Student Archive

This past December the U.S. Supreme Court began debating Fisher v. University of Texas, in which a white college applicant who was denied admission sued, accusing the university of having an affirmative action policy that gives preference to racial minorities.

Picture Earth in a frame. It looks unassuming, a fleck against a black interstellar backdrop, yet the image likely evokes some reaction. Now imagine this view from space.

Astronauts who experience Earth from orbit often report feeling awe and wonder. Penn research fellows David Yaden, LPS’12, and Johannes Eichstaedt, LPS’11, GR’22, and intern Jonathan Iwry, C’14, from Penn’s Positive Psychology Center, along with researchers from Harvard, Thomas Jefferson University, and NASA, are studying this “overview effect” to better understand such emotions.

The word “translation” comes from the Latin for “bearing across”—a bridge from one language to another. But a look at Penn’s student-run magazine DoubleSpeak reveals it can also mean much more than that.

DoubleSpeak features original translations of poetry and essays about translation, culture, and bilingualism. It was launched in 2011 by a group of undergraduates led by Ross Karlan, C’14.

Over 100 third- and fourth-graders from the Cornerstone Christian Academy and Beulah Baptist Christian Day School spent a morning on the Penn campus “judging” hands-on science activities developed by students at Penn, including undergraduate Biological Basis of Behavior (BBB) program majors and graduate students in
neuroscience.

Emma Harrison, a doctoral candidate in earth and environmental science, examines the role of these natural excavators in topsoil stability.

Doctoral candidates Roksana Filipowska and Maria Murphy create a series of workshops that explore sound technologies and their impact on our daily lives.

Two college seniors are headed for Oxford University after graduation.

Michael Lobman, C'17, the 2015-16 Penn Plays Fellowship Winner for his original play "Mirrors," discusses writing for theatre versus screenwriting.

From heart valves to vapor deposition, Sharika Bamezai, C'18, and Eric Chen, C'18, ENG'17, present their research at the College of Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Research Poster Exhibit.

VIPER scholar David Lim, C’16, E’16, is looking for ways to make computers work better.

The Penn Program in the Environmental Humanities bridges disciplines

John Tellis, a doctoral candidate in chemistry, was one of three winners of the 2015 Reaxys Ph.D. Prize, given at an annual symposium held at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Sponsored by Elsevier, a provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, the Reaxys prize recognizes innovative and original research in chemistry, with an emphasis on synthesis. The prize is the world’s most prestigious award for young chemists; the 2015 winners were chosen from a field of almost 450 entrants.

Penn-in-Cannes Program Inspires Adventurous Scholarship

Ashlin Oglesby-Neal, political science and criminology major, immerses herself in the culture of San Juan La Laguna.

Ruby O’Lexy, biology graduate student, is studying how plants deal with agricultural stresses like heavy metal toxicity.

Economics Ph.D. candidate Yanhao Wei is researching the concept of "social credit scoring."

Dee Luo, C'16, pushes the limits of personalized medicine.

History of Art doctoral candidate Heather Hughes is using the Dreesmann Fellowship at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum to study 17th-century costume prints—and get a head start on curating.

Featured below is a sample of talks from this year's 60-Second Slam, a annual lecture-off held during Penn's Alumni Weekend. This month's featured lectures include:

Amy Summer and Kurt Koehler, student interns sponsored by the Center for the Advanced Study of India, blog about their experiences.