12.8
Education, Business, & Law
Breaking the bank
Economics professor Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde reveals that Bitcoin is not the first private currency in history, and may face regulation in the future.
Science fiction or the future of trucking?
Driverless trucks seem like science fiction, part of a far-off world where robots and humans live and work side by side.
One-fifth of homeless youth are victims of human trafficking
A new study highlights the pipeline from abuse to homelessness to sex trafficking among youth in Philadelphia, D.C., and Phoenix, the largest study to date on human trafficking and teens.
The human story of coal’s downturn
A forthcoming report from the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy will offer a range of strategies to directly impact the economic and mental health crisis in coal country.
Student startups on view
On Friday, April 27, University students with innovative startups will join with investors for the Penn Wharton Startup Showcase.
Restored Robbins House celebrates collaborative M&T spirit
The 200 or so students in the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology didn’t just need a workspace, they needed a home. And with the newly renovated Robbins House, they got one.
Three years on: A look at the Penn Wharton China Center
The impact of the Beijing-based center and research fund has been far-reaching on campus and in China.
Tackling blindness with nanotechnology
To tackle blindness caused by open angle glaucoma, Brandon Kao, Rui Jing Jiang, and Adarsh Battu came up with Visiplate, a nanoscale ocular implant that shunts away excess fluid.
How to help children at risk for abuse
Resources are available to protect kids from systemic child abuse. The executive director at Penn’s Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice and Research has insight and advice for everyone to help keep kids and communities safe.
Sorenson talks gun violence prevention at March for Science
At the second annual March for Science in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, April 14, Susan B. Sorenson of the School of Social Policy and Practice spoke about gun violence prevention.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Trump-friendly Newsmax bundled into Comcast’s Xfinity service
The Annenberg School for Communication’s Victor Pickard discussed conservative news channel Newsmax and its recent deal with Comcast. If Comcast is “feeling the heat from the right, it will make sense to appease some of those critics,” said Pickard.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Philly affirms commitment to slashing emissions as study shows global increase
Christine Simeone of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy spoke about cities and states’ continued efforts in the fight against climate change. “In the absence of a national strategy, the state and local strategies actually become much more important,” said Simeone.
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CNN
Why workplace loneliness is bad for business
The Wharton School’s Sigal Barsade discussed workplace friendships and the negative effects of loneliness on job performance. Loneliness can spread, Barsade cautioned. “We catch emotions from each other like viruses.”
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NBC News
What the T.M. Landry Prep scandal reveals about race, stereotypes and inequality in American education
The School of Arts and Sciences’ Camille Zubrinksy Charles offered commentary on the Landry Prep scandal, saying that the administrators’ “slick sales pitch” relied on racial stereotypes to win over parents and the media.
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Vox.com
Black Friday is longer, and tamer, than ever
The Wharton School’s Barbara Kahn explained why Black Friday seems to start earlier and last longer each year. “When someone is offering 50 percent discounts from 10 to 11 on Friday, you can offer 51 percent from 9 to 10 on Friday. That competitive response will cause the creeping behavior — it’s getting earlier and earlier — because you want [customers] to buy from you instead of the competition,” said Kahn.
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