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 professors call Hobby Lobby decision a "setback for women's healthcare"
Medical Ethics and Health Policy professor Jennifer Prah Ruger and Law School professor Theodore Ruger teamed up with Boston University professor George Annas to write an article released in the New England Journal of Medicine. They discuss the controversial five to four Hobby Lobby decision and argue that drugs and devices critical to health should be universally available.
Penn researchers develop technology to improve computer networks
Boon Thau Loo co-founded Gencore Systems with former Penn students from his research group after six years of research on computer networks improvement.
Alum's $10 million gift will launch new Kleinman Center for energy policy
Scott Kleinman, a 1994 College and Wharton graduate, donated $10 million to create the new Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. Launching this fall, the center will serve as a forum to unite researchers and stakeholders, facilitating the creation of real energy policy. It will also host visiting speakers, conferences and interdisciplinary classes.Wharton professors say online learning adapts to student needs
In a recent study, two Wharton professors said that online learning and "Supertext" — the technology embedded in massive open online courses provides perks to the learning process but doubt it will displace the traditional classroom system.
A glass of wine a day may not keep the doctor away
Penn faculty contributed to a British study that found that drinking less wine is more beneficial to cardiovascular health.Penn to lead project to restore memory loss
Teams at Penn and the University of California, Los Angeles will receive a total of $37.5 million to create memory-restoring neuroprosthetic devices.
Class design projects intervene in public spaces
Foundations of Art Design and Digital Culture, a class taught by Design professor David Comberg, recently finished up a summer session project in which each creation had to intervene in a public place.
Study: 3D mammography more effective than traditional method
The study, published in the June 25 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, was conducted on about half a million women — the largest study yet to measure on the effectiveness of tomosynthesis.
Rodin illuminates gender payment gap among Penn faculty
On Monday at the White House Summit on Working Families, former University President and current President of the Rockefeller Foundation Judith Rodin shed light on the payment gap between male and female faculty members after she was asked if women always know and communicate their value.“When I was offered the Presidency of Penn...I think the board believed that I would and should feel extremely grateful,” Rodin said. “They offered me a salary and I went home overnight and started to get really angry.”
Senior design project turned startup helps keep you awake
Vigo helps its users stay awake by tracking eye and head movements with a device that attaches to the ear, which can vibrate, play a song or light up when it detects you’re getting tired. It also links to its own app, which can show users their energy patterns throughout the day and make suggestions for activities and food choices to ward off tiredness.
Study says health policy researchers steer clear of social media
Health policy researchers are reluctant to tap into social media to spread their findings, according to a recent Penn study. Moreover, their reluctance stems from a lack of confidence in web outlets.
Wealthy Brazilian banking family endows Wharton professorship
The Safra family, the second richest family in Brazil, celebrated the 20th reunion of 1994 Wharton graduate Ezra Safra through the professorship.
Vagelos insiders deem program successful despite high dropout rate
Vagelos alumni believe that statistics should not be the sole measurement of the program's success.Colbert Report doubles as crash course in campaign finance
Senior researcher at the Annenberg Public Policy Center Bruce Hardy and his team found that viewers of “The Colbert Report” were more knowledgeable about the finances of political campaigns than those who watched other news broadcasts by surveying 1,232 adults in the U.S. about SuperPACs — which are used to collect campaign funds — and tax exemption policies and comparing the different news programs each citizen watched.Penn research team finds that suicides most commonly occur at night
Led by Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program Director and Psychiatry professor Michael Perlis, the study determined that most suicides take place between the hours of midnight and 6:00 a.m. The findings were released in the wake of the Spring semester's two student suicides.
Marijuana might mess with sleep (or not)
The study showed that any history of marijuana use is linked to impaired sleep quality. While the study only demonstrates correlation, not causation, results suggest that those who began using marijuana in adolescence have a much higher risk of sleep impediments as adults than those who did not — although its senior study author said that other factors may play a role.
Faculty writers 'retreat' to rooftop lounge
Organized by faculty and funded by the two sponsoring schools, the retreat allowed 26 registered participants from 14 departments to focus uninterruptedly on their own writing. From 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. last week, participants gathered in the Rooftop Lounge of Harnwell College House where they spent each day writing with an hour break for lunch and socialization.
President Gutmann announces President's Engagement Prizes
Starting this year, seniors can apply for the President’s Engagement Prizes, which will provide up to three recipients with up to $150,000 to devise and implement a local, national or global engagement project during the year following their graduation from Penn.