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Who, What, Why: Xiao Schutte Ke on Tibetan pastoralists and citizen science
Xiao Schutte Ke.

Image: Courtesy of Xiao Schutte Ke

Who, What, Why: Xiao Schutte Ke on Tibetan pastoralists and citizen science

Schutte Ke, a sixth-year linguistic anthropology doctoral candidate in the School of Arts & Sciences, explains the importance of Indigenous citizen scientists in understanding a crucial ecosystem of nomadic livestock herders on the mountainous region of the Tibetan Plateau.

3 min. read

Sean Burkholder and Eva Del Soldato awarded the 2025-26 Rome Prize
headshots of Sean Burkholder and Eva Del Soldato

Penn faculty members Sean Burkholder of the Weitzman School of Design and Eva Del Soldato of the School of Arts & Sciences are among 35 recipients of the 2025-26 Rome Prize, awarded by the American Academy in Rome.

(Images: Courtesy of Sean Burkholder and Eva Del Soldato)

Sean Burkholder and Eva Del Soldato awarded the 2025-26 Rome Prize

Sean Burkholder of the Weitzman School of Design and Eva Del Soldato of the School of Arts & Sciences are among 35 recipients of the 2025-26 Rome Prize, awarded by the American Academy in Rome to support innovative fellows in the arts, humanities, and sciences.

3 min. read

Q&A on the German election results
The dome of a building is visible on the left. To the right, a striped black, red and yellow flag is flying on a pole. An inscription on the building reads: “Dem Deutschen Volke,” or “To the German People.”

The German flag flies in front of the Reichstag building the day after the German Bundestag elections were held.

(Image: Christophe Gateau/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

  • Q&A

    • Q&A on the German election results

    Kristen Ghodsee of the Department of Russian and East European Studies discusses the outcome of the German parliamentary elections and the implications for Europe’s future.
    Corine Labridy leads an exploration of French Caribbean culture and literature
    A woman with glasses in a dark sweater sits behind a desk, looking to the left.

    Corine Labridy, an assistant professor of French and Francophone studies, uses the literature of the French Caribbean to help students learn larger lessons about identity and culture.

    (Image: Corine Labridy)

    Corine Labridy leads an exploration of French Caribbean culture and literature

    The French and Francophone Studies faculty member took an unconventional route to academia. She places the voices of the islands at the heart of her work.
    An online resource for learners across the Italian language community
    Blurred figures of people walk across a public square in Milano, Italy.

    The Italian language learning tool PRIMA was developed by faculty at Penn to help show students the diversity in Italian language and culture.

    (Image: iStock/LeoPatrizi)

    An online resource for learners across the Italian language community

    The Pedagogical Repository for Italian Media Activities, or PRIMA, helps students and faculty explore Italian language and culture by using voices and imagery that better represent the culture.
    Vietnamese language program expansion builds cultural community
    A classroom of students sitting behind desks. One student is at the front of the classroom delivering a presentation.

    Students in one of Penn's Vietnamese language classes taught by Hanh Nguyen (upper left) discuss a presentation. Vietnamese recently became part of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations.

    nocred

    Vietnamese language program expansion builds cultural community

    The expansion into the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations has been partly driven by heritage speakers seeking to connect with their families and cultures.
    Is sustainable development an oxymoron?
    Harvested coffee beans drying in the sun on tables in coffee fields in Costa Rica.

    In Costa Rica, harvested organic coffee beans are dried in the sun.

    (Image: iStock/Andrzej Rostek)

    Is sustainable development an oxymoron?

    Teresa Giménez, director of the Spanish Language Program and lecturer in foreign languages in the School of Arts & Sciences, discusses the tensions at play when considering this type of growth in Latin America.

    From Omnia

    A monumental view of the Ten Commandments
    Two ancient Hebrew bibles open on a table.

    Image: iStock/Volodymyr Zakharov

    A monumental view of the Ten Commandments

    Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures Assistant Professor Timothy Hogue sees the foundational text as more than just words.

    Susan Ahlborn

    ‘What is the Enlightenment? Questions for the 18th Century’
    A man looks at a stand-alone wall of carved busts in niches

    Image: David von Becker/Deutsches Historisches Museum

    ‘What is the Enlightenment? Questions for the 18th Century’

    In a new exhibition in Berlin, Liliane Weissberg of the School of Arts & Sciences curates hundreds of objects reflecting on the nature of Enlightenment and its continued significance today.

    Kristina García