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Exploring what it means to be curious
Book cover of Curious Minds: The Power of Connection by Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett along side image of the two scholars

Exploring what it means to be curious

In a new book “Curious Minds: The Power of Connection,” Penn’s Dani S. Bassett and twin sibling Perry Zurn weave together history, linguistics, network science, neuroscience, and philosophy to unpack the concept of curiosity.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Pandemic bike-share boom crossed socioeconomic lines
Bike rider in the rain coming down a street with cars and trucks in the opposite lane

Karen Wisnia rides to her Penn Medicine office rain or shine, a waterproof bag being a crucial piece of gear. (Photo: Eric Sucar)

Pandemic bike-share boom crossed socioeconomic lines

A new Weitzman study reports an increase in trip duration for all bike-share users across Philadelphia, challenging the assumption that low-income populations are less likely to use such services.

Marilyn Perkins

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 Linnea 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.

    Louisa Shepard

    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