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Immersive stories to spur action on climate
Person wearing a virtual reality headset looks to the side, standing next to a statue facing the same direction

In one of four virtual reality pop-up stations around campus this week, sophomore Katie Collier of Orlando takes in a vignette from “The Altering Shores,” which will premier at the PPEH Environmental Storytelling and Virtual Reality festival on Saturday. (Image: Roderick Coover)

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.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Demographic shifts, voter fears, and presidential voting
Several adolescents stand under a giant American flag like a parachute aloft at an immigration reform rally.

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.

Kristen de Groot

A conversation with Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw
Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw speaking

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.
Paideia’s spring course offerings highlight wellness, service, and citizenship
A group of students sit on the lawn under a cherry blossom tree on College Green.

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.

Kristen de Groot

Decolonizing the syllabus
Five faculty members and graduate students seated around tables, talking and laughing

Assistant Professor Ramah McKay and Senior Lecturer Andi Johnson discuss next steps at a workshop debrief with graduate students Claire Sabel, Taylor Dysart, and N. J. Dharan. 

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.

Kristina Linnea García

The data at the heart of Green New Deal public housing legislation
Two people installing solar panels on a chilly day, wearing gloves and snow hats.

Funding in the recently proposed Green New Deal for Public Housing legislation would go toward energy-retrofitting interventions such as installing solar panels. 

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.

Michele W. Berger

A second life for leaves
Two researchers stand in a roped-off area of land, backlit by the rising sun. A study site marked with pink flags is at their feet.

Eliza Nobles, a Morris Arboretum intern, and Jessie Buckner, an ecologist with Applied Ecological Services, set up the first plots at Penn Park on a sunny morning in October. Their study will examine how using leaf mulch or allowing fallen leaves to remain on a site impacts soil health and ecology.

A second life for leaves

Taking a scientific approach to managing campus land, Facilities and Real Estate Services is partnering with soil scientists and ecologists to study how mulching plots with leaves fares for soil health and biodiversity.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Researchers create better light-trapping devices
nine spirals of yellow and white over a dark blue impressionist background, with darker lines of waves along the bottom of the image

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.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Russian interference and the West: Learning from ‘The Lands in Between’
Protesters holding posters saying: "Give us fair elections" and "For honest elections", outdoors in Moscow square.

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.

Kristen de Groot