Faculty Archive

Before you set out for your next hike, make sure you bring sturdy boots, ample water, and an understanding of the cognitive underpinnings of your sense of direction.

In order to navigate successfully, your mind must work out two problems simultaneously: knowing your current location and understanding which direction you are facing. Most people think that locating themselves spatially is a single thought process, but the cognitive logistics are more complex than that, says Professor of Psychology Russell Epstein.

The Claw! Descending into a congregate of plush toys, the claw pulls out a single prize and isolates it from the pack. We are all familiar with the popular arcade game; now imagine such a mechanism put to use at the atomic level. Eric Schelter, associate professor of chemistry, has discovered a molecular claw can be handy for separating rare earth metals. 

A University of Pennsylvania research program has gathered together leading scholars and advocates representing strongly opposing views on today's most contentious church-state issues, not to forge a consensus, but to model how to disagree without being disagreeable, while identifying any unexpected common ground.

Rebecca Bushnell, School of Arts and Sciences Board of Overseers Professor of English, says video games can teach us a lot about what drives character development in theatrical plays.

Guthrie Ramsey, Jr., Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Music, discusses music biopic "Straight Outta Compton."

Melissa Wilde, Associate Professor of Sociology, discusses the Philadelphia papal visit.

Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Cullen Blake discusses the Pluto flyby and "Earth's twin."

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:

Economics Professor Dirk Krueger discusses the Greek fiscal crisis.

Professor of Psychology Robert Kurzban analyzes Pixar's "Inside Out."

Patricia M. Williams Term Professor in Biology Junhyong Kim navigates the complex computations of single-cell genomics.

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:

Two Penn Arts and Sciences faculty were recognized this year with the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, the University’s highest teaching honor. The recipients were Robert Ghrist, Andrea Mitchell University Professor in the Departments of Mathematics and Electrical and Systems Engineering, and Masao Sako, Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy.

The high-decibel incivility on political TV talk shows doesn’t only take a toll on public discourse. Diana Mutz says that these shout-fests also affect the human body in ways that change how people think about politics and politicians.

Could there be a Leonardo without Vinci? The Italian Renaissance master is so closely associated with his home city, located about 30 miles west of Florence, that his name and birthplace have become inextricable. Scholars have traditionally viewed this era’s painters and sculptors through the lens of place, as though they were rooted in a primary locale: Leonardo and Michelangelo are said to epitomize a “Florentine” style, Bellini is identified closely with Venice, and Raphael’s style is said to be “Roman.”

Imagine a world where solar cells are so efficient at harvesting light that solar energy becomes a primary means of generating electricity.

New center lets students get hands-on with Penn Museum’s vast collection

Brian Rose Works with Soldiers, Children, and Other Stakeholders to Save Humanity’s Cultural Heritage

Martha Farah can still remember the smell of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City’s Central Park: “I used to save up my allowance so I could take science classes there. I practically lived in the place.” For Farah, whose parents were both in the arts, wanting to become a scientist was a form of rebellion.

The Penn Program in Environmental Humanities brings together a wide range of experts for its Urban Nature, Natural City event.