Skip to Content Skip to Content

Graduate Students

Awards and accolades for Penn faculty and Centers
People walking down Locust Walk in the summer.

nocred

Awards and accolades for Penn faculty and Centers

A roundup of the latest awards and honors for faculty in the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the School of Arts & Sciences, Penn Nursing, and the Wharton School.

Penn Today Staff

2 min. read

SmartDJ lets users reshape audio experiences with simple words
Yiduo Hao and a researcher using a microphone and a laptop outdoors.

As a test, Yiduo Hao (left) recorded the sounds of spring in Philadelphia, then used SmartDJ to transform them into the sounds of a forest.

(Image: Sylvia Zhang)

SmartDJ lets users reshape audio experiences with simple words

Penn Engineers have created an AI-powered audio editor specifically for stereo that responds to simple requests in everyday language.

Ian Scheffler

2 min. read

Penn filmmaking class shares the stories of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods
Two students take video of archivist holding up newspaper clipping.

Student filmmakers Harper Prentice and Hosaena Tilahun interviewed Alisha Davis, a former history teacher who has served as the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Hyperlocal Heritage archivist since August 2025. As part of America 250, Davis has been surveying collections held at Parkway Central Library and identifying archival materials for digitization, use in programming, and preservation.

nocred

Penn filmmaking class shares the stories of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods

Graduate and undergraduate students in Alissa Jordan’s course partnered with community organizations to create five short films that touch on education, archiving, and grassroots organizing in Germantown, Northeast Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia.

3 min. read

What makes messages persuasive?
A person signing paperwork from a salesman at an outdoor car lot.

Image: Maskot via Getty Images

What makes messages persuasive?

Psychology researchers Dolores Albarracín and Yubo Zhou studied the relative persuasive impact of messages expressing attitudes, describing behaviors, or combining both.

2 min. read

Celebrating Penn’s 270th Commencement at a historic moment
Graduates cheering on franklin field during commencement

nocred

Celebrating Penn’s 270th Commencement at a historic moment

Reflecting on the 250th anniversary of the United States, speakers invoked American traditions and provided guidance on building a meaningful life in a fast-changing world. Graduates, cheered on by family and friends, celebrated their part in Penn’s storied history.

7 min. read

Penn students and alumni awarded Fulbright 2026-27 U.S. Student Program grants
(Top row) Max Annunziata, Sangeetha Bhuyan, Solange Campos, and Nik Donoughe. (Second row) Preethi Jayaraman, Christine Kim, Enne Kim, Alexander Li, Noa Machover, and Shivek Narang. (Third row) Keanu Natan, Tammy Nguyen, Bedansh Pandey, Sophia Powell, Ana Richardson, and Grant Schatzman. (Bottom row) Andi Sycip, Julian Tash, Hannah Tsai, Zoie Weinsweig, and Claire Zhang.

(Top row) Max Annunziata, Sangeetha Bhuyan, Solange Campos, and Nik Donoughe. (Second row) Preethi Jayaraman, Christine Kim, Enne Kim, Alexander Li, Noa Machover, and Shivek Narang. (Third row) Keanu Natan, Tammy Nguyen, Bedansh Pandey, Sophia Powell, Ana Richardson, and Grant Schatzman. (Bottom row) Andi Sycip, Julian Tash, Hannah Tsai, Zoie Weinsweig, and Claire Zhang.

nocred

Penn students and alumni awarded Fulbright 2026-27 U.S. Student Program grants

The awardees will spend the 2026-27 academic year conducting research, pursuing graduate degrees, or teaching English overseas.

6 min. read

Thinking like a VMD, earlier
Mary Lyle guides David Buckwalter through a procedure on a dog in a Penn Vet surgery.

Penn Vet’s Mary Lyle guides Class of 2026 student David Buckwalter through a successful tracheal intubation.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Vet)

Thinking like a VMD, earlier

Penn Vet’s graduating Class of 2026 is the first cohort to graduate its revamped four-year program designed to begin shaping their professional identities as animal care practitioners.

Sacha Adorno

2 min. read

Penn fourth-year and graduate student named 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholars
Naseebullah Andar and Brianna Leung

Fourth-year Naseebullah Andar and graduate student Brianna Leung are 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholars.

(Image: Courtesy Stanford University)

Penn fourth-year and graduate student named 2026 Knight-Hennessy Scholars

The scholarship provides financial support for as long as three years to pursue a graduate degree and global leadership training at Stanford University.

2 min. read

Awards and accolades for faculty and graduate students
College Green in spring.

nocred

Awards and accolades for faculty and graduate students

A roundup of the latest awards and honors for several faculty members and graduate students across various Penn Schools.

Penn Today Staff

2 min. read

Specialized RNA molecules could counter ALS neurodegeneration
Microscopic view of mRNA

Image: Courtesy of Penn Medicine

Specialized RNA molecules could counter ALS neurodegeneration

Researchers at Penn Medicine have discovered short RNA chaperones that bind to the primary target of ALS, restore its function, and protect motor neurons in a preclinical model, pointing toward a new RNA-based therapeutic strategy.

From Penn Medicine News

2 min. read