For many students the only exposure they have to Japanese culture is sushi and anime, but this summer rising College junior Aya Nakanishi is immersing herself deep into that nation's customs. Nakanishi, along with rising College senior Gurpreet Kalra, is about to embark on a month-long journey to Japan to participate in the 59th Japan-America Student Conference.

Usually, when someone from your alma mater calls, they're asking for a gift. But for men's soccer coach Rudy Fuller, it's Georgetown that's been doing the giving. The Penn coach has the Hoyas to thank for his college degree and his first coaching job, but the most recent gifts were just as helpful.

The Board of Trustees, Penn's highest governing body, met last week in Houston Hall to discuss issues ranging from globalization to renovating the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. In a series of meetings, the trustees mainly approved plans by University President Amy Gutmann and her administration as well as received updates on projects that are under way.

Study abroad programs across the United States may soon be expanding their horizons. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Foundation Act on June 5, and if approved by the Senate, the bill would authorize $80 million to aid U.

The advertisements for Product Red are nothing else if not striking. A faded blood-red background plays host to messages printed in broken black block font: "As first world consumers, we have tremendous power. What we collectively choose to buy, or not to buy, can change the course of life and history on this planet," one such ad reads.

From Botox and plastic surgery to red sports cars and Rogaine, it seems everybody wants to be younger. And while science has not uncovered a method to prevent aging altogether, stem cell scientists at Penn recently uncovered new information that may be useful in slowing down the aging process.

The construction of the Rosenthal Imaging and Treatment Center was completed last Thursday at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital located on 39th and Spruce streets. The new facility is expected to open sometime later this summer. RITC is the only oncology and imaging facility devoted entirely to veterinary medicine in Pennsylvania according to a press release by the Veterinary Hospital.

187,000Pounds of garbage a group says it collected from the slopes of Japan's Mount Fuji.Source: The Associated Press

The weaknesses on Darren Ambrose's women's soccer team are no secret. His squad managed only four goals in seven Ivy League games in what he called "a learning year," a constant source of frustration for a coach used to putting his teams near the top of the league.

Pencil it in: Quakers face NJIT on Jan. 5 Another piece of the men's basketball scheduling puzzle has been filled in. The New Jersey Institute of Technology announced its 2007-08 schedule earlier this week and it includes a Jan. 5 meeting with the Quakers.

Nintendo wants you to be its friend. With a marketing campaign geared toward a broad demographic of families and non-gamers, the company hopes to eschew the common conception of the solitary, non-social geek playing alone in his isolated dorm room. With a price tag of a mere $250, the company seems to want not only a bigger crowd, but a hipper one as well.

"Tradition breeds success." The older generation exudes it, the younger generation echoes it. This is perhaps how all things are done at Penn, a school rife with tradition - toast, ivy, and all. There may be no tradition in which Penn has been more nationally-recognized than the men's 800-meter race.

Every little boy dreams of one day being able to play professionally for his local team. Mark Zoller, a Blue Bell, Pa. native, recently took a step towards fulfilling this dream. The recent Penn grad and All-Ivy basketball player worked out on Tuesday with the Philadelphia 76ers at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

he Wharton School has awarded the Dean's Medal to Oscar Arias, president of Costa Rica. The Dean's Medal is the highest award given by Wharton. It was created in 1983 to recognize leaders in business, public service and academia who have successfully used their managerial talents to make a positive impact in people's lives.

For many Penn students, summer is the time to kick back, relax and bask in the warm weather. But not for everyone. This summer various Penn students are staying in Philadelphia in order to give back to the community. Joe Meissler, a rising College sophomore, spends his summer days raising money for cancer research by playing guitar for the Philadelphia-based ska band, The Brasshole Fiasco.

hat do Jerome Allen, Tim Begley, Ira Bowman, Michael Jordan, Mark Zoller and Ibrahim Jaaber have in common? They were all Quaker basketball greats, for one. But they also all hailed from either New Jersey or Southeastern Pennsylvania, and they were all recruited by Fran Dunphy.