Michele W. Berger

Michele W. Berger is the editor of Omnia and director of news and publications for the School of Arts & Sciences Office of Advancement at the University of Pennsylvania. Previously she worked as a senior science writer for Penn Today, as a science and environment editor for The Weather Channel, and as an editor at Audubon magazine. 

A panel of 5 people sitting behind a table on a stage, with audience members below.
Centering Black History
Ahead of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, the McNeil Center for Early American Studies, the Library Company, and 1838 Black Metropolis collaborated on a conference about Black Philadelphia in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Five people standing in front of a sphinx
Winners of the Ninth Annual Penn Grad Talks (Video)
TED-style talks on crowdfunding in ancient Greece, gender gaps in political tolerance, shyness, opera singers and language, and how to know what you don’t know, took home the day’s top prizes.
Many names written in a ledger in cursive handwriting.
Modern Medicine and the History of Graverobbing
Using archival documents and primary source material in Philadelphia and Scotland, Catherine Sorrentino, C’25, uncovered what happened to society’s most vulnerable with the rise of “anatomical medicine.”
On the stage, four people sit in chairs and a fifth stands at a podium. Silohuetted heads are in the foreground. Above the four people sitting, a sign reads The Past and Future of Democracy, Penn Arts & Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
A Dialogue about the Past and Future of Democracy
Ben Talks NYC, which took place this year at the Times Center in front of a crowd of 270 people, featured Jeffrey Green and Michele Margolis of Political Science, Donovan Schaefer of Religious Studies, and Sophia Rosenfeld of History.
Two popes on a large stairwell speaking to each other. In the background, another person walks up the stairs.
Talking with Conclave’s Mike Jackman, C’85
The film, which Jackman produced, has been nominated for Best Picture and seven other Oscars. (It already took home Best Picture at the BAFTAs.) Fellow Penn Arts & Sciences alums Fred Berger, C’03, and Marc Platt, C’79, also received Best Picture bids for “A Complete Unknown” and “Wicked,” respectively.
At the top half of the image, a football that has Wilson and NFL on it. At the bottom half are two team logos, at left a KC for Kansas City Chiefs, at right an eagle head, the mascot for the Philadelphia Eagles.
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.
Justin McDaniel at Knowledge by the Slice.
Living Deliberately through Existential Despair (Video)
In a recent Knowledge by the Slice, Professor Justin McDaniel discusses the experiences from two of his Penn courses in which students take on “monastic” challenges and how unplugging from distractions can lead to unexpected breakthroughs and moments of clarity.
Old weathered paper with information hand-written on there, displaying a transcript with information about Martin Luther King Jr., including address, birth date, and three courses he took at Penn.
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.
A neon pink box with hands working on something inside the lit-up box.
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.
Karyl Charna Lynn
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.
Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology illuminated in blue, purple, and white lights
A Celebratory Dedication for the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology
The opening of the 112,500-square-foot space—now home to the Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology—marks the start of a new chapter in Penn’s study of energy science and the fight against climate change.
Jeff Kallberg playing a grand piano, with a manuscript and an open music book on top.
How Do You Authenticate a Long-Lost Chopin Waltz?
Jeffrey Kallberg, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music and incoming Interim Dean of Penn Arts & Sciences, recently helped verify the first major manuscript from the famous composer since the 1930s. Kallberg explains the intricate process.