In conversation with Penn Today, mechanical engineer, tennis player, and soccer fan Paulo Arratia discusses the material differences between natural grass and synthetic turf.
Reading manuscripts in the digital space with handwritten text recognition
Penn Libraries staff are using the platform eScriptorium to build machine-learning models that can transcribe handwritten manuscripts from across the world.
Sedative choice in pediatric intensive care may influence long-term neurocognitive outcomes
Penn Nursing researchers found that certain sedatives can affect long-term neurocognitive outcomes when used during critical illness early in childhood.
A safe staffing policy could prevent deaths, produce savings to help fund improved staffing
A new study from Penn’s School of Nursing finds that safer nurse staffing levels in Pennsylvania hospitals could prevent thousands of deaths each year.
Consulting for a more sustainable future in Philadelphia and beyond
The undergraduate and graduate students involved in Penn Sustainability Consulting provide pro bono services to business, nonprofit, and government clients around the globe.
Penn researchers identified two competing visions of nonprofit news, a restorationist vision and a transformational vision, and calculated the cost of implementing each vision.
The Weitzman School of Design’s Year-End Show brings together work from the Class of 2026 in architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, historic preservation, and urban spatial analytics. The gallery opens on Saturday, May 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Afterwards, regular visiting hours will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public.
Exhibit: ‘in case of fire, speak’ (Through July 6)
This exhibition frames the making of a collaborative performance by the Martha Graham Dance Company and PHILADANCO! alongside rarely seen images from modern dancer and choreographer Martha Graham’s 1938 work, “American Document,” and its enduring question, “What is an American?” The mixed-materials display explores Graham’s work alongside Philadelphia dance company PHILADANCO!’s decades-long commitment to preserving and advancing the work of Black artists. Free and open to the public.
A University-wide initiative to shape Penn’s future
Guided by Penn’s strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, Penn Forward launched in September 2025 with six working groups of faculty, staff, students, and postdoctoral scholars who challenged legacy assumptions and proposed bold, actionable strategies to advance Penn’s mission and strengthen operations.
Penn Forward’s initial nine priority initiatives aim to build trust with those we serve, enable bold discovery, and extend Penn’s geographic reach and impact across a lifetime. Learn more about these initiatives and follow along with Penn Today as Penn continues to drive forward.
Penn’s community engagement progress at the turn of the century
The third installment in the limited series ‘Chapters of Change’ explores how Penn has led community engagement efforts in public education, economic development, and neighborhood prosperity during a time of widespread change in the nation’s cities.
Chapters of Change: Thirty years of life sciences transformation at Penn
In the fourth and final installment of the series, ‘Chapters of Change’ highlights another transformational moment in Penn’s past when the evolution of life sciences research sparked the University to commit to investing in new research facilities and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
How the Quaker Commitment empowered one student to create her path at Penn
Gabrielle Fine, a fourth year in the Wharton School and recipient of financial aid from the Quaker Commitment, will graduate in May with an interdisciplinary skillset and new perspectives from a global adventure and local engagement.
Chapters of Change: The blossom of Penn’s professional schools in the 19th century
‘Chapters of Change’ highlights key moments of change in Penn’s history, adapting to shifts in society. In the 19th century, the University faced industrialization and more by creating some of its first professional schools.
AI job losses are scaring Americans and policymakers are scrambling for answers
Matthew Levendusky of the Annenberg School for Communication, School of Arts & Sciences, and Annenberg Public Policy Center says, “Concern about AI is bipartisan, and the public is waiting to see what politicians will do.”
