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Katherine Unger Baillie
Senior Science News Officer
Katherine Unger Baillie covers the School of Veterinary Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, and in the School of Arts and Sciences, manages media relations for biology, earth and environmental science, and history and sociology of science. She also occasionally covers scientific research coming from other parts of Penn.
In a warming world, chief heat officers help adapt, prepare, and protect
In advance of Perry World House’s Global Shifts Colloquium on extreme heat in urban areas, Penn Today spoke with chief heat officers about their role in influencing public awareness, preparedness, and policy.
Update of a local tree field guide offers ‘antidote for plant blindness’
A new edition of “Philadelphia Trees,” coauthored by former Morris Arboretum director Paul W. Meyer, Catriona Bull Briger, and Edward Sibley Barnard offers tips for identifying tree species and highlights some of the most notable trees in the region, including many on Penn’s campus.
The immune system does battle in the intestines to keep bacteria in check
New research from Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine demonstrates that Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, a relative of the bacterial pathogen that causes plague, triggers the body’s immune system to form lesions in the intestines called granulomas.
Who, What, Why: Tess Kuracina tends to the ‘BioPond,’ a beloved campus oasis
As garden supervisor for the treasured green space formally known as the James G. Kaskey Memorial Park, Kuracina plans, plants, waters, and weeds, aiming to make it ‘more beautiful and special every year.’
Green solutions are transforming a West Philadelphia grade school
With support from grants and the Netter Center, the Andrew Hamilton School in Cobbs Creek is now home to a food forest and a thriving garden, providing healthy produce, green space, stormwater management, and educational opportunities.
Genomics reveals a complex human history in Africa
An international team of researchers led by Penn geneticists sequenced the genomes of 180 indigenous Africans. The results shed light on the origin of modern humans, African population history, and local adaptation.
Rewiring blood cells to give rise to precursors of sperm
School of Veterinary Medicine researchers teamed with scientists at the University of Texas at San Antonio to transform blood cells to regain a flexible fate, growing into a precursor of sperm cells.
Advancing research and education to push forward oral health excellence
Since joining the School of Dental Medicine faculty in 2019, Sinem Esra Sahingur has launched two new master’s programs, expanded student research, and continued to pursue her own research program on immune regulation.
From glacier ice, a wealth of scientific data
Biogeochemist Jon Hawkings of the School of Arts & Sciences and his lab study glaciers to understand the cycling of elements through Earth’s waters, soils, and air in its coldest regions, with implications for climate change, ecosystem health, and more.
Trained dogs can sniff out a deadly deer disease
The proof-of-concept investigation by School of Veterinary Medicine researchers suggests detection dogs could be an asset in the effort to identify, contain, and manage chronic wasting disease, a highly contagious ailment.