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From 2,800-year-old charred food lumps, a window into past civilizations
Kathy Morrison sitting at a computer in a lab, gesturing to grad student Moriah McKenna. They both wear white lab coats. In front of them is a computer screen with what looks like a large rock. Next to the computer is a large microscope with its light on.

Archaeologist Kathleen Morrison (center) and anthropology doctoral student Moriah McKenna discuss one of the charred lumps from a 2010 excavation in southern India. The image is possible thanks to a new microscope, seen here on the right, that takes and stitches together high-resolution images in incredible detail. (Image: Eric Sucar)

  • Q&A

    • From 2,800-year-old charred food lumps, a window into past civilizations

    At a site in southern India, archaeologist Kathleen Morrison and colleagues discovered the remains of two types of dough, offering insights into how the region’s dietary practices have evolved.

    Michele W. Berger

    A chance to imagine memorials of tomorrow
    rocky steps in philadelphia

    A chance to imagine memorials of tomorrow

    A history course taught by Jared Farmer looks at Philadelphia’s monuments past and present, and lets students envision what future memorials may be.

    Kristen de Groot

    Senior Erin Hayes named Gates Cambridge Scholar
    student standing outside

    Senior Erin Hayes has been named a 2022 Gates Cambridge Scholar. Hayes is graduating in May with her bachelor’s degree in astrophysics and master’s degree in physics in the School of Arts & Sciences.

    Senior Erin Hayes named Gates Cambridge Scholar

    Senior Erin Hayes, a Roy and Diana Vagelos Scholar in the Molecular Life Sciences, has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a Ph.D. in astronomy at the University of Cambridge in England.

    Louisa Shepard

    Interfaith activism at the second annual University Forum on Social Equity and Community
    A Zoom screen shows four women looking at the camera

    Barbara D. Savage (top left) led Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad, founder of the Muslim Wellness Foundation; Rev. Leslie D. Callahan, first woman pastor of St. Paul’s Baptist Church; and activist Bree Newsome in the second annual University Forum on Social Equity and Community.

    Interfaith activism at the second annual University Forum on Social Equity and Community

    In the second annual University Forum on Social Equity and Community, the School of Arts & Sciences’ Barbara D. Savage moderated a conversation on interfaith activism.

    Kristina Linnea García

    Why are alcohol- and drug-related deaths rising in the U.S. and not elsewhere?
    Silhouette of a person sitting against a wall on the side of the image, legs pulled up close to her chest.

    Why are alcohol- and drug-related deaths rising in the U.S. and not elsewhere?

    With insights from anthropology and neuroscience, Penn researchers Michael Platt and Peter Sterling find that, in comparison, 16 other wealthy nations offer communal assistance at every life stage, support that protects individuals and families long term.

    Michele W. Berger

    Studying the past through a modern-day lens
    Lynn Meskell standing in front of a glass display case at the Penn Museum.

    Lynn Meskell is the Richard D. Green Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor in the Department of Anthropology in the School of Arts & Sciences, a professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning and the graduate program in Historic Preservation in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and a curator in the Middle East and Asia sections at the Penn Museum.

    (Image: Eric Sucar)

    Studying the past through a modern-day lens

    In a Q & A, archaeologist and PIK Professor Lynn Meskell discusses her background, the subjects that interest her—from espionage to World Heritage sites—and collaborations that have organically arisen at Penn despite the pandemic and a mostly remote first year.

    Michele W. Berger

    The ‘music’ of one poet’s words, translated
    Huda Fakhreddine holding the poetry book outside

    (Homepage image) As a scholar, Fakhreddine works hard to retain as much of a poem as possible when it moves from Arabic to another language. “It’s a challenge that all translation involves. We talk about what’s lost and what’s gained,” she says. “It’s all exaggerated here with these short musical pieces. Their meaning is ground in their sound.”

    The ‘music’ of one poet’s words, translated

    With help from her daughter, scholar Huda Fakhreddine published an English version of 30 poems for children written by her father in Arabic, paying tribute to their endearing and enduring subject matter and to the musicality and richness of their sound.

    Michele W. Berger

    A call for tools to navigate the future of the Delaware River watershed
    Three images of highway submerged with water, robot, and underwater scene that says Ecotopian Toolkit for Delaware Watershed Justice

    A call for tools to navigate the future of the Delaware River watershed

    The Penn Program in Environmental Humanities is partnering with Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum to solicit designs for tools to help Delaware River watershed residents adapt and respond to climate change and other ecological challenges.

    Katherine Unger Baillie

    It takes a village, especially during a global pandemic
    Group of people wearing masks outside a building in Malawi.

    The field research team of the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health. (Image: Penn LDI)

    It takes a village, especially during a global pandemic

    A Penn LDI and Penn Population Aging Research Center team tracks behavior and attitudes in Malawi during COVID-19’s first wave.

    Hoag Levins