12.15
Big Data
Behind the scenes of election night projections
John Lapinski, director of elections at NBC and the Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science at Penn, discusses projecting elections and what to expect from the midterms.
Promoting innovative, reproducible science: Penn’s Research Excellence Initiative
The two-year effort includes electronic research notebooks, a research symposium, and a task force of faculty and students, all spearheaded by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.
Linguistic red flags from Facebook posts can predict future depression diagnoses
The language people use in these social media posts can make these predictions as accurately as the tools clinicians use in medical settings to screen for the disease.
Wharton receives $50 million gift from Marc J. Rowan and Carolyn Rowan
The largest single gift the school has ever received, it will support the Penn Wharton Budget Model, and help recruit distinguished professors and appoint Rowan Fellows for five-year terms.
Culture and technology scholar Julia Ticona studies the promise and perils of the gig economy
The new faculty member at the Annenberg School for Communication has researched the underrepresentation of women in the media's coverage of the gig economy, and the reliance on technology, specifically the cell phone, on gig workers and the working class, arguing that it acts as a lifeline for finding jobs when internet access is lacking.
How data scientists are improving care by learning how to learn
Data scientists, human factors specialists and clinical experts have partnered together to learn how to improve health care through the use of data, and how to run those data-driven improvement projects.
Tipping point for large-scale social change? Just 25 percent
How many people need to take a stand before a behavior is no longer seen as normal? According to research from Annenberg’s Damon Centola, there’s now a quantifiable answer: roughly 25 percent.
Race has a place in human genetics research, philosopher argues
New research out of the philosophy department argues that certain racial classifications have utility in medical genetics, particularly when considering those classifications as ancestry groups.
A potential new weapon in the battle against addiction
New research revealed that FDA-approved drugs to treat diabetes and obesity may reduce cocaine relapse and help addicts break the habit. Such medications work by targeting receptors for glucagon-like peptide 1, a hormone in the brain.
New open-access data resource aims to bolster collaboration in global infectious disease research
Population-based epidemiological studies provide new opportunities for innovation and collaboration among researchers addressing pressing global-health concerns.