Penn in the News

Liberty U’s Unexpected Speaker: Bernie Sanders

Should Bioethicists “Get Out of the Way” of CRISPR Research?

 Jonathan Moreno of the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts & Sciences is quoted about CRISPR.

How Colleges Assign Roommates, and Why It Matters

 In the coming weeks, throngs of new freshmen will descend on campuses across the country. For many traditional students, going off to college means living with a roommate for the first time. That got us wondering: How are colleges assigning roommates these days, and does it really matter? We caught up with Bruce Sacerdote, a professor of economics at Dartmouth College who has studied the effects roommates have on each other, to find out. The following conversation has been edited and condensed.

Crick and Watson Rejected?

 “A double helix? Bit speculative.” “I regret to say that we cannot offer publication at this time. While your model is very appealing, referee three finds that it is somewhat speculative and premature for publication.” No doubt most scientists have been on the receiving end of similar comments from journal editors, but surely Francis Crick and James Watson’s landmark 1953 papers on the structure of DNA would be immune to such quibbles?

Connecticut to Require All 11th Graders to Take the SAT

Audio: Netflix Up to One Year of Paid Parental Leave

 Peter Cappelli of the Wharton School shares his thoughts on Netflix offering its employees unlimited paid time off in the first year after the birth or adoption of a child.

Finding the Right March

Only a small number of top-performing high school students from low-income backgrounds get admitted to elite colleges. This so-called undermatching problem has gained the attention of academic researchers, the White House and the news media in recent years. Yet the studies that initially triggered this worry were focused on the much broader issue of the numerous barriers low-income students face in trying to get to college -- usually a public one -- and earn a degree.

A New Spin in Silicon

 Ritesh Agarwal of the School of Engineering and Applied Science is featured for leading a group of scientists to discover a photonic spin sensor.

Take the Quiet Revolution Personality Test

Scott Barry Kaufman of the School of Arts & Sciences is cited for co-developing a test to indicate where an individual falls on the introvert-extrovert spectrum.

The Neuroscience of Meditation, and the Virtues of Shutting Up

Mathias Basner of the Perelman School of Medicine is mentioned for suggesting getting thyroid and cortisol levels tested.