New model could help police departments reduce excessive force incidents News New model could help police departments reduce excessive force incidents Criminology professor Greg Ridgeway has developed a model that estimates an officer’s likelihood of using a higher level of force than peers in similar situations—an improvement on existing early-intervention systems that don’t account for differences in time and location.
Connecting Latin American fiction through infrastructure and transit Sixth-year Spanish & Portuguese Ph.D. student Valeria Seminario.(Image: Courtesy of Omnia) News Connecting Latin American fiction through infrastructure and transit Penn Arts & Sciences Ph.D. student Valeria Seminario’s dissertation explores themes of transportation and infrastructure in 19th- and early 20th-century Latin American fiction.
How plants ‘hedge their bets’ for better reproductive outcomes nocred 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. 3 min. read
A balancing act with Carly Oniki nocred A balancing act with Carly Oniki The fourth-year gymnast discusses the multiyear success of the gymnastics team, her love of the sport, her favorite place on campus, some off-the-mat activities, and why Penn was her dream school. 5 min. read
Can aging be treated at the cellular level? Image: Wladimir Bulgar via Getty Images Can aging be treated at the cellular level? Penn researchers Shelley Berger and Esra Sahingur explain senescence, the process of cellular aging, and discuss the complexities of developing anti-aging therapies that target these cells. 4 min. read
Examining the forces shaping world heritage Examining the forces shaping world heritage Lynn Meskell looks at the politics of archaeology and world heritage to understand why we conserve certain places and who benefits from the work.
Iran at a crossroads Iran is functioning under an Internet communications blackout, which has strained economic and family ties, says Penn’s Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet.(Image: Vahid Salemi via AP Images) Q&A Iran at a crossroads In a Q&A, Penn historian Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, an expert on Iran and the modern Middle East, speaks about the Iranian opposition movement, current protests, the Islamic Republic’s crackdown, and daily life in the country. 4 min. read
How ‘um’ and ‘uh’ shape impressions Fourth-year linguistics Ph.D. student Jonathan Lee became curious about breaks in speech when he noticed they were missing from transcripts and subtitles.(Image: Kevin Ren) How ‘um’ and ‘uh’ shape impressions Disfluency, or irregularities and breaks in speech, are part of life—but do they affect how we perceive each other? Fourth-year linguistics Ph.D. student Jonathan Lee is trying to find out. 2 min. read
Health in Philly, past and present Students in Andi Johnson’s course Health in Philly: Past and Present visited the nonprofit organization Bebashi in December to present their findings from interviews with staff.nocred Health in Philly, past and present This fall, in Andi Johnson’s course Health in Philly: Past and Present, students worked closely with leadership of the health-focused nonprofit Bebashi to identify ways they could better support staff, while visiting other local health organizations to learn more about how they address issues facing city residents. 5 min. read
A study of the ancient built environment A view of the trench with the early Hellenistic mosaic.(Image: Courtesy Teos Archaeological Project) A study of the ancient built environment A book of essays co-edited by history of art professor Mantha Zarmakoupi dives into a historic movement focused on recentering how we think about ecological concerns and the built environment. 2 min. read