News Archives

Editor's Pick: Minimalist chaos

He’s used meat cleavers, paper towels, felt and linseed oil in works that, at first glance, may seem chaotic. But look closer and you’ll see artist Barry Le Va’s installations are hardly random placements of scattered objects. Instead, they both reflect his training as an architect and challenge the concept of 3-dimensional sculpture.

How Penn stays green

At Penn, scholars and researchers across all disciplines are engaged in an ongoing effort to restore the natural world, both locally and worldwide, and prepare the next generation to do the same. From the Wharton School to the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, from Penn Law to the School of Medicine, Penn’s environmental experts are working to make the world healthier, safer and more beautiful.

Alum, professor helping turn former railway into urban promenade

  Included in this special report: Penn's own environmental force of nature talks about preparing the next generation to save the planet Cultivating a "green" culture

Eschenbach: Embrace music, life

Less than five minutes into Christoph Eschenbach’s Dec. 6 talk at the Annenberg Center there was barely a dry eye in the house. That’s because Eschenbach, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s maestro, was telling a wrenching story about how the power of music saved a young life—his own.

Ask Benny: Will the South Street bridge ever be fixed?

Dear Benny,I walk across the South Street Bridge every day on my way to Penn and I have to say it’s in a pretty sorry state. Not only is it incredibly rusty, but chunks of it periodically fall onto the Expressway below, and every time there’s heavy traffic, it shakes. When is the city going to get its act together and repair this vital connector between the campus and Center City? —Scared to cross

Freeman seeks answers to exit-poll discrepancy

RESEARCH/Steven Freeman says exit polls are reliable. So he can’t help wonder why they were so wrong on Election Day. Steven Freeman had the flu in early November, which forced him to lounge around, watch television and surf the Internet more than he usually would. It just so happens one of those lazy nights was Election Night, when Freeman watched, perplexed, as George W. Bush won re-election—despite exit poll numbers that had early that day all but predicted a John Kerry win.

At Work With...Richard Cherry

Bookquick/"The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1790"

In 1821, at the age of 77, Thomas Jefferson decided to "state some recollections of dates and facts concerning myself." These writings make up "The Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson," and provide a glimpse into the private life and associations of one of America’s most influential personalities.

Penn’s own environmental force of nature talks about preparing the next generation to save the planet

  Included in this special report:

Cultivating a green culture

  Included in this special report: Penn's own environmental force of nature talks about preparing the next generation to save the planet Cultivating a "green" culture