A new study by Penn's School of Medicine developed a test to detect Alzheimer's disease in patients in its early stages, before the disease's symptoms start to manifest. Led by Leslie Shaw, the co-director of the Penn Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative Biomarker Core, the study was published online in the journal Annals of Neurology this month.

This Wednesday, the Graduate and Professional School Assembly will vote to pass a proposal that aims to establish a "campus climate survey" that polls student perceptions about campus education and student life. While GAPSA has polled students in the past, the group aims to involve the administration in the process to ensure its repetition and longevity.

"If the wars of the 20th century were fought over oil, the wars of the 21st century will be fought over water," said University of Miami School of Communications professor Sanjeev Chatterjee in discussing his motivations for creating One Water, a documentary about the world's water crisis.

Tiredness, rewards, status: it's all in the head, three research studies say. Michael Halassa, a doctoral student in the School of Medicine's neuroscience department, and Philip Haydon, Halassa's former mentor and a professor at Tufts University, collaborated to study astrocyte cells in the brain and their impact on animal sleep behavior.

On March 11, a state House committee approved House Bill 300, which, if passed in the Senate, will ban discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in Pennsylvania. The bill addresses discrimination in public spheres such as employment, housing, credit and public accommodations.

The city's vital services will remain intact but not without tough cuts and revenue increases, Mayor Michael Nutter announced yesterday when he presented his five-year budget plan to the City Council. The city faces a $1.4-billion budget deficit owing largely to the global economic crisis manifested in falling business and real-estate tax revenues and losses in the city's pension fund.

History professor and Penn Civic Scholars Program faculty director Walter Licht has lived in West Philadelphia since 1977, when he began teaching at Penn. For Licht, living in the area offered city living with the perks of low prices and more space. "I am an urban person," said Licht, who grew up in Brooklyn.

In September 2008, Classical Studies professor Campbell Grey went on paternity leave to welcome a new child into his family. The move was not unusual for a Penn professor, as the University has moved towards policies that acknowledge the ability of both mothers and fathers to take charge of early parenting.

As admissions officers sift through applications this spring, some schools' choices may be more limited than they were last year. Many private colleges - especially top liberal arts schools - saw declines in application numbers this year, which admissions experts attribute to both the economic downturn and a natural fluctuation in the admissions cycle.

Philly Diner and the University recently agreed to shorten the restaurant's hours of operation in response to a shooting that occurred outside the diner last month. The diner - located in a University-owned building at 3901 Walnut St. - will close at 2 a.

A fire in the Chestnut Hall apartment building, located at 3900 Chestnut St., caused an evacuation early this morning. The fire was reported at about 5:10 a.m., according to Division of Public Safety spokeswoman Stef Cella. Penn and Philadelphia Police officers and the Philadelphia Fire Department arrived on the scene shortly afterward, and the Fire Department extinguished the fire.

New coffee shop Lovers and Madmen seeks to mirror its philosophy in its name: to provide a venue that caters to passionate people. Manager Megan Powers said she chose the coffee shop's name to "convey the same passion and intensity" from the scene in Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream.

Walking 36 holes - nearly nine miles total - while carrying heavy clubs and still keeping a competitive attitude is a tough challenge, but Lisette Vitter is confident her team can handle it. "I think our team can do it, I think we're all very hard workers," the Penn women's golf captain said.

This year, you might not have to sign up for FlingSafe to actually fling safely. After last year's Spring Fling upgrade, which included an increased budget and a larger performing venue, the Social Planning and Events Committee expects a similar packed party - just one with better crowd control.

Yesterday, the School of Veterinary Medicine celebrated its 125th anniversary with the third-annual Phi Zeta Student Research Day at Hill Pavilion. The event highlighted student research and included a keynote speech and the induction of new members into the Phi Zeta Veterinary Honor Society.

Does faith create practice or does practice create faith? Does the authorship of a religious work matter most or is our personal experience of the work more important?

If you were guaranteed an internship in the industry of your choice, would you pay for it? At the University of Dreams, students do exactly that. After College senior Jackie Newman couldn't find an internship on her own last summer, she turned to University of Dreams and landed a job at Vidicom, a media and public-relations company in New York.