Weighing sustainability of real vs. fake Christmas trees
Engineering professor Lorena Grundy says people looking to make a sustainable decision should consider how many years they would use an artificial tree, how they plan to dispose of a real tree, and how the tree was transported.
Electronic medical records help save lives of HIV patients
Wharton’s Leandro “Leo” Pongeluppe and colleagues found that HIV clinics in Malawi that switched from paper to electronic medical records saw an estimated 28% reduction in deaths in five years.
Centering joy in AI development and implementation
PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton—of Annenberg and SP2—and collaborators introduce a joy-informed framework designed to initiate conversations among engineers, designers, and researchers.
Addressing the psychological impacts of inflammatory bowel disease
In a collaborative study, Psychologist Melissa Hunt and gastroenterologist Chung Sang Tse showed that cognitive behavioral therapy reduced disability for patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and that psychologists with no prior gastrointestinal experience could learn to deliver IBD-informed CBT effectively.
Reflecting on Jane Austen, 250 years after her birth
English professors Michael Gamer and Barri Joyce Gold have been teaching courses specifically dedicated to Jane Austen for years. They spoke with Penn Today about their approach to teaching her novels, how they challenge common readings and myths, and what makes Austen’s work so enduring—and adaptable to the screen—more than two centuries later.
School of Social Policy & Practice Dean Sara S. Bachman (left) introduced an event on economics as part of the Politics of Well-Being series. SP2 alumnus Karim Sharif (second from left) moderated a discussion with associate professors Amy Castro and Ioana Marinescu.
(Image: Carson Easterly/School of Social Policy & Practice)
Breaking down misconceptions on unconditional cash programs
As part of the Politics of Well-Being series, associate professors Amy Castro and Ioana Marinescu shared findings from their research on guaranteed income and universal basic income.
Penn Carey Law professors Bill Burke-White and Ken Kulak attended COP30, this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, and incorporated their experiences into their International Climate Change and Energy Law and Climate Change courses.
Reimagining philanthropy and supporting everyday givers
Founded in 2012 as a movement to encourage generosity on the Tuesday after Black Friday, GivingTuesday has blossomed into a global initiative and an independent nonprofit.
As part of the Side Gigs for Good series, Penn Today highlights staff who spend time outside their work hours giving back to Philadelphia organizations.
In her office, Melissa Charenko has paintings by artist Jill Pelto that depict the kind of climate proxies Charenko writes about in her new book, such as sediment cores containing pollen grains.
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Understanding the climate record through objects
Melissa Charenko’s new book shares the history of how 20th-century scientists used climate “proxies”—such as tree rings and fossil pollen—to understand past climates, which has implications for future climate action.
