3/29
Who, What, Why
Who, What, Why: Devin Carroll and his robot made of tree branches
Ph.D. student Devin Carroll designs robots from materials found in nature; his latest modular device is made of tree branches, strings, and a motor.
Who, What, Why: Sarah Kane on the sonification of astronomical data
Fourth-year Sarah Kane participates in research mapping the galaxy and converting astronomical data into sound for the visually impaired.
Who, What, Why: Zoe Zhao on emerging digital labor
Zoe Zhao, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology, studies digital labor related to video games and livestreaming.
Who, What, Why: Francisco Díaz on anthropology and the modern Maya
Francisco Díaz studies Maya contributions to archeology at a time when Indigenous people were viewed as little more than laborers. His research shows that Indigenous people were archaeologists in their own right, working season after season with specialized skills to excavate the past.
Who, What, Why: Angela Huang’s investigation of K-pop and J-pop fan markets
Angela Huang, a second-year graduate student in the Lauder Institute, examines the evolution of K-pop and J-pop in fan markets.
Who, What, Why: Zaid Tabaza on veganism in the Middle East
By tracing the evolution of this practice, Tabaza learned that in Jordan and Lebanon, the historical appeal of plant-based diets derived from their curative potential and wide availability.
Who, What, Why: Penn Medicine associate director Danielle Cavalcanto
Cavalcanto has recently been recognized for her contributions that significantly advance the development of sustainable purchasing at Penn.
The ‘thriftification’ of Philadelphia
Anya Miller, a fourth-year sociology major from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, took her hobby of thrift store shopping and looked at it through a socioeconomic lens.
Kimberly Cárdenas on intersectional politics in political science
Doctoral candidate Kimberly Cárdenas considers the growing numbers of LGBTQ+ Black and Latinx Americans—and how they participate in the political process.
Who, What, Why: Sociologist Wendy Roth on genetic ancestry tests and race perception
With funding from the National Institutes of Health, Roth plans to explore how people view others who change their racial identity based on results from at-home DNA kits.