A design fall studio brings interdisciplinary thinking to Philly’s historic and commercial core Philadelphia’s Market Street east of City Hall in 1889.(Image: John Gibb, Courtesy of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Print and Picture Collection) A design fall studio brings interdisciplinary thinking to Philly’s historic and commercial core Studio Plus design students at Weitzman focused on working through the future of Philadelphia’s Market East neighborhood, and explored issues of historic preservation, urban planning, and housing. 2 min. read
Preserving the past Assistant professor of historic preservation Brian Whetstone.nocred Preserving the past Brian Whetstone, assistant professor of historic preservation at the Weitzman School, explores the intersections between housing and labor equity at museums, historic sites, and preservation organizations. 2 min. read
Sizing up Pennsylvania’s creative workforce Waterhouse Pottery focuses on handmade functional wares for home and garden. Alex Watrous earned her BFA in Ceramics at Edinboro University and has since worked professionally in the ceramics industry through manufacturing, retail supply, gallery management and sales, as well as arts administration.(Image: Courtesy of Bridge Perspective) Sizing up Pennsylvania’s creative workforce A new report prepared by Weitzman faculty for the Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, shows a large and diverse creative workforce in the state. 2 min. read
Penn Forward: Sarah Rottenberg applies design thinking for strategic University initiative Sarah Rottenberg is assisting three Penn Forward working groups to generate big ideas that will carry Penn into the next decade and beyond.nocred Who, What, Why Penn Forward: Sarah Rottenberg applies design thinking for strategic University initiative Rottenberg, executive director of the Integrated Product Design Program and an adjunct associate professor in the Weitzman School, collaborated with three Penn Forward working groups to optimize idea development. 3 min. read
How interdisciplinary teaching becomes climate action How interdisciplinary teaching becomes climate action Penn graduate students are learning that net zero is a systems challenge requiring fluency across disciplines, and why interdisciplinary teaching is climate action—including how it builds the human capital the clean energy transition demands. 2 min. read
20 breakthroughs of 2025 The Polyhedral Structures Laboratory is housed at the Pennovation Center and brings together designers, engineers, and computer scientists to reimagine the built world. Using graphic statics, a method where forces are mapped as lines, they design forms that balance compression and tension. These result in structures that use far fewer materials while remaining strong and efficient.(Image: Eric Sucar) 20 breakthroughs of 2025 From ancient tombs and tiny robots to personalized gene editing and AI weather models, Penn’s 2025 research portfolio showed how curiosity—paired with collaboration—moves knowledge into impact and stretches across disciplines and continents. 5 min. read
Penn Team honored with Charles E. Peterson Prize for work on Nakashima House Penn Team honored with Charles E. Peterson Prize for work on Nakashima House A recent study of the Nakashima home by students in the Department of Historic Preservation at the Weitzman School have earned the Charles E. Peterson Prize from the National Park Service Heritage Documentation Programs, the Philadelphia Atheneum, American Institute of Architects, and the Association for Preservation Technology International.
The human side of clean energy The human side of clean energy In their new book “Power Lines: The Human Costs of American Energy in Transition,” Sanya Carley and David Konisky ask what happens to the people left behind in America’s energy transition. 2 min. read
Air travel quandary: Gad Allon and Megan Ryerson on challenges and solutions Travelers at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago during the government shutdown in November.(Image: Nam Y. Huh via Getty Images) Q&A Air travel quandary: Gad Allon and Megan Ryerson on challenges and solutions The recent government shutdown exposed long-standing issues facing commercial air travel. Leading into Thanksgiving holiday travel, Gad Allon of the Wharton School and Megan Ryerson of the Weitzman School of Design discuss the system’s infrastructure challenges and the need for workforce development. 4 min. read
Letting the sunshine in and monitoring stormwater runoff Trees planted next to the solar panels are enhancing stormwater runoff infiltration.(Image: The Water Center at Penn) Letting the sunshine in and monitoring stormwater runoff As the buzz around renewable energy grows louder, a research endeavor led by the Water Center at Penn exemplifies of how addressing energy demands goes hand-in-hand with tackling water challenges. 2 min. read