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Reflections on the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II
Framed photo of Queen Elizabeth sits amid bouquets of flowers

A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II sits amidst floral tributes and notes outside the gates of Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Friday, Sept. 9, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch died on Sept. 8 after 70 years on the throne. She was 96. (Image: AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Reflections on the legacy of Queen Elizabeth II

Five experts from the University consider the regent’s seven-decade reign, weighing everything from the changing role of media in crafting her image to the future of the United Kingdom.

Kristen de Groot, Michele W. Berger, Louisa Shepard

When curved materials flatten, simple geometry can predict the wrinkle patterns that emerge
A circular cutout with wrinkles forming in many patterns.

A circular cutout of a thin spherical cap carefully deposited onto a pool of water. The sheet forms a complex pattern of wrinkles to accommodate the change in geometry from a sphere to a plane. (Image: Monica Ripp, Paulsen Lab, Syracuse University)

When curved materials flatten, simple geometry can predict the wrinkle patterns that emerge

The findings—from a collaboration between Penn, Syracuse, and the University of Illinois Chicago—have a range of implications, from how materials interact with moisture to the way flexible electronics bend.

Michele W. Berger

Domenic Vitiello’s ‘Sanctuary City’
A group of people carrying plastic bags cross a dirt road towards a bus

Migrants are loaded onto a bus for the U.S. Border Patrol detention center on the second day of the implementation of the “Credible Fear and Asylum Processing Interim Final Rule” on June 1, 2022 in La Joya, Texas. “A majority of people in this country believe that there is a quote, invasion at the southern border,” Vitiello says.  (Image: John Lamparski/NurPhoto via AP)

Domenic Vitiello’s ‘Sanctuary City’

In a book talk at the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies, Domenic Vitiello discussed immigration and community.

Kristina García

Emma Hart on the death of Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II, smiling.

Buckingham Palace announced the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s longest-reigning monarch, on Sept. 8. (Image: Jane Barlow/AP Photos)

  • Q&A

    • Emma Hart on the death of Queen Elizabeth II

    The Penn historian and early modern Britain expert shares her thoughts about the British monarch who reigned for 70 years.
    Do art museums prioritize visitor well-being enough?
    Two people standing in front of a wall of art. One of them is holding up a second piece of art in gloved hands. The other gestures toward the art, holding a computer or clipboard in the other hand.

    Katherine Cotter and James Pawelski (not pictured) surveyed more than 200 curators, educators, researchers, security guards, exhibit designers, and others working at art museums to gauge how museums can impact visitors’ well-being.

    Do art museums prioritize visitor well-being enough?

    Research from the Humanities and Human Flourishing Project in Penn’s Positive Psychology Center reveals that the people working in these institutions want to see greater emphasis on human flourishing, but they feel ill-equipped to make it happen.

    Michele W. Berger

    The future of decline in America
    Jed Esty in his office

    Jed Esty

    The future of decline in America

    In his new book “The Future of Decline: Anglo-American Culture at its Limits,” English Professor Jed Esty offers alternatives to America’s “language of greatness,” taking lessons from the experience of Britain during the past century.
    The story the bowls tell
    penn museum incantation bowl being examined

    Gross and Elitzur-Leiman are studying some intact, pristine bowls and others, like the one above, that are in pieces. “The sherds tell a story, too,” says Blanchard.

    The story the bowls tell

    In an ambitious new project, historian Simcha Gross and Harvard’s Rivka Elitzur-Leiman are studying hundreds of ancient incantation bowls housed at the Penn Museum. They hope to better understand the objects and eventually, build a database of all these bowls worldwide.

    Michele W. Berger

    Making sense of a United Ireland
    A man walks past graffiti about Irish unification on a wall in Belfast.

    A pedestrian walks by Belfast’s International Wall on Falls Road in Northern Ireland. (Image: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via AP)

    Making sense of a United Ireland

    In a new book, political scientist Brendan O’Leary explores the contentious issue of a reunited Ireland and why now is the time to consider the future of the island.

    Kristen de Groot

    Mikhail Gorbachev’s legacy
    A portrait of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and flowers at his foundation's headquarters In Moscow

    A portrait of the former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and flowers are placed at his foundation’s headquarters, a day after his passing, in Moscow, Russia, on Aug. 31, 2022. (Image: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

    Mikhail Gorbachev’s legacy

    Penn experts share their thoughts on Gorbachev’s impact on the Soviet Union and the world, and how history will remember him.

    Kristen de Groot

    ‘In These Times’ explores the intricate riddles of life through art
    Illustration resembling a cosmic square with stars.

    Image: Marina Munn

    ‘In These Times’ explores the intricate riddles of life through art

    Episodes 6 and 7 of the latest season of the OMNIA podcast explore how art like music and dance have been the pulse of social movements, and how individual artistic experiences impact mental health and well-being.

    From Omnia