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Meet the ‘original typical Penn student’
Founding fathers meeting to sign the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence signing, by John Trumbull. (Image: Architect of the Capital)

Meet the ‘original typical Penn student’

“Rush: Revolution, Madness, and the Visionary Doctor Who Became a Founding Father,” by creative writing lecturer Stephen Fried, explores the life of Benjamin Rush, who had many ties to the University and is an oft-overlooked figurehead of the American Revolution.
Widening the lens on language study
illustration of speech

Widening the lens on language study

Penn Arts and Sciences faculty use language to unravel mysteries of culture, cognition, and communication.

Best seller: author and alum Jennifer Egan to teach spring semester literature course
"Jennifer Egan headshot"

Author and journalist Jennifer Egan, a Penn alumna, will teach an English literature course in the spring semester as an artist-in-residence in the School of Arts and Sciences. (Photo by Pieter M. Van Hattem.)

Best seller: author and alum Jennifer Egan to teach spring semester literature course

Best-selling author and journalist Jennifer Egan, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, will teach a literature course at Penn in the spring as an artist-in-residence.
Behind the scenes of election night projections
John Lapinski surrounded by Penn undergraduate workers with NBC's Elections Unit Penn Political Science Professor John Lapinski, third from right, poses with Penn undergraduate students working at the NBC Elections Unit in November 2016. (Photo: Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies)
  • Q&A

    • Behind the scenes of election night projections

    John Lapinski, director of elections at NBC and the Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science at Penn, discusses projecting elections and what to expect from the midterms.
    Writing with purpose
    Lorene Cary leading a discussion in her safekids class

    Writing with purpose

    Students in Lorene Cary’s creative writing course focus on voting, midterm elections, and exploring the big questions of their generation.
    Rogers Smith on birthright citizenship
    Rogers Smith stands, smiling, by bookshelves in his office.

    Rogers Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science. (Image: Scott Spitzer)

    Rogers Smith on birthright citizenship

    Penn Today discussed the intricacies surrounding the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment with Rogers Smith, a constitutional law scholar and president of the American Political Science Association.
    A medieval minute
    Emily Steiner and Aylin Malcolm

    A medieval minute

    For their 60-second lecture, English professor Emily Steiner and doctoral student Aylin Malcolm put a dramatic twist on medieval English.
    GovLabPHL embeds academic research into city government
    Mayor Kenney shakes hands with Daniel Hopkins on stage at Perry World House

    At Penn’s Perry World House, Mayor James F. Kenney hands a citation to Dan Hopkins from the School of Arts and Sciences for his service to the city, as a token of appreciation for the work he’s done through the Philadelphia Behavior Science Initiative.

    GovLabPHL embeds academic research into city government

    As a part of the Philadelphia Behavioral Science Initiative, Penn faculty members connect with the City of Philadelphia to use innovative research data to inform more effective programs and policies.
    How plants cope with stress
    an irrigation field with minimal crops growing

    Irrigated crops can grow with less water but are typically subject to increased salts leached out of the surrounding soil, which can put a dent in productivity. A new study led by Penn biologists has uncovered a way plants respond to salt stress—a pathway that could be manipulated to engineer more tolerant crops.

    How plants cope with stress

    With climate change comes drought, and with drought comes higher salt concentrations in the soil. Brian Gregory and graduate student Stephen Anderson have identified a mechanism by which plants respond to salt stress, a pathway that could be targeted to engineer more adaptable crops.

    Katherine Unger Baillie