4.15
Penn in the News
A round-up of Penn mentions in local, national, and international media.
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Penn In the News
Microsoft bulks up with $16 billion deal for Nuance Communications
PIK Professor Herbert Hovenkamp said Microsoft may be pursing large acquisitions now in case the regulatory environment becomes more restrictive in the future. “It’s a bit like gun control,” he said. “As soon as somebody is sniffing around about increasing legislation, everyone goes out and buys guns.”
Penn In the News
NRA chief takes the stand, with cracks in his armor
David Skeel of the Law School commented on the NRA’s bankruptcy proceedings, which were filed after Wayne LaPierre, the organization’s executive vice president, gained financial control via a new employment contract. “There’s a real question whether the employment contract was a legitimate authorization for bankruptcy,” said Skeel. “The language is quite vague. It could be construed as simply allowing Wayne LaPierre to make cost-saving organizational changes, not to file a bankruptcy petition.”
Penn In the News
High school revisited: Students reflect on their year away from campus
Kaitlyn Nguyen, a high school senior in Pomona, California, spoke about being accepted to Penn as an early decision applicant. “I came to the realization that this was the school for me,” she said. “I came to this conclusion primarily because of Penn’s commitment to community service and community advocacy work, which has been something that I have been passionate about growing up.”
Penn In the News
To speed vaccination, some call for delaying second shots
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel proposed that for the next few weeks all COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. should go to people receiving their first dose. “That should be enough to quell the fourth surge, especially in places like Michigan, like Minnesota,” he said.
Penn In the News
‘Haunted countries deserve haunted stories.’ How America’s history of racial housing discrimination inspired Amazon’s new horror series THEM
Camille Z. Charles of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about how discriminatory housing practices like redlining shaped U.S. neighborhoods in the 20th century. “If you take the redlining maps that were used before the passage of fair housing legislation and overlay them on present-day maps of pretty much any major city in the U.S., and certainly any city that has any meaningful Black population, they look really similar in the sense that Blacks are still largely shut out of those neighborhoods that they were legally shut out of during that time period,” she said.
Penn In the News
University of Penn nursing student co-creates product to help frontline workers care for patients in the dark
Anthony Scarpone-Lambert, a senior in the School of Nursing, spoke about the wearable nightlight he helped develop. The invention allows nurses to check on patients at night without turning on bright white lights. "On average, patients regularly report poor quality of sleep as their number one complaint during hospitalization," he said.
Penn In the News
Dr. Antonia Villarruel to chair national committee tackling U.S. health disparities
Dean Antonia Villarruel of the School of Nursing is the newest chair of the National Academy of Medicine’s Culture of Health program. “The Culture of Health Program is well-positioned to build and strengthen the evidence base to address structural racism. This work will be accomplished together with communities and the multiple private- and public-sectors that intersect to promote health,” she said.
Penn In the News
How Amazon beat the union vote in Bessemer, Alabama
Matthew Bidwell of the Wharton School said Amazon’s victory over unionization efforts in Bessemer, Alabama, could discourage similar campaigns. “If you think you can try as hard as you like but you’re unlikely to succeed, you’re probably not going to put in the effort,” Bidwell says.
Penn In the News
Why would an expert witness go without pay?
John Hollway of the Law School weighed in on the strategy of Derek Chauvin’s defense attorney, who questioned the neutrality of an expert witness brought forward by the prosecution. Implying that an expert witness is biased could be effective or “it could look like you’re desperate,” Hollway said. “This is why being a trial lawyer is difficult.”
Penn In the News
Kati Kariko helped shield the world from the coronavirus
Katalin Kariko, who worked with colleague Drew Weissman in the Perelman School of Medicine to research mRNA, was profiled. Their findings laid the foundation for the development of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.