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Nixon’s China visit, 50 years later
President Richard Nixon smiles and shakes hands with a smiling Chairman Mao

In this Feb. 21, 1972 file photo, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, left, shakes hands with Chinese communist party leader Chairman Mao Zedong during Nixon's groundbreaking trip to China, in Beijing. Forged in absolute secrecy at the height of the Cold War 30 years ago, the diplomatic ties established between the United States and China were meant to balance out the Soviet threat. (Image: AP Photo/File)

  • Q&A

    • Nixon’s China visit, 50 years later

    On the 50th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to the People’s Republic of China, David Eisenhower discusses the significance of the milestone amid the fraying relations between the two nations. 

    Kristen de Groot

    Penn receives momentous gift to support Korean studies, neurovascular surgery, and the Wharton School 
    James Kim.

    Penn alum James Joo-Jin Kim.

    Penn receives momentous gift to support Korean studies, neurovascular surgery, and the Wharton School 

    The $25 million gift from James Joo-Jin Kim and Agnes Kim, and the James and Agnes Kim Family Foundation will support a range of initiatives at Penn, including the James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies in the School of Arts & Sciences.
    Viewing 2021 through a lens
    Group of people wearing masks at a vigil in Philadelphia.

    Vigil for Victims of Asian Hate held in Union Square on March 19, 2021. (Image: Kylie Cooper)

    Viewing 2021 through a lens

    Photojournalist Kylie Cooper’s annotated photo essay about the liminality of 2021 captured the Capitol insurrection, the Ground Zero commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and more.

    From Annenberg School for Communication

    How to design a sail that won’t tear or melt on an interstellar voyage
    Artist rendering of the Starshot Lightsail spacecraft during acceleration by a ground-based laser array.

    Artist rendering of the Starshot Lightsail spacecraft during acceleration by a ground-based laser array. Previous conceptions of lightsails have imagined them being passively pushed by light from the sun, but Starshot’s laser-based approach requires rethinking the sail’s shape and composition so it won’t melt or tear during acceleration. (Image: Masumi Shibata, courtesy of Breakthrough Initiatives)

    How to design a sail that won’t tear or melt on an interstellar voyage

    The Breakthrough Starshot Initiative’s laser-based approach requires rethinking a sail’s shape and composition so it won’t melt or tear during acceleration and pushed by wind, not light.

    Evan Lerner

    Perceptions shaped social behavior during the pandemic
    A movie marquee with the words "1. Elbow Bumps 2. Foot Shakes 3. Just Wave!"

    Perceptions shaped social behavior during the pandemic

    Research from Penn psychologists found that Americans who most feared losing their connections continued interacting with others, paradoxically acting in ways that risked prolonging disease-mitigating social restrictions.

    Michele W. Berger

    Caring for, and learning from, Indigenous communities
    Signpost outside of a building in Alaska indicating distance in miles to global cities.

    Caring for, and learning from, Indigenous communities

    With support of Penn’s Center for Global Health, Robin Canada started a clinical rotation program for Penn at various Indian Health Service medical centers.

    Alex Gardner

    Uncovering unexpected properties in a complex quantum material
    a close up of hands adjusting a lens on an optics table with green laser light in the foreground

    A new study describes previously unexpected properties in a complex quantum material. Using a novel technique developed at Penn, these findings have implications for developing future quantum devices and applications.

    Uncovering unexpected properties in a complex quantum material

    Using a novel technique developed at Penn, researchers gained new insights into the properties of a proposed excitonic insulator known as Ta2NiSe5, with implications for future quantum devices.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    Improving college access for Philadelphia’s Latinx community
    Emilio Parrado in a classroom gesturing as he speaks to the class. Two people are blurred behind in the background. The 22 students in Emilio Parrado’s Academically Based Community Service course on Latinx in the United States will mentor high schoolers who are part of the Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educación (CCATE) college-readiness program. Here Parrado describes the next steps to the class, with CCATE’s Holly Link and Obed Arango in the background.

    Improving college access for Philadelphia’s Latinx community

    A collaboration between Penn and the nonprofit Centro de Cultura Arte Trabajo y Educación aims to enhance a thriving post-secondary success program, create mentoring opportunities, and more.

    Michele W. Berger

    Helen Octavia Dickens: An expanded view of a trailblazing OB-GYN
    Helen O. Dickens in a white coat at her work desk.

    Dickens, a physician and advocate for women’s health, preventive care, and health equity for Black women and girls, was influential in her profession from the 1930s until her death in 2001. Now, an expanded portrait display honors more of her life and work and features photos not widely seen, such as this image by G. Marshall Wilson in 1947. (Image: Courtesy of Dickens’ daughter, Jayne Henderson Brown.)

    Helen Octavia Dickens: An expanded view of a trailblazing OB-GYN

    Helen Octavia Dickens was not only the first African American woman faculty member in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Penn, but a vital leader in the community advocating for preventive health for women and teen girls of color.

    From Penn Medicine News