Campus & Community

In addition to academics, residential life plays an important role in Penn’s undergraduate learning experience. Before the construction of the Quad in 1894, Penn had maintained just a few small dorms because the majority of students were local residents who commuted to campus.

CIVICS 101: There’s a problem with what people know about government and civics—and that problem is that people know surprisingly little. According to national survey results released last fall from the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC), only 36 percent of respondents could name all three branches of government.

Penn tops the list of the 30 U.S. colleges and universities that use the most green power, according to the EPA’s Green Power Partnership program. The rankings, which are updated quarterly, include campuses with their own on-site, direct renewable energy and/or those whose electricity is supplied by green-powered partners.

Next month, Penn celebrates the launch of the Penn Wharton China Center (PWCC), which will serve as a bridge between Penn and China.

The 8th Annual Philly Spring Cleanup is set for Saturday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents are encouraged to do their part to keep Philadelphia clean and litter-free. For more info, go to www.philadelphiastreets. com/philly-spring-cleanup.

Samantha Power, the United States permanent representative to the United Nations, a member of President Obama’s cabinet, and a Pulitzer-prize winning author, will deliver the address at Penn’s 2015 Commencement on Monday, May 18. As U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Power works to advance U.S.

When you look in the mirror, your gaze takes in a human form. Yet the human body is comprised of 10 times more microbial cells than human ones. These single-celled organisms inhabit our skin, mucous membranes, and gut, and while they can often promote health, they can also lead to disease.

Ezekiel Dixon-Román, an assistant professor in the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), had an adventurous high school career, attending four different schools in three different states.

Last week, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Annual Meeting in San Jose, Calif., Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) Director Kathleen Hall Jamieson participated in a panel titled, “Scientists Communicating Challenging Iss