Pennovation Accelerator cohort members Baleena and ToxiSense were selected as the Philadelphia Business Journal's 2022 Inno Under 25 honorees. The PHL Inno initiative recognizes people 25 years and younger who are making waves in the area’s startup ecosystem.

Through the PURM internship program, select students had the opportunity to work in neuroethologist Marc Schmidt’s lab studying the neural basis of courtship behaviors in songbirds this summer. The smart aviary enclosure located within the Pennovation Works campus contains 15 birds, 10 cameras, and 24 microphones. The cameras and microphones track each and every bird’s movements, songs, and social interactions, around the clock.

Treeswift deploys drones with sensors to capture and then analyze tree data, while moving in and around tree lines and navigating rugged environments. Its technology captures, processes and analyses the data for its clients. The company, now at about 30 employees, is based out of Pennovation Center's GRASP Lab, though it has employees across the country tending to forest sites; Treeswift has a concentration of clients in the Southeast, Pacific Northwest, the Northeast and California. 

Lori Kanter Tritsch and William P. Lauder, University of Pennsylvania Trustee, have created a new program for PennPraxis, the practice arm of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at Penn.  The University of Pennsylvania recently announced a $7.5 million commitment from Kanter Tritsch and Lauder to support Design to Thrive, a youth development initiative centered on design education and career exploration. Design to Thrive began as a two-year pilot in New York and Philadelphia in response to the limited educational and recreational opportunities during the pandemic.

The Canine Handler Academy is taking place at the Pennovation Center during the entire month of July. Participants have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the working dog industry and learn about canines in search and rescue, law enforcement, and medical detection.

Penn Engineers are prioritizing environmental justice throughout the life cycle of carbon management by studying the fundamentals of storing captured carbon in rock waste, and conducting experiments at Pennovation Works. Read the full article on the Penn Today website.

While some parts of the tech industry can thrive with remote work, scientific research has always relied on in-person collaboration — and will continue to do so, these experts from the Penn Center for Innovation argue. Read the full article on the Technical.ly website.

May graduates Sarah Beth Gleeson, Shoshana Weintraub, and Julia Yan, founders of Baleena, will use their President’s Sustainability Prize to create a device for trapping microfibers in laundry machines to reduce ocean microplastic pollution. View the full article on the Penn Today website.

Penn Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli discusses the future evolution of this 455,000 sq. ft. research and manufacturing project, led by Longfellow Real Estate Developers, and its value for Penn and the region. View the full article on the Penn Today website.