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Social Sciences

Recording oral histories in rural Uganda
A person being interviewed by Penn students in a Ugandan village.

Image: Courtesy of Penn Global

Recording oral histories in rural Uganda

As part of the Penn Global Seminar, Global Jewish Communities, 15 students traveled to rural Uganda in January to film oral histories that will become part of the Shoah Foundation archive.
Changing neighborhoods, changing times
Lance Freeman stands with hands in pockets outside of a building.

Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Lance Freeman, of the Weitzman School of Design and the School of Arts & Sciences, studies how people interact with the built environment. 

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Changing neighborhoods, changing times

Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Lance Freeman of the Weitzman School of Design and School of Arts & Sciences studies how people interact with the built environment.

Kristina García

Tracing the connections between Chinese high-speed rail and electric vehicle sales
Two bullet trains sit side-by-side in a silver-and-white train station. The train closest to the camera has red markings on the side and top.

China’s high-speed bullet trains like this one at a station in Beijing are a significant factor in boosting electric vehicle sales, a new research paper says. 

(Image: iStock/Nikada)

Tracing the connections between Chinese high-speed rail and electric vehicle sales

“Range anxiety” from electric vehicle owners can be alleviated by alternative transportation methods such as high-speed rail, Penn research shows.
Dolores Albarracín honored with BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award
Dolores Albarracin.

Image: Kyle Cassidy/Annenberg School for Communication

Dolores Albarracín honored with BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award

Albarracín, a PIK Professor with appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication and School of Arts & Sciences, is being recognized for increasing “our understanding of how attitudes can be changed, particularly with regard to persuasive messages.”
The story of the famed Salt Lake Tabernacle Organ
A tall gold-colored pipe organ stands above blue seats. The background is purple and blue.

The pipe organ in the LDS Church Tabernacle in Salt Lake City grew over time, expanding to more than 10,000 pipes in 1916.

(Image: Jon G. Fuller / VWPics via AP Images)

The story of the famed Salt Lake Tabernacle Organ

A new book from historian Jared Farmer traces the legacy of music and media in the LDS Church.
Angela Crumdy on the intersection of anthropology and education
Angela Crumdy.

Angela Crumdy is a Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow in Penn GSE’s Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems Division.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn GSE)

Angela Crumdy on the intersection of anthropology and education

The Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow in in Penn GSE’s Policy, Organizations, Leadership, and Systems Division conducts research and teaching on Cuban anthropology and education.

From Penn GSE

How a ‘conspiracy mindset’ promotes acceptance of vaccine misinformation, and how to counter it
Four friends holding their face masks in their hands looking at the phone.

Image: FilippoBacci via Getty Images

How a ‘conspiracy mindset’ promotes acceptance of vaccine misinformation, and how to counter it

A new paper from Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center analyzes data from three COVID-19 pandemic years and finds that those with conspiracy mindsets discount messages from sources they don’t trust; challenges to misinformation are most effective from their own trusted community.

From the Annenberg Public Policy Center

Celebrating the architectural legacy of Penn’s first Black architecture graduate
Peter Cook and J. Larry Jameson in front of a portrait of Julian Abele.

Peter Cook, a descendant of Julian Abele, and Interim Penn President J. Larry Jameson next to a newly unveiled framed portrait of Julian Abele that decorates Eisenlohr Hall. 

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Celebrating the architectural legacy of Penn’s first Black architecture graduate

At a gathering at Eisenlohr Hall, a portrait of renowned architect Julian Abele and a series of his paintings were unveiled, formally recognizing his design contributions to one of campus’ iconic structures.
Q&A on the German election results
The dome of a building is visible on the left. To the right, a striped black, red and yellow flag is flying on a pole. An inscription on the building reads: “Dem Deutschen Volke,” or “To the German People.”

The German flag flies in front of the Reichstag building the day after the German Bundestag elections were held.

(Image: Christophe Gateau/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Q&A on the German election results

Kristen Ghodsee of the Department of Russian and East European Studies discusses the outcome of the German parliamentary elections and the implications for Europe’s future.
Expert Voices 2025: Access to sustainable and affordable housing
Tiny homes under construction in Baltimore.

New development of affordable tiny houses in East Baltimore.

(Image: iStock/Robbie Becklund)

Expert Voices 2025: Access to sustainable and affordable housing

Twelve leading voices in housing policy, urban planning, and finance were asked to share their perspectives on the challenge of affordable housing in the country.

From Penn IUR