Kristen de Groot

Group of people standing on the steps of a state building holding signs in protest of the state’s stay at home orders due to the pandemic.

Do political beliefs affect social distancing?

A new study found that political partisanship influenced Americans’ decisions to voluntarily engage in physical distancing at the start of the pandemic, particularly in response to communications by state governors.

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A grandparent and a child sit on a park bench in daylight, both wearing masks and sitting six feet apart.

COVID-19 checkup

Ezekiel J. Emanuel, vice provost for global initiatives and a physician, gave an update on the pandemic during a Perry World House virtual earlier this week. He says summer is a good time to open up in stages but cautions about fall.

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Two people sit at school desks, person on the left is smiling with arms cross as person on the right looks toward him.

A class on civility teaches how to have tough conversations

Wharton School junior Connor Gibson knew the benefits of a tight-knit community and also knew there wasn’t much diversity there to challenge his way of thinking. He says a SNF Paideia course, Can We Talk?, was transformational

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Person in black hooded jacket and pants facing away from camera walks near Red Square in Moscow.

Diagnosing Russia’s COVID-19 response

Despite the Russian government’s assertions that it has the COVID-19 crisis under control, the outbreak is in the beginning stages in the country and three experts says Vladimir Putin’s political fate may rest on how he responds to the crisis.

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People wearing latex gloves crouch on the floor around a pile of garbage

Anne Berg explores the ‘Wastes of War’

What qualifies as a war, and how does the waste created by war transform the social and physical environment? Historian Anne Berg’s class looks at these two seemingly disconnected concepts.

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Screen shot of computer with image of United States and the words "How Concerned are You?" and four participants on a Zoom call.

COVID-19 hackathon

Students tackle real-world, real-time data sets about the coronavirus at hackathon

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Empty podium with seal of the White House flanked by American flags with plaque reading The White House hung from curtains in background

Pandemics and presidential elections

The coronavirus outbreak has already caused disruptions in the 2020 election cycle. What if the nation is in the midst of another shutdown come Election Day in November?

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Power Plant in the South of Iran

Iran, sanctions, and coronavirus

The United States has faced pressure to ease sanctions to help Iran manage its coronavirus outbreak. Ciruce Movahedi-Lankarani, a doctoral candidate in the History Department, discusses how the sanctions have played into Iran’s energy development and complicated its management of the viral outbreak.

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People march along Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia on April 22, 1970 during Earth Day.

A historical ‘Earth Day Project’

On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, historian Anne Berg and a team of students are launching an online exhibit looking at Penn’s connection to the Philadelphia celebration.

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