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The next step for Microfinance

For College senior Meher Rehman, microfinance is an imperfect method of empowering women in developing countries.

New fellowship to fund research projects in India

A Penn fellowship is breaking down geographic and financial barriers that surround researching abroad.

Double Legends

For several Penn students, the announcement of John Legend as commencement speaker felt like deja vu.

College evaluates History and Tradition sector requirement

As midterm season tumbles along, the College of Arts and Sciences is undergoing its own evaluation.

Penn joins interlibrary loan program with Japanese universities

If you are struggling to get to Van Pelt, think about those who travel to Japan to get their books.

A homework pass with a lifetime warranty

Two hardworking Columbia students figured out a way to never do their math homework again.

From English major to Hollywood power player

It’s not just Wharton graduates taking the lead in business.

Pottruck attendance mirrors class schedules

The post-New Year laziness is setting in.

Colonel Andrew Wilcox leads ROTC by example

Life lessons are at the top of the syllabus in Colonel Andrew Wilcox’s curriculum.

Penn alum wins Grammy

If you asked Tony Peebles to describe his life plan when he was a student, he would have summoned images of stiff suits, courtrooms and bar exams. Today, he is a Grammy award-winning musician.

SLAP backs John Hanger for Governor

The Student Labor Action Project is going on the campaign trail.

Professor Philip Rea recently won a fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science for his innovative teaching style and research. However, “teaching,” is not the word that Rea would use to describe his profession. “The art of teaching is sharing your passion for an area,” he said. He emphasized the importance of giving students “the opportunity to discover something for themselves.” Rea, who is also the director of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management, employs this philosophy in the classroom by teaching concepts and methods rather than having students memorize rote facts. In BIOL 402, a biochemistry course, a major portion of the grade is based on a take-home test. The theory behind this assignment is that it simulates the research setting, and “more often than not, the best idea happens when you are relaxed,” Rea explained. Teaching assistants are told not to penalize students for using the wrong terms if the method behind their work is correct. College senior Winona Wu, a two-time student of Rea’s, was inspired to pursue a major in biology because of the classes she took with him. “[He helps students] develop a strong curiosity about biology that moves us to want to learn more,” she said. “He’s not afraid to challenge his students,” College senior Sanjeethan Baksh added. “If you get a good grade, you really feel like you worked for it.” Wu also recalled Rea literally jumping around the lecture hall with excitement when she took his class. “He always seems really happy to be in the classroom.” Duke University biology professor and Chair of the Biological Sciences Divison of AAAS, Dennis Thiele, immediately thought of Rea when given the opportunity to nominate a distinguished scientist and teacher for the fellowship. “His work has resulted in discoveries that truly will stand the test of time,” Thiele said of Rea’s research in membrane transport. “His teaching and his research actually have synergized with each other,” he added. Rea is currently writing a biochemistry textbook that uses a problem-solving approach — similar to that which he uses in his own classes. He also has written and continues to write journalistic science pieces so that he can “illustrate to the lay person how interesting and beautiful [science] is,” he explained. “I consider Professor Rea to be the consummate professor,” Thiele said. “He does it all.”

Penn alum Stephen Glass denied law license

Stephen Glass, disgraced journalist and class of 1994 College graduate, has suffered an additional fall from grace.

Penn senior wins Churchill research scholarship

The add/drop period tends to be a time of scaling down on that fifth credit or maybe even an extra minor, but for Sarah Foster, one, even two majors, have just never been enough.

Penn Museum artifacts in danger of looting

In 1995, a team of archaeologists, led by current Near Eastern Language & Civilizations Department Chair Richard Zettler, discovered an Early Bronze Age tomb in Tell es-Sweyhat, Syria.

Penn researchers propose faster computer

Put down your smart phone. The next big thing in computer science is analog computing.

Faculty, students present latest technology at today's Gadget Day

Hipsters often boast about being on Instagram before it was cool, but the tech-savvy presenters of the biannual Gadget Day at Weigle Information Commons are actually ahead of the zeitgeist.

SLAP performs flash mob in McDonald's

Supersized sodas and Happy Meals weren’t the only things on the menu last night at the McDonald’s on 40th and Walnut streets. The Student Labor Action Project was serving up both dance moves and a message on workers’ rights.

DiIulio's ‘call to action’ hits home for students

“I believe you are the next great generation,” Political Science professor John DiIulio said last night in his keynote speech for Penn Political Coalition’s annual Political Action Week.

Clearing a trail for queer politics in Palestine

American news pundits rarely discuss queer politics and Israel-Palestine relations in the same breath, but Palestinian queer activist Haneen Maikey would argue that one cannot be separated from the other.