11/15
Louisa Shepard
Senior News Officer
lshepard@upenn.edu
Anthropology
In ‘Sacred Stuff,’ students explore religion through material culture
In ‘Sacred Stuff,’ students explore religion through material culture
In the Penn Global Seminar “Sacred Stuff” taught by religious studies professor Donovan Schaefer, students visited religious sites in England.
The anthropology of plastics in India
The anthropology of plastics in India
Doctoral candidate Adwaita Banerjee uses ethnographic research to document the ecological transition of the Deonar dumping ground, where thousands of Dalits and Muslim migrants mine the area for plastic that can be resold and recycled.
Mindfulness, monasticism, and women in Thai Buddhism
Mindfulness, monasticism, and women in Thai Buddhism
Ph.D. candidate Katherine Scahill’s research engages with three communities of female Buddhist monks (bhikkhunī) in Thailand and their chanting traditions.
Making virtual worlds
Making virtual worlds
In a class this spring, Jeffrey Vadala of the Penn Brain Science Center taught students to analyze virtual reality landscapes and create their own.
Going above and beyond in archaeology and museum work
Going above and beyond in archaeology and museum work
Fourth-year Qi Liu has participated in every undergraduate program at the Penn Museum, done research for two senior theses in anthropology and art history, and joined excavations in the U.S. and abroad.
Uplifting Filipino communities abroad and at home
Uplifting Filipino communities abroad and at home
Fourth-year student Vernon Wells has been working with Indigenous peoples in the Philippines, research they will expand on through a Fulbright award, while strengthening the Southeast Asian community at Penn.
Five from Penn elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024
Five from Penn elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024
Dolores Albarracín, Charles L. Kane, Edward D. Mansfield, Virgil Percec, and Deborah A. Thomas are recognized for their contributions to mathematical and physical sciences and social and behavioral sciences.
Two Penn professors named 2024 Guggenheim Fellows
Two Penn professors named 2024 Guggenheim Fellows
Wale Adebanwi and Deborah A. Thomas of the School of Arts & Sciences are among 188 fellows chosen in the United States and Canada.
Kathleen Morrison on biodiversity and climate change
Kathleen Morrison on biodiversity and climate change
The faculty director of the Environmental Innovations Initiative, her research spans anthropology, archaeology, and paleoecology, involving the study of historic climates and environments, with a focus on South Asia.
In Japan, teaching a multitude of creative anthropology practices
In Japan, teaching a multitude of creative anthropology practices
Penn anthropologists in the Center for Experimental Ethnography led workshops at Ritsumeikan University on performance, film, mapping, sound, and collaging.
Media Contact
In the News
The Conversation
Reconstructing heritage after war: what we learned from asking 1,600 Syrians about rebuilding Aleppo
In a co-authored survey of residents of the Syrian city of Aleppo, PIK Professor Lynn Meskell identifies four key themes for the reconstruction of heritage sites after conflict.
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BBC
From Ancient Egypt to Roman Britain, brewers are reviving beers from the past
Patrick McGovern of the School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Museum oversaw the first hi-tech molecular analysis of residues found in bronze drinking vessels during a 1950s excavation of an ancient Turkish tomb.
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Time
Why Indigenous artifacts should be returned to Indigenous communities
The Penn Museum is noted for creating its “Native American Voices: The People—Here and Now” exhibit with the help of tribal representatives.
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Associated Press
International Women’s Day is a celebration and call to action. Beware the flowers and candy
Kristen Ghodsee of the School of Arts & Sciences explores International Women’s Day as a tool for activism in Russian history.
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Hindustan Times (Delhi)
Coastline in crisis: Six experts give us their climate manifesto for Mumbai
Nikhil Anand of the School of Arts & Sciences identifies three key areas of focus to reduce the vulnerability of Mumbai’s residents facing the brunt of water infrastructure issues, particularly those living in slums.
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Miami Herald
‘Spectacular’ statue of a fish-tailed ‘minion’ god found at ancient Roman burial site
According to research from the School of Arts & Sciences, ancient Romans believed that the god Triton lived in a golden palace at the bottom of the sea.
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