Penn fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian named George J. Mitchell Scholar
Balasubramanian is a double-major in statistics and philosophy in the Wharton School and College of Arts and Sciences.
Fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian has been selected as one of 12 in the nation to receive a George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which covers one academic year of graduate study in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
Sponsored by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance, the scholarship covers tuition and accommodations, as well as stipends for living expenses and travel, for one academic year of postgraduate study in any discipline offered by institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. This year 306 applied for the scholarship.
With the Mitchell Scholarship, Balasubramanian plans to pursue a master’s degree in philosophy at Trinity College Dublin.
The Mitchell Scholarship, named in honor of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, is designed to introduce and connect future American leaders to Ireland while recognizing and fostering intellectual achievement, leadership, and a commitment to community and public service.
Balasubramanian applied for the scholarship with the support of Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowship. He is the sixth Penn student to receive the scholarship since the inaugural class of Mitchell Scholars in 2001.
Understanding order to disorder at the atomic scale opens possibilities for next-generation electronic devices
A Penn team has developed insight into the chemical and geometric mechanisms underlying the synthesis of new 2D materials, paving the way for next-gen devices, biomedical applications, and cleaner, quicker energy conversion and storage.
Penn buildings achieve LEED certifications, showcasing commitment to sustainability
Three recent building projects at the University of Pennsylvania have earned LEED Platinum, Gold, and Silver certifications, underscoring Penn’s ongoing commitment to sustainable design and construction.
OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google vary widely in identifying hate speech
Neil Fasching and Yphtach Lelkes of the Annenberg School for Communication have found dramatic differences in how large language models classify hate speech, with especially large variations for language about certain demographic groups, raising concerns about bias and disproportionate harm.
