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Exploring the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on America’s founding
Eric Ryu stands outside of College Hall.

Eric Ryu spent part of his summer in Scottish university archives researching the Scottish Enlightenment.

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Exploring the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment on America’s founding

Fourth-year Eric Ryu studied 18th and 19th century lectures notes from university archives in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and St. Andrews to trace the intellectual roots of the two movements.

2 min. read

Penn buildings achieve LEED certifications, showcasing commitment to sustainability
Sun shades attached to building windows.

The sun shades on the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology.

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Penn buildings achieve LEED certifications, showcasing commitment to sustainability

Three recent building projects at the University of Pennsylvania have earned LEED Platinum, Gold, and Silver certifications, underscoring Penn’s ongoing commitment to sustainable design and construction.

3 min. read

Joseph Francisco awarded 2025 Pauling Medal

Joseph Francisco awarded 2025 Pauling Medal

Joseph Francisco, President’s Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, is awarded the Pauling Medal in honor of his work into the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere by the American Chemical Society Puget Sound Section.

From the frontlines of climate change
Mangroves growing on a small island separated from the mainland due to abrasion in West Java.

Image: Aditya Irawan/NurPhoto via AP Images

From the frontlines of climate change

People living on small islands and territories face mounting climate impacts, but little is known about their stance on the issue. Research from a team including Parrish Bergquist, assistant professor of political science, aims to fill those gaps.

From Omnia

2 min. read

Guiding light towards smarter technology
Bo Zhen and He Li power a series of lasers atop a table.

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Guiding light towards smarter technology

Penn researchers developed a system that allows light to be guided through a tiny crystal, undeterred by bumps, bends, and back-reflections. Their findings pave the way for robust, controllable light-based chips, smarter routing for data links, and more stable lasers.

3 min. read

Working towards new materials for next-generation electronic devices
Researchers stand next to s microscope.

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Working towards new materials for next-generation electronic devices

A Penn team has developed insight into the chemical and geometric mechanisms underlying the synthesis of new 2D materials, paving the way for next-gen devices, biomedical applications, and cleaner, quicker energy conversion and storage.

5 min. read

Charles Kane to receive Lorentz Medal
Charles Kane

Charles Kane, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Physics at Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences.

(Image: Brooke Sietinsons)

Charles Kane to receive Lorentz Medal

Awarded every four years by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the medal honors Kane’s pioneering research on topological insulators.

3 min. read

Melissa Lee wins APSA’s Mary Parker Follett prize for best scholarly article in politics and history

Melissa Lee wins APSA’s Mary Parker Follett prize for best scholarly article in politics and history

The Klein Family Presidential Associate Professor of Political Science’s article, “From Pluribus to Unum: The Civil War and Imagined Sovereignty in Nineteenth Century America,” will be the recipient of American Political Science Association’s Politics and History Section’s Mary Parker Follett prize, awarded annually for the best scholarly article in politics and history.

Where AI models fall short in mimicking the expressiveness of human speech
Ethan Yang, Jjianjing Kuang, Kevin Li, and Henry Huang.

Through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program, students Ethan Yang, Kevin Li, and Henry Huang worked with linguistics professor Jianjing Kuang to study the ability of AI models to replicate the expressiveness of human speech.

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Where AI models fall short in mimicking the expressiveness of human speech

Undergraduates Kevin Li, Henry Huang, and Ethan Yang worked with linguistics professor Jianjing Kuang to compare speech production and perception by humans and AI—research that can help companies move closer to natural and expressive AI speech.

2 min. read

Diving into the causes of crime
Ella Vance stands in front of a staircase with her arms crossed.

Ella Vance says her psychology and criminology double-major meshes well with Paul Robinson’s research on the root causes of crime. Her summer work was supported by the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program.

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Diving into the causes of crime

Third-year Ella Vance spent the summer working with Penn Carey Law’s Paul Robinson exploring the potential roots of crime, including addiction and poverty. Her 10-week opportunity was supported by the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program.

2 min. read