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Addressing the psychological impacts of inflammatory bowel disease
Therapist and patient.

Image: lorenzoantonucci via Getty Images

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.

3 min. read

How one molecule keeps plants youthful
flowering acacia plant.

Image: Courtesy of Omnia.

How one molecule keeps plants youthful

In a career-defining paper, Scott Poethig, a biologist at the School of Arts & Sciences, has discovered that a single molecular switch can freeze plants in their juvenile state.

Marilyn Perkins

2 min. read

Reflecting on Jane Austen, 250 years after her birth
Jane Austen book by Robert Miles and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.

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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.

3 min. read

One School, many schools of thought
Mark Trodden.

School of Arts & Sciences dean Mark Trodden joins faculty in discussion for Omnia’s latest podcast series.

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One School, many schools of thought

A special edition of the Penn Arts & Sciences “Ampersand” podcast features Dean Mark Trodden in conversation with SAS faculty from different disciplines.

Alex Schein

2 min. read

Exploring Philadelphia’s petrochemical past
An illustration of the Philadelphia Gas works complex in 1890

Philadelphia Gas Works in an 1890 illustration. It sat on the east side of the Schuylkill River, between Market and Filbert streets.

(Image: David J. Kennedy. Courtesy of Historical Society of Philadelphia, via petrodelphia.org.)

Exploring Philadelphia’s petrochemical past

Penn historian Jared Farmer recently launched a website about Philadelphia’s fossil fuel economy to help students and residents learn about the local past in larger context.

2 min. read

Evolution at a molecular level

Biologist Mia Levine and colleagues have demonstrated how a pair of essential protein partners undergo rapid evolutionary change to counter fast-evolving parasitic DNA while maintaining core cellular functions. The work presents novel insight into how evolution works at the molecular level.

(Image: Getty images/Joao Paulo Burini)

Evolution at a molecular level

Research led by Mia Levine shows how a vital DNA protection protein complex adapts to new threats without compromising essential functions.

3 min. read

Performing Bach and considering his world
Hands playing a piano.

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Performing Bach and considering his world

Students in the Performance, Analysis, History class explore and perform on piano the work of Johann Sebastian Bach, regarded among history’s greatest composers. Taught by Jamuna Samuel and Yu Xi Wang, the class contextualizes and demystifies Bach through a historical and geographical lens.

How climate change affects migration
Mia McElhatton

Fourth-year Mia McElhatton is studying the intersection of climate change and migration with an undergraduate research grant from the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy.

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How climate change affects migration

Fourth-year philosophy major Mia McElhatton is investigating the effects of climate change on how people move from place to place.

2 min. read

Two Penn students chosen as 2026 Marshall Scholars
Adelaide Lyall, left, Norah Rami, right

From left, Adelaide Lyall and Norah Rami are Penn's 2026 Marshall Scholars.

(Images: Courtesy of Adelaide Lyall and Norah Rami)

Two Penn students chosen as 2026 Marshall Scholars

Adelaide Lyall, a graduate student in the School of Social Policy & Practice, and Norah Rami, a fourth-year in the College of Arts & Sciences, will receive funding for as much as three years of graduate study in the United Kingdom.

2 min. read

Buddhism behind bars

Buddhism behind bars

Kirby Sokolow, a School of Arts & Sciences Ph.D. candidate in religious studies, wants to challenge stereotypes around incarceration and religion.

2 min. read