School of Arts & Sciences

Lauder Class of 2025 graduate showcase

Four Lauder Institute students reflect on their journeys through the Wharton and School of Arts & Sciences joint-degree program, which weds international politics, economics, history, culture, and language.

From left: Shreya Arya, Miguel Lopez, Rob Ghrist, and Julian Gould

The soul of an artist, the mind of a mathematician

An artist, author, engineer, mathematician, and mentor, PIK Professor in the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Science Robert Ghrist embraces innovation to enrich each of these roles.

8 min. read

Students walking under a 2026 balloon banner on Locust Bridge during the Hey Day procession.

Class of 2026 prepares for ‘iconic’ year during annual Hey Day

Marking a 109-year-old tradition, Penn third-year students united to celebrate their rise to fourth-year status.

5 min. read

Fourth-years Ejun Mary Hong and Jack Nicholas Roney were awarded a 2025 President's Engagement Prize to pursue their PIXEL project. The pair will collaborate to bring art mentorship, creative skill-building, and industry networking opportunities to under-resourced high school students in the greater Philadelphia area.

Empowering high school youth through immersive art mentorship

Penn fourth-years Ejun Mary Hong and Jack Nicholas Roney will use a President’s Engagement Prize to expand their existing initiative dedicated to connecting under-resourced high school students in Philadelphia with art mentorship, creative skill-building, and industry networking opportunities.

6 min. read

Four headshots of Penn Faculty. Top left tile clockwise: Mark Devlin, Katalin Karikó, E. John Wherry III, and Virginia M.Y. Lee

National Academy of Sciences elects four from Penn

The newly elected members, recognized for their innovative contributions to original research, are Mark Devlin of the School of Arts & Sciences and Katalin Karikó, Virginia Lee, and E. John Wherry III of the Perelman School of Medicine.

3 min. read

Alice Wu, a Yellow Ribbon award recipient graduating from SP2's Master of Social Work program

Graduating student veteran makes use of a Yellow Ribbon award

Alice Wu, a Navy veteran graduating from the School of Social Policy & Practice in May, used support from the Yellow Ribbon Program to make a principled, impact-driven career change.

4 min. read

Inaya Zaman, Rashmi Acharya, and Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio.

Nourish to Flourish

Fourth-years Rashmi Acharya, Imani Nkrumah Ardayfio and Inaya Zaman created Nourish to Flourish, winner of a 2025 President’s Engagement Prize. The trio will work with community partners at the Benjamin B. Comegys School in West Philadelphia to encourage healthier food choices.

7 min. read

Hands flipping through copy of Micrographia.

A novel and hands-on approach to teaching about technology and society

Elly Truitt teaches students about the history of communication technology, from the invention of writing to large language models, while introducing them to Penn’s libraries and unparalleled resources.

5 min. read

Al Filreis and Nate Silver in discussion on stage.

Nate Silver on statistics: Playing it safe versus embracing risk

At the Stephen A. Levin Family Dean’s Forum, statistician Nate Silver spoke with Al Filreis, Kelly Family Professor of English, about his new book and risk-taking, with tangents into hobbies, poker, and baseball.

2 min. read

Group pose of Draw Down the Lightning grants winners.

Collaborating toward a better future for all

The 12 winning teams of the inaugural Draw Down the Lightning grants were celebrated by Penn leadership at a reception, bringing to life the vision of In Principle and Practice.