11.20
School of Arts & Sciences
Inspiring young women in STEM
Over two days, nearly two dozen female STEM role models at Penn welcomed more than 100 high school students and teachers to campus as part of the Girls Advancing in STEM (GAINS) Initiative Conference on campus.
Immersive stories to spur action on climate
Immersive stories to spur action on climate
Organized by the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities (PPEH), a two-day festival, “Environmental Storytelling and Virtual Reality” begins Friday, and will explore how virtual reality and other immersive storytelling might inspire action on climate change.
Using science to make cities safer and healthier
Using science to make cities safer and healthier
In a Q&A, criminologist John MacDonald discusses his new book, grounded in years of research on the positive effects of remediation like fixing up abandoned lots and houses.
A conversation with Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw
A conversation with Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw
In the latest episode of “Office Hours,” a Penn Today podcast, Professor of History of Art Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw explains the curation process behind the Barnes Foundation’s “30 Americans” exhibit.
Demographic shifts, voter fears, and presidential voting
Demographic shifts, voter fears, and presidential voting
New research shows Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign didn’t benefit from voters’ fears of immigrants in communities experiencing greater demographic change.
Paideia’s spring course offerings highlight wellness, service, and citizenship
Paideia’s spring course offerings highlight wellness, service, and citizenship
The first four courses offered to Penn undergraduates as part of the new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Paideia Program will focus on passion, civility, effective communication, and a deep dive into American Chinatowns.
Decolonizing the syllabus
Decolonizing the syllabus
Faculty and graduate students in the History and Sociology of Science Department are reconsidering the way they teach, moving towards a more collaborative, innovative approach that incorporates a wide base of global sources.
Researchers create better light-trapping devices
Researchers create better light-trapping devices
A new study shows how the performance of optical resonators can be improved using topological physics, which can lead to more efficient lasers, sensors, and telecommunication devices.
The data at the heart of Green New Deal public housing legislation
The data at the heart of Green New Deal public housing legislation
Beyond improving living conditions, greening these spaces would reduce emissions and create 250,000 jobs annually, according to research from Penn and Data for Progress.
Russian interference and the West: Learning from ‘The Lands in Between’
Russian interference and the West: Learning from ‘The Lands in Between’
In his new book, Mitchell Orenstein argues that politics in countries situated between Russia and the European Union can hold powerful lessons for Western countries affected by Russian interference.
In the News
The Washington Post
Move over, ‘latte liberal.’ A new GOP insult invokes goat milk and avocado toast
Diana Mutz of the Annenberg School for Communication and the School of Arts and Sciences spoke about the ways food is used to make distinctions between groups of people. “It’s a way to draw lines between themselves and others—which is a shame, really,” she said. “But these kinds of things do the trick when they are trying to differentiate and divide.”
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia science prize goes to climate change and electronics researchers from Penn, UCLA
Charles Kane and Eugene Mele of the School of Arts and Sciences have been honored with the John Scott Award, given annually to innovators in science, for their work developing ways to predict the behavior of atomic particles.
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Forbes
Scientists look to West Point to better understand what it takes to succeed
A team of researchers led by Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts and Sciences examined data from thousands of West Point cadets to assess the attributes that were most predictive of success. Their results “suggest that both cognitive and non-cognitive attributes matter in different ways and at different times,” they wrote.
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U.S. News & World Report
How to study climate change in college
Yvette Bordeaux and Kristine Rabberman of the School of Arts and Sciences’ College of Liberal and Professional Studies spoke about the educational opportunities surrounding the study of climate change.
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Smithsonian Magazine
The 96-year-history of the Equal Rights Amendment
Mary Frances Berry of the School of Arts and Sciences spoke about the Equal Rights Amendment and the obstacles that have prevented it from being ratified and added to the Constitution.
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