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Social conformity in pandemics: How our behaviors spread faster than the virus itself
Subway train passengers with protective masks crowding to get on and off subway station platform on Metro station.

Subway train passengers with protective masks on a station platform in Sofia, Bulgaria in June 2020.

(Image: iStock/JordanSimenov)

Social conformity in pandemics: How our behaviors spread faster than the virus itself

Researchers led by former postdoc Bryce Morsky and Erol Akçay of the School of Arts & Sciences have produced a model for disease transmission that factors in the effects of social dynamics, specifically, how masking and social distancing are affected by social norms.
Remembering Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte in 1981.

Harry Belafonte speaking for peace and against nuclear weapons in 1981 in Bonn, Germany.

(Image: Klaus Rose/AP Images)

Remembering Harry Belafonte

Tukufu Zuberi describes meeting the musician-turned-activist, plus how Belafonte used his talents for good and what legacy he leaves behind.

Michele W. Berger

Beyond the pipette and the stethoscope, students explore biology’s societal impacts
lecture attendees pay attention to a speaker in an auditorium

Health equity was the focus of Stanford’s talk in the Levin building.

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Beyond the pipette and the stethoscope, students explore biology’s societal impacts

The new Biology and Society course, supported by SNF Paideia, gave biology majors the chance to explore how scientists must contend with subjects such as health equity and vaccine hesitancy.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Symposium highlights breadth and depth of Penn Global research
A panel sits at at table in Perry World House as a presenter on the right stands at a podium explaining his research.

Bodong Chen of the Graduate School of Education (right, at podium) discusses his project that focuses on helping integrate sustainable development goals into schools in China.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Global)

Symposium highlights breadth and depth of Penn Global research

The Penn Global Research and Engagement Fund is supporting the 19 new faculty-led projects that span research, capacity-building, and development efforts across Africa, Latin America, India, China, and beyond. 

Kristen de Groot

Instead of refuting misinformation head-on, try ‘bypassing’ it
A hand holding a smartphone with news info in front of a laptop open to news.

Image: iStock/oatawa

Instead of refuting misinformation head-on, try ‘bypassing’ it

A new study from PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín has found that redirecting an individual’s attention away from misinformation and toward other beliefs can be just as effective as debunking it.

From Annenberg School for Communication

Four from Penn elected to the National Academy of Sciences
Headshots of David Brainard, Duncan Watts, Susan R. Weiss, and Kenneth S. Zaret

Newly elected members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, (clockwise from top left) David Brainard from the School of Arts & Sciences; Duncan Watts from the Annenberg School for Communication, the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Wharton School; Kenneth S. Zaret; and Susan R. Weiss, both from the Perelman School of Medicine.

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Four from Penn elected to the National Academy of Sciences

The newly elected members, distinguished scholars recognized for their innovative contributions to original research, include faculty from the School of Arts & Sciences, Perelman School of Medicine, Annenberg School for Communication, and Wharton School.
Nuclear issues in the Middle East and North Africa
Former Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. Nabil Fahmy stands at a podium speaking into a microphone in an auditorium at the Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics on Penn's campus.

Nabil Fahmy, former Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. and former Foreign Minister of Egypt, spoke during the Middle East Center’s conference on nuclear issues in the region.

(Image: Courtesy of Karim Sharif/The Middle East Center)

Nuclear issues in the Middle East and North Africa

Nabil Fahmy, former foreign minister of Egypt and Egyptian ambassador to the United States, spoke on campus about the current state of nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament in that region.

Kristen de Groot

Student climate champions gather to share stories and inspiration
person dressed as a polar bear performs for a crowd

John Jarboe of the Bearded Ladies Cabaret performed as “the last polar bear on Earth” at WHYY headquarters. 

(Image: Emily Kaufman/PPEH)

Student climate champions gather to share stories and inspiration

More than 150 Philadelphia high schoolers came together at WHYY in a climate storytelling event organized by the public media company and the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities.

Katherine Unger Baillie

A detailed look at the history of The Affordable Care Act
President Barack Obama signs the Affordable Care Act surrounded by lawmakers and a young child standing by the table.

On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Image: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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A detailed look at the history of The Affordable Care Act

In a new book, Penn political scientist Daniel J. Hopkins offers a detailed study of Americans’ opinions about the Affordable Care Act and examines to what extent political elites can reshape public opinion through their words or policies.

Kristen de Groot