9/27
Math
The evolution of societal cooperation
The evolution of societal cooperation
Research led by the School of Arts & Sciences’ Joshua Plotkin and Taylor Kessinger sheds light on the impact of social contexts and multilayered societies on promoting cooperative behavior.
Social conformity in pandemics: How our behaviors spread faster than the virus itself
Social conformity in pandemics: How our behaviors spread faster than the virus itself
Researchers led by former postdoc Bryce Morsky and Erol Akçay of the School of Arts & Sciences have produced a model for disease transmission that factors in the effects of social dynamics, specifically, how masking and social distancing are affected by social norms.
Two Penn fourth-years awarded 2023 Churchill Scholarships
Two Penn fourth-years awarded 2023 Churchill Scholarships
College of Arts and Sciences fourth-years Ryan Jeong and Arnav Lal are among 16 students selected nationwide to receive a Churchill Scholarship for a year of graduate research study at the University of Cambridge in England.
The art and science of video game development
The art and science of video game development
In the group UPGRADE, students take an interdisciplinary approach to game creation.
Wormhole-like dynamics
Wormhole-like dynamics
Theoretical physicists Vijay Balasubramanian and Jonathan Heckman of the School of Arts & Sciences speak with Penn Today to explain the implications of new research claiming to have observed wormhole-like teleportation on a quantum computer.
Structured, Active, In-class Learning is changing the calculus on teaching
Structured, Active, In-class Learning is changing the calculus on teaching
Mathematics professor Philip Gressman sees the comprehensive teaching approach as a way to engage students as a dynamic group, something STEM courses don’t often embrace.
When curved materials flatten, simple geometry can predict the wrinkle patterns that emerge
When curved materials flatten, simple geometry can predict the wrinkle patterns that emerge
The findings—from a collaboration between Penn, Syracuse, and the University of Illinois Chicago—have a range of implications, from how materials interact with moisture to the way flexible electronics bend.
Undergraduates help songbird research project take flight
Undergraduates help songbird research project take flight
Through the PURM internship program, Julia Youngman and Eric Tao had the opportunity to work in neuroethologist Marc Schmidt’s lab studying the neural basis of courtship behaviors in songbirds.
Philip Gressman thinks mathematics can make for fairer elections
Philip Gressman thinks mathematics can make for fairer elections
The professor of mathematics wants to make elections fairer through the application of computational mathematics to redistricting maps.
Context-dependent behavior can make cooperation flourish
Context-dependent behavior can make cooperation flourish
Recent studies led by School of Arts & Sciences’ researchers show that changing social strategies between settings—for example, cooperating at home but not at work—can in fact lead to more cooperative behavior in a society.
In the News
The Conversation
A brief illustrated guide to ‘scissors congruence’—an ancient geometric idea that’s still fueling cutting-edge mathematical research
Ph.D. candidate Maxine Calle and Mona Merling of the School of Arts & Sciences explain the definition and history of the mathematical concept of “scissors congruence.”
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Quanta Magazine
The new math of wrinkling
Eleni Katifori of the School of Arts & Sciences is credited for her work simulating wrinkle patterns, which were crucial to an overall theory of geometric wrinkle prediction.
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New Scientist
Researchers have worked out the rules for how some things wrinkle
Eleni Katifori of the School of Arts & Sciences and colleagues used simulations of curving plastic pieces to predict the formation of wrinkling patterns.
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CBS Philadelphia
Mega Millions jackpot reaches $1.2 billion
Dennis Deturck of the School of Arts & Sciences estimates the odds of winning the lottery, contrasting it with increasingly more unlikely occurrences.
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Quanta Magazine
Mathematicians prove 2D version of quantum gravity really works
Xin Sun of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about new research at the intersection of physics, philosophy, and math. “This is a masterpiece in mathematical physics,” he said.
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Quanta Magazine
How mathematicians use homology to make sense of topology
Robert Ghrist of the School of Arts & Sciences spoke about homology, which uses algebra to identify holes in a particular topological shape. “There’s a real impetus to have methods that are robust and that are pulling out qualitative features,” he said.
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