Exel: Drexel University's Research Magazine

_John A. Fry

A message from the President.

_Body of Research: Battery Science: Charging Forward

Discoveries by Drexel engineers and materials scientists are creating opportunities for better electrical vehicles, textile electronics and safe hydrogen energy. _illustrations by Ryan Olbrysh

_Culture / Society: AI’s Niche Value in Retailing

Researchers have found that artificial intelligence serves retailers best from behind the scenes.; Pencil It In

A comparison of paper calendars versus digital calendars showed that old-fashioned, hand-written plans are more likely to produce results.; Covert Classroom Bullies

Research shows that students are adept at perceiving who’s being picked on in school and by whom, but that teachers miss the signs.; Beyond Bottom Lines

Profitability alone will not win the day in boardrooms.; Digital Forensics that Spot Deepfakes

Teaching computers how to recognize altered images could help expose forgeries and combat misinformation that spreads readily online.; The Limits of Limited-Time Sales

Online retailers may not capitalize on a traditional marketing tactic that drove generations of shoppers to stores.; Pay Gaps Thrive in Nonprofits

A study confirmed significant pay disparities between male and female leaders in the nonprofit world.; Trustworthy Arbitration

A case study examining investors' grievances with stockbrokers suggests ways to make mandatory arbitration a more transparent and inclusive process.

_Examine: Birding with Hasselblad

Among the storied artifacts within the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a custom Hasselblad camera used to record the earliest images in the Academy's collection of ornithological photography. _by Sarah Greenblatt

_Feature: Experiments at the Edge of the Metaverse

The unique research that goes on inside Drexel's virtual reality and immersive media labs is unreal. _by Natalie Kostelni; How to Build a Lab in Six Weeks

Experience, resourcefulness and sheer luck enabled a crew of students and faculty from the College of Medicine to fill an urgent need for COVID testing in Philadelphia early in the pandemic. Now, they’re using their knowledge to build a commercial diagnostics service. _by Alissa Falcone _illustration by Chris Gash; Land, Talent and Science

West Philadelphia has the history and momentum to lead the region in a life sciences renaissance, and Drexel is building a home for it all. _by Lini Kadaba _Illustration by Axel Pfaender; Putting the ‘Treat’ into Treatment

Move over, Ensure. The Food Lab is churning out liquid nutrition supplements for cancer patients or the elderly that look and taste like delicious ice cream desserts. _by Ben Seal; We’re Not in ‘Oz’ Anymore

Inside a new Scandinavian-style prison unit, academics and corrections officials want to know if making prison time less prison-like can reduce recidivism in Pennsylvania. Photos courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services _by Sarah Greenblatt _illustration by James Steinberg _photos courtesy of Commonwealth Media Services; Rowhomes Versus Refineries

Academics and community members are working together to tackle environmental hazards as part of Drexel’s new Environmental Collaboratory, a pioneering initiative that funds research activism. _by Ben Seal; Ten Experiments to Save the Earth

Futurists believe advances in science and technology will help humanity evade the worst effects of climate change. Let us hope so. Here are 10 ideas from Drexel scientists that give us hope for the future. Because the No. 1 way to save the planet is to simply start somewhere. illustrations by Ollie Hirst

_Medicine: Editing Genes to Cure HIV

Three Drexel scientists are playing instrumental roles in a nationwide quest to conquer HIV using CRISPR gene-editing technology.; A Turn Toward Custom Ankle implants

An engineering professor opened the door to durable, custom joint replacements after correcting a long-held misunderstanding of ankle anatomy.; An Early Test for Lyme

A prize-winning new test for Lyme disease could help doctors make a speedy diagnosis of the tick-borne disease.; Finding Early Alzheimer’s

The natural language AI algorithms behind the chatbot program ChatGPT can help doctors spot early Alzheimer’s disease, researchers find.; Fighting Addiction Stigma

Students at the College of Medicine are destigmatizing opioid use disorder to improve overdose reversal training and advocate for new treatments. _illustration by Brian Stauffer; Starving Breast Cancer in the Brain

Cancer biologist Mauricio Reginato is studying an enzyme that could be key to stopping breast cancer cells once they spread to the brain.; Patched Up Hearts

Motivated by the delicacy of infant heart surgery, an interdisciplinary team patented an internal patch that makes repeat operations safer and faster. ; Estrogen and Brain Injury

Targeting hormones may help alleviate or prevent depression in women and girls with brain injuries.

_Nature / Environment: Evolving on the Fly

Short-lived pea aphids are giving Drexel researchers a real-time window into how temperature change influences evolution.; Modern-day Dousing Rod

A patented device uses sound waves to identify lead in underground water pipes, a boon to aging cities.; Fossil Reveals Fish-to-Land Transition

Fossils found by an amateur paleontologist belonged to a lobe finned, transitional fish that lived in streams and along coastlines some 380 to 360 million years ago.; Safe Skylines for Birds

Ornithologists are collaborating with companies to monitor and reduce bird collisions with buildings in the Philadelphia region.; Taking the City's Temperature

Fifty “citizen scientists” volunteered to traverse Philadelphia’s streets with instruments that scan for heat islands, in a hunt to locate climate change hotspots.; Ever-ready Brainiacs

The study of neural plasticity — a property that all animals’ nervous systems share — provides insights into the dynamics between behavior and the environment.; Do Sea Turtles Need Shade?

A technique conservationists use to preserve sea turtle populations could backfire if implemented too broadly.; Antique Data Confirms Owl Discovery

DNA from a 173-year-old museum specimen at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University enabled ornithologists to describe two new species of Brazilian screech owl.

_Public Health: City-to-City Vax Disparities

Cities in the West were less likely to exhibit wide socioeconomic disparities in citizens’ access to the COVID-19 vaccine when it first became available.; Five-Minute Autism Diagnosis

Seasoned clinicians can usually spot autism within the first five minutes of meeting a child, a finding that opens the door to fast-tracked interventions.; Hug Tree, Have Granola

Add healthy eating to the list of ways that nature is good for us.; Overdose Survival: Risks

Opioid overdoses can cause a cycle of cognitive damage that makes overdoses likelier to recur. _Illustration by Jeremy Leung; Opioid Improvements

Pandemic-era changes to prescribing guidelines for the lifesaving drug buprenorphine led to improved treatment outcomes for patients with opioid use disorder.; Keeping Up with COVID

Drexel is using machine learning to spot the rise of dangerous COVID variants that may emerge in the future.; Designing for, and With, the Community

Students experienced co-design during an experimental participatory course that tackled inclusion, community and aging.; Clock Is Ticking for Pennsylvania’s Health

A detailed report from the College of Nursing and Health Professions reveals how demographic trends in Pennsylvania stand to worsen access to health care services for many groups in coming years.

_Tech / Science: Power Patch for Wearable Tech

Researchers are one step closer to making wearable textile technology a reality with the successful design of a working, flexible, wearable supercapacitor patch.; Algo Knits for Smart Fabrics

Researchers are translating the loops and twists of knitting into a digital algorithm — a key step in the process of incorporating new technologies into “smart” textiles.; Shoestring Science, with a Smartphone

A simple, easily replicated science experiment for high schoolers proves that neuroscience research doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor.; How to Study a Condo Collapse

When Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Florida, collapsed in 2021, a Drexel structural engineer put his expertise to use investigating the causes of the disaster with the journalists covering the event.; Efficient Mercury Removal

A material developed at Drexel can remove even low levels of mercury from contaminated bodies of water.; This Extra-Curricular is the Bomb

A first-year electrical engineering major has assembled a robotics team to construct rovers for precision tasks.; Forever Contaminated

The microbes that break down waste may explain how "forever chemicals" end up in soil and water.

_John A. Fry

Battery Science: Charging Forward

Discoveries by Drexel engineers and materials scientists are creating opportunities for better electrical vehicles, textile electronics and safe hydrogen energy. _illustrations by Ryan Olbrysh

AI’s Niche Value in Retailing

Researchers have found that artificial intelligence serves retailers best from behind the scenes.

Pencil It In

A comparison of paper calendars versus digital calendars showed that old-fashioned, hand-written plans are more likely to produce results.

Covert Classroom Bullies

Research shows that students are adept at perceiving who’s being picked on in school and by whom, but that teachers miss the signs.

Beyond Bottom Lines

Profitability alone will not win the day in boardrooms.

Digital Forensics that Spot Deepfakes

Teaching computers how to recognize altered images could help expose forgeries and combat misinformation that spreads readily online.

The Limits of Limited-Time Sales

Online retailers may not capitalize on a traditional marketing tactic that drove generations of shoppers to stores.

Pay Gaps Thrive in Nonprofits

A study confirmed significant pay disparities between male and female leaders in the nonprofit world.

Trustworthy Arbitration

A case study examining investors' grievances with stockbrokers suggests ways to make mandatory arbitration a more transparent and inclusive process.

Birding with Hasselblad

Among the storied artifacts within the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is a custom Hasselblad camera used to record the earliest images in the Academy's collection of ornithological photography. _by Sarah Greenblatt

Experiments at the Edge of the Metaverse

The unique research that goes on inside Drexel's virtual reality and immersive media labs is unreal. _by Natalie Kostelni

How to Build a Lab in Six Weeks

Land, Talent and Science

West Philadelphia has the history and momentum to lead the region in a life sciences renaissance, and Drexel is building a home for it all. _by Lini Kadaba _Illustration by Axel Pfaender

Putting the ‘Treat’ into Treatment

Move over, Ensure. The Food Lab is churning out liquid nutrition supplements for cancer patients or the elderly that look and taste like delicious ice cream desserts. _by Ben Seal

We’re Not in ‘Oz’ Anymore

Rowhomes Versus Refineries

Academics and community members are working together to tackle environmental hazards as part of Drexel’s new Environmental Collaboratory, a pioneering initiative that funds research activism. _by Ben Seal

Ten Experiments to Save the Earth

Editing Genes to Cure HIV

Three Drexel scientists are playing instrumental roles in a nationwide quest to conquer HIV using CRISPR gene-editing technology.

A Turn Toward Custom Ankle implants

An engineering professor opened the door to durable, custom joint replacements after correcting a long-held misunderstanding of ankle anatomy.

An Early Test for Lyme

A prize-winning new test for Lyme disease could help doctors make a speedy diagnosis of the tick-borne disease.

Finding Early Alzheimer’s

The natural language AI algorithms behind the chatbot program ChatGPT can help doctors spot early Alzheimer’s disease, researchers find.

Fighting Addiction Stigma

Students at the College of Medicine are destigmatizing opioid use disorder to improve overdose reversal training and advocate for new treatments. _illustration by Brian Stauffer

Starving Breast Cancer in the Brain

Cancer biologist Mauricio Reginato is studying an enzyme that could be key to stopping breast cancer cells once they spread to the brain.

Patched Up Hearts

Motivated by the delicacy of infant heart surgery, an interdisciplinary team patented an internal patch that makes repeat operations safer and faster.

Estrogen and Brain Injury

Targeting hormones may help alleviate or prevent depression in women and girls with brain injuries.

Evolving on the Fly

Short-lived pea aphids are giving Drexel researchers a real-time window into how temperature change influences evolution.

Modern-day Dousing Rod

A patented device uses sound waves to identify lead in underground water pipes, a boon to aging cities.

Fossil Reveals Fish-to-Land Transition

Fossils found by an amateur paleontologist belonged to a lobe finned, transitional fish that lived in streams and along coastlines some 380 to 360 million years ago.

Safe Skylines for Birds

Ornithologists are collaborating with companies to monitor and reduce bird collisions with buildings in the Philadelphia region.

Taking the City's Temperature

Fifty “citizen scientists” volunteered to traverse Philadelphia’s streets with instruments that scan for heat islands, in a hunt to locate climate change hotspots.

Ever-ready Brainiacs

The study of neural plasticity — a property that all animals’ nervous systems share — provides insights into the dynamics between behavior and the environment.

Do Sea Turtles Need Shade?

A technique conservationists use to preserve sea turtle populations could backfire if implemented too broadly.

Antique Data Confirms Owl Discovery

DNA from a 173-year-old museum specimen at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University enabled ornithologists to describe two new species of Brazilian screech owl.

City-to-City Vax Disparities

Cities in the West were less likely to exhibit wide socioeconomic disparities in citizens’ access to the COVID-19 vaccine when it first became available.

Five-Minute Autism Diagnosis

Seasoned clinicians can usually spot autism within the first five minutes of meeting a child, a finding that opens the door to fast-tracked interventions.

Hug Tree, Have Granola

Add healthy eating to the list of ways that nature is good for us.

Overdose Survival: Risks

Opioid overdoses can cause a cycle of cognitive damage that makes overdoses likelier to recur. _Illustration by Jeremy Leung

Opioid Improvements

Pandemic-era changes to prescribing guidelines for the lifesaving drug buprenorphine led to improved treatment outcomes for patients with opioid use disorder.

Keeping Up with COVID

Drexel is using machine learning to spot the rise of dangerous COVID variants that may emerge in the future.

Designing for, and With, the Community

Students experienced co-design during an experimental participatory course that tackled inclusion, community and aging.

Clock Is Ticking for Pennsylvania’s Health

A detailed report from the College of Nursing and Health Professions reveals how demographic trends in Pennsylvania stand to worsen access to health care services for many groups in coming years.

Motivated by the delicacy of infant heart surgery, an interdisciplinary team patented an internal patch that makes repeat operations safer and faster. 