Academics
Institutional racism and minimal recognition: Inside Du Bois’ complicated history at Penn
Legendary sociologist and writer W.E.B Du Bois notably worked at Penn over a century ago, and his legacy is celebrated at the University with the dorm that bears his name. But the experience of one of America's foremost Black thinkers at Penn is fraught with more discrimination than is often recognized.
Environmental justice panel discusses impact of climate change on marginalized communities
The panel, held at the LGBT Center by PennFems, Sister Sister, and Fossil Free Penn, featured climate activists discussing the intersections of racial and environmental justice.
Carmen Maria Machado reads excerpts from her memoir ‘In the Dream House’ at KWH
Machado is a writer in residence at Penn and a recipient of the Bard Fiction Prize for her work.
Penn senior wins Churchill Scholarship to study at Cambridge University
The scholarship grants one year of graduate study at University of Cambridge in England and is awarded annually to only fifteen students in the U.S. for “outstanding academic achievement” in science, mathematics, and engineering.
New School of Design degree program focuses on using robotics in architecture
Penn's Stuart Weitzman School of Design will offer a new degree program this fall that combines robotics and architectural design. The new program is known as Master of Science in Design: Robotics and Autonomous Systems (MSD-RAS), and it is one of the few architectural programs in the nation to use robots and artificial intelligence in design.
'Weapons of Math Destruction': NYT best-seller Cathy O'Neil talks data privacy breaches
O'Neil wrote The New York Times bestselling book, "Weapons of Math Destruction," which was assigned to all incoming members of the Class of 2023 last summer as part of the Penn Reading Project.
UA heads campaign to help students understand their academic rights
College senior and UA President Natasha Menon said the student government branches will create a document compiling all academic policies listed across different student handbooks from the four undergraduate schools by the end of February.
Wharton to continue actuarial science concentration for 3 years following student backlash
Although the actuarial science concentration was removed from Wharton's web homepage late last semester, the program is now expected to continue for three more years.
Pulitzer Prize finalist talks difficulties of writing plays about climate change at KWH
Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George cited several reasons why climate change is difficult to write about, including verb tense issues and the waste created by theatrical productions.
Penn receives $10 million to benefit first-generation, low-income students from NYC
The donation, made by 1992 College graduate Mindy Gray and 1992 College and Wharton graduate Jon Gray, will fund annual tuition and summer grants for 10 highly aided students from New York City.
Penn student and 2018 graduate win Marshall Scholarship
The grant funds up to three years of study at a college or university in the United Kingdom for up to 50 American postgraduates annually.
New research seminar will analyze narratives of living on the U.S.-Mexico border
The course will focus on social, political, and historical issues surrounding immigration on the United States-Mexico border.
Wharton will defund Public Policy Initiative and let go of at least two staff members
At a Dec. 5 meeting of PPI research scholars, Katzenbach said this money will be available until current funds run out, attendees said.
In new ABCS course, Penn students will teach moral philosophy to high schoolers
Students will spend a part of each class figuring out how to distill complex philosophical ideas, and they will then go to teach philosophy in a Philadelphia high school once a week.
Tutoring center merges with Weingarten to help centralize learning resource information
The Tutoring Center, which was previously an independent entity, became part of Weingarten last summer, joining the Office of Learning Resources and Student Disabilities Services.
Two Penn students and one graduate awarded Schwarzman Scholarship
This year’s recipients are Wharton senior Andrew Howard, master’s student Zinan Chen in the Graduate School of Education, and 2017 Wharton graduate Malik Abdul Majeed.
Penn students earned honorable mention for policy proposal at national Fed competition
The College Fed Challenge is a team competition hosted by the Federal Reserve for undergraduates where teams create monetary policy suggestions for the Fed.
Paideia program to launch new spring courses on grit, civil discourse, and Chinatown
The four new classes aim to equip students with the tools to have meaningful and respectful discussions on complex political issues, the program’s faculty director Michael Carpini said.
New Engineering ABCS course will promote energy education in Philadelphia high schools
As part of the course, students will teach a group of AP Environmental Science students at West Philadelphia High School about energy use and energy efficiency.