School of Arts & Sciences

looking up at a Union Jack flag hanging from a balcony under a blue sky

Brexit strategy Q&A: What’s next?

Political scientist Brendan O’Leary, an expert on U.K. politics, talks about the latest deal on that country’s efforts to leave the European Union, what the Dec. 12 parliamentary election may bring, and what comes after Jan. 31.

Aerial view of a large crowd in Barcelona, many holding Catalonia flags

Barcelona protests: An expert take

Barcelona erupted in chaos and violence in October after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced former leaders of Catalonia’s independence push to steep prison sentences. Three Penn experts talk to Penn Today about the ruling, the protests, and what it all means for the upcoming Spanish elections.

four people standing in front of an optics table behind a tangle of wires in a lab in

Bringing ideas to life through experimental physics

Researchers in the lab of Liang Wu are generating data to gain a better understanding of the properties of quantum materials. Their fundamental research can lead to applications ranging from better optoelectronic devices to quantum computers.

Breukelen Woodard of the women's soccer team poses sitting down near a Penn shield at Rhodes Field.

Bend it like Breukelen

Breukelen Woodard of the women’s soccer team talks transferring to Penn, adjusting to the Ivy League, the job of an attacking midfielder, and her fondness for classic rock.

a cluster of galaxies shown against a dark blue background, a faint darker ring can be seen around the center of the image

By the Numbers

By the Numbers: Dark matter

Key facts and figures about the unseen matter that remains one of cosmology’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

long chains of blue and green molecules, depicted as randomly spaced dots along the chain. a close-up view of one of the chains in the foreground shows an aromatic chemical, depicted in yellow, linked to the structure

Customizable ‘bundlemers’ poised to become new material building blocks

New research describes a novel type of synthetic polymer subunits that form rigid structures that could be used in applications ranging from high-performance fibers to superstrong materials.

Two people facing each other, one whose back is to the camera. The other is holding a water bottle and a folded up piece of paper. They are in a crowded room.

An intimate conversation with a famed Israeli author

Speaking to a packed room, Judith Katzir shared her thoughts about the global literature scene, plus the backstories to some of her best-known—and extremely personal—works.

Two people sit on stage in grey chairs with a small table between them, with a vase of purple and red flowers.

Talk on the future of U.S./India relations caps India symposium

A daylong symposium highlighting Penn research in India wrapped up with a keynote conversation between the Lauder Institute’s Jim McGann and former U.S. Ambassador Richard Verma.

Person sitting at a table with an open book, a picture, glasses, a coffee cup and wearing headphones looking at a cellphone. Three people are in the background.

The culture of coworking spaces

As Penn sociologist David Grazian discovered through hundreds of hours of fieldwork, despite today’s digital work-anywhere economy, having a physical place to conduct business still matters.

microscopic image of small gold cylinders

Microscale rockets can travel through cellular landscapes

A new study from the lab of Thomas Mallouk shows how microscale “rockets,” powered by acoustic waves and an on-board bubble motor, can be maneuvered through 3D landscapes of cells and particles using magnets.

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