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The monstrous and mythical
An ancient bronze bust of a centaur.

'Man and Centaur,' bronze, circa 750 BC.

(Image: Metropolitan Museum of Art)

The monstrous and mythical

In his book “Centaurs and Snake-Kings: Hybrids and the Greek Imagination,” Jeremy McInerney, professor of classical studies in the School of Arts & Sciences, investigates the power of hybridity in myth.

Blake Cole

Can sports fandom be a religious experience?
A football on a field atop a Kansas City and Eagles logo.

Image: Courtesy of Omnia

Can sports fandom be a religious experience?

With the Philadelphia Eagles set to compete for the ultimate prize at Super Bowl LIX, religious studies professor Megan Robb has noticed a 'buzz of collective effervescence' in her Religion and Sports class, a space where students discuss ritual and ceremony, and debate where sports and religion intersect.

Michele W. Berger

Nurturing a love for math
A young student writing a math equation on a white board.

Image: iStock/gorodenkoff

Nurturing a love for math

A new book by Penn mathematics professor Robin Pemantle and longtime math teacher Henri Picciotto offers middle and high school educators actionable materials and invites reflection and connection across disciplines.

Lauren Rebecca Thacker

Turning the desert into an oasis
People gather around a large map placed on the floor.

In Senegal, the ambitious Dakar Greenbelt project seeks to create an extensive network of ecological infrastructure in and around the city to sustainably address environmental concerns and enhance urban life. With support from David Gouverneur and Ellen Neises, Ph.D. candidate Rob Levinthal in the Weitzman School of Design led two courses that included a field trip to Dakar, that culminated in students presenting their visions for parts of the Greenbelt.

(Image: Courtesy of Chaowu Li)

Turning the desert into an oasis

Students from the Weitzman School of Design journeyed to Senegal to help with a massive ecological and infrastructural greening effort as part of their coursework. The Dakar Greenbelt aims to combat desertification and promote sustainable urban growth.
Gobhanu Sasankar Korisepati is making an impact around the world
Gobhanu Korisepati standing with his arms crossed.

Korisepati is involved in many student clubs on campus, including as president of Penn Microfinance. 

nocred

Gobhanu Sasankar Korisepati is making an impact around the world

Gobhanu Sasankar Korisepati co-founded the international microfinancing nonprofit Sustaining Women in Financial Turmoil while in high school, and, as a student at Penn, he continues as executive chairman.
Weitzman’s Jules Dingle on social and environmental sustainability
Jules Dingle.

Architect and professor of practice of historic preservation at the Weitzman School Jules Dingle.

nocred

Weitzman’s Jules Dingle on social and environmental sustainability

The Philadelphia architect and professor of practice in historic preservation joined the Weitzman School in the fall.

From the Weitzman School of Design

An online resource for learners across the Italian language community
Blurred figures of people walk across a public square in Milano, Italy.

The Italian language learning tool PRIMA was developed by faculty at Penn to help show students the diversity in Italian language and culture.

(Image: iStock/LeoPatrizi)

An online resource for learners across the Italian language community

The Pedagogical Repository for Italian Media Activities, or PRIMA, helps students and faculty explore Italian language and culture by using voices and imagery that better represent the culture.
Nelson Flores looks back on decades of bilingual education
Two middle school students in a classroom.

Image: iStock/diego_cervo

Nelson Flores looks back on decades of bilingual education

Flores, a professor in Penn’s Graduate School of Education, uncovers why Latinx students have tested as underperforming in academic language for decades due to education policy and societal constraints.

From Penn GSE

Restoring at-risk Assyrian cultural heritage
An ancient cuneiform tablet.

Cuneiform inscriptions on a kudurru (stone monument), which dates to 797 BCE, found by Penn Museum and Iraqi archaeologists at Nimrud, Iraq.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Museum)

Restoring at-risk Assyrian cultural heritage

Archaeologists from Penn Museum and Iraq have recovered remarkably preserved shrines from a temple in northern Iraq.
The quest to find actionable data for policymakers in developing countries
Cocoa farming in Ghana.

In Ghana, a team led by associate professor of practice Heather Huntington is working with many partners to support “deforestation-free cocoa,” which could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon sequestration, and help cocoa farmers up their productivity and resilience.

(Image: Courtesy of Heather Huntington)

The quest to find actionable data for policymakers in developing countries

A collaboration between the Penn Development Research Initiative and the DevLab@Penn is on the ground in developing nations to generate better evidence that can influence real-world decisions.

From Omnia