11/15
Sociology
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts named a 2024 MacArthur Fellow
Roberts, who has appointments in Penn Carey Law and School of Arts & Sciences, is one of 22 Fellows to be named this year.
From college community to career path
Joyce Kim, an advanced doctoral student in sociology and education, wants to know what motivates undergraduates—especially those who are the first in their families to attend college—to choose the career trajectories that they do.
Rainwater harvesting in Mexico City
Rising fourth-year Krishna Chandrasekhara spent three weeks in Mexico this summer as part of a project exploring the impact of water collection on public and community health.
Positioned for Success
The program, launched by recent College of Arts and Sciences grads Taussia Boadi and Cheryl Nnadi, was a 2023 Projects for Progress winner and provides academic support to middle school students affected by gun violence.
Beth Linker’s new book explores the science of posture
A new book from history and sociology of science professor Beth Linker investigates how and why a panic around posture emerged in America in the 20th century.
Uplifting Filipino communities abroad and at home
Fourth-year student Vernon Wells has been working with Indigenous peoples in the Philippines, research they will expand on through a Fulbright award, while strengthening the Southeast Asian community at Penn.
Gearing up for research on aging
GEAR UP, an initiative offered by the Population Aging Research Center and the Leonard Davis Institute, gives students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds hands-on experience and mentoring to address a global challenge.
Investigating homelessness
In a Kelly Writers House event, writer Jennifer Egan and social scientist Dennis Culhane discuss journalism and the homelessness crisis.
Immigration policy and the 2024 presidential election
An April 2 symposium will bring together policy analysts, immigration scholars, and representatives of nonprofit advocacy organizations to discuss immigration policies and their impact.
‘Behind the Startup’ looks at venture capital and inequality
The new book by Benjamin Shestakofsky is based on 19 months of participant-observation research, rising from intern to middle manager in a tech startup.
In the News
Engaging discussion at Center in the Park on conservative agenda Project 2025
At a Philadelphia panel on Project 2025, PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts said that Black women would have even greater numbers of unwanted pregnancies without access to legal contraceptives.
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MacArthur Foundation announces 2024 ‘genius’ grant winners
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts has been named a MacArthur Fellow for her work on racial inequities in health and social-service systems.
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Penn law professor Dorothy E. Roberts named a MacArthur Fellow
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts has received the “genius grant” for her efforts to expose racism embedded in social-support programs, such as the child welfare system.
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The bad politics of bad posture
In her book “Slouch,” Beth Linker of the School of Arts & Sciences outlines how societal pressures have driven huge swaths of people to embrace falsehoods about posture.
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The ACT’s new ties to a private equity firm are raising eyebrows
Benjamin Shestakofsky of the School of Arts & Sciences says it is not surprising that private equity firms are setting their sights on the standardized testing market.
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HHS considering changes to sterilization consent process
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts says there’s widespread devaluing of certain people’s childbearing from negative stereotypes to laws that deny someone extra benefits if they get pregnant while on welfare.
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