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Protecting the planet at Penn
Hands planting a plant.

Protecting the planet at Penn

Earth Day and every day, the University community is at work to make the world a little better. Here are some highlights from those efforts.

Katherine Unger Baillie , Michele W. Berger

In the pursuit of happiness, a new class leads the charge
A man in a blue shirt and khakis standing in front of rows of students sitting at desks.

A new course taught by James Pawelski of the Positive Psychology Center (standing) not only gives students an intellectual understanding of what it means to be happy and how to pursue it, but also aims to foster long-term change.

In the pursuit of happiness, a new class leads the charge

The course, taught by Positive Psychology’s James Pawelski, not only gives students an intellectual understanding of the subject but asks them to practice what they’re learning.

Michele W. Berger

Three from Penn elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Anita Allen, Daniel Rader, and Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein

Penn's Anita L. Allen, Daniel J. Rader, and Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein are among more than 200 newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Three from Penn elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Vice Provost for Faculty Anita Allen of the Law School and the School of Arts and Sciences, Daniel Rader of the Perelman School of Medicine, and Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of Perry World House join a group recognized for their world-class leadership and expertise.

Katherine Unger Baillie

How superstitions spread
A black cat walking on a walkway

Do you change direction when you see a black cat approaching? A game theory-driven model developed by two theoretical biologists at Penn shows how such superstitions can catch on.

How superstitions spread

Superstitious beliefs may seem irrational, but they catch on in a society. Using an evolutionary approach to studying the emergence of coordinated behaviors, Erol Akçay and Bryce Morsky showed how a jumble of individual beliefs, including superstitions, coalesce into an accepted social norm.

Katherine Unger Baillie

By the numbers: First-ever image of black hole’s event horizon
inset image of black hole surrounded by a ring of light and a larger image showing where the black hole sits inside a galaxy

By the numbers: First-ever image of black hole’s event horizon

An overview of how scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration were finally able to see the unseeable, and what it means for the future of astronomy.,

Erica K. Brockmeier

Seeing the world through a biophysicist’s lens
a line of test tubes filled with a rainbow of colored chemicals

A series of quantum dots, particles that are only a few nanometers in size, with the contents of each vial differing only in the physical size of the crystals, which causes them all to glow at different frequencies. This concept is similar to an organ pipe, which also produces sound at a particular frequency that is related to its size. (Image: Prof. Marija Drndić, University of Pennsylvania). 

Seeing the world through a biophysicist’s lens

Philip Nelson demonstrates how seemingly simple questions like ‘What is light?’ help scientists understand, and improve, how people visualize the world around them.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Former Penn President Judith Rodin speaks on resilience
Judith Rodin dressed in blue at podium Former Penn President Judith Rodin delivers a talk at the Penn Dental Cheung Auditorium on April 10.

Former Penn President Judith Rodin speaks on resilience

Returning to campus to deliver the Penn Forum for Women Faculty’s Phoebe S. Leboy Lecture, Rodin reflected on her tenure at the University and the Rockefeller Foundation, while explaining her concept of ‘resilience.’
Colorful research comes to life when everything ‘clicks’ together
a neuron with colored dots showing where protein aggregates form; there is also an inset image showing a hand holding up two glowing vials in front of a UV light

Colorful research comes to life when everything ‘clicks’ together

A collaborative project connects proteins with fluorescent dyes through azide−alkyne cycloaddition, known as a “click” reaction, that provides researchers with a dynamic glimpse inside living cells.

Erica K. Brockmeier

Safe haven
Brendan Taliaferro

 Brendan Taliaferro of Host Homes for LGBTQ Youth in Philadelphia

Safe haven

Senior Brendan Taliaferro receives the President’s Engagement Prize for a project to provide housing and support for homeless LGBTQ youth in Philadelphia.