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Campus & Community
Cover story: An experimental era
Q&A/This spring the 6th floor of Van Pelt is celebrating Ben Franklin with an exhibit on Colonial education in the Delaware Valley. We talk to the library staff who brought “Educating the Youth of Pennsylvania” from a rough idea to a fully realized exhibit. “Charter schools today remind me a lot of what was going on during the Colonial period.”
Staff Q&A: Maria Tessa Sciarrino
STAFF Q&A/A booster for the local music scene, Maria Tessa Sciarrino can’t get enough of the Philadelphia sound. “I think it’s great that everybody’s getting the attention.” Maria Tessa Sciarrino studied photography in college, but admits she wasn’t the best student: “I was too busy going to concerts.”
Remains of the day
Q&A/Penn Museum’s keeper of physical anthropology talks about scanning mummies, making molds of Neanderthals and why human babies are born so small and helpless. “I’m one of those people who have crazy loves and I have a love for everything about evolution.”
Doctor of dialects
Q&A/After decades of groundbreaking work, linguist William Labov remains at the forefront of his field. His most far-reaching research, a comprehensive atlas of North American English, has just been published. “In almost every language change, there’s something going on underneath the hood.”
Staff Q&A: Parker Snowe
STAFF Q&A/Parker Snowe helps Wharton MBAs get immersed in global business. He also helps them park their bikes on campus. “It’s my way of saying, ‘This is the difference I can make.’” A year ago, after 15 years of bike commuting, Parker Snowe treated himself to a Brompton folding bicycle.
Food for Thought: "Café Nothing" at Penn's Arthur Ross Gallery
PHILADELPHIA -- In the tradition of the cafe as a place where ideas are raised and discussed, the Arthur Ross Gallery presents "Cafe Nothing," an open forum for visitors to interact with and respond to intangibles and nonexistent objects.
Penn Hosts "Effective Philanthropy in Challenging Times," A Week with Non-Profit Legend Richard Marker
PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice is hosting a week-long seminar on “Effective Philanthropy in Challenging Times,” featuring Richard Marker, a leader in the non-profit sector, from June 15 to 19.
Desmond Tutu, Wolf Blitzer, Ed Rendell Among Speakers at Penn Commencement Ceremonies
PHILADELPHIA Anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu, CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer and notable Penn alumni, including Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, are among the dignitaries who will address graduates at the various University of Pennsylvania commencement ceremonies May 18-19.
Penn Commencement Live on the Web
PHILADELPHIA Family and friends unable to attend Penn's 247th Commencement in person will be able to view the entire ceremony online thanks to a live Webcast. Coverage of the ceremony at Franklin Field from processional to recessional and all the pomp and circumstance in between will be broadcast live on the Internet beginning at 9 a.m. (EDT), Monday, May 19.
Desmond Tutu to Speak at Penn Commencement
PHILADELPHIA -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel laureate and one of the world's foremost Christian leaders to oppose apartheid in South Africa, will deliver the address at the 247th Commencement ceremony of the University of Pennsylvania May 19.
In the News
Penn student awarded Rhodes Scholarship to continue cancer research at Oxford University
College of Arts and Sciences fourth-year Om Gandhi from Barrington, Illinois, has been awarded a 2025 Rhodes Scholarship to continue his cancer research at Oxford University.
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Penn is offering free Narcan through vending machine on campus
A vending machine on Penn’s campus will offer free Narcan and other wellness and health products, with remarks from Jackie Recktenwald and Benoit Dubé of Wellness at Penn.
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A sneak peek inside Penn Engineering’s new $137.5M mass timber building
Amy Gutmann Hall aims to be Philadelphia’s next big hub for AI and innovation while setting a new standard for architectural sustainability.
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New building at University of Pennsylvania aims to become hub for AI research
Amy Gutmann Hall, set to open in early 2025, is dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence and data science.
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First look: Inside Penn’s new Amy Gutmann Hall, the region's largest mass timber building
Amy Gutmann Hall will be a catalyst for groundbreaking artificial intelligence research and collaboration across disciplines, with remarks from Dean Vijay Kumar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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