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Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
Spencer named Robert S. Blank Presidential Professor
Quayshawn Spencer, an associate professor of philosophy, has been named the Robert S. Blank Presidential Associate Professor of Philosophy.
Walt Whitman up close
As part of the Penn Manuscript Collective, students transcribe rare documents and original works by Walt Whitman in the University’s collection. Their discoveries will be included in an international symposium at Penn this spring, Whitman at 200, led by the Penn Libraries marking the anniversary of the poet’s birth.
What do opponents of genetically modified foods really know about the science?
The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, found that the strongest critics actually know less—a pattern similar for gene therapy, but not for climate change.
Cafe series kicks off its spring season
The free, public Lightbulb and Science Cafes for spring 2019 will feature professors talking about everything from the Middle East peace process to translating “The Odyssey.”
Writers House reborn
Renovations were recently completed at Kelly Writers House to expand its premier Arts Cafe and make the space more technologically friendly.
Historic Philly playbills get modern-day crowdsourcing
An innovative online crowdsourcing project led by Laura Aydelotte of the Penn Libraries allows the public to transcribe digitized 19th-century Philadelphia theater playbills. An upcoming conference will explore digital approaches to researching theater history.
A classic hat trick
In one year, Sheila Murnaghan, Alfred Reginald Allen Memorial Professor of Greek, published a translation of Medea and books on the Beat generation and classics for children.
By the Numbers: Pennovation Works’ ascendant 2018
In its second year, Pennovation Works, a strategic blend of offices, labs, and production space that pushes for the advancement of knowledge and economic development, continued to move the needle on activating its space as an innovation destination.
Stewards of the University collection
Planning chief and multiple alumnus Mark Kocent is named University Architect in the Division of Facilities and Real Estate.
Annual social change symposium to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
The annual Commemorative Symposium on Social Change features events to commemorate and honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
In the News
Houston Chronicle
Houston police team up with Ring app to tackle crime
Maria Cuellar of the School of Arts and Sciences commented a partnership between the Houston Police Department and Ring, a home surveillance company that offers video doorbells, saying that there is not enough evidence to claim that the devices reduce crime.
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The Atlantic
Bill de Blasio and Gavin Newsom may give restrictionism new life
Daniel Hopkins of the School of Arts and Sciences was cited for his research on the nationalization of U.S. politics, as published in his book The Increasingly United States: How and Why American Political Behavior Nationalized.
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The Atlantic
How James Baldwin’s writings about love evolved
Dagmawi Woubshet of the School of Arts and Sciences analyzed James Baldwin’s literary evolution. If Beale Street Could Talk “marked a crucial turn in how the author sought to characterize the most abiding theme and moral principle of his work: love.”
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Forbes
Astronomers want to look for Planet X in Big Bang’s cosmic glow
The School of Arts and Sciences’ Eric Baxter, Bhuvnesh Jain, Cullen Blake, Gary Bernstein, and Mark Devlin co-authored a paper outlining ways to find undetected planets on the outskirts of our solar system.
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CBS Philadelphia
Professional sports team wins create positive mood throughout the city, study finds
School of Arts and Sciences postdoc Johannes Eichstaedt co-authored a social media study that suggests an unexpected improvement in daily life, like an Eagles win, can alter a city’s mood. “Using artificial intelligence, we were able to extract information about the mood of the community as a whole from what those on Twitter say,” said Eichstaedt.
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