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.
Penn researchers propose faster computer
Put down your smart phone. The next big thing in computer science is analog computing.Former Wharton vice dean to leave Penn
Georgette Phillips will become the dean of Lehigh University’s business school effective July 1.Students advance petition for dance credit
Several professors and the petition’s leader said that the plan to create these types of classes needs to be made more concrete before they can be successfully implemented in the curriculum.
Penn libraries receive a collection of books on Japanese art and culture
The gift of more than 1,300 books came from Shirley and Marilyn Luber, wife and daughter of the late 1940 Wharton graduate and renowned Philadelphia art collector Gilbert Luber.Penn study finds too many images hurt purchase intent
A recent study published in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that while images of products appeal to online shoppers, customers are likely to decide against a purchase if they are overwhelmed by too many images.Research suggests memories are linked to locations
Penn professor Michael Kahana’s research found a link between episodic memory, “what happened when,” with spatial memory, or “what happened where.”
Writer of Friday Night Lights to speak and teach at the Kelly Writers House
The Fellows program brings three distinguished writers, or “fellows,” to Penn’s campus every spring. The program includes a class, known as the Fellows seminar, and a public reading.
Study looks at psychological impact of Penn sorority recruitment
The research focuses on two angles: the factors that affect a student’s decision to participate in recruitment, and its effects on the student’s perceived social support.
Paleobiology program defies extinction at Penn
Paleobiology is a small concentration in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science allows students to pursue research in related to the Earth before the emergence of humans.Students petition for dance class credit
Penn is the only school in the Ivy League that does not offer dance courses.History of Science Society awards Penn prof for his book
John Tresch, professor of the history and sociology of science, was recently awarded the 2013 Pfizer Award for Best Scholarly Book from the History of Science Society.GSE study finds promise in minority-serving institutions
Minority-serving institutions are schools that work to provide education for students of color, specifically low-income students or students of underrepresented minorities.
Study: MOOC students are highly educated, job-oriented
A new study, published last week by Penn researchers in the journal Nature, shows that students who have taken online classes on Coursera have been highly educated and career-oriented.No Rhodes Scholars from Penn for fourth straight year
The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships has, in the past, attributed Penn’s lack of Rhodes Scholars to the desire of the Rhodes Trust to find students from outside the Ivies.Cross discipline research can be blocked by bureaucracy
While interdisciplinary research blends disciplines to address real world problems, at Penn, logistics often lessens the amount of it.
Malcolm Gladwell talks misfits and underdogs
Last night, Authors@Wharton brought bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell to speak as part of the ongoing speaker series, where he discussed the basis of his latest book.Penn researchers take the lead in Dark Energy Survey
Several Penn researchers have been involved in a project whose goal is to analyze why the universe is expanding contrary to the laws of gravity.