Can Sports Fandom Be a Religious Experience?
With the Philadelphia Eagles set to compete for the ultimate prize at Super Bowl LIX, Megan Robb, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, has noticed a “buzz of collective effervescence” in her Religion and Sports class, a space where students discuss ritual and ceremony, debate where sports and religion intersect—even meet the Eagles chaplain.

India, Floods, and Learning Outcomes
Research from PhD student Nazar Khalid, Professors Emily Hannum and Jere Behrman, and Senior Lecturer Amrit Thapa investigates how more intensive and frequent flooding is affecting young students in the country’s rural north.

The Missing Data Link
Whether decoding medieval manuscripts or analyzing national polling numbers, Penn’s 100-plus data scientists have plenty to talk about, and Penn Arts & Sciences’ Data Driven Discovery Initiative is leading the charge in fostering collaboration.

Uncovering Oscar Wilde’s Library
Sarah Pipkin, C’14, former Penn student turned London librarian, connected the dots to solve a century-old mystery about books belonging to the famous author. The discovery adds to our understanding of LGBTQ history.
One Moment: When Martin Luther King Jr. Studied Philosophy at Penn
The original record card listing the classes lives in the University Archives, a visual reminder of the time the 20-year-old future Civil Rights leader spent on campus.
The Monstrous and Mythical
In his book “Centaurs and Snake-Kings: Hybrids and the Greek Imagination,” Jeremy McInerney, Professor of Classical Studies, investigates the power of hybridity in myth.
A Welcome Message from Interim Dean Jeffrey Kallberg
Kallberg, who began his tenure as Interim Dean on January 1, reflects on the “impressive” way the School closed out 2024 and looks ahead to what comes next.
Natural Science, Social Science
Research Roundup: Fruit Fly Mating, Airbnbs and Crime, and More
In the first 2025 edition of this series, we examine “wing spreading,” how a popular homestay accommodation increased robberies in London, how to reduce votes lost in the mail, and spending on home care.
From Periodic Table to Libretto
Growing up the child of a famous scientist, Karyl Charna Lynn, CW’65, was expected to follow her father’s path. She pursued chemistry throughout her schooling, but when she started writing about opera, she knew she’d found her passion.
Print Edition
Fall/Winter 2024

This issue features leaders in the climate change fight, a look at the storied career of David Wallace and the evolution of Penn Arts & Sciences under Dean Fluharty, Quaker Quotes, a “genius grant,” and so much more.
Penn Arts & Sciences in the News
HuffPost
Experts Reveal The Hack That Will Help You Finally Tackle Your To-Do List
January 28, 2025
According to research from the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, scheduling time blocks with breaks to complete different tasks can help achieve the goals of a to-do list.
BBC
Decoding Melania Trump’s New Official Portrait
January 27, 2025
“She appears ready to wield more of the power that she seemed rather reluctant to embrace in her first stay at the White House,” says Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, Class of 1940 Bicentennial Term Associate Professor, who curated the exhibition “Every Eye is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States” at The National Portrait Gallery in 2020. “And yet, she has positioned herself firmly behind that ultra shiny table, keeping a bit of a boundary.”
Earth.com
Powerful Forces Have Made the Structure of the Universe Very “Messy”
January 25, 2025
A study from Mathew Madhavacheril, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, and graduate student Joshua Kim revealed that the distribution of matter in the cosmos is less clumpy than expected. “What we found was that, for the most part, the story of structure formation is remarkably consistent with the predictions from Einstein’s gravity,” says Madhavacheril.
BBC
How Biden Tarnished his Own Legacy
January 12, 2025
Associate Professor of History Brent Cebul argues that President Biden spent too much time on efforts that American workers wouldn’t feel for years. “The time horizon associated with those big pieces of legislation was way out of sync with the exigencies of the presidential election,” Cebul says.