Penn's
Shu Yang Named a “Top Young Innovator”
Sept. 20, 2004
 PHILADELPHIA
-- Shu Yang of the University of Pennsylvania has been named
to the 2004 list of the world 100 Top Young Innovators by
Technology Review, a publication of the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology. The "TR100," chosen by the editors
of Technology Review and an elite panel of judges, consists
of people younger than 35 whose innovative work in technology
has a profound impact on today world.
Yang, an assistant professor in Penn Department of Materials
Science and Engineering, is an emerging leader in the
field of nanoscale polymer science. Her laboratory studies
how to program or "tune" synthetic polymers to function
with unique electrical, optical and bio-sensing abilities.
Yang believes this technology could be used to underlie future
generations of computers and communication networks.
Taking cues from biology, for example, Yang has recently
made advances in the creation of complex optical arrays that
mimic how biological molecules guide and concentrate light.
The ability to autofocus and direct light signals offers a
more compact, robust and efficient system for optical communications
than the conventional motorized systems
In another area of interest, Yang studies how the surface
properties of material can be tuned to respond to becoming
wet, to become capable of changing their etness responsesbased
on changes in electricity, solvent, heat and light. The ability
to dynamically tune surface properties would provide opportunities
in many applications, ranging from photonics to biotechnology.
"Shu Yang was our first new hire of the 21st century
and, in that short time, she has become a tremendous asset
to the department," said Peter K. Davies, professor and
chair of Penn Department of Materials Science and Engineering
in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. "Shu
is certainly deserving of the TR100. She is an innovator who
tempers her outstanding scientific creativity with matchless
capability and energy."
Yang will be honored Sept. 29-30 at Technology Review Emerging
Technologies Conference at MIT. More information on ETC2004
is available at www.tretc.com.
Contact:
Greg Lester
215.573.6604
glester@pobox.upenn.edu
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