Issue Archive

Fall/Winter 2023

In this Omnia, we showcase how immersion enhances a liberal arts education and the hope Penn Arts & Sciences faculty feel even in the face of overwhelming climate change realities. We profile classicist Emily Wilson, who recently published a new translation of The Iliad; get to know Biology’s self-described “plant group” and the new Cinema & Media Studies Department; and learn what life is like in China today, more than three years after COVID lockdowns began. Plus, we highlight a course that teaches students fieldwork in West Philadelphia, learn about laughter, and so much more.

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Spring/Summer 2023

In this issue of OMNIA, we follow the path of Joseph Francisco from curious high school student to prominent chemist. We also spotlight Jason Schnittker, a medical sociologist studying the paradox of healthcare and prison; the growing field of disability studies; Ancient Rome’s rural poor; the science of being social; and ChatGPT. Plus, we highlight a course in which students tackle the subject of Russian identity, hear from a recent graduate who worked at a pharmacy during the pandemic, and more.

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Fall/Winter 2022

In this issue of OMNIA, we explore how living matter could impact everything from medicine to robotics. We also spotlight two interdisciplinary research initiatives that provide insight on worldwide climate disasters and water crises, learn how a fateful trip to Eastern Europe inspired a professor to pursue a career studying the impact of war, highlight an initiative that guides students in curating a digital portfolio, follow two students as they create detailed portraits of life around campus, and more.

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Spring/Summer 2022

In this issue of OMNIA, we examine how Penn Arts & Sciences is advancing knowledge about Asia and Asians. We also spotlight the multidisciplinary faculty of the Department of Criminology; explore how the Department of Biology is diversifying those honored in portraits; hear about the healing potential of nature; highlight an artistic collaboration that disrupts long-standing narratives about the Nile River and its exploration; and profile a researcher and his team’s examination of rhesus macaques, and how their social interactions can advance our understanding of decision-making and more.

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Fall/Winter 2021

In this issue of OMNIA, we speak with historians to get their nuanced take on how we can understand our past through the lens of the present. We also detail the exciting process of the discovery the largest comet on record, and retrace the careers of two scholars: a teacher and writer who has brought the gift of poetry and literature to the community, and a professor whose career in political science grew from activism. In addition, we learn why we need to put our faith in chemistry now, maybe more than ever.

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Spring/Summer 2021

In this issue of OMNIA we examine humankind's complex—and often harmful—relationship with our home: Earth. We also confront the ugly truth of inequality, exploring the nation’s complex history with race, and take a look at how decision-making impacts individuals during high-stress periods. In addition, we check in with students to see how they have adapted both socially and academically after more than a year into the pandemic.

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Fall/Winter 2020

In this issue of OMNIA, you get expert perspectives on issues that have demanded attention in 2020, from healthcare inequality to racial justice and the state of democracy. You can also read about a groundbreaking female chemist and how translators open new worlds of art and culture for English readers. We invite you to check out OMNIA’s new podcast series, In These Times, where you can hear directly from our faculty on topics including the development of quarantine practices in the 18th century, mourning rituals, and the relationship between policy and public health.

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Spring/Summer 2020

In this issue of OMNIA, our cover story highlights an interdisciplinary program that is using collaborative teaching and learning to tackle the continuing challenge of climate change. We also examine how our faculty are navigating the new world of big data using mapping, how a legal scholar is fighting institutional child abuse, how a faculty-led excavation at a historic site in central Turkey led to important new discoveries, and why connecting students with math early on is critical for developing mathematicians-to-be. Also included is a special section focused on how Penn Arts & Sciences is responding and adapting to the COVID-19 crisis.

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Fall/Winter 2019

In this issue of OMNIA, our cover story follows the career and community engagement of poet, musician, and literary scholar Herman Beavers, whose students work alongside local high schoolers and West Philadelphia residents to study the works of famous playwright August Wilson. We also examine political scientist Brendan O’Leary’s lifework, from aiding in peace negotiations in Northern Ireland to advising the Prime Minister of Kurdistan. Other features include: an exploration of an initiative that moves brain research out of the lab and into the community; a look at a small and select cohort of students committed to solving energy problems; a profile of a partnership which builds alliances to restore Indigenous knowledge; and a retrospective on David Rittenhouse Lab, the setting for myriad scientific breakthroughs since 1954.

Spring/Summer 2019

In this issue of OMNIA, our cover story, “Creating a Powerhouse for Energy Solutions,” gives readers a tour of the trailblazing research and bold initiatives that define our commitment to creating a sustainable planet. We also follow along on a quest to catalogue hundreds of books once looted by the Nazis, and a philosophy professor's initiative that is opening young minds in the community to a new kind of philosophical thinking. Other features include: the story of an economics professor’s founding of VoxChina.org, an examination of Fox Leadership International’s impact, a look into the unknown world of dark matter, and a check-in with alums to hear how an education from Penn Arts & Sciences helped them prepare for the industry of their choice.

Fall/Winter 2018

In this issue of OMNIA, our cover story, “Widening the Lens On Language Study,” sees faculty examining language to unravel mysteries of culture, cognition, and communication. In “The Healing Word,” an anthropologist embeds herself in communities stricken by violence to chronicle the humanity revealed during the aftermath. Also featured in this issue: “The Stories We Tell,” in which undergraduates dig into archival records to reframe Penn’s historical ties to slavery; “Launching Liberal Arts Careers,” which sees Professional Women’s Alliance connects female students with accomplished alumnae; and “From Cityscape to Lab Space,” wherein researchers across Penn Arts and Sciences are learning from and in Philadelphia.

Spring/Summer 2018

In this issue of OMNIA, our cover story, “A Virtual World for an Ancient Society,” explores a digital world that recreates and populates pre-Columbian agricultural societies. In “Prospecting Playbills,” we follow researchers as they create an archive of centuries-old playbills, and in "Breaking the Bank," an economist discusses the hot topic of cryptocurrency. It's all part of how Penn Arts and Sciences is using technology as a means to advance knowledge.

Fall/Winter 2017

In this issue of OMNIA, our cover story, “Water, Water Everywhere,” focuses on our most basic need and universal challenge: water. This includes access to safe drinking water, warming oceans, and strong infrastructure and storm protection.

In “Arts and Sciences in Action,” we cover the School's multi-pronged approach to issues within the global community. We also investigate the brain's natural GPS and how medieval manuscripts can be an educational tool on social media.

Spring/Summer 2017

In this issue of OMNIA, our cover story, “Perception is Reality—and Virtual Reality,” focuses in on a visual technology that promises to have a significant impact on research and everyday life. In “The Past, Present, and Future of Human Migration" our experts tackle questions about immigration and global inequality. And our alum piece, “A Summer Like No Other,” features prior interns from the RealArts @ Penn program, who give us an idea of the kind of impact the program had on their lives and careers.

Fall/Winter 2016

In this issue, Richard Berk uses big data to foresee the future, Arts and Sciences faculty discuss the fact, fiction, and future of artificial intelligence, and physicist Mark Devlin and his team of students harness cutting-edge technology to comb through the evolutionary history of the universe.

Spring/Summer 2016

Featuring stories on pioneering primate research, a political technology firm started on Penn's campus, one professor's journey from film scholar to filmmaker, preserving indigenous languages, how our brains know where we are, and why we care about Shakespeare.

Fall/Winter 2015

Featuring stories on managing a deluge of digital data, mass incarceration in the U.S., and the new Penn Program in the Environmental Humanities.

Spring/Summer 2015

Featuring stories on childhood inequality, preserving the past in a war zone, young College alumni in action, and poverty's impact on brain development.

Spring/Summer 2014

Fall/Winter 2013

Spring/Summer 2013