Four takeaways from the IPCC’s report on climate adaptation and vulnerability Evidence of coral reef bleaching in a seabed off Hachijo-jima Island in Tokyo, November 2020. The latest report from the IPCC focuses on how climate change is affecting coral reefs like this and other biodiversity, as well as people and places. (Image: The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images) Four takeaways from the IPCC’s report on climate adaptation and vulnerability The assessment gets explicit about the effect of climate change on people, places, and ecosystems. Experts from Penn weigh in on what it means.
Robert Gerard Pietrusko on landscape design, spatial modeling, and conspiracy theories Still from In Plain Sight, a geospatial documentary that critiques the NASA “night lights” dataset and reveals locations with lights and no people, and locations with populations living in the dark. (Image: Weitzman News) Robert Gerard Pietrusko on landscape design, spatial modeling, and conspiracy theories Robert Gerard Pietrusko joined the standing faculty of the Department of Landscape Architecture as an associate professor, and teaches a landscape architecture studio called Conspiracy as Method, which looks at a number of natural disasters that have been attributed to climate change.
Lance Freeman appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Lance Freeman appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Interim President Wendell Pritchett and Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein announce the appointment of Lance Freeman as the University of Pennsylvania’s 29th Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor.
Winka Dubbeldam on designing the 2022 Asian Games Park Archi-Tectonics’ design transforms a once-barren site in one of China’s fastest growing cities into a sustainable, ecologically conscious public space. (Image: Courtesy Archi-Tectonics) Winka Dubbeldam on designing the 2022 Asian Games Park Archi-Tectonics, the New York-based firm founded by Miller Professor and Chair of Architecture Winka Dubbeldam, was selected to design an “eco-park,” stadiums, and a pedestrian mall for the 2022 Asian Games.
Studying the past through a modern-day lens Lynn Meskell is the Richard D. Green Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor in the Department of Anthropology in the School of Arts & Sciences, a professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning and the graduate program in Historic Preservation in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and a curator in the Middle East and Asia sections at the Penn Museum. (Image: Eric Sucar) Studying the past through a modern-day lens In a Q & A, archaeologist and PIK Professor Lynn Meskell discusses her background, the subjects that interest her—from espionage to World Heritage sites—and collaborations that have organically arisen at Penn despite the pandemic and a mostly remote first year.
After the shutdown, what comes next for the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery? Flames and smoke emerge from the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex in Philadelphia, Friday, June 21, 2019. (Image: Matt Rourke/AP Images) After the shutdown, what comes next for the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery? Creating a greener, more equitable future at the site means understanding its complex history, its long-running public health impacts, and working in partnership with communities.
The philosophy of visual studies The Class of 2022 has eight visual studies majors, including (from left) Zuqi Fu of Beijing, Eli Ricanati of Santa Monica, California, and Morgan Jones of Albany, New York. The philosophy of visual studies Founded 20 years ago, the interdisciplinary major of visual studies creates a bridge for students to combine interests, including philosophy, art history, architecture, fine arts, and psychology.
An investment in energy and sustainability ‘for the survival of humanity’ The Energy and Sustainability Initiative will support collaborative, cross-disciplinary work on one of the most urgent issues facing society today: breaking our dependence on non-renewable energy sources and promoting a cleaner environment. (Image: Sam Falconer) Sam Falconer An investment in energy and sustainability ‘for the survival of humanity’ Significant new support for research and hires will bolster Penn’s existing strengths in developing the energy and sustainability solutions of the future.
Public schools, COVID-19, and addressing education’s aging infrastructure Renderings developed by students in Planning Public Schools as Infrastructure, one showing deteriorating conditions in buildings and the other encouraging viewers to envision their future, on display outside of City Hall. (Image credit: Akira Drake Rodriguez) Public schools, COVID-19, and addressing education’s aging infrastructure Urban planners and architects are working to address one of the many challenges faced by public schools by designing healthy and engaging outdoor educational spaces.
Learning to listen in troubled times Ernesto Pujol leads a workshop on “Listening in Troubled Times,” part of a lecture on the topic organized by the SNF Paideia Program. (Image: Lisa Marie Patzer) Learning to listen in troubled times The SNF Paideia Program and partners featured Ernesto Pujol and Aaron Levy, an artist and an interdisciplinary scholar who have transformed both what it means to listen and what the act of listening can achieve as part of a lecture and workshops.