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Stuart Weitzman School of Design

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The changing face of portraiture at Penn
portrait in leidy labs

Homepage image: A portrait in Leidy honors Nathan Francis Mossell, who, in 1882, became the first African American student to earn a medical degree from Penn. With its placement in the accessible portion of the building’s stairway, this new portrait gallery is highly visible to students, staff, faculty, and visitors who spend time in the Biology Department.

The changing face of portraiture at Penn

Efforts around campus aim to diversify those honored in portraits and rethink how to approach representation through art.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Tangen Hall brings together aspiring entrepreneurs across the University
students working in tangen hall lab

Penn students working on the first floor of Tangen Hall. The first floor of the building is home to three of the five innovation spaces operated by Penn Engineering, which are intended to teach students to use physical tools to prototype and test their ideas. 

Tangen Hall brings together aspiring entrepreneurs across the University

At seven stories and 68,000 square feet, the Wharton-led Tangen is the largest student entrepreneurship hub in the world.

Dee Patel

Solutions to mitigate climate change, from the IPCC
Side of a building. Some of the window spaces are covered with bars. Others are covered with plants and other options for greening the building.

Solutions to mitigate climate change, from the IPCC

The latest assessment offers both a harsh reality check and a path forward. Experts William Braham, Peter Psarras, and Michael Mann offer their thoughts.

Michele W. Berger

The next generation of leaders in urban planning
from left, a group portrait of Christopher Carlos Brzovic, Jazmin Diaz, Céline Apollon, and Julian Turley.

Penn Today highlights the professional interests, personal experiences, and thoughts on future careers in urban planning and community engagement of the Stuart Weitzman School of Design’s four Moelis Scholars: (from left) Christopher Carlos Brzovic, Jazmin Diaz, Céline Apollon, and Julian Turley.

The next generation of leaders in urban planning

The Moelis Scholars Program supports students from diverse backgrounds in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design’s Master of City Planning program.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Four Penn faculty awarded Guggenheim Fellowships
four faculty faces

Four Penn faculty have been awarded a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship. They are (left to right, top to bottom) Daniel Barber in architecture in the Weitzman School of Design and Kimberly Bowes in classical studies, Guthrie Ramsey in music, and Paul Saint-Amour in English, all in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Four Penn faculty awarded Guggenheim Fellowships

Four faculty have been named 2022 Guggenheim Fellows—Daniel Barber in architecture in the Weitzman School of Design and Kimberly Bowes in classical studies, Guthrie Ramsey in music, and Paul Saint-Amour in English in the School of Arts & Sciences.

Louisa Shepard , Louisa Shepard

Talking energy at Penn
Wind turbines in water, with a sunset in the background.

Talking energy at Penn

Energy Week 2022, hosted by the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology, runs April 4-8. It includes student presentations, along with conversations about renewables, energy and the war in Ukraine, and much more.

Michele W. Berger , Lindsey Samahon

Keepers of the cultural memory
An old and large book upside down on a table, being held by two sets of hands, one gloved, the other not. There are boxes and other materials all around.

Workers at the rare manuscripts and old printed books department of the Andrey Sheptytsky National Museum store them in cardboard boxes to reduce the risk of damage in the event of an attack in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, Friday, March 4, 2022. (Image: AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

AP Photo/Bernat Armangue

Keepers of the cultural memory

In wartime, saving human lives is a top priority. But secondary considerations often include preserving the cultural heritage also under siege. Penn experts offer their thoughts as the situation in Ukraine continues to unfold.

Michele W. Berger

Q&A with David Leatherbarrow, professor emeritus of architecture
Picture of professor Leatherbarrow.

David Leatherbarrow. (Image: Courtesy of The Weitzman School)

Q&A with David Leatherbarrow, professor emeritus of architecture

Over the last 38 years, Leatherbarrow has produced a vast body of written work on the history and theory of architecture and gardens. He says Philadelphia is the best city to study architecture.

From the Weitzman School of Design

A charter bus to Chinatown
An image of the "Friendship Gate," with people walking by on a winter day

The iconic “Frienship Gate” at 10th and Arch St. marks the entrance to Philadelphia’s historic Chinatown.

A charter bus to Chinatown

Launched in 2021 by a student-led initiative, the biweekly bus service connects students with local businesses in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.

Kristina Linnea García

How a class of ‘brilliant graduates’ shaped modern Chinese architecture
chinese drawing architecture

(Homepage image) A protestant church designed by Tung Chuin in 1928 and awarded the Beaux Arts Institute of Design 1st place medal. This rendering and the works of more than 20 architecture student alumni from China are currently on display as part of the “Building in China” exhibition. (Image: Ming Tong)

How a class of ‘brilliant graduates’ shaped modern Chinese architecture

The ‘Building in China’ exhibition showcases the work of the ‘first generation’ of Penn architecture alumni from China and how striking a balance between modern and traditional continues to shape the country’s expression of its national identity.

Erica K. Brockmeier