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Adolph Reed is retiring. But he’s still got more to say
adolph reed, political science professor

Reed's broad influence extended to countless students, who say he was life-altering in the classroom. “I feel like Adolph provided a role model for how to be an academic and still act with integrity in the real world,” former student Gordon Lafer says.

Adolph Reed is retiring. But he’s still got more to say

After more than 40 years as a political science professor, incisive commentator, and mentor to countless students, Reed is ending his teaching career. Now, he can turn his full attention to writing, and the 2020 campaign.

Gwyneth K. Shaw

Predilections of a destructive pest
A person removes a sticky band covered with insects from around a tree

At four areas around The Woodlands, Rohr will be checking weekly to see how many lanternflies he finds. The insect prefers ailanthus trees, but also feeds on dozens of other species.

Predilections of a destructive pest

The spotted lanternfly is emerging as a serious threat to agriculture and forested areas. At The Woodlands Cemetery near campus, Benjamin Rohr hopes to determine the types of trees the insect prefers to shape control strategies moving forward.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Names prompt distinct brain activity in preschoolers
A child wearing an electroencephalogram cap looking at a bright screen, with someone standing nearby.

A child wearing the EEG cap participants used during trials of the study. This child is older than the study group, which ranged in age from 3 to 5 years old and skewed heavily male. (Photo: Suzanne Slattery)

Names prompt distinct brain activity in preschoolers

A study from Penn and CHOP found that when preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder hear their name, their neural patterns match those of their typically developing peers. The finding held regardless of whether the child’s mom or a stranger called the name.

Michele W. Berger

‘Ladysitting’
Professor standing in front of a blackboard.

Lorene Cary, a senior lecturer in creative writing, has written a memoir about caring for her grandmother in her final year, “Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century.” (Photo: Eric Sucar) 

  • Q&A

    • ‘Ladysitting’

    A new memoir by Lorene Cary, “Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century,” describes the year she spent caring for her grandmother in her home.
    Japan’s modern monarchy: How it works
    Bridge hangs over water with palace in background The Seimon Ishibashi Bridge at Tokyo Imperial Palace.

    Japan’s modern monarchy: How it works

    Professor of Japanese history Frederick Dickinson explains the significance of the Japanese monarchy as a new emperor takes the throne—and President Trump becomes the first world leader to meet him.
    Will stalemate lead to resolution in Venezuela?
    Venezuelan flag flying
  • Q&A

    • Will stalemate lead to resolution in Venezuela?

    In a Q&A, political science professor Dorothy Kronick says negotiation is an uphill battle but may be the only way to settle the dispute over who will lead the troubled country.

    Gwyneth K. Shaw

    The next generation of optical communication with nanophotonics
    a person adjusting a lens on an optics table

    First-year graduate student Valerie Yoshioka collects optical measurements of atomically-thin materials in the Zhen laboratory. 

    The next generation of optical communication with nanophotonics

    Research from the lab of Bo Zhen is pushing the boundaries of optics by using fundamental physics to address many of the real-world challenges faced by engineers.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    From the bench to bedside, boardroom, and beyond
    a person standing at the front of a full lecture hall giving a presentation

    Penn Life Sciences & Management seniors from the Trident Therapeutics team present their final capstone project to a room of more than 100 of the “who's who” of biotechnology. (Photo: Brooke Sietinsons)

    From the bench to bedside, boardroom, and beyond

    Penn’s Life Sciences & Management program empowers the next generation of biotechnology leaders with an education in both business and the natural sciences.

    Erica K. Brockmeier

    ‘What can be done today?’
    Aminata Sy sits with student reading a book to them.

    Aminata Sy with a student in the African Community Learning Program. (Photo: Omnia Magazine)

    ‘What can be done today?’

    Senior Aminata Sy founded a program for Philly kids and will soon head to Congress to begin her Rangel Graduate Fellowship.

    Susan Ahlborn