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Kathleen Morrison on biodiversity and climate change
Kathleen Morrison.

Kathleen Morrison, faculty director of the Environmental Innovations Initiative.

(Image: Courtesy of the Environmental Innovations Initiative)

Kathleen Morrison on biodiversity and climate change

The faculty director of the Environmental Innovations Initiative, her research spans anthropology, archaeology, and paleoecology, involving the study of historic climates and environments, with a focus on South Asia.

From the Environmental Innovations Initiative

Reading James Baldwin for a 21st century world
Nuri Yi, a Lotus member and second-year grad student in the Department of Biology in the School of Arts & Sciences, leads a discussion of Baldwin’s work at Kelly Writers House.

Nuri Yi, a Lotus member and second-year grad student in the Department of Biology in the School of Arts & Sciences, leads a discussion of Baldwin’s work at Kelly Writers House.

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Reading James Baldwin for a 21st century world

To commemorate Baldwin’s approaching centennial, the Lotus Collective is hosting weekly readings and discussions of his work at Kelly Writers House.
Centuries of ‘TikTalk’
A closeup look at a mouth speaking.

TikTok voice, uptalk, and vocal fry are current linguistic trends with a long history.

(Image: iStock/suricoma)

Centuries of ‘TikTalk’

The media popularity of the vocal trend called “TikTalk,” or a combination of uptalkand vocal fry, is actually nothing new, says linguist Mark Liberman.
Structural elements of archaea
Photo of Yellowstone hotspring.

Archaea, a unique domain of life, were discovered in the 1970s in extreme environments such as hot springs and salty lakes, with notable early studies conducted in locations like Yellowstone National Park in the United States. Initially considered unusual bacteria, their distinct genetics and biochemistry led to their recognition as a separate domain, emphasizing microbial diversity and evolutionary complexity.

(Image: iStock / rmbarricarte)

Structural elements of archaea

Researchers shed light on archea, a single cell microorganism, to discover how proteins determine what shape a cell will take and how that form may function.
In Japan, teaching a multitude of creative anthropology practices
Three students work on a large map on a table.

Ritsumeikan University students work on a collective mapping exercise led by Penn anthropology Ph.D. student Pablo Aguilera Del Castillo, using markers, sticky notes, and stickers to annotate a map with the emotions, memories, and habits they associate with different parts of Kyoto.

(Image: Pablo Aguilera Del Castillo)

In Japan, teaching a multitude of creative anthropology practices

Penn anthropologists in the Center for Experimental Ethnography led workshops at Ritsumeikan University on performance, film, mapping, sound, and collaging.
‘Ladysitting’ on stage 
Nolen, Lorene Cary, and Finister speaking with each other at Kelly Writers House.

Lorene Cary (center) with actor Melanye Finister (right) and the Arden's Terry Nolen (left) at the Kelly Writers House. 

Image: Delaney Parks

‘Ladysitting’ on stage 

The new play “Ladysitting” at the Arden Theatre Co. is by Penn English faculty and alumna Lorene Cary, based on her memoir about caring for her grandmother in the last of her 101 years.
The legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois: ‘Something fresh to say’
Zuberi and Morris sit on red chairs at the front of a large lecture hall. The podium reads "Annenberg" and there is a sign saying "Department of Sociology."

Tukufu Zuberi (left) and Aldon Morris (right) at the 2nd Annual W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture in Public Social Science.

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The legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois: ‘Something fresh to say’

At the 2nd Annual W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture in Public Social Science, Aldon Morris of Northwestern University and Tukufu Zuberi of the School of Arts & Sciences discuss Du Bois’ contributions to the field and to humanity.

Kristina García

The soils beneath the solar fields
Hannah Win takes soil samples at a solar site.

To take soil samples at the solar site, Hannah Winn wields a bulb planter and mixes samples from across locations, looking at variables such that reflect the biological, chemical, and physical properties of the soil.

(Image: Courtesy of AES)

The soils beneath the solar fields

How do solar farms impact soil health? It’s a question that master’s student Hannah Winn is exploring at the central Pennsylvania site where solar energy production is helping Penn progress toward carbon neutrality.

Katherine Unger Baillie