11/15
Research
Is deflection a good business tactic?
Is deflection a good business tactic?
Wharton’s Maurice Schweitzer is the co-author of the first study to examine the costs and benefits of answering a question with a question.
Penn researchers unlock genetic ‘treasure map’ for chronic kidney disease
Penn researchers unlock genetic ‘treasure map’ for chronic kidney disease
The genome-wide association study pinpoints new target genes, cell types, and mechanisms for treating the disease that affects 850 people million worldwide.
Improving patient experiences in cancer clinical trials
Improving patient experiences in cancer clinical trials
Cancer clinical trials (CCTs) provide patients an opportunity to receive experimental drugs, tests, and/or procedures that can lead to remissions. For some, a CCT may seem like their only option. Yet little is known about the experiences of patient participants who withdraw from CCTs.
Engineers create faster and cheaper COVID-19 testing with pencil lead
Engineers create faster and cheaper COVID-19 testing with pencil lead
A new electrochemical COVID-19 test addresses the challenges of cost, time, and accuracy and uses electrodes made from graphite.
In a California district, Latinx students with Latinx teachers attend more school
In a California district, Latinx students with Latinx teachers attend more school
While the teaching workforce continues to be heavily dominated by white teachers, in particular white women, the academic and social-emotional benefits for students of color of having a teacher who is their same race have been widely documented. Less studied is the impact that having a same-race teacher has on attendance.
COVID-19, protests, and crime
COVID-19, protests, and crime
During a summer internship with the Law School’s David Abrams, rising sophomores Caroline Li and David Feng looked at how the COVID-19 pandemic and last summer’s racial justice protests affected America’s crime rate.
Packaging-free design quadruples microbatteries’ energy density
Packaging-free design quadruples microbatteries’ energy density
New research from the School of Engineering and Applied Science shows a new way to build and package microbatteries that maximizes energy density even at the smallest sizes.
African American in the ‘raceless’ Soviet Union
African American in the ‘raceless’ Soviet Union
History Ph.D. candidate Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon’s work looks at how the African American experience in the Soviet Union shaped Black identity and how the presence of people of color shaped Soviet understandings of race.
Zachary Lesser’s Shakespearean forensics
Zachary Lesser’s Shakespearean forensics
The Edward W. Kane Professor of English uses ghosts, holes, and scrapes to learn more about how Shakespeare’s work was seen in his own time.
In rural America, religious attendance reduces compassion regarding opioids
In rural America, religious attendance reduces compassion regarding opioids
Rural areas—particularly those in Appalachian and Midwestern states—are hard hit by the opioid epidemic. However, many individuals in those same states do not support policies scientifically proven to help, like medically aided treatment and syringe exchanges.
In the News
Education Week
The more students miss class, the worse teachers feel about their jobs
A study co-authored by Michael Gottfried of the Graduate School of Education finds that teacher satisfaction steadily drops as student absenteeism increases.
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The Washington Post
Diversity will suffer with five-day office mandates, research suggests
A 2024 Wharton School study found that changing job openings to remote work at startups increased female applicants by 15% and minority applicants by 33%.
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Interesting Engineering
Superhuman vision lets robots see through walls, smoke with new LiDAR-like eyes
Mingmin Zhao of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and colleagues are using radio signals to allow robots to “see” beyond traditional sensor limits.
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Phys.org
Rising student absenteeism may be hurting teacher job satisfaction
A study by Michael Gottfried and Ph.D. student Colby Woods of the Graduate School of Education finds that student absences are linked to lower teacher job satisfaction, which could exacerbate growing teacher shortages.
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SciTechDaily
Scientists unveil 16+ distinct nerve cell types behind human touch
A study by Wenqin Lo of the Perelman School of Medicine and colleagues used detailed analyses of the genes used by individual nerve cells to identify 16 distinct types of nerve cells in humans.
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Voice of America
Can honeybees and dogs detect cancer earlier than technology?
Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center are training dogs to recognize certain cancer odors.
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