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Looking to the past to understand the impacts of human land use in South Asia
R. Ramesh adjusts measuring tape at archaeological site.

R. Ramesh, assisting superintending archaeologist at the Archaeological Survey of India, adjusted a measuring tape at an archaeological site in India before he and Penn's Kathleen Morrison took samples for paleoenvironmental analysis from a Neolithic (3000-1200 BCE) deposit. 

(Image: Courtesy of Kathleen Morrison)

Looking to the past to understand the impacts of human land use in South Asia

An international group of scholars, including archaeologists from the School of Arts & Sciences, synthesized archaeological evidence in South Asia from 12,000 and 6,000 years ago.

5 min. read

Penn prepares to mark America’s 250th birthday
A brick building with white windows is seen against a blue sky. An American flag flies to the left, and a clock sits in the cupola at the center.

Penn is planning two years of events around the Semiquincentennial theme, which marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall.

(Image: iStock/Pgiam)

Penn prepares to mark America’s 250th birthday

Next year, the nation will celebrate the Semiquincentennial marking the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In the lead up to celebrations, Penn faculty, staff, and students will have a role to play.
Senior thesis explores Bayard Rustin’s civil rights vision
A man stands in a stairwell leaning on the banister.

Connor Nakamura’s senior thesis traces Bayard Rustin’s life from 1955 to 1965, including his focus on creating economic opportunity.

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Senior thesis explores Bayard Rustin’s civil rights vision

Fourth-year Connor Nakamura’s research delves into Rustin’s life, work, and legacy as a thinker and leader.
A rare on-campus assignment for preservation students holds ‘small revelations’
A historic black and white photo of Penn’s Weitzman Hall.

One of the photographs of Weitzman Hall made by historic preservation student Kate Whitney-Schubb and submitted to the Library of Congress for the Historic American Buildings Survey.

(Image: Courtesy of Weitzman News)

A rare on-campus assignment for preservation students holds ‘small revelations’

Weitzman historical preservation students were able to use a campus building slated to be altered for its class focus, which changed the stakes of the project and the approach students took to documenting the historic building.

From the Weitzman School of Design

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. 

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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.