35th annual Women of Color at Penn award Shaquilla Harrigan (left) and Nicole Harrington (right) were the graduate and undergraduate honorees of this year’s Women of Color awards. 35th annual Women of Color at Penn award The Women of Color at Penn held their 35th annual award ceremony with a virtual celebration hosted by the African American Resource Center. This year’s awards honored six women who have fostered and supported community.
A ‘reawakening’ of interest in nature Bill Cullina, director of the Morris Arboretum, poses inside the Arboretum's Victorian fernery in March 2022. A ‘reawakening’ of interest in nature In a Q&A with Penn Today, Morris Arboretum Director Bill Cullina discusses lessons taken from the pandemic, adapting to climate change, and future research.
Pulitzer-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen speaks on migration and ‘multitudes’ From left: Josephine Park, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Dagmawi Woubshet, pictured in conversation on March 16, 2022. Pulitzer-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen speaks on migration and ‘multitudes’ In a wide-ranging conversation sponsored by the Wolf Humanities Center, author and professor Viet Thanh Nguyen visited Penn to discuss his work, representation, and more.
Decoding a material’s ‘memory’ A suspension of particles of different sizes during shearing experiments conducted in the lab of Paulo Arratia, with arrows indicating particle “flow” and trajectories. In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers detail the relationship between a disordered material’s individual particle arrangement and how it reacts to external stressors. The study also found that these materials have “memory” that can be used to predict how and when they will flow. (Image: Arratia lab) Decoding a material’s ‘memory’ A new study details the relationship between particle structure and flow in disordered materials, insights that can be used to understand systems ranging from mudslides to biofilms.
Rapid adaptation in fruit flies In a controlled field experiment on Penn’s campus, biologists tracked fruit fly evolution over the course of four months, documenting some of the fastest rates of adaptation ever in animals. (Image: Seth Rudman) Rapid adaptation in fruit flies New findings from School of Arts & Sciences biologists show that evolution—normally considered to be a gradual process—can occur in a matter of weeks in fruit flies in response to natural environmental change.
New COVID-19 roadmap: Four takeaways New COVID-19 roadmap: Four takeaways A report spearheaded by PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel, with input from other Penn experts, lays out a dozen priorities for the federal government to tackle in the next 12 months. The aim: to help guide the U.S. to the pandemic’s “next normal.”
Asian American Studies’ 25th anniversary In Asian American studies classrooms, “you get students from every single major, you get them from every single field, you get every class background, and you get every political background,” says David Eng. “What’s happened in the field of ethnic studies in general, is that you’ve had to create these horizontal communities among these generations of students.” Asian American Studies’ 25th anniversary The Asian American Studies program is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a podcast miniseries, weekly alumni events, and a March 19 conference.
The pandemic’s psychological scars (Homepage image) “What we needed to do for our physical health—quarantining, staying away from other people and social situations—even when that kind of avoidance is the right thing to do, it makes people more anxious,” says Elizabeth Turk-Karan of the Center for the Study and Treatment of Anxiety. What remains to be seen is how these emotions and many others will play out as the pandemic recedes. The pandemic’s psychological scars It’s been a long and uncertain road, with some groups shouldering a disproportionately greater burden of mental anguish from COVID-19. Yet now there’s a glimmer of hope. Has the page finally turned?
Climate scientist Michael Mann to join Penn faculty Michael E. Mann is Penn’s inaugural Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science. (Image: Joshua Yospin)nocred Climate scientist Michael Mann to join Penn faculty Mann is the first new faculty member to be recruited as part of the recently announced Energy and Sustainability Initiative as a Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science.
Classroom, meet gallery; gallery, meet classroom Classroom, meet gallery; gallery, meet classroom For seven weeks, the ICA will be transformed into an experiential classroom environment, welcoming artists and the public to challenge what ‘infrastructure’ means in the world of art.