Penn’s 2014-15 school year opened with its 105th Convocation and closed with its 259th Commencement: two long-held traditions that bookended a year full of extraordinary firsts.
The launch of the new Penn Center for Innovation inspired President Amy Gutmann to recall the words of the University’s founder: “Ben Franklin said ‘make new knowledge practical,’ and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Penn Libraries’ launch of OPenn Digital Resources Online Platform made new knowledge exponentially more accessible, as well, and the University’s Climate Action Plan 2.0 converted knowledge into action by advancing environmental sustainability across numerous fronts.
You are going out into a world of profound challenges. The path to solving these big problems begins with small solutions. And it starts with individuals. Individuals like you.
Penn’s culture of engagement also gave rise to this year’s inaugural President’s Engagement Prizes. Anticipating Ambassador Samantha Power’s Commencement address, in which she encouraged graduates to embark on a path to solving big problems, these prizes will fund the work of five members of the Class of 2015 in their targeted efforts to make the world a healthier, more equitable place—one person, community, and country at a time.
Nanoparticle blueprints reveal path to smarter medicines
New research involving Penn Engineering shows detailed variation in lipid nanoparticle size, shape, and internal structure, and finds that such factors correlate with how well they deliver therapeutic cargo to a particular destination.
A generous gift from alumni Glenn and Amanda Fuhrman brings the work of internationally acclaimed artist Jaume Plensa to the University of Pennsylvania. The latest addition to the Penn Art Collection expands Philadelphia's public art.
A massive chunk of ice, a new laser, and new information on sea-level rise
For nearly a decade, Leigh Stearns and collaborators aimed a laser scanner system at Greenland’s Helheim Glacier. Their long-running survey reveals that Helheim’s massive calving events don’t behave the way scientists once thought, reframing how ice loss contributes to sea-level rise.
