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A new generation reinterprets Paul Robeson, singer, actor, advocate, and all-American icon
robeson docent gives a tour to a student, holding a music record

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A new generation reinterprets Paul Robeson, singer, actor, advocate, and all-American icon

In collaboration with The Netter Center for Community Partnerships, ninth-grade students from Paul Robeson High School trained to become youth docents at the Paul Robeson House and Museum through a program funded by The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation.

Kristina García

Using marine bacteria to detoxify asbestos
A person in a hazmat suit removes a piece of roofing from a roof.

Image: iStock/ArjanL

Using marine bacteria to detoxify asbestos

Researchers from the School of Arts and Sciences have shown that bacteria from extreme marine environments can reduce asbestos’ toxic properties.

Liana F. Wait

Five takeaways from the Supreme Court’s latest election law decision
The United States Supreme Court is seen behind pink and white flowers.

The Supreme Court is seen behind flowers on June 27, 2023, in Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court gave a win for the democratic principle of checks and balances in affirming that state courts can weigh in on legislative decisions affecting federal elections, but justices also left an opening for future challenges. 

(Image: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Five takeaways from the Supreme Court’s latest election law decision

Penn Carey Law’s Michael Morse, an expert in voting rights and election law, shares his thoughts on Moore v. Harper and what it means for American democracy.

Kristen de Groot

Penn Masala at the White House 
19 singers standing on steps

A cappella group Penn Masala performs before a state arrival ceremony for India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the South Lawn of the White House on June 22, 2023.

(Image: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Penn Masala at the White House 

The Penn Masala a cappella group was invited to perform at the White House during the state visit by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 19 members and alumni sang on the South Lawn before the arrival ceremony and at the state dinner.
Climate change’s impact on extreme weather events
Conceptual image of a city hit by extreme heatwave

Michael Mann, Penn’s inaugural Presidential Distinguished Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science and collaborators found that the effects of climate change on the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme weather events like wildfires, could lead to massive increases in all three.

(Image: iStock/Marc Bruxelle)

Climate change’s impact on extreme weather events

Michael Mann and collaborators investigated the effects of climate change on the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme weather events like wildfires, and found that “worst-case” scenario could lead to significant increases in all three.
Who, What, Why: Tamir Williams on Black visibility in Chicago’s nightclubs
Tamir Williams sits on outdoor steps, smiling.

Tamir Williams, pictured outside of the Fisher Fine Arts Library, is a Ph.D. candidate in History of Art in the School of Arts & Sciences. 

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Who, What, Why: Tamir Williams on Black visibility in Chicago’s nightclubs

Williams discusses their exhibition showcasing the photographs of Wharton alumnus Michael Abramson, who captured scenes from Black nightclubs in Chicago in the 1970s.
Who, What, Why: Recent graduate of the College Justin Roberts
Five people wearing red sweaters with an applique "P" holding clarinets. In front of them, three graduating bandmates sport gowns and regalia

Justin Roberts (middle, front row) and fellow clarinetists in the Penn Band.

(Image: Courtesy of Justin Roberts)

  • Who, What, Why

    • Who, What, Why: Recent graduate of the College Justin Roberts

    May College graduate Justin Roberts, who will attend Penn Carey Law School in the fall, discusses his involvement with campus cultural centers and the meaning behind his graduation regalia.

    Kristina García

    Who, What, Why: Patrick Carland-Echavarria and queer Americans in post-war Japan
    Man with red curly hair and glasses looks into the camera, which is giving a half-moon glow on the lower right side of the image.

    Patrick Carland-Echavarria, an East Asian Languages and Civilizations Ph.D. candidate, says his research is all about readjusting the lenses of history. 

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  • Who, What, Why

    • Who, What, Why: Patrick Carland-Echavarria and queer Americans in post-war Japan

    Ph.D. candidate Patrick Carland-Echavarria’s research looks at postwar Japanese queer cultures, translation, art, and literature and at how American gay men found refuge there during the Cold War and beyond.

    Kristen de Groot

    Global learning in Cairo
    A group of students take pictures on a rooftop deck. The city of Cairo, with its skyscrapers and minarets, are visible in the background

    Founded by the Fatimid Caliphate in 969, the city of Cairo has “layer upon layer of history,” says Fayyaz Vellani. “It has all this rich cultural texture and heritage that just is observable every day.”

    (Image: Fayyaz Vellani)

    Global learning in Cairo

    Cairo as Palimpsest is a Penn Global course that introduces students to the layers of Egyptian history.

    Kristina García