Celebrating Penn graduates: A friends and family photo essay
Ask a graduate of the Class of 2026 how they succeeded in earning their degree, and the response is “with the support of my family and friends.” Here is a celebration of that support in photos.
Celebrating Penn’s 270th Commencement at a historic moment
Reflecting on the 250th anniversary of the United States, speakers invoked American traditions and provided guidance on building a meaningful life in a fast-changing world. Graduates, cheered on by family and friends, celebrated their part in Penn’s storied history.
Gabrielle Fine, left, leads a Kite & Key campus tour for prospective students and their families.
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How the Quaker Commitment empowered one student to create her path at Penn
Gabrielle Fine, a fourth year in the Wharton School and recipient of financial aid from the Quaker Commitment, will graduate in May with an interdisciplinary skillset and new perspectives from a global adventure and local engagement.
How plants ‘hedge their bets’ for better reproductive outcomes
Penn biologists reveal how plants respond to seasonal flowering cues while protecting the stem cells at their growing tip, enabling continuous reproduction in changing environments.
Bacteria can actively swim upstream, leading to severe infections in places like the urinary tract and respiratory system and contamination of medical devices like catheters. Biophysicist Arnold Mathijssen and colleagues have uncovered how and why this happens, revealing that E. coli actually “thrives under pressure.” Their findings point to new strategies for designing safer, more effective biomedical tools and treatments.
An ‘illuminating’ design sheds light on cholesterol
High levels of cholesterol are linked to heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems. However, this complex and vital fatty, water insoluble molecule—a lipid—is found in every cell of the body and is not all bad news. It also regulates crucial processes that science has yet to map.
Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, vice provost for graduate education and chair of the Penn Forward working group for Graduate and Professional Training.
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Kelly Jordan-Sciutto on advancing graduate education through Penn Forward
Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, vice provost for graduate education and chair of the Penn Forward Graduate and Professional Training working group, says, ‘I don’t want students to walk uphill both ways in the snow just because I had to.’
Megan Ryerson and Ezekiel Emanuel, co-chairs of the Global Opportunity and New Markets working group for Penn Forward, together at Perry World House.
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A conversation with Penn Forward’s Global Opportunity and New Markets co-chairs
In a Q&A with Ezekiel Emanuel and Megan Ryerson, co-chairs of the Global Opportunity and New Markets working group for Penn Forward, the duo discuss the charge of their group, where they are in the process, and leaning into global engagement.
Tom Murphy, senior vice president and chief transformation officer, is chair of the Operational Transformation working group for Penn Forward, Penn’s strategic initiative to reshape how the University fulfills its missions of education, research, and service in a rapidly changing world.
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Tom Murphy is leading Operational Transformation at Penn. Here’s his approach
In a Q&A, Tom Murphy, who leads the Operational Transformation working group, one of six Penn Forward teams, discusses his approach to leading change in non-academic areas of Penn.
