Katherine Watkins
Recent articles
Change by Us Philly engages local community
Change by Us Philly, a new social interactive media tool launched by the city of Philadelphia three weeks ago, will allow social activists the opportunity to become more engaged with the local community.
College graduate and two sophomores plan launch of hi! app
Next March, College and Wharton sophomore Daniel White will launch hi!, a downloadable mobile application designed to allow Penn students with similar interests to connect with each other.
Campus cars provide convenience
In addition to popular car-sharing services such as Zipcar and PhillyCarShare, some students bring their own vehicles to campus.
Coursekit officially launches in classroom
After being beta-tested in over 80 courses at 30 different universities nationwide, Coursekit — a course management site created by three Penn students that hopes to compete with Blackboard — officially launches to the public today.
Center City offers alternative housing options
Students wanting to escape “the Penn bubble” or find cheaper housing often look to Center City for a place to live.
Netter Center farm to bring affordable produce to West Philadelphia
The Netter Center’s Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative — in partnership with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Bartram’s Garden and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation — is helping transform 3.5 acres of land into a farm and community garden.
Twitter provides medical insight, research says
Two recent Perelman School of Medicine studies look at how social media — particularly Twitter — can be used to help save lives and disseminate information relating to cardiac arrest.
Student to build many apps in one year
College sophomore Dan Shipper wants to create as many apps as he can this year. So far, he has released 12 apps with varying levels of success.
Penn Press to launch e-books in January
Penn Press is about to join the digital world with plans to launch over 400 e-books in January. At launch, the books will be available as PDFs with the ability to download them to devices and print a chapter at a time.
Penn considers Blackboard alternative Sakai
Sakai, still in the early stages of development, may be an alternative to the course management program Blackboard. Sakai is currently being tested in 24 courses across the University.
Penn Course Review launches new website
A new version of the Penn Course Review website launches today, just in time for the start of the advance registration period.
StartUp Academy matches students with growing business
StartUp Academy, launched this month through Bain Capital Ventures, matches students with a startup company. Although students often find startups a “risky” place to work, Bain matches students with companies they believe are “growing,” such as SurveyMonkey and Rent the Runway.
UPstart turns Penn inventions into companies
Since it launched in May 2010, the UPstart program at Penn has helped over 50 different faculty members turn their inventions into developing companies.
Facebook connects local businesses, Penn students
Business around campus, such as Blarney Stone and Lee’s Hoagie House, are using Facebook and other social media sites to interact with Penn students. Partly responsible for the trend is Little Guys Consulting, LLC, which was founded by two Penn athletes and has 15 clients in the Philadelphia area.
For two Penn alumni, online flower business is blossoming
Last April, the two former software engineers launched H.Bloom, an online subscription-oriented flower company that offers customers the opportunity to have fresh flowers delivered to their door.
Artists network through Muse de Philly
Three undergraduates have created Muse de Philly, a website for artists in the Philadelphia area. Artists can create profiles, upload their work and interact with other members.
Online dating gains popularity at Penn
DateMySchool, an online dating website that targets college students, launched at Penn in August.
Students react to Animal Welfare Act violations
A former Penn Vet student wasn’t surprised by reports of violations of the Animal Welfare Act; meanwhile, University officials responded to criticisms.
Penn tops Ivy League in animal research violations
Penn is accused of a high number of repeat and severe violations of the Animal Welfare Act in a report by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Finding fame on the internet
Aspiring models, musicians and photographers have a new platform to market their talents thanks to Famocracy, a website recently launched by two undergraduates.
