11/15
Q&A
Cancel culture on the silver screen
Cancel culture on the silver screen
Iconic films like the 1939 blockbuster “Gone With the Wind” are being scrutinized in light of the Black Lives Matter movement against racial injustice. Cinema studies’ Meta Mazaj says framing films within context is more valuable than erasure and disclaimers.
Brazil’s coronavirus crisis
Brazil’s coronavirus crisis
Brazil has become one of the world’s deadliest hotspots for the novel coronavirus, second only to the United States in deaths and infections. Melissa Teixeira, a historian of modern Brazil, shares her thoughts on the nation’s response and challenges it faces in battling the virus.
Cholera vs. flu: Philadelphia’s historical epidemic successes and failures
Cholera vs. flu: Philadelphia’s historical epidemic successes and failures
Philadelphia’s response to the 1918 influenza might be the poster child of how not to handle an epidemic. Timothy Kent Holliday makes the case that the city was well equipped for outbreaks decades and even centuries earlier.
New configurations in campus housing and dining planned
New configurations in campus housing and dining planned
Student housing and dining experiences will be markedly different in the upcoming academic year because of pandemic restrictions designed to keep students socially distant while also fostering a sense of college community.
Navigating cytokine storms
Navigating cytokine storms
Pairing their expertise, Nilam Mangalmurti of the Perelman School of Medicine and Christopher Hunter of the School of Veterinary Medicine have been working to understand the protective and harmful aspects of the immune response, including in COVID-19.
Fall planning with the director of Student Registration and Financial Services
Fall planning with the director of Student Registration and Financial Services
Matthew Sessa talks about what students receiving financial aid can expect during this unprecedented time.
Wharton School announces new AI for Business initiative
Wharton School announces new AI for Business initiative
Wharton School announces new AI for Business initiative. Led by AI expert and Wharton professor Kartik Hosanagar, AI for Business will enable students, faculty, and industry partners to explore the next phase of digital transformation.
What the 1968 Kerner Commission can teach us
What the 1968 Kerner Commission can teach us
Criminologist and statistician Richard Berk, who worked on the report as a graduate student, explains the systemic racism and poverty found to underlie violent unrest in the 1960s and where COVID-19 and the economy fit today.
The case against separating breastfeeding mothers and infants during the pandemic
The case against separating breastfeeding mothers and infants during the pandemic
In a Q&A, Diane Spatz of Penn Nursing and CHOP discusses why it’s safe and beneficial to keep them together, even when the mother tests positive for COVID-19.
Can widespread protests bring lasting change?
Can widespread protests bring lasting change?
Amidst the current protests decrying the killings of Black people by police and demand for reforms, Penn Today speaks to political scientist Daniel Gillion about his new book, “The Loud Minority: Why Protests Matter in American Democracy.”
In the News
Scientific American
Grumpy voters want better stories. Not statistics
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Duncan Watts says that U.S. voters ignored Democratic policy in favor of Republican storytelling.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Back at Penn, former president Amy Gutmann reflects on ambassadorship and where she is now: ‘I feel very free’
In a Q&A, Amy Gutmann discusses her life post-Penn presidency and ambassadorship, including her return to campus for the christening of Amy Gutmann Hall.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Former Penn president Judith Rodin on the changing relationship between business and universities
In a Q&A, former Penn President Judith Rodin discusses her current role advising the Bellwether District, which seeks to reinvent two square miles of former oil refineries in South and Southwest Philly, and the rapid changes in business-academic relations throughout her career.
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Forbes India
Life is not a series of linear stages defined by age: Mauro F Guillen
In a Q&A, Mauro F. Guillén of the Wharton School discusses his latest book, “The Perennials,” which outlines the shaping of a post-generational society and its implications for businesses, governments, and society at large.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
The Biden administration is trying to make it easier to convert offices to apartments post-pandemic
In a Q&A, Vincent Reina of the Weitzman School of Design discusses a new White House initiative to incentivize commercial-to-residential conversion projects, especially as the office market continues to struggle.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
Lab tests and scans interpreted by AI? These Penn doctors are researching the good—and bad—ways to use AI in health care
In a Q&A, Samiran Mukherjee of the Perelman School of Medicine discusses the potential ways that AI can benefit health care professionals and patients.
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