The SETI Institute is pleased to announce Dr. Karen I. Perez as the inaugural recipient of the William J. Welch Postdoctoral Fellowship at the SETI Institute. Beginning in the Fall of 2025, Perez will develop real-time, machine-learning-enabled and GPU-accelerated analysis pipelines for detecting single-pulse transients, as well as narrowband and broadband technosignatures, using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) in Hat Creek, CA and other telescopes around the world.

Her research will bridge science and engineering, advancing the field of radio astronomy through the integration of NVIDIA accelerator technology, which is crucial for advancing the SETI Institute's data-intensive search for signals from intelligent life.

Scientists have developed a low-cost, durable, highly-sensitive robotic ‘skin’ that can be added to robotic hands like a glove, enabling robots to detect information about their surroundings in a way that’s similar to humans.

Milk protein and cellulose derived from plants may be the next big thing in sustainability, thanks to a first-of-its-kind advancement made by researchers at Penn State. Accomplished via electrospinning, which involves using a voltage to force a liquid solution into a cone shape that stretches and morphs into tiny fibers as the solution jets from an ejector, the team combined the milk protein casein with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, a compound also known as hypromellose and derived from plant material, to create nanofibers 1,000 times thinner than a human hair. They then manipulated those fibers into mats that hold promise for a variety of products, like biodegradable — and even edible — food packaging.