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One School, many schools of thought
Mark Trodden.

School of Arts & Sciences dean Mark Trodden joins faculty in discussion for Omnia’s latest podcast series.

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One School, many schools of thought

A special edition of the Penn Arts & Sciences “Ampersand” podcast features Dean Mark Trodden in conversation with SAS faculty from different disciplines.

Alex Schein

2 min. read

Exploring Philadelphia’s petrochemical past
An illustration of the Philadelphia Gas works complex in 1890

Philadelphia Gas Works in an 1890 illustration. It sat on the east side of the Schuylkill River, between Market and Filbert streets.

(Image: David J. Kennedy. Courtesy of Historical Society of Philadelphia, via petrodelphia.org.)

Exploring Philadelphia’s petrochemical past

Penn historian Jared Farmer recently launched a website about Philadelphia’s fossil fuel economy to help students and residents learn about the local past in larger context.

2 min. read

Medieval medicine and magic
Elly Truitt and students looking at manuscripts in the Kislak Center.

Elly Truitt (left, standing) says she hopes the students can use these historical examples to make sense of their own experiences.

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Medieval medicine and magic

In Elly Truitt’s Medicine, Magic, and Miracles class, rare manuscripts provide an window into the intriguing—and sometimes strange—evolution of medieval medicine.

Blake Cole

2 min. read

Understanding the climate record through objects
Melissa Charenko stands in front of art in her office.

In her office, Melissa Charenko has paintings by artist Jill Pelto that depict the kind of climate proxies Charenko writes about in her new book, such as sediment cores containing pollen grains.

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Understanding the climate record through objects

Melissa Charenko’s new book shares the history of how 20th-century scientists used climate “proxies”—such as tree rings and fossil pollen—to understand past climates, which has implications for future climate action.

3 min. read

New members of American Academy of Sciences and Letters
Alan Charles Kors (left) and Philip E. Tetlock.

Alan Charles Kors (left) and Philip E. Tetlock, elected members of the members of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters.

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New members of American Academy of Sciences and Letters

Alan Charles Kors and Philip E. Tetlock have been invested as members of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters, a nonprofit that promotes scholarship and honors achievement in the arts and sciences.

2 min. read

U.S. Army veteran connects service to research on empathy in ancient Greece
Malcolm Nelson stands in front of the Penn Museum.

Malcolm Nelson, a new Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow in Penn’s Department of Classical Studies, draws on his U.S. Army experience in his research on empathy in ancient Greece.

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U.S. Army veteran connects service to research on empathy in ancient Greece

Serving in the Army from 2009 to 2012 informed the research of Malcolm Nelson, Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow in classical studies, on empathy norms in ancient Greek culture.

2 min. read

Connecting with America’s 250th anniversary
The Declaration of Independence at the National Archives

The Declaration of Independence on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

(Image: Mark Schiefelbein via AP Images)

Connecting with America’s 250th anniversary

Ahead of the main event on July 4, 2026, marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Penn students, faculty, and staff will have multiple early opportunities to engage with America’s 250th anniversary.

3 min. read