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Fruit fly development offers insights into condensed matter physics
A fruit fly sits on a piece of food

Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly, has long been a model species for biologists seeking to understand the molecular mechanisms of animal function and how novelty may arise in organisms. Theoretical physicist Andrea Liu of the School of Arts & Sciences is conducting research on the insect, along with biology and experimental biophysics collaborators at Duke University. Their research has opened the door to an approach that could offer not only a new understanding of how biological function emerges but also suggest a new class of systems in condensed matter physics.

(Image: iStock / nechaev-kon)

Fruit fly development offers insights into condensed matter physics

Penn Physicist Andrea Liu and collaborators modeled the behavior of tissue during a stage of fly development and found, surprisingly, it doesn’t fluidize as it shrinks but stays solid. Their approach could offer insights physical systems with complex functionality.
Through Literature of Care course, a curriculum of compassion
Aaron Levy and students gathered around a table filled with images.

Aaron Levy, center left, leads a Literature of Care seminar inside the gallery of Public Trust.

nocred

Through Literature of Care course, a curriculum of compassion

Literature of Care, a course offered every fall in the School of Arts & Sciences, explores medical humanities and the role storytelling plays in patient care.
Sourcing early American archives of rebellion
Spines of historic books.

Image: iStock/Gorlov

Sourcing early American archives of rebellion

In her research, Marley Lix-Jones, an Advisory Council Dissertation Fellow at the McNeil Center, finds histories of rebellion and social connections within enslaved communities.

From The McNeil Center for Early American Studies

The psychology behind the well-being benefits of libraries
New York Public Library

Researchers from the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project at the Positive Psychology Center helped the New York Public Library analyze results of a patron survey on the well-being benefits of libraries.

(Image: Courtesy of The New York Public Library)

The psychology behind the well-being benefits of libraries

Penn’s Humanities and Human Flourishing Project at the Positive Psychology Center helped the New York Public Library contextualize results of a patron survey on well-being.
A seminar explores what history can be
Archival images of Indigenous students at a boarding school.

A photograph in the collection of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania shows students at a Native American boarding school.

(Image: Courtesy of Omnia)

A seminar explores what history can be

Hardeep Dhillon, an assistant professor of history in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences, teaches a first-year seminar that explores the history of children in America while equipping students with foundational analytical skills.

From Omnia

Jimmy Carter remembered
In a black-and-white photo, Jimmy Carter stands close to the camera in front of a crowd. He is seen in profile and is smiling.

Then-Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter prepares to give a speech to a crowd estimated at 35,000 in downtown Philadelphia in October 1976.

(Image: AP Photo/File)

Jimmy Carter remembered

Penn faculty reflect on the legacy of the former president, who led America almost a half-century ago and whose post-presidency was defined by humanitarian work and service.

Kristen de Groot

Penn staff make the Philadelphia area a better place through side gigs
Mary Kinney dropping off knitwear for donation.

(Image: Eric Sucar)

Penn staff make the Philadelphia area a better place through side gigs

The 12th piece in Penn Today’s Side Gigs for Good series highlights staff who mentor and empower Latino professionals, lead Girl Scout troops, donate hand-knitted items to people in need, and connect Philadelphia children with music opportunities.
A first-of-its-kind master’s program for police leaders
Aerial view of College Hall and Penn’s campus.

nocred

A first-of-its-kind master’s program for police leaders

The new graduate degree from the Department of Criminology and the College of Liberal & Professional Studies will begin next fall. It aims to teach evidence-based research to foster more equitable practices.

From Omnia

Two fourth-year students chosen as 2025 Marshall Scholars
Headshots of Tej Patel and Sridatta Teerdhala

Fourth-years (from left) Tej Patel and Sridatta Teerdhala have been chosen as 2025 Marshall Scholars.

(Image: Courtesy of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships) 

Two fourth-year students chosen as 2025 Marshall Scholars

Fourth-years Tej Patel and Sridatta Teerdhala, both in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management, a dual degree in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Wharton School, have been chosen as 2025 Marshall Scholars.

Louisa Shepard