Monthly Archives: March 2015

NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Nathan sporting hot towers, heavy rainfall

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VIDEO:TRMM showed that the heaviest rainfall occurring in Nathan on March 18 at 0758 UTC (3:58 a.m. EDT) was falling at a rate of over 119 mm (4.7 inches) on... view more

The TRMM satellite revealed that Tropical Cyclone Nathan had powerful thunderstorms known as "hot towers" near its center which are indicative of a strengthening storm.

Cyclone Nathan is located in the Coral Sea off Australia's Queensland coast. Nathan formed on March 10 near the Queensland coast triggering warnings there before moving east. Once out at sea, Nathan made a loop and headed back to Queensland.

On March 18, Nathan was nearing the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland. As a result warnings were in effect from Cape Melville to Innisfail, extending inland to Laura. Under watch is the area from Lockhart River to Cape Melville, extending inland to areas including Palmerville.

NASA-JAXA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite showed that the heaviest rainfall occurring in Tropical Cyclone Nathan on March 18 at 0758 UTC (3:58 a.m. EDT) was falling at a rate of over 119 mm (4.7 inches) on the eastern side of Nathan's eye. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, TRMM Precipitation Radar data were used to create a 3-D view of cyclone Nathan that showed storm heights in a rain band circling the storm's northwestern side reached heights of over 16 km (9.9 miles). Those data also showed "hot towers" or storm tops in Nathan's eyewall were reaching heights of over 13 km (8 miles).

"A "hot tower" is a tall cumulonimbus cloud that reaches at least to the top of the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere. It extends approximately nine miles (14.5 km) high in the tropics. These towers are called "hot" because they rise to such altitude due to the large amount of latent heat. Water vapor releases this latent heat as it condenses into liquid. NASA research shows that a tropical cyclone with a hot tower in its eyewall was twice as likely to intensify within six or more hours, than a cyclone that lacked a hot tower.

On Mar. 18 at 0900 UTC (5 a.m. EDT), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) noted that Nathan had reached hurricane force with maximum sustained winds near 65 knots (75 mph/120.4 kph). It was centered near 14.9 south latitude and 148.9 east longitude, about 225 nautical miles (258.9 miles/416.7 km) east-northeast of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It was moving to the west at 2 knots (2.3 mph/3.7 kph) and generating wave heights to 22 feet (6.7 meters).

The MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Cyclone Nathan off the Queensland, Australia coast on March 18, 2015 at 04:15 UTC (12:15 a.m. EDT). The MODIS instrument showed a pinhole eye, about 5 nautical miles (5.7 miles/9.2 km) wide.

JTWC forecasters noted that Nathan is moving into an area of warm sea surface temperatures that will allow the storm to strengthen before making landfall on the Cape York Peninsula. JTWC forecasts call for Nathan to strengthen to 85 knots (97.8 mph/157.4 kph) by March 19 at 0600 UTC (2 a.m. EDT). For updated warnings and forecasts from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, visit: http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/.

It is forecast to make landfall north of Cairns on March 19 (by 1800 UTC) and move in a west-northwesterly direction across the Cape York Peninsula and into the Gulf of Carpentaria.

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NASA sees Tropical Cyclone Nathan sporting hot towers, heavy rainfall

NASA's Launch Support and Infrastructure Modernization: Assessment of Ground Systems Needed to Launch SLS / Orion

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Full report

WHY WE PERFORMED THIS AUDIT

More than 50 years after serving as the launch site for the storied Apollo Program, the Kennedy Space Center (Kennedy) is working to revamp decades-old infrastructure and transform itself into a multi-user spaceport to accommodate both commercial spaceflight companies and the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (Orion) NASA is developing for its next stage of deep-space exploration.

NASA has spent more than $975 million on modernization efforts at Kennedy over the last 5 years and anticipates spending an additional $2.4 billion over the next 5 to upgrade such infrastructure as the Launch Pad 39B, from which the Agency launched the Apollo and Space Shuttle flights; the Mobile Launcher built for the cancelled Constellation Program; one of the crawler-transporters NASA used to move spacecraft to launch pads for almost 50 years; the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) constructed in the mid-1960s to support the Apollo Program and which the Agency used to process Space Shuttle orbiters; as well as to develop the software necessary to integrate and launch the SLS and Orion. The Agency's Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program is leading this effort.

In this review we evaluated whether the GSDO Program is meeting cost, schedule, and technical performance goals as it prepares Kennedy to launch the SLS and Orion on Exploration Mission 1 by the current target date of no later than November 2018.

WHAT WE FOUND

GSDO has made steady progress on the major equipment and facilities modernization initiatives needed to launch SLS and Orion, but significant technical and programmatic challenges remain to meet a November 2018 launch date. For the most part, these challenges originate from interdependencies between the GSDO, SLS, and Orion Programs. In short, GSDO cannot finalize and complete its requirements without substantial input from the other two Programs, and NASA is still finalizing the requirements for those Programs. Specifically, GSDO must overcome (1) a short timeframe for performing verification and validation testing between the Mobile Launcher, VAB, and Launch Pad 39B; (2) receipt of data and hardware regarding Orion later than planned; (3) the potential that integrated operations for Exploration Mission 1 may take longer than expected; and (4) most significantly, delays associated with development of command and control software.

At the time of our audit, GSDO was scheduled to complete a significant development milestone known as Critical Design Review in March 2015, several months before SLS (May 2015) and Orion (August 2015). The purpose of the Critical Design Review is to demonstrate a project's design is sufficiently mature to proceed to full scale fabrication, assembly, integration, and testing and technical aspects are on track to meet performance requirements within identified cost and schedule constraints. In our judgment, given the many interdependencies between the Programs, a schedule that has GSDO completing Critical Design Review prior to the other two Programs increases the risk GSDO may experience schedule delays or be required to perform costly redesign work.

NASA's Launch Support and Infrastructure Modernization: Assessment of the Ground Systems Needed to Launch SLS and Orion March 18, 2015IG-15-012 (A-13-020-00)Finally, coordinating and integrating development of the three individual Programs to meet a common milestone date presents a unique challenge, particularly since NASA historically has used a single program structure to manage similar efforts such as Apollo and the Space Shuttle. In lieu of central management, NASA established a cross-program integration structure that designates leaders from each Program to coordinate and align the Programs' development schedules. It is too early to say whether these substantial coordination challenges will result in cost or schedule issues for the Exploration Mission 1 launch. Moreover, new issues are likely to be uncovered during integration the point at which most projects encounter technical problems that impact cost and schedule. Given these challenges, coordination efforts among the GSDO, SLS, and Orion Programs are essential to successfully meeting NASA's human exploration goals.

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NASA's Launch Support and Infrastructure Modernization: Assessment of Ground Systems Needed to Launch SLS / Orion

NASA Software Lets You Hunt Dangerous Asteroids from Home

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A new asteroid-hunting computer program will help amateur astronomers and citizen scientists identify potentially hazardous space rocks faster and more accurately, NASA officials say.

Developed by NASA in partnership with Planetary Resources, a company that aims to mine asteroids, the software combines several algorithms developed in the Asteroid Data Hunter challenge.

"We applaud all the participants in the Asteroid Data Hunter challenge," Chris Lewicki, president and chief engineer at Planetary Resources, said in a statement. "We are extremely encouraged by the algorithm created, and its already making a difference. This increase in knowledge will help assess more quickly which asteroids are potential threats, human destinations or resource-rich." [Images: Potentially Dangerous Asteroids]

The new software was announced by a panel of NASA representatives on Sunday (March 16) at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas.

Announced in March 2014, the Asteroid Data Hunter challenge offered a total of $55,000 in awards for participants to develop significantly improved algorithms that could study images captured by ground-based telescopes and identify asteroids.

The winning entries for each section of the contest which focused on minimizing false positives, increasing detection sensitivity, ignoring imperfections in the data and the ability to run effectively on all computer systems were then combined to create an application to scan the skies.

The data hunter challenge kicked off NASAs Asteroid Grand Challenge, which was announced in 2013.

"The Asteroid Grand Challenge is seeking non-traditional partnerships to bring the citizen science and space enthusiast community into NASAs work," Jason Kessler, program executive for NASAs Asteroid Grand Challenge, said in the same statement.

"The Asteroid Data Hunter challenge has been successful beyond our hopes, creating something that makes a tangible difference to asteroid-hunting astronomers and highlights the possibility for more people to play a role in protecting our planet," he added.

In 1801, astronomers spotted the first objectin the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter the dwarf planet Ceres by carefully noting objects that appeared to move over time in comparison with the background stars. Technology allowed scientists to use images rather than memory or carefully sketched maps to compare how these bodies changed locations over time. By the time Clyde Tombaughspotted Pluto in 1930, astronomers around the world were using photographs of the night sky to identify moving objects.

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Nanotechnology in Medical Devices Market Worth $8.5 Billion by 2019

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DALLAS, March 18, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new market research report "Nanotechnology in Medical Devices Market by Product (Biochip, Implant Materials, Medical Textiles, Wound Dressing, Cardiac Rhythm Management Devices, Hearing Aid), Application (Therapeutic, Diagnostic, Research) - Global Forecast to 2019", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Nanotechnology in Medical Devices Market is was valued at around $5 Billion in 2014 and expected to reach around $8.5 Billion by 2019 with a CAGR of around 11-12% during the forecast period 2014 - 2019.

Browse116market data Tables and28Figures spread through200Pages and in-depth TOC on "Nanotechnology in Medical Devices Market "

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/nanotechnology-medical-device-market-65048077.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

This report studies the Nanotechnology-Based Medical Devices Market over the forecast period of 2014 to 2019. The nanotechnology-based medical devices market witnessed healthy growth during the last decade primarily attributed to the rising aging population and increasing government support, globally. However, high costs and time-consuming product approval processes of the nanotechnology-based medical devices are inhibiting the growth of this market to a certain extent.

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In this report, the Nanotechnology-Based Medical Devices Market is divided on the basis of products, applications, and regions. On the basis of products, the market is categorized into biochips, implantable materials, medical textile and wound dressing, active implantable devices, and others. The implantable materials segment is bifurcated into dental filling materials and bone restorative materials; while the active implantable devices segment is bifurcated into cardiac rhythm management devices, hearing aid devices, and retinal implants. On the basis of applications, the nanotechnology-based medical devices market is categorized into three major segments, namely, therapeutic applications, diagnostics applications, and research applications.

In 2014, the active implantable devices segment accounted for the largest share of the market. Rising incidence of lifestyle and age-related disorders (such as cardiovascular and hearing disorders) has contributed significantly to the growth of the nanotechnology-based active implantable devices market. In addition, availability of insurance coverage and reimbursement for medical procedures, presence of well-structured distribution channels, and growing out-of-pocket healthcare spending are further boosting the growth of the active implantable devices market.

On the basis of regions, North America accounted for the largest share of this market in 2014, followed by Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW. However, the Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing market for nanotechnology-based medical devices primarily due to the rising aging population, increasing international research collaborations, and increasing nanotechnology R&D expenditure. In addition, large-scale improvements in the healthcare infrastructure of countries such as China, Taiwan, and India are further driving the market in these regions.

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Nanotechnology in Medical Devices Market Worth $8.5 Billion by 2019

Black Holes, Nanotechnology and Cyberattacks Come to the Fore

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A preview by our editor in chief of the April issue of Scientific American

Mariette DiChristina

We're used to thinking of black holes as places where gravity is so strong not even light can escapewhere an unnoticed crossing by a hapless astronaut over an unseen and un-felt event horizon nonetheless means a point of no return. According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, no signposts would mark the spot where the chance of escape dropped to zero, writes physicist Joseph Polchinski.

But in this issue's cover story, Burning Rings of Fire, Polchinski paints a new picture, courtesy of his and others' work in a discipline that Albert Einstein found vexing: quantum mechanics. Replacing the unknowable border to an eternity of darkness is a stormy firewall of instantly lethal high-energy particles. If quantum mechanics is to be trusted, firewalls are the consequence, Polchinski notes. The controversial finding arose from scientists' attempts to resolve apparent contradictions of physics that occur in extreme environments, a challenge highlighted by Stephen Hawking, among others.

Nanotechnology can be equally invisible to the eye but promises far more benignin fact, salutaryencounters. In our special report on the Future of Medicine, we examine what benefits nanomedicine is bringing us already and how those will take shape in the future. We can look forward to improvements in cancer-fighting therapies, diagnostics, wound healing, delivery of drugs with nanomotors, and more.

A different class of unseen actors is at work in the worrying trend of cyberattacks. Software vulnerabilities have led to hacked networks, servers, personal computers and online accountswith theft of information from millions. Your own PC or corporate network can become enslaved to further the ends of cybercriminals.

How to Survive Cyberwar, by Keren Elazari, takes an unsettling look at the growing problem. Taking a military point of view, Elazari argues, will ultimately not be the most successful approachindeed, it might just make things worse. Instead she suggests thinking of it as a public health issue. Government agencies are key players, but they cannot stop the spread of [cyber]diseases on their own. Success will mean that all of us play important roles. Read on to see how we can, as cybercitizens, do the equivalent of washing our hands and getting our vaccines.

This article was originally published with the title "Dark and Stormy."

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Black Holes, Nanotechnology and Cyberattacks Come to the Fore

Research assistant / associate in nanotechnology (fixed term)

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Location: Cambridge Salary: 24,775 to 37,394 per annum Hours: Full Time Contract Type: Contract / Temporary

Applications are invited for a Research Assistant/Associate (Postdoctoral Researcher) in the Department of Engineering, to work in the field of nanotechnology. The post holder will be working in the nanomanufacturing group in Cambridge, UK - http://www.nanomanufacturing.eng.cam.ac.uk/

In this project, we aim at the development of new scalable techniques to create highly organized assemblies of carbon nanotubes and/or graphene. This process builds on techniques such as microfluidics and requires understanding of colloidal physics, self-assembly, physical chemistry.

The researcher will take a prominent role in planning experiments and leading the research activities. Also, as this project is a subcomponent of a larger project, the researcher will need to interact closely with team members towards the application of these materials in energy storage and filtration.

We will consider candidates with various research backgrounds including material science, chemistry, engineering, and physics. We are particularly interested in candidates with a track record in one or more of the following: colloidal physics, surfactant systems, self-assembly, microfluidics, chemical modification or synthesis of nanomaterials, as well as nanomaterial characterization techniques. Applicants are required to have a PhD or be close to obtaining a PhD.

Salary Ranges:

Research Assistant: 24,775 - 28,695; Research Associate: 28,695 - 37,394

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 24 months in the first instance.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

When submitting your application, please ensure that you upload your Curriculum Vitae (CV), a covering letter, and a publication list (please highlight what you think are your three best publications) in the Upload section of the online application. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application. Please submit your application by midnight on the closing date.

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Research assistant / associate in nanotechnology (fixed term)

Nano piano's melody could mean storage breakthrough

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March 18, 2015

Nano piano concept: Arrays of gold, pillar-supported bowtie nanoantennas (bottom left) can be used to record distinct musical notes, as shown in the experimentally obtained dark-field microscopy images (bottom right). These particular notes were used to compose "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." (Credit: University of Illinois)

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com @ParkstBrett

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recently open the door new information processing and storage by have demonstrating the first-ever recording of optically-encoded audio onto a miniscule structure called a non-magnetic plasmonic nanostructure.

The chips dimensions are roughly equivalent to the thickness of human hair, explained lead researcher Kimani Toussaint, an associate professor of mechanical science and engineering.

According to an article published in the journal Scientific Reports, Toussaints team utilized an array of novel gold, pillar-supported bowtie nanoantennas (pBNAs) to store sound and audio files. The report noted that the storage capacity of pBNAs is around 5,600 times bigger than the magnetic film used for analog data storage.

[VIDEO: Rare goblin shark found off Australia]

Arrays of gold, pillar-supported bowtie nanoantennas can be used to record distinct musical notes. (Credit: University of Illinois)

Data storage is one interesting area to think about, Toussaint said. For example, one can consider applying this type of nanotechnology to enhancing the niche, but still important, analog technology used in the area of archival storage such as using microfiche.

In addition, our work holds potential for on-chip, plasmonic-based information processing, Toussaint added.

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Nano piano's melody could mean storage breakthrough

Dr. Barbara Sturm – Center for Molecular Medicine Dsseldorf/ Germany (English Version) – Video

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Dr. Barbara Sturm - Center for Molecular Medicine Dsseldorf/ Germany (English Version)
Dr. Barbara Sturm is a reknown expert in skin rejuvenation, facelifts without surgery and wrinkle treatments using fillers such as botox and hyaluronic acid. Her practice is located in Dsseldorf/...

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Reddits ugly, racist secret: How it became the most hateful space on the Internet

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When you think of places on the Internet where racists like to congregate, there are probably a few obvious locales that jump to mind: the explicitly white supremacist Stormfront, the hipster-racist Takis Magazine, the comments at YouTube, the comments at the Daily Caller, the comments at almost any local news website So basically every comment thread on every popular or conservative website. But according to a new report from the Southern Poverty Law Center(SPLC), the arguably vilest, ugliest, nastiest and most unapologetically hateful space on the Internet is not in some comment thread you werent going to read anyway but at one of the most popular websites there is: Reddit.

Recently, Salon spoke over the phone with Keegan Hankes, a research analyst at SPLC and the author of the piece. Our discussion touched on the white supremacist forums (known as subreddits) hes found at Reddit, why the folks running Reddit have not done anything to remove them, and how they complicate the free speech absolutist stance thats long characterized Reddits approach to moderation. Our conversation is below and has been edited for clarity and length.

Why did you look at this? What sparked this idea?

I actually spend a whole lot of time investigating Stormfront, which is probably the largest white supremacist forum on the Internet. Its been around for going on 20 years Ive noticed some of the people Ive tracked on there, some of the people who participate on other white supremacist websites, had mentioned Reddit in the past. So Ive kind of in passing been watching it. As I watched these networks of racists websites develop, I got more interested, especially once I found some of the more violent ones.

Could you give me a sense of how large these communities are?

Stormfront is going to be, by the numbers, since its a membership website, the largest. Its been around and the accounts arent deleted; its been accumulating them for 20 years. They have over 200,000 registered users. Now, the Reddit community theres one subreddit that has 5,500 subscribers right now which puts it just into the top 5,000 subreddits, which is relatively small compared to other subreddits that are active. But that does not figure in the audience of the site. So these do not include outside audience members that are perusing it. Id say its a small community; but its significant in the fact that it does drive a lot of traffic to websites outside of Reddit.

Your piece notes that these subreddits are often full of racist snuff films. Do you have any idea where these videos are coming from? Or are they originating on Reddit?

One thing thats distinct about Reddit that drew our attention was very violent videos typically of black men being killed very graphically that you cant even put on Stormfront or other white supremacist sites. They will get taken down. And thats one of the things that sets Reddit apart the fact that it has much less oversight in some ways than Stormfront and what youd typically consider the nastiest white supremacist forums on the Internet.

As far as where theyre getting the content from, it depends on exactly what the video is. The more graphic and explicit ones, some of this stuff cant even be posted on YouTube. But some of the more simple YouTube videos that theyre putting up links to are from some other third-party hosting site that has looser restrictions on what you can upload and host Its coming from many different members, its not just one guy up there every day posting a nasty video. Its from a wide variety of sources.

Do the people at Stormfront ever mention these subreddits? How do they feel about them?

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Reddits ugly, racist secret: How it became the most hateful space on the Internet

Top 10 Irish Actors

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Ireland is associated with many cheery activities and images: leprechauns, drinking, dancing and friendliness. There are also many famous and talented actors who call the Emerald Isle home.

Although this country might not be the first that comes to mind when thinking of film stars, there are many agencies and schools to help actors grow in their careers. For example, the Ireland Acting Guide is an online community and tool that is "committed to presenting actors with every tool they need to pursue a rewarding career in film. Among other offered activities, actors can upload auditions to this site in hopes of landing a role.

With St. Patricks Day here, you might want to watch some Irish films such as The Secret of Kells or The Commitments.

Finding some movies that star authentic Irish actors is a great way to celebrate this beautiful nation, no matter your heritage. Here are some of the dreamiest, most talented actors from Ireland whose films you might want to watch.

image courtesy of ACE/INFphoto.com

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Top 10 Irish Actors

Medicine Cardiology Topic 11 ECG Part 01 by Dr.Murali Bharadwaz – Video

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Medicine Cardiology Topic 11 ECG Part 01 by Dr.Murali Bharadwaz
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Using Food as Medicine to Improve Thyroid Function– #005 – Video

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Using Food as Medicine to Improve Thyroid Function-- #005
http://dranh.com/005 Dr. Joseph Collins who is a naturopathic physician and an expert in natural hormone health. He has been directly involved in advancing the practice of natural hormone...

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Study sheds new light on asthma, COPD

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In diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the body produces too much mucus, making breathing difficult. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis provides clues to potentially counteract inappropriate mucus production.

"The new study lays the groundwork for developing treatments for diseases such as asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis and even certain cancers," said senior author Thomas J. Brett, PhD, assistant professor of medicine. "It also solves a 20-year mystery about the role of a protein that has long been associated with these diseases."

The study appears March 17 in the journal eLife.

About two decades ago, the protein CLCA1 was identified. High levels of CLCA1 in cells lining the airway have long been linked with an overproduction of mucus. Studies at the time suggested CLCA1 was an ion channel, a small opening in the cell membrane that allows charged particles to flow into or out of the cell. CLCA1 was labeled a chloride channel because it appeared to be moving chloride ions across the cell membrane. In general, the movement of different ions into and out of cells govern many important processes from mucus production, to heart rhythms to brain function.

"Originally, CLCA1 was misidentified as a chloride channel," Brett said. "When cells express CLCA1, they produce chloride currents. But as we became better at understanding the three-dimensional structures of proteins, researchers in the field started to realize that CLCA proteins couldn't be channels. So the question arose, how do they activate these currents if they're not channels?"

Only seven years ago, a protein that proved to be this elusive type of channel was first discovered in mammals. Called TMEM16A, it is a channel that is ubiquitous in the cells lining the airway. Too much TMEM16A, like elevated levels of CLCA1, were also associated with the mucus-overproduction typical of airway diseases, including asthma and COPD.

The new research now has linked the two, demonstrating that increased expression of CLCA1 increases the number of TMEM16A channels present in nearby cells, according to Brett and his colleagues, including co-authors Colin G. Nichols, PhD, the Carl F. Cori Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology, Monica Sala-Rabanal, PhD, research instructor in medicine, and Zeynep Yurtsever, graduate research assistant.

"We don't think that CLCA1 actually opens the channel," Brett said. "In fact, the channel can function without CLCA1. We think it simply keeps the channel on the surface of the cells for a longer period of time. The reason you get more current is you have more channels there. You're just accumulating more holes for the ions to travel through. This is a unique finding. We don't know of any other examples of this type of interaction between a protein and a channel."

The study also suggests it may be worthwhile to investigate the larger families of these two proteins. If closely related members of these protein families also interact with each other, it could expand the implications to disorders as diverse as cancer and cardiovascular disease.

For example, TMEM16 channels and CLCA proteins have been associated with certain types of cancers including breast tumors that spread to the lungs and in some cardiovascular disorders such as irregular heart rhythms and heart failure, demonstrating a possible broad impact of future work in this area.

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Study sheds new light on asthma, COPD

Penn's Perelman School of Medicine Repeats Ranking Among Top 5 Best Medical Schools in the United States

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PHILADELPHIA The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the 18th year in a row. According to the annual medical school survey in U.S. News & World Report's "Best Graduate Schools" report, Penn Medicine is ranked #5 in the country.

The Perelman School of Medicine also ranked among the nation's top medical schools in five areas of specialty training, including a first place ranking in Pediatrics, and honors in Womens Health (#5), Drug/Alcohol Abuse (#6), Internal Medicine (#6), and AIDS (#7). The School of Medicine is also #12 in the rankings of Primary Care medical schools.

The 2014-2015 academic year marks an auspicious milestone in the history of the Perelman School of Medicine: its 250th birthday.

Its gratifying to see the Perelman School of Medicines continued recognition in the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Being named among the top five medical schools in the country year after year is a testament to the stellar education that our faculty and staff provide for our students as they prepare for their careers in clinical medicine and biomedical research, said J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, dean of the Perelman School of Medicine. The nations first medical school continues to live up to its longstanding tradition of embodying the highest standards in education, research and patient care.

Established in 1765, Penn's School of Medicine which was renamed the Perelman School of Medicine following a landmark gift from Raymond and Ruth Perelman in 2011 is an internationally recognized leader in the discoveries that advance science and pave the way for new therapies and procedures to improve human health and is consistently among the nation's top three recipients of federal funding from the National Institutes of Health.

This winter, the school opened its new home for medical education, the Henry A. Jordan M62 Medical Education Center, a 55,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility just steps away from the Smilow Center for Translational Research and the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. It is among the first in the nation to fully integrate medical education facilities with active clinical care and research lab space, placing students in the midst of the dynamic practice of medicine.

The medical school rankings, released annually in the U.S. News & World Report "Best Graduate Schools" issue, are based on statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research, and students. Information is obtained through surveys of program directors, academics, and other professionals. Criteria used in the rankings include peer assessment surveys, research activity, grade point averages, MCAT scores, and NIH funding.

The complete results of the survey are available online. For more information on the Perelman School of Medicine, see Penn Medicine Facts and Figures 2015.

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Penn's Perelman School of Medicine Repeats Ranking Among Top 5 Best Medical Schools in the United States