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School of Arts & Sciences
Revealing ‘hidden’ phases of matter through the power of light
New research shows how materials can be imbued with new chemical properties using a solid phase transition method that relies on extremely fast pulses of light.
A conversation with Vijay Balasubramanian
In the latest episode of Penn Today's ‘Office Hours’ podcast series, a casual chat with Professor of Physics Vijay Balasubramanian.
One hour, one painting: A Barnes visit reveals clues about how the brain processes visual cues
The exercise is one part of a two-week mindCORE summer workshop aimed at underrepresented undergrads across the country. This year’s program focused on language science and technology, and minds in the world.
You can’t hurt a poem, and other lessons from Charles Bernstein
The award-winning poet writer of libretti, translator, and archivist looks back on his career.
Mathematicians help train the next generation of positive thinkers
A trio of researchers paves the way for future progress in an up-and-coming field that unites geometry and number theory in powerful new ways.
30 years after Tiananmen Square, a changed China largely ignores the milestone
Political scientist Avery Goldstein discusses the mood in Beijing this week, and how the regime has suppressed the history of the crackdown.
Community outreach inspires interest in STEM for kids
Graduate students and postdocs led an afternoon of hands-on science activities and fun for students grades 3-8 in the hallways and labs of Penn Chemistry.
Why are so many women still dying from childbirth?
Experts from Penn discuss the role that social determinants, socioeconomics, and racism play, and how the University is addressing the maternal mortality crisis head on.
Stories of Penn scientists: David Rittenhouse
In celebration of the 250th anniversary of his observations of the 1769 transit of Venus, a glimpse into the story of the man whose name became synonymous with astronomy and mathematics.
Keeping rain out of the drain
From cisterns beneath Shoemaker Green to the green roof on New College House, special features of campus buildings and landscapes are helping manage stormwater to keep rain from the sewer lines, and scholars are using the infrastructure as a research opportunity.
In the News
WHYY (Philadelphia)
Democracy and truth
Sophia Rosenfeld of the School of Arts and Sciences spoke about her book, Democracy and Truth, and the democratic “argument about what is true” in an episode of “Radio Times.”
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Associated Press
Catholic bishops approve new sex-abuse reporting hotline
Marci Hamilton of the School of Arts and Sciences urged U.S. Catholic bishops to require that suspicions of sexual abuse be reported to police. The new third-party hotline proposed by the church does not explicitly require interaction with law enforcement.
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Bloomberg
Upgrade your memory with a surgically implanted chip
Michael Kahana of the School of Arts and Sciences discussed his contributions to the development of an implantable prosthetic memory aid. “Just like meteorologists predict the weather by putting sensors in the environment that measure humidity and wind speed and temperature, we put sensors in the brain and measure electrical signals,” Kahana said. If it doesn’t detect enough brain activity, the device then provides a small zap to trigger memory formation.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Sex abuse crisis the focus as U.S. Catholic bishops convene
Marci Hamilton of the School of Arts and Sciences said an increase in statue-of-limitation revisions for survivors of child abuse reflects “the dawning reality for many Americans—including lawmakers—that bishops cannot and will not solve this problem themselves.”
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The Atlantic
The epic political battle over the legacy of the suffragettes
Dawn Teele of the School of Arts and Sciences spoke about the suffrage movement and the problematic nature of framing the Nineteenth Amendment as an inevitable progression toward justice. Doing so, says Teele, feeds “into this idea that if only all of these excluded, downtrodden, marginalized groups could wait their turn or bide their time, then, miraculously, this change they’ve been waiting for will just appear.”
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