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Q&A

Weitzman’s Vanessa Grossman on the cultural value of architecture
Vanessa Grossman.

Image: Eric Sucar

Weitzman’s Vanessa Grossman on the cultural value of architecture

In a Q&A, the architect, historian, and curator discusses her research and published books, which explore the relationship between architecture, politics, and social movements.

From the Weitzman School of Design

Mechanics of knitting
Textures knitted through in a pattern.

Randall Kamien of the School of Arts & Sciences and long-time collaborator Geneviève Dion, a professor of design at Drexel University, are investigating the mechanics of knitting, an area of research that represents a significant shift in understanding and using fabrics.

(Image: Courtesy of Geneviève Dion)

Mechanics of knitting

Randall Kamien of the School of Arts & Sciences and Geneviève Dion of Drexel University share how combining traditional origami techniques with modern textile science can lead to practical applications in various industries.
Ecuador’s state of emergency
A military vehicle drives through a hilly residential neighborhood in Quito, Ecuador. Two women, one holding hands with a young child, walk alongside on the street.

Soldiers patrol a residential area of northern Quito, Ecuador, on Jan. 11, 2024. President Daniel Noboa decreed Monday a national state of emergency due to a wave in crime, a measure that lets authorities suspend people's rights and mobilize the military. The government also imposed a curfew.

(Image: AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

Ecuador’s state of emergency

In a Q&A, political scientist Jane Esberg discusses democracy and organized crime in Latin America. 

Kristina Linnea García

Former Penn president Judith Rodin on the changing relationship between business and universities

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.

Microrobots: An emerging biomedical trend
Medical concept in the field of nanotechnology, a nanobot studies or kills a virus. 3D rendering.

Image: Courtesy of iStock / K_E_N

Microrobots: An emerging biomedical trend

In a Q&A with Penn Today, Hyun (Michel) Koo of the School of Dental Medicine and Edward Steager of the School of Engineering and Applied Science discuss the emerging trend of microrobots in healthcare.
‘The Tame and the Wild’ 
(Image: Courtesy of Harvard University Press)

A new book by historian Marcy Norton—“The Tame and the Wild, People and Animals After 1492”—looks at the colonization of the Americas through the lens of European and Native American beliefs about animal life.

(Image: Courtesy of Harvard University Press)

‘The Tame and the Wild’ 

Historian Marcy Norton’s new book looks at the history of human-animal relationships in Europe and Native America and how they became entangled after 1492.

Kristen de Groot

‘Black Modernisms in the Transatlantic World’
Bronze sculpture of a large bust of a Black woman on Penn’s campus surrounded by autumn leaves

The 16-foot-tall bronze form of “Brick House” by artist Simone Leigh, who contributed to “Black Modernisms.”

(Image: Eric Sucar)

‘Black Modernisms in the Transatlantic World’

A new book, co-edited by art historian Huey Copeland, examines the conception of modernism and Black artistry and agency and how the transatlantic slave trade enabled the modern world.

Kristina Linnea García

The advent of e-commerce
Man walking through a city carrying packages

During the holiday season, about three times as many parcels are shipped per day. For delivery workers, it’s a grueling marathon that goes on through mid-January.

(Image: Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash)

The advent of e-commerce

In a Q&A, sociologist Steve Viscelli of the School of Arts & Sciences talks transport, last-mile delivery, and the “incredible amounts of physical effort” required to get the holiday packages to America’s front doors.

Kristina Linnea García