Penn Arts & Sciences

In an excerpt from his book “Fighting the Night,” Paul Hendrickson, Senior Lecturer of English, recounts the time his Nonna tried to prevent her son-in-law—Hendrickson’s dad—from being sent overseas, one of many tales about his father’s time during WWII.

Tags: Penn English Department

Reflecting on a Father s Wartime Experience | Omnia Faculty Reflecting on a Father’s Wartime Experience In this excerpt from his book “Fighting the Night,” Paul Hendrickson recounts the time his Nonna tried to prevent her son-in-law—Hendrickson’s dad—from being sent overseas, one of many tales about his father’s time during World War II...

P*K Prof. Lynn Meskell of Anthropology writes in the The Conversation US on her co-authored research which examined how locals in conflict zones feel about heritage sites being re-built after wars end, and who should do it. Her study with Benjamin Isakhan of Deakin University was published in the International Journal of Heritage Studies and surveyed 1,600 residents in the Syrian city of Aleppo about heritage restoration projects in their city. Aleppo saw untold amounts of human and heritage devastation during a conflict that spanned the years 2012–16.

Tags: The Anthropology Department at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Penn Museum

Reconstructing heritage after war: what we learned from asking 1,600 Syrians about rebuilding Aleppo Our findings aren’t only important for Syria. They also hold clues about how we might approach heritage restoration projects in other post-conflict sites.

A Penn team led by Mark Devlin, Reese W. Flower Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, is heavily involved in research at Simons Observatory in the Chilean Andes. The observatory, which just completed its main construction phase, will make some of the most precise measurements ever taken of the oldest light in the universe.

Their discovery would provide an unprecedented window into how the universe came to be and offer confirmation of the inflation theory, says Devlin. “A detection of primordial B-modes will tell us about the state of the universe in the first instants after its birth,” he says.

Tags: Penn Physics & Astronomy

Simons Observatory Begins Hunt for Echoes of the Big Bang in Universe’s Oldest Light Simons Observatory Begins Hunt for Echoes of the Big Bang in Universe’s Oldest Light on Simons Foundation

This Saturday (6/15), bring the whole family for a Juneteenth festival at the Penn Museum filled with joyful performance, live DJ sets, captivating storytelling, and hands-on activities for all ages. Support Black-owned businesses at a community marketplace or grab a bite from locally owned food trucks.

Event is free and open to the public. Advance registration is encouraged but not required: https://bit.ly/4b7okaB

Alums Vivian Lee, C’99, CGS’01, M’06, Michael Smith, C’91, and Jessica “Lulu” Lipman, C’22, were all English majors. At a panel this spring put on by the department, they discussed their paths to doctor, VP, and law student, respectively.

Tags: University of Pennsylvania

From English Major to Doctor Lawyer VP | Omnia Alumni From English Major to Doctor, Lawyer, VP At a panel put on by the Department of English, three alums discussed their career trajectories and how study in the humanities led them there. June 10, 2024 Vivian Lee, C’99, CGS’01, M’06, considers herself a Penn lifer, having done undergrad, m...

This fiscal year end, a new giving challenge will amplify the impact of your donation of any size. If 165 donors make an annual gift before June 30, 2024, an additional $20,000 will be provided to enhance our ability to support our core mission of teaching, learning, and pathbreaking research. Please join us in building a stronger future—together. Make your gift at www.sas.upenn.edu/gifts/annual.
University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences Penn Alumni

Research on "zombie-like" senescent cells in the brains of fruit flies, led by China N. Byrns in the Bonini lab, is paving the way for therapies to delay age-associated pathologies and potentially extend the health span of the brain.
University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences Penn Biology

Fruitful insights on the brain from research on flies | Penn Today Research led by China Byrns of the lab of Nancy M. Bonini in the School of Arts & Sciences have uncovered new details about the role of zombie-like cells in brain aging, using the fruit fly as a model.

New findings by Robyn Sanderson, Assistant Professor of Physics & Astronomy, and collaborators suggest galaxy’s last major collision was billions of years later than previously thought.

“The controversy is about when the Milky Way took in these stars,” Sanderson says. “Our study shows some stars, thought to be from an old merger, couldn’t be. The pattern that we see them forming would have changed or faded away by now.”

Tags: Penn Physics & Astronomy

Researchers upend theory about the formation of the Milky Way Galaxy | Penn Today New findings by Robyn Sanderson and collaborators suggest galaxy’s last major collision was billions of years later than previously thought.

In The Hill, John DiIulio, Frederic Fox Leadership Professor of Politics, Religion, and Civil Society, and John Bridgeland of the Office of American Possibilities, argue for a National Endowment for Sacred and Civic Places.

Save America’s sacred places for civic purposes Public action combined with private energy is urgently needed to save iconic religious properties and all the good works their leaders, members and volunteers do for needy people of all faiths (and…

A poster signed by Adam West, a Charlie Chaplin figure, and a Star Trek Enterprise bottle opener. Learn more about Jean-Christophe Cloutier, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature, in the latest Office Artifacts.

Tags: Penn English Department

Office Artifacts Jean Christophe Cloutier | Omnia Faculty Office Artifacts: Jean-Christophe Cloutier Discover the stories behind six prized items in the office of Cloutier, Associate Professor of English, including a poster signed by Adam West, a Charlie Chaplin figure, and a Star Trek Enterprise bottle opener. June 5, 2024 Image 1. Autographed Ada...

Adrian Raine, Richard Perry University Professor of Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology, and Lia Brodrick of Penn Medicine have found that omega-3 supplements may reduce violent behavior. “Omega-3 is not a magic bullet that is going to completely solve the problem of violence in society. But can it help? Based on these findings, we firmly believe it can, and we should start to act on the new knowledge we have,” said Raine.

University of Pennsylvania Penn Medicine Newsweek

Daily omega-3 supplements may change your behavior, scientists reveal Roughly one in 13 American adults takes these supplements—could they be improving our behavior as a society?

A research team led by J. D. Porter, Digital Humanities Project Specialist at the Price Lab for Digital Humanities, says Romance is the “juggernaut” of contemporary literature. “Romance is a larger component of the broader literary field than literary critics estimate, and it deserves study because of its complexity,” Porter says.
University of Pennsylvania

Measuring readers of romance | Penn Today Researchers at Penn's Price Lab for Digital Humanities conducted a quantitative analysis of the romance genre, studying thousands of avid readers and the hundreds of thousands of books in their collections in Goodreads

Prof. Carol Ann Muller of Music contributes to a sampling of South African jazz recordings from the past 50 years compiled by musicians, poets and scholars in The New York Times.

Tags: University of Pennsylvania Department of Music

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love South African Jazz (Gift Article) The country has a rich, original relationship to jazz, with American techniques layered into regional traditions and rhythms. Explore 50 years of recordings picked by musicians, poets and writers.

Classicist Emily Wilson writes about author Anne Carson, her use of myths, and her latest book, in The Nation Magazine.

"But in Wrong Norma, more than in her earlier work, Carson is also interested in the connections that join the social fabric together and the places where it frays."
University of Pennsylvania

The Myths of Anne Carson Throughout her long and prolific career, Carson has specialized in unexpected juxtapositions between modern life and ancient times, contemporary art and the literature of the past. 

This fiscal year end, a new giving challenge will amplify the impact of your donation of any size. If 165 donors make an annual gift before June 30, 2024, an additional $20,000 will be provided to enhance our ability to support our core mission of teaching, learning, and pathbreaking research. Please join us in building a stronger future—together. Make your gift at www.sas.upenn.edu/gifts/annual. University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences Penn Alumni

Part of the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities, My Climate Story asks people how they've seen climate change affect their lives. Now campus correspondents will gather climate stories and promote climate literacy at 12 colleges across the country.
https://bit.ly/3x32uam
University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences

Breanna Moore, C'15, a current Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History, is co-chair of the Philadelphia Reparations Task Force. The 10-member committee is tasked with developing a report to the city on how reparations could look in Philadelphia, from the city, state, and national governments.

A new task force is studying what reparations would look like in Philadelphia. Here’s what to know A 10-member committee will study the possibility of reparations in Philadelphia.

For three decades, the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies has fostered and shared research on Jewish studies. A concert marking its 30th anniversary took place in April, with performances including one by Galeet Dardashti (pictured), an anthropologist, musician, and recent Katz Center fellow.

The Next Generation of Scholars | Omnia Faculty “The Next Generation of Scholars” For three decades, the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies has worked to foster research on Jewish studies and share it with the world. May 29, 2024 When Galeet Dardashti sang during a concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of Penn’s Herbert D. K...

As part of the spring course Domenic Vitiello of the Weitzman School of Design and School of Arts & Sciences led students on a trip exploring Sicily’s capital and its eras of colonization, imperial rule, Mafia, and migration.

Penn Global Seminar offers a look at Italy’s Palermo in Empires, Migrations, and Mafia | Penn Today

Beth Linker, Professor and Chair of History and Sociology of Science, discusses posture-correcting products in Business Insider. Her new book, "Slouch," examines the history and stigma against "bad" posture in the United States.

"What I show in the book is that there have been a few studies that indicate that there isn't solid scientific evidence to show that a person who slouches more is more likely to have back pain," says Linker.

Taylor Swift's posture-correcting bra costs $185. A posture historian shares why she's skeptical of 'one-size-fits-all' solutions. Beth Linker, author of "Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America," says one-step posture-fixing products aren't the best solution

Positioned for Success, a program launched by recent grads Taussia Boadi, C'24, and Cheryl Nnadi, C'24, was a 2023 Projects for Progress winner and provides academic support to middle school students affected by gun violence.

“We wanted to give these kids a support system outside of their home or school network by bringing in college students who look like them, who are high achievers and who have come very far despite their background,” says Boadi, who just graduated with a degree in sociology. “We wanted to let the kids that we’re mentoring know that they, too, can overcome and they, too, can fulfill their goals and dreams and achieve the things that they want to achieve.”

Positioned for Success | Penn Today The program, launched by recent College of Arts and Sciences grads Taussia Boadi and Cheryl Nnadi, was a 2023 Projects for Progress winner and provides academic support to middle school students affected by gun violence.

A new meta-analysis by neurocriminologist Adrian Raine shows that omega-3 supplementation can reduce aggressive behavior across age and gender.

Read more in Penn Today: https://bit.ly/4dYFwlp

As part of the inaugural Wiki Education Humanities & Social Justice Advisory Committee, Heather J. Sharkey, Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, will continue working to improve Wikipedia content on historically underrepresented topics.

Enhancing Representational Equity on Wikipedia | Omnia Faculty Enhancing “Representational Equity” on Wikipedia As part of the inaugural Wiki Education Humanities & Social Justice Advisory Committee, Heather J. Sharkey, Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, will continue working to improve Wikipedia content on historically underrepr...

In a NY Times op-ed, P*K Professor and Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel and Harun Küçük, Associate Professor of History and Sociology of Science, argue for the value of liberal arts education—especially reading and discussing the so-called “Great Books”—as a way to foster informed citizenship. They write, “These books are best studied in small seminar discussions, which model and inculcate in students democratic behavior. This discourse is an antidote to the grandstanding in today’s media and social media.”
University of Pennsylvania The New York Times

Opinion | Higher Education Needs More Socrates and Plato The liberal arts are fading just when we need them most.

Joshua Plotkin, Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor of the Natural Sciences, and postdoctoral researchers Mari Kawakatsu and Taylor A. Kessinger are looking at the role gossip plays in regulating social behavior.

“The study of the spread of social information and the study of the evolution of cooperative behavior are very mature fields, but there hasn’t been as much work done to combine those,” says Kawakatsu. https://bit.ly/4axtw7G

University of Pennsylvania Penn Biology

Thirteen from Penn were awarded Fulbright 2024 U.S. Student Program grants, including at least 10 from the College of Arts & Sciences.

Penn students and alumni awarded Fulbright 2024 U.S. Student Program grants | Penn Today Thirteen Penn students and alumni have been offered Fulbright grants for the 2024-25 academic year. They will conduct research, pursue graduate degrees, or teach English in a dozen nations.

In a recent episode of the Ideas Podcast, Beth Linker, Samuel H. Preston Endowed Term Professor in the Social Sciences, discuses her new book “Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America.”

Ideas Podcast: Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America A compelling history that mixes seriousness and humor, Slouch is a unique and provocative account of the unexpected origins of our largely unquestioned ideas about bad posture.

Hardeep Dhillon studies the history of U.S. immigration and border enforcement, along with the laws and legal practices that shape immigrant lives. In a Q&A, she explains the significance of the Immigration Act of 1924 and how it continues to shape American laws and more.
https://bit.ly/3ywlXAE
University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences University of Pennsylvania History Department

Projects designed by Penn Arts & Sciences students and faculty are among those to receive a Project for Progress grant from The Office of Social Equity and Community at Penn. The West Philadelphia Sanctuary and CROPS for HEALING will each get up to $100,000 and will embark within six months.
University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences

Fourth cohort of Projects for Progress recipients announced | Penn Today The initiative, run out of the Office of Social Equity and Community, provides University funding up to $100,000 each to Penn teams taking on big social justice issues in the city.

In this excerpt from his book “Fighting the Night,” Paul Hendrickson, Senior Lecturer in the Department of English, recounts the time his Nonna tried to prevent her son-in-law—Hendrickson’s dad—from being sent overseas, one of many tales about his father’s time during World War II.

Tags: Penn English Department

Reflecting on a Father’s Wartime Experience In this excerpt from his book “Fighting the Night,” Paul Hendrickson recounts the time his Nonna tried to prevent her son-in-law—Hendrickson’s dad—from being sent overseas, one of many tales about his father’s time during World War II.