Penn in the News

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

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.

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

Rutgers University raised a record $187.9 million last school year, the school announced Wednesday. Much of the money came from “a surge in donations” received at the end of the university’s 7.5-year “Our Rutgers, Our Future” fund-raising campaign, the university said in a news release. The campaign to raise $1 billion ended in December 2014, exceeding its goal by $37 million. The 2014–15 record surpassed the previous year’s total by 26.6 percent. In the 2013–14 year, the university’s Rutgers Foundation received $148.4 million, a record at the time.

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.

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.

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

Princeton University, one of the world’s most selective schools, is considering what would be the second significant expansion of its undergraduate enrollment since the turn of the century. Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber, who took office in July 2013, said Tuesday the Ivy League university in New Jersey is examining whether to launch another round of growth several years after its undergraduate population rose more than 10 percent. “I am inclined to do this,” Eisgruber said during a visit to The Washington Post on Tuesday.

Richard Berk of the School of Arts & Sciences and the Wharton School is quoted about providing data to help keep policymakers and the public more aware of crime-related statistics.

Michael Perlis of the Perelman School of Medicine suggests that placebos, currently used mainly for control groups in clinical trials, may be worth another look for treatment and for chronic illnesses; they might be a key to increasing a drug’s lifetime effectiveness.