A Unique—and Challenging—Moment in Time

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

By Blake Cole

I write to you during a unique moment in time. One that is challenging society as a whole, as well as changing the daily routine in academia, with faculty and students finding new and creative ways to learn and communicate. In this issue, you will read about how Penn Arts & Sciences is responding and adapting to the COVID-19 crisis with both the local and global community in mind, as well as get a firsthand glance at the impact the pandemic has had on our scholars.

You’ll learn more about how we’re addressing the pandemic from the perspectives of Steven J. Fluharty, Dean and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Psychology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience, and Paul Sniegowski, Stephen A. Levin Family Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Biology.

Penn Arts & Sciences scholars are stepping up to offer research and expert insight on the challenges we’re facing. In a special section called Confronting the Pandemic, you’ll find articles, interviews, and snapshots of events addressing topics related to the crisis. These include how society can work to protect individuals with fewer resources, how labs are maintaining their experiments, and how a class dedicated to infectious disease research is tracking the virus in real time.

Throughout the issue, you’ll see faculty and students introducing you to their new realities. An archaeology professor prepares for pauses in international research in “Ancient Armor, a Mysterious Royal Tomb, and a Pair of Massive Stone Gates at Gordion,” and an undergraduate works on election data analysis from his dining room table beside his younger sibling in “Penn Undergrads and Decision 2020.” In “Food and Farming During the COVID-19 Crisis,” a master of environmental studies student discusses the U.S. food supply and the challenges facing farmers, and in “Science/Fiction,” we profile a course taught by a doctoral candidate in English who shows that when it comes to science, communication matters.

Research beyond the pandemic continues, as our students and faculty engage in work that responds to the world around them. Whether it’s the continuing struggle to adapt to climate change in our cover story, “Between Critique and Action,” or child protection legislation in “David Versus Goliath,” the liberal arts remain vital in addressing a wide array of current issues.

As we face whatever challenges come next, we here at OMNIA continue to be dedicated to providing you a window into the critical research of Penn Arts & Sciences. Thanks for reading, and stay safe.