In a collaborative interdisciplinary study, Michael Mitchell of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Wei Guo of the School of Arts & Sciences, and Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine show that solid tumors can block drug-delivery mechanisms with a “forcefield-like” effect but certain genetic elements that can effectively “shut down” the forcefield. Their findings hint at new targets for delivering cancer treatments that use the body’s immune system to fight tumors.
(Image: iStock / CIPhotos)
Understanding the cellular mechanisms driving solid tumors’ robust defense system
Researchers from Penn have identified a “forcefield-like” defense system in solid tumors and the genetic elements that can switch it off.
Penn Ph.D. student Xinlan Emily Hu leads a group of budding engineers and social scientists who study communication across teams. The group has developed a new toolkit aimed at helping researchers analyze and measure teamwork.
Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, Class of 1940 Bicentennial Term Professor in the Department of Art History in the School of Arts & Sciences, and inaugural faculty director of the Arthur Ross Gallery.
(Image: Eric Sucar)
Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw named inaugural faculty director of the Arthur Ross Gallery
Shaw, a renowned scholar and teacher of American art who has been at Penn for almost 20 years, assumed the new role effective June 1.
Penn Global has announced the first recipients of the newly established Penn Global Dissertation Grants program, which provides up to $8,000 in funding to nearly a dozen Ph.D. students.
(Image: iStock/artisteer)
New dissertation grants expand global research support
The newly established Penn Global Dissertation Grants program provides as much as $8,000 in funding to each of 11 Ph.D. candidates to enhance global components in their research.
The Wharton School establishes Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative
In an initiative that includes strategic investment in artificial intelligence research and teaching, Wharton announces the first business school collaboration with OpenAI.
Justin Gotzis of University Life received an award from The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation to develop “Puck,” a sculptural speaker system that reflects on the “Freetekno” movement.
(Image: Justin Gotzis)
2024 Sachs awardees
At a reception on April 30, The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation recognized the 21 projects awarded grants for the 2023-24 cycle, totaling $210,000 in support.
“In Philadelphia, in particular West Philly, there’s a lot of communities that don’t have the access to health care that they need, even though Penn is right here,” says Moorkanat (right). “Our thinking behind this was that if we can deliver the resources to them, instead of making them come to Penn, maybe we can start to bridge that gap.”
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Educate to Empower aims to break down barriers to breast cancer screenings
With the President’s Engagement Prize, fourth-years Simran Rajpal and Gauthami Moorkanat plan to deliver education and resources directly to community centers in Philadelphia, tackling medical mistrust, health literacy, and more.
The class included writing a letter to the editor, op-ed, and fact-check. “We threw a lot at them, we’re asking a lot of them, but I feel like they’re rising to the occasion,” Mann said.
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Teaching climate change communication, from the classroom to a conference of journalists
Michael Mann and Kathleen Hall Jamieson are co-teaching the Climate Change and Communication course this spring, tied to the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference, held this year at Penn.
