SAS Researchers Study Erosion at El Yunque Rock

El Yunque rock stands at 3,412 feet and receives an average of three rain showers a day and more than 14 feet of rain annually. Because of Puerto Rico's warm tropical climate, the rock should be covered with vegetation and eroding rapidly. However, that isn't the case.

To understand how erosion has affected the rock and surrounding mountains, a research team from the University of Pennsylvania and the National Science Foundation-supported Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory, led by Jane Willenbring, Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Science; Frederick Scatena, Professor of Earth and Environmental Science; and Gilles Brocard, a postdoctoral resesarcher, sought to quantify the current rate of erosion and to employ a new approach to calculate how the rate has changed through time. This new technique involves counting the isotopes that are produced and accumulate in rocks when they are hit by cosmic rays.

To read the full article, click here.

Arts & Sciences News

1 / 2
Hanming Fang Named Inaugural Norman C. Grosman Professor of Economics

An applied microeconomist who integrates rigorous modeling with data analysis, Fang’s research within the field of public economics focuses on health insurance and healthcare markets.

View Article >
Xi Song Named Inaugural Schiffman Family Presidential Associate Professor of Sociology

Song’s research interests include social mobility, occupations, Asian Americans, population studies, and quantitative methodology.

View Article >
Julie Nelson Davis Named Paul F. Miller, Jr. and E. Warren Shafer Miller Professor of History of Art

Davis specializes in the arts and material cultures of 18th- and 19th-century Japan, with a focus on prints, paintings, and illustrated books.

View Article >
Justin Khoury Named Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Khoury’s research interests lie at the intersection of particle physics and cosmology.

View Article >
University of Pennsylvania, Neubauer Family Foundation, and Philadelphia Police Department Partner to Support Police Leadership Education

The first-of-its-kind graduate degree in the U.S. for police leaders launches this fall at the School of Arts & Sciences.

View Article >
Professor of Biology Philip Rea Wins Neal Award for Scientific Journalism

Rea won for the award for Best Technical/Scientific Content for his article “Gliflozins for Diabetes: From Bark to Bench to Bedside,” published in American Scientist.

View Article >