Pulitzer-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen speaks on migration and ‘multitudes’ From left: Josephine Park, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Dagmawi Woubshet, pictured in conversation on March 16, 2022. Pulitzer-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen speaks on migration and ‘multitudes’ In a wide-ranging conversation sponsored by the Wolf Humanities Center, author and professor Viet Thanh Nguyen visited Penn to discuss his work, representation, and more.
Public media can improve our ‘flawed’ democracy Image: Fringer Cat via Unsplash Public media can improve our ‘flawed’ democracy A new study finds that countries with well-funded public media have healthier democracies, and explains why investment in U.S. public media is an investment in the future of journalism and democracy alike.
Penn Gymnastics vaults into GEC Championships as No. 1 seed Penn Gymnastics vaults into GEC Championships as No. 1 seed The Quakers, the regular season champions of the GEC, will vie for the inaugural GEC Championship on March 19 against seven other schools.
Asian American Studies’ 25th anniversary In Asian American studies classrooms, “you get students from every single major, you get them from every single field, you get every class background, and you get every political background,” says David Eng. “What’s happened in the field of ethnic studies in general, is that you’ve had to create these horizontal communities among these generations of students.” Asian American Studies’ 25th anniversary The Asian American Studies program is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a podcast miniseries, weekly alumni events, and a March 19 conference.
Decoding a material’s ‘memory’ A suspension of particles of different sizes during shearing experiments conducted in the lab of Paulo Arratia, with arrows indicating particle “flow” and trajectories. In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers detail the relationship between a disordered material’s individual particle arrangement and how it reacts to external stressors. The study also found that these materials have “memory” that can be used to predict how and when they will flow. (Image: Arratia lab) Decoding a material’s ‘memory’ A new study details the relationship between particle structure and flow in disordered materials, insights that can be used to understand systems ranging from mudslides to biofilms.
Rapid adaptation in fruit flies In a controlled field experiment on Penn’s campus, biologists tracked fruit fly evolution over the course of four months, documenting some of the fastest rates of adaptation ever in animals. (Image: Seth Rudman) Rapid adaptation in fruit flies New findings from School of Arts & Sciences biologists show that evolution—normally considered to be a gradual process—can occur in a matter of weeks in fruit flies in response to natural environmental change.
New COVID-19 roadmap: Four takeaways New COVID-19 roadmap: Four takeaways A report spearheaded by PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel, with input from other Penn experts, lays out a dozen priorities for the federal government to tackle in the next 12 months. The aim: to help guide the U.S. to the pandemic’s “next normal.”
Wharton 5K returns for first time since the pandemic 2017 Wharton 5k run at Penn Park (Image: Wharton Student Life: Wharton Undergraduate Division) Wharton 5K returns for first time since the pandemic Undergraduates and MBAs get ready to run in the first Wharton 5K since the start of the pandemic.
Penn receives gift to support the study of global justice and human rights at Perry World House Former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ellen Johnson Sirleaf speaks at Perry World House in September 2021 on issues including preparing for future pandemics, women’s rights, and advancing democracy. (Image: Amy Guo) Penn receives gift to support the study of global justice and human rights at Perry World House The gift, from alumni Hemal N. Mirani and Paritosh V. Thakore, will establish the Thakore Family Global Justice and Human Rights Visiting Fellowship and the Thakore Family Global Justice and Human Rights Program.
The pandemic’s psychological scars (Homepage image) “What we needed to do for our physical health—quarantining, staying away from other people and social situations—even when that kind of avoidance is the right thing to do, it makes people more anxious,” says Elizabeth Turk-Karan of the Center for the Study and Treatment of Anxiety. What remains to be seen is how these emotions and many others will play out as the pandemic recedes. The pandemic’s psychological scars It’s been a long and uncertain road, with some groups shouldering a disproportionately greater burden of mental anguish from COVID-19. Yet now there’s a glimmer of hope. Has the page finally turned?