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Coronavirus

The joys and trials of defending a dissertation virtually
A person standing in front of a lab bench full of bones. On the wall hangs a poster that reads: "Dougal Dixon's Dinosaurs."

Aja Carter (seen here in May 2018) recently earned her doctorate from the Department of Earth and Environmental Science in the School of Arts & Sciences. In the lab of Peter Dodson, she studied how the structure of the vertebrae in the spinal column changed over time and how that affected the way animals move. As most aspects of university life moved online because of COVID-19, so did her thesis defense and that of so many others.

The joys and trials of defending a dissertation virtually

When most aspects of university life moved online because of COVID-19, so, too, did the thesis defense for Ph.D. candidates. Despite some challenges, the shift had unexpected benefits.

Michele W. Berger

Will the pandemic cause food shortages?
One bag of buckwheat on an empty grocery store shelf

Will the pandemic cause food shortages?

Wharton’s Marshall Fisher examines what’s behind the supply chain disruptions in grocery stores, with suppliers experiencing production slowdowns due to the pandemic.

From Knowledge at Wharton

Literary characters as masks: A reflection on identity during a pandemic
student wearing a dark mask with pom-poms with words #IRunWithMaud

For the final project in a Penn English course on young adult literature, Amy Juang created masks for characters in five books. A double major in English and visual studies from Minneapolis, Juang graduated in May. 

Literary characters as masks: A reflection on identity during a pandemic

An English and visual studies double major, May graduate Amy Juang created five masks to reflect the identities of characters in novels she studied in a young adult literature course taught by Melissa Jensen.
There are 3 things we have to do to get people wearing masks

There are 3 things we have to do to get people wearing masks

Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts & Sciences, Lyle Ungar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and PIK Professor Ezekiel J. Emanuel wrote an op-ed about how best to persuade people to wear protective face masks. “It’s not too late to apply three basic principles from behavioral science: make it easy, understood, and expected,” they write, “and we’ll soon see face masks everywhere, saving lives.”

Cancel sleep away camp

Cancel sleep away camp

Jill M. Baren of the Perelman School of Medicine and a Columbia University colleague wrote an op-ed proposing the cancellation of summer camps. “Camps are primarily in rural communities where an increasing number of COVID-19 cases are now emerging,” they write. “That local rise in cases increases the risk of transmission into camps, which could overwhelm already fragile hospital systems.”

Penn Law’s key role in Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund for small businesses
Selfie of a person wearing a face mask holding up a box of vegan pastries in their bakery

Meagan Benz, owner of the Crust Vegan Bakery and recipient of funding from the Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund. (Image: Penn Law)

Penn Law’s key role in Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund for small businesses

Penn Law and Wharton MBA students put their new skills to practice to help draft the Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund, which allocates forgivable loans to small businesses impacted by the pandemic’s economic downturn.

From Penn Carey Law

Retiring to a sunny foreign vacation spot was the American dream. Now the coronavirus is forcing some expats to come back

Retiring to a sunny foreign vacation spot was the American dream. Now the coronavirus is forcing some expats to come back

Olivia Mitchell of the Wharton School said expat retirees tend to stay abroad until their health begins decline, at which point access to U.S. medical care and family becomes a high priority. “This epidemic may hasten that return flow for people on the edge of that, who are starting to struggle with taking care of themselves,” she said.