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Penn Integrates Knowledge Professors

Centering joy in AI development and implementation
Desmond Patton seated at his desk.

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Centering joy in AI development and implementation

PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton—of Annenberg and SP2—and collaborators introduce a joy-informed framework designed to initiate conversations among engineers, designers, and researchers.

2 min. read

An ‘illuminating’ design sheds light on cholesterol
A researcher scribbles an organic molecule

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An ‘illuminating’ design sheds light on cholesterol

High levels of cholesterol are linked to heart disease, stroke, and many other health problems. However, this complex and vital fatty, water insoluble molecule—a lipid—is found in every cell of the body and is not all bad news. It also regulates crucial processes that science has yet to map.

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

A road map to reduce firearm harms by 2040
Six people stand on a set of parallel, converging arrows, illustrating the concept of collaboration or moving forward together.

Image: mathisworks/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images

A road map to reduce firearm harms by 2040

Three Penn faculty members are among more than 40 experts to author a report addressing the persistent challenge of gun violence and proposing solutions stemming from a JAMA Summit convened last spring.

2 min. read

Dolores Albarracín receives Career Award from Society for Personality and Social Psychology

Dolores Albarracín receives Career Award from Society for Personality and Social Psychology

The Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Communication Science division has been honored with the 2025 Career Contribution Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology for her contributions to social psychology.

Lynn Meskell elected Fellow to the British Academy
Lynn Meskell

Meskell is the Richard D. Green Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor with joint appointments in the School of Arts & Sciences, the Weitzman School of Design, and the Penn Museum.

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Lynn Meskell elected Fellow to the British Academy

The honor recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences.

3 min. read

Ants and naked mole-rats and societal roles
Leafcutter ants moving around a bright green leaf.

In eusocial superorganisms like leafcutter ant colonies, labor is divvied up according to body shape and size, but PIK Professor Shelley Berger and her team discovered that molecular signals can override that blueprint. Their findings reveal how simple neuropeptides can reprogram ant behavior, reshuffling roles in nature’s most disciplined workforce.

(Image: Courtesy of Tierney Scarpa)

Ants and naked mole-rats and societal roles

PIK Professor Shelley Berger and colleagues explored the genetic basis of labor distribution in communal-dwelling species and discovered that pathways dating back hundreds of millions of years are conserved across animal kingdoms. Their findings offer fundamental insights into complex social behaviors.

5 min. read

How cable news has diverged from broadcast news
Person sitting on couch watching news.

Image: simonkr via Getty Images

How cable news has diverged from broadcast news

A team of researchers from the Computational Social Science Lab at the University of Pennsylvania find that cable news has increasingly diverged from broadcast news in the topics covered and language used.

3 min. read