep Control for Underactuated Bipedal Walking on Rough Terrain”

Towne 319 220 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia, United States

The promise of bipedal robots is to go where people go, serving as surrogates for human labor in dangerous, unstructured environments. For the most part, this promise remains unrealized. The primary challenge for controlling bipedal locomotion is underactuation. Standing on a single leg limits control authority, requiring appropriate foot placement to generate or absorb momentum […]