Philanthropy class provides $55K in grants to local nonprofits amid the pandemic
As the COVID-19 epidemic began to affect all aspects of daily life in Philadelphia communities, SP2 students saw their lessons collide with the ways local philanthropic funders and nonprofit organizations address unprecedented challenges in real time.
The aim of the pilot project, Nurtured in Nature, was to get new mothers to spend more time outdoors in spaces near their homes, like Clark Park in West Philadelphia.
Can spending time in nature prevent or lessen postpartum depression?
Nurtured in Nature, a pilot project in Black communities conducted by Penn Medicine’s Eugenia South, aims to find out.
Diane Spatz is a professor of perinatal nursing and the Helen M. Shearer Professor of Nutrition at the School of Nursing, and a nurse scientist for the lactation program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. (Image: Eric Sucar)
The case against separating breastfeeding mothers and infants during the pandemic
In a Q&A, Diane Spatz of Penn Nursing and CHOP discusses why it’s safe and beneficial to keep them together, even when the mother tests positive for COVID-19.
What was supposed to be a cinema and media studies course to create virtual reality films on the Philadelphia Museum of Art collections became individual films by the students about the realities and connections to the pieces they researched.
After opioid overdose emergency, few patients receive timely follow-up
For people with diagnosed opioid use disorder, timely follow-up care after leaving the hospital can save lives. But a recent national study showed that just 16% of privately insured patients obtain that essential care.
Scholarship through the lens of an iconic media brand
A new Annenberg course centered around HBO offered undergrads hands-on exposure to media production and a chance to hone their analytical skills using primary source materials.
Aja Carter (seen here in May 2018) recently earned her doctorate from the Department of Earth and Environmental Science in the School of Arts & Sciences. In the lab of Peter Dodson, she studied how the structure of the vertebrae in the spinal column changed over time and how that affected the way animals move. As most aspects of university life moved online because of COVID-19, so did her thesis defense and that of so many others.
The joys and trials of defending a dissertation virtually
When most aspects of university life moved online because of COVID-19, so, too, did the thesis defense for Ph.D. candidates. Despite some challenges, the shift had unexpected benefits.
While instructional laboratories on campus are closed, students, faculty, and instructors are finding creative solutions for science, math, and engineering courses and projects.
