Faculty
2024 Year in Review
As the calendar flips to 2025, we look back at a few of the dozens of stories we had the privilege of sharing this past year.
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.
Archaeological Science, Hands On
The Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials, a joint endeavor between Penn Arts & Sciences and the Penn Museum, celebrates 10 years of teaching students how to interpret the past in an interdisciplinary context.
A First-of-its-Kind Master’s Program for Police Leaders
The new graduate degree from the Department of Criminology and the College of Liberal & Professional Studies will begin next fall. It aims to teach evidence-based research to foster more equitable practices.
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.
Jeffrey Kallberg Named Interim Dean of Penn Arts & Sciences
Kallberg, Deputy Dean and William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Music, will step into the role as of January 1, 2025. Josephine Park, School of Arts and Sciences President’s Distinguished Professor of English, will succeed Kallberg as Associate Dean for Arts and Letters.
Omnia Podcast: Democracy and Decision 2024 Episode Six (Audio)
In our final episode of the season, PORES Executive Director Stephanie Perry speaks with Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science, about what a second Trump presidency means.
The Social Structures That Shape AI
There’s more hype than ever around artificial intelligence, but Assistant Professor of Sociology Benjamin Shestakofsky says it’s important to fully examine how the new technology fits into broader society.
Emergency Response
Solving the complex challenge that is climate change requires breadth in approach. Penn Arts & Sciences is positioned to lead.
Beyond the Policy Paper
PDRI-DevLab, only two years old, is on the ground in developing nations to generate better evidence that can influence real-world decisions.
Knowledge by the Slice: Election Roundtable (Video)
During this lunch-time conversation, which took place a little more than a week after the 2024 presidential election, faculty from the Department of Political Science examined the results, the general state of U.S. elections, and what comes next.
The Wallace Tales
David Wallace’s life has been guided by his love of medieval literature and his certainty that it has much to say to today’s world. But he finds time for a day at the races, too.
History of the Book
Whitney Trettien, associate professor of English and faculty director of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities, talks about the how books came to be and their continuing evolution.
What History Can Be
Assistant Professor Hardeep Dhillon’s first-year seminar explores the history of children in America while equipping students with foundational skills.
The Other Emissions Coming from Cars
Tiny tire particles discharge into the environment every time a vehicle brakes, accelerates, or rounds a curve. In a UN brief, geochemist Reto Gieré and colleagues aim to educate the world about this lesser-known environmental obstacle.