Academics
There’s always something new going on at Penn’s four undergraduate schools and 12 graduate schools. Look here for information on upcoming academic initiatives, new classes and research conducted by professors and students.
Rodin illuminates gender payment gap among Penn faculty
On Monday at the White House Summit on Working Families, former University President and current President of the Rockefeller Foundation Judith Rodin shed light on the payment gap between male and female faculty members after she was asked if women always know and communicate their value.“When I was offered the Presidency of Penn...I think the board believed that I would and should feel extremely grateful,” Rodin said. “They offered me a salary and I went home overnight and started to get really angry.”
Senior design project turned startup helps keep you awake
Vigo helps its users stay awake by tracking eye and head movements with a device that attaches to the ear, which can vibrate, play a song or light up when it detects you’re getting tired. It also links to its own app, which can show users their energy patterns throughout the day and make suggestions for activities and food choices to ward off tiredness.
Study says health policy researchers steer clear of social media
Health policy researchers are reluctant to tap into social media to spread their findings, according to a recent Penn study. Moreover, their reluctance stems from a lack of confidence in web outlets.
Wealthy Brazilian banking family endows Wharton professorship
The Safra family, the second richest family in Brazil, celebrated the 20th reunion of 1994 Wharton graduate Ezra Safra through the professorship.
Vagelos insiders deem program successful despite high dropout rate
Vagelos alumni believe that statistics should not be the sole measurement of the program's success.Colbert Report doubles as crash course in campaign finance
Senior researcher at the Annenberg Public Policy Center Bruce Hardy and his team found that viewers of “The Colbert Report” were more knowledgeable about the finances of political campaigns than those who watched other news broadcasts by surveying 1,232 adults in the U.S. about SuperPACs — which are used to collect campaign funds — and tax exemption policies and comparing the different news programs each citizen watched.Penn research team finds that suicides most commonly occur at night
Led by Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program Director and Psychiatry professor Michael Perlis, the study determined that most suicides take place between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m. The findings were released in the wake of the Spring semester's two student suicides.
Marijuana might mess with sleep (or not)
The study showed that any history of marijuana use is linked to impaired sleep quality. While the study only demonstrates correlation, not causation, results suggest that those who began using marijuana in adolescence have a much higher risk of sleep impediments as adults than those who did not — although its senior study author said that other factors may play a role.
Faculty writers 'retreat' to rooftop lounge
Organized by faculty and funded by the two sponsoring schools, the retreat allowed 26 registered participants from 14 departments to focus uninterruptedly on their own writing. From 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. last week, participants gathered in the Rooftop Lounge of Harnwell College House where they spent each day writing with an hour break for lunch and socialization.
President Gutmann announces President's Engagement Prizes
Starting this year, seniors can apply for the President’s Engagement Prizes, which will provide up to three recipients with up to $150,000 to devise and implement a local, national or global engagement project during the year following their graduation from Penn.
M&T Alumnus donates $7.5 million to renovate the home of the Jerome Fisher Program
Larry Robbins graduated from the M&T program in 1992. His donation will fund a complete renovation of the M&T building and establish a fund to support the building's operations and management.Law students and professor draft new penal code for island nation
Penn Law professor Paul Robinson, the director of the Criminal Law Research Group and a leading global expert in criminal law, presented the Maldives Penal Code Project to the student group as one of its first projects.
Trading libraries for classrooms: Towne Library closes
Students and faculty continue to raise concerns over the closing of the math and engineering libraries, citing the importance of physical text.University announces Law Professor as inaugural director of Perry World House
Burke-White hopes the Perry World House will serve as the first physical location on Penn’s campus to connect international professors, students and researchers. The house will also host visiting scholars from all over the world as a "gateway to Penn for the world."For adjuncts, a disappointing academic experience
The replacement of tenure-track faculty positions with adjunct, or contingent, faculty positions at universities has gained significant public attention in the past year. Now, two organizations are targeting the perceived inequity that contingent faculty are facing.Historian to join Africana Studies department as a Presidential Professor
Williams, a prominent historian at University of North Carolina, studies African American slavery.Wharton's Writing for Work Challenge winners discuss business writing
Wharton senior Nikita Anand won best writer in the undergraduate writing competition.