7.30
Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences
The Sachs Program announces 2021 arts grants
The Sachs Program announces 2021 arts grants
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation will support 25 new Penn arts projects, totaling $177,000 in funding.
Reviving Philadelphia’s nighttime economy
Reviving Philadelphia’s nighttime economy
Even before COVID-19 curtailed public nightlife in Philadelphia, members of the Weitzman School’s PennPraxis have been working on a civic engagement project to articulate a better, more progressive Philly nightlife.
After the pandemic, how will society remember more than 3 million lives lost to COVID-19?
After the pandemic, how will society remember more than 3 million lives lost to COVID-19?
To date, more than 3 million people worldwide have lost their lives to COVID-19.
How has COVID-19 changed ‘superstar cities’?
A new analysis found that overall mobility in large U.S. cities has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, and some are also experiencing changing segregation patterns, with potential implications that could last well beyond the pandemic.
Hajer Al-Faham finds American Muslims are under watch, even in research
Hajer Al-Faham finds American Muslims are under watch, even in research
The doctoral candidate in political science, finds that disproportionate surveillance of American Muslims stifles academic research.
Integrating tough questions about the intersection of race, religion, and politics
Integrating tough questions about the intersection of race, religion, and politics
Through student discussions and outside lectures, one SNF Paideia Program course examined the Jewish experience, the history of prejudice, and intersectionality in Jewish identity, among other topics.
The world according to Walter Palmer
The world according to Walter Palmer
The educator, organizer, and alumnus discusses his six decades of activism, growing up in the Black Bottom, studying and teaching at Penn, his work at CHOP, the student strike of 1967, the Vietnam War, Frank Rizzo, Donald Trump, school choice, gun violence, the Chauvin trial, and why he thinks racism should be declared a national public health crisis.
Orkan Telhan’s ‘Microbial Fruits of Istanbul’
Orkan Telhan’s ‘Microbial Fruits of Istanbul’
“Microbial Fruits of Istanbul” is a collaboration between Orkan Telhan, associate professor of fine arts, and the architecture firm elii which explores the complex histories of Istanbul community gardens from the perspective of microorganisms.
Fighting poverty with cash
Fighting poverty with cash
Amy Castro Baker has helped deliver promising data out of Stockton, California, about the effects of giving people no-strings-attached money every month. Now boosted by a new research center at Penn that she’ll colead, more cities are jumping on board.
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander: The first of many firsts
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander: The first of many firsts
Despite encountering racism, sexism, and bigotry to get her Penn education, Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander became the first Black woman in the U.S. to get her Ph.D. in economics, and was one of the first three Black women to get a doctorate in any subject.
In the News
The New York Times
How to get things done when you don’t want to do anything
Damon Centola of the Annenberg School for Communication authored a 2016 study that found competition can motivate behavioral change.
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U.S. News & World Report
How trust in science can make you vulnerable to ‘pseudoscience’
Research co-led by PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín found that those who trust science are more likely to believe and share false claims containing scientific references than those who do not. “A critical mindset can make you less gullible and make you less likely to believe in conspiracy theories,” she said.
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NPR
Afro-Cubans come out in droves to protest government
Amalia Dache of the Graduate School of Education spoke about the history of racial disparities and injustices in Cuba. “When we're thinking about global solidarity with Black people, especially right now, we need all hands on deck,” she said.
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USA Today
System failure: How federal laws shield sexual predators like Dr. Larry Nassar
Marci Hamilton of the School of Arts & Sciences wrote an opinion piece calling for President Biden to establish a national commission on child sex abuse in order to address the problem’s systemic factors.
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Fast Company
Want to go viral? Influencers won’t be much help if you’re trying to spread a complex idea
Damon Centola of the Annenberg School for Communication spoke about findings from his recent study showing that social influencers may be ineffective when it comes to changing people’s beliefs and behaviors. Rather, he said, “every network has a hidden social cluster in the outer edges that is perfectly poised to increase the spread of a new idea by several hundred percent.”
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