Penn Today covered the news, events, research, and impact around campus, as it has since 2018, with a mix of reportage, storytelling, and impactful photos and videos. Featured is a roundup of some of the most iconic images and videos from stories throughout the 2024-25 academic year, ranging from celebrations of Amy Gutmann Hall and the Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology to the Penn Aerial Robots club’s electric aircraft competition.
Mark Dingfield was named executive vice president at Penn, effective August 2025. He previously served as vice president for finance and treasurer. “Mark is a principled, dynamic leader who brings intellectual rigor, financial acumen, and an instinct for collaboration,” said Penn President J. Larry Jameson. “He understands the mission and complexity of Penn and the opportunities it creates.” Dingfield succeeds Craig Carnaroli.
Nineteen Penn students and alumni have been offered Fulbright Program awards for the 2025-26 academic year; six are members of the Class of 2025 and three are current graduate students. Penn consistently ranks as a Top-Producing Institution among those with the highest number of candidates selected for the program.
David Meaney was named vice provost for research at Penn, effective Aug. 1. He was previously senior associate dean for faculty development and strategic initiatives and is the inaugural Solomon R. Pollack Professor of Bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. “[Meaney] has an exciting and expansive vision for the future of research, which will be more important than ever as our strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, calls us to lead on the great challenges of our time, accelerating interdisciplinary innovation across our campus and our city,” said Provost John L. Jackson Jr.
Penn launched the Penn Wrestling Lasting Legacy of Excellence Campaign with a landmark $20 million gift from former University Trustee and alumnus Dave Pottruck, who was also a former wrestling and football student-athlete. “A former varsity wrestler, Dave has launched the fundraising initiative to propel Penn Wrestling into the future with a generous gift that will provide resources to help the team compete at the highest level,” said Penn President J. Larry Jameson. “We are deeply grateful for his continued leadership and philanthropy.” (Image: Courtesy of EwingCole)
The Institute of Contemporary Art announced Johanna Burton as its Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director, effective Nov. 1. Burton joins Penn from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, where she serves as director. “Johanna Burton is among the most prominent and insightful leaders in contemporary art,” said Provost John L. Jackson Jr. “She has wide-ranging experience working with artists across media, mentoring curators, collaborating with students and faculty, and energetically drawing new audiences to art institutions on both coasts.” (Image: Erin Leland)
Researchers at Penn have created a new type of 3D-printed concrete made from diatomaceous earth that has enhanced carbon capture. This design reduces the amount of material needed. “The moment we stopped thinking about concrete as static and started seeing it as dynamic—as something that reacts to its environment—we opened up a whole new world of possibilities,” says Shu Yang of the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Lynn Meskell, a Penn Integrates Knowledge professor with joint appointments in the School of Arts & Sciences, the Weitzman School of Design, and Penn Museum, was elected to the British Academy. The British Academy brings together more than 1,800 world-leading scholars in the humanities and social sciences from the U.K. and overseas. She is one of 92 new Fellows.
Stephen Decina was named the inaugural executive director of climate science, policy, and action. “Steve Decina has a distinguished record of accomplishment in both the science and policy spheres,” said Michael Mann, vice provost for climate science, policy, and action, a position created in 2024 as a key component of In Principle and Practice. “I am very excited about him joining our team here at Penn as we move forward with a bold agenda on climate and sustainability.”
Penn researchers, in partnership with New York University, built a device that mimics human bone marrow and immune response. The team’s microscope slide-sized “leukemia-on-a-chip” is the first laboratory device to successfully combine both the physical structure of bone marrow and a functioning human immune system—an advance that could dramatically accelerate new immunotherapy development. (Image: NYU Tandon Applied Micro-Bioengineering Laboratory/Courtesy of Weiqiang Chen)
Sally Willig, a lecturer in the Master of Environmental Studies (MES) program, led students on six Sunday field trips for Regional Field Ecology, a class that provides hands-on, foundational knowledge for its students about the varied environments and plants of the region. MES student Sarah Luddy says whereas she previously saw “a blend of green” in nature, now “things pop out more.”
Jennifer Morton, the Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Philosophy in the School of Arts & Sciences with a secondary appointment in the Graduate School of Education, discussed growing up in Peru and how it shaped her research interests as a philosopher at the intersection of education, sociology, economics, politics, and more. She often writes publicly about her work. “Penn is a great place to do public philosophy. It stems from the fact that many people in the philosophy department at Penn are doing interdisciplinary work,” Morton says.
Peter Fixler, lead arborist at the Morris Arboretum & Gardens, discussed caring for old trees, current research at the Morris, and staying fit for the job. “Industrial athletes are what we’re called,” Fixler says. “Someone said that at a show, and I think it’s a good description because there’s no cheating this. You cannot enter this profession out of shape and do well, or you’re going to get hurt.”
Organized by recent Penn alum Timethius Terrell on the Community Advisory Board of the Penn Center for AIDS Research, the newly launched Red Ribbon Connect program is a monthly virtual exchange for HIV/AIDS researchers at Penn to swap insights and perspectives from around the globe. The program also provides researchers from other countries with, Terrell says, “the wealth of expertise that we have been able to build [at Penn].” (Image: Elliot Sipila)
In a Q&A, Daniel Smith, an associate professor of political science in the School of Arts & Sciences who specializes in Japan, discussed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s loss of a majority in the Diet after the most recent parliamentary elections—and what happens next. (Image: The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images)