Faculty

How Is a Cicada Like an Oak Tree? (And Why You Should Care)

Daniel Janzen, DiMaura Professor in Biology, on why cicadas (and wildebeests, salmon, and oak trees) act that way.

OMNIA Q&A: The Long Courtship and Bad Breakup of the U.S. and Iran

John Ghazvinian, Executive Director of the Middle East Center, on his new book, which covers 300 years of U.S.-Iran relations.

Oil, Oil Everywhere

Researchers in the Goldberg group, including Karen Goldberg, Vagelos Professor in Energy Research, and Drew Newman, doctoral candidate in chemistry, focus on alternative fuel sources for items that are part of everyday life.

The Sounds of Silence

Eugene Lew, Lecturer and Director of Sound and Music Technology in the Department of Music, reflects on a year without live performances.

The Night Sky Is the Limit

Physicist Bhuvnesh Jain on how big data is transforming not only the study of the universe, but much of academia.

The Virtual 60-Second Lectures: Spring 2021 Roundup (Video)

Lecture topics range from "What Makes a Photograph Memorable?" to "Comics' Lessons for Pandemic Living."

Whether Forecasting

Joseph Kable, Baird Term Professor of Psychology and Director of MindCORE, studies the brain activity that drives decision-making.

Season Two of the Omnia Podcast: In These Times

Black Lives and the Call for Justice

Shifting the Conversation

Josephine Nock-Hee Park, Professor of English and Director of the Asian American Studies Program, on anti-Asian racism and community response.

The World at Our Feet

It’s our tiny oasis in a vast universe, and it’s feeling fragile. Five faculty give us the latest on Earth and its prospects.

The Power of Poetry

After Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem captured attention, the director of Kelly Writers House reflects on what poetry can do.

Research Partnership with Ashoka University

The Critical Writing Program, led by Valerie Ross, Director of the Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing, has begun a new research collaboration with Ashoka University in India.

Seeing Clearly Through the Fog of War

In a new book, M. Susan Lindee, Janice and Julian Bers Professor of History and Sociology of Science, explores the interplay between scientific progress and violence in modern war.

Lessons Learned

After a year of teaching online, Penn Arts & Sciences faculty reflect on how they’ve made it work.