The Class of 2030 and transfer students were welcomed to Penn during the official ushering-in of Penn’s 287th academic year. Penn President J. Larry Jameson recalled “The Odyssey” in his speech, commemorating the moment as the launch of the students’ epic Penn journey. “As you chart your course, you will meet many fellow travelers: amazing Penn faculty, staff, coaches, mentors, alumni, and of course your peers,” remarked Jameson. “You are already off to a great start, and we are all here to help and ensure you succeed.”
The Weitzman School of Design welcomed former Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed and former Tulsa mayor G.T. Bynum as inaugural Impact Scholars, a U.S. fellowship designed for former local-level public executives who advance unfinished policy work, translate hard-won lessons into actionable guidance for other cities, and connect with the next generation of changemakers. “At a time when young Americans are expressing greater pessimism about civic life,” said Weitzman Dean Fritz Steiner, “it’s critical we connect them with public servants who are committed to transforming research into results.” (Image: Kait Privatera)
Campus staple Covenant, which is Penn’s largest sculpture, received a two-part conservation effort that supported the sculpture’s structural integrity and repainted the entire piece—restoring the sculpture’s bright-red sheen.
After a multi-phase renovation, all three of the Quadrangle’s college houses are open this fall. The renovation preserved the historic facility for decades to come while ushering in a slew of improvements that also target community and belonging at Penn. Says Jen Ciaccio of College Houses & Academic Services: “That means more than just updated student rooms—it means investing in informal lounges, shared kitchens, multipurpose rooms, technology within the spaces, and refreshed common areas where spontaneous connection actually happens.”
Four Penn alumni who’ve lived in the Quad spoke about four decades of life there. Describing social life at the historic Quad, University Architect Mark Kocent recalled having a volleyball party in the courtyard to celebrate his first child, while living with his wife in a faculty apartment in the Upper Quad. “Overall, it felt like living in a castle during the summer months,” Kocent said.
In a video message on the first day of classes, Penn President J. Larry Jameson welcomed new and returning students. He encouraged the Penn community to celebrate a variety of anniversaries at Penn this year—275 years of Pennsylvania Hospital, 150 years of women at Penn, and others—and thanked teams that continue to be hard at work on bringing the priorities of Penn Forward to life. He also emphasized a message that he says bears repeating: “Penn is better because you are here,” he said.
Students began their on-campus experience with a week of Move-In events as part of New Student Orientation (NSO). The series of NSO events for new and transfer students culminated in An Evening at the Constitution Center on Aug. 22.
Penn President J. Larry Jameson, Provost John L. Jackson Jr., and the Glee Club welcomed first-year and transfer students and their families to Penn on College Green. One audience member was Kathy Casto, a parent of first-year Marissa Casto, who is her second child to attend Penn. “We’ve seen firsthand the opportunities that the school offers,” she said.
In this photo collection, first-year students are pictured beginning their Penn journey during Move-In, with special appearances by Penn President J. Larry Jameson, the Penn Quaker, the Phillie Phanatic, Franklin the Dog, and members of the Penn Band.
Penn undergraduates looked back at how they found a sense of belonging at Penn—ranging from the SNF Paideia Program to Glee Club to mentorship. Victoria Largaespada-Tercero found a home away from home at Penn First Plus (P1P), particularly through P1P’s Gateway Student Mentorship Program, where she began as a mentee but has since become a mentor herself. “I feel like [P1P] made me more connected with Penn,” she said.
“Penn’s Sylvania: The Campus as Landscape,” a new book from the Weitzman School of Design, in association with the University of Pennsylvania Press, blends history, design, and environmental insight, inviting readers to see Penn’s campus—and campuses everywhere—in a new light. “This book was very much an interdisciplinary effort,” says Weitzman School Dean Fritz Steiner.
In a recent paper, Hongjun Song and Guo-li Ming of the Perelman School of Medicine show that micro-sized organoids—three-dimensional cultures of brain cells—could serve as a real-time mimic of patients’ brain tumors. “We call these avatars for testing cancer treatment,” says Song.
Whales are routinely located by analyzing when their calls reach underwater microphones. In a recent paper, oceanographer John Spiesberger and a colleague identified a theoretical wave-interference effect that can make the energy from sound waves outrun fundamental speed limits without breaking the rules of physics—findings could improve whale tracking. “Most of us don’t hear a whale call and think, ‘Wow, look at the special theory of relativity in action,” Spiesberger says. “I would have never guessed any connection existed.” (Image: Courtesy of Bryce Flynn / Getty)
A trio of Penn staff trained Philadelphia-based social media influencers to better understand the overlap between gun violence, online safety, and the social determinants of health. The trainings, part of the SAFELab’s Creator Institute for Violence Prevention, prepared creators to build an anti-violence campaign for local youth, including the “CUREiculum,” an interactive workshop series to be piloted in West and North Philadelphia public schools this fall.
Egyptian blue, the world’s first synthetic pigment, was used in Egyptian paint 5,000 years ago and later in the making of beads and vessels. Archaeometallurgist Vanessa Workman and museum conservator Alexis North are studying one of the largest collections of Egyptian blue objects found in the ancient Near East to trace the pigment’s spread beyond Egypt and what it reveals about how ancient humans moved and lived.
In the Washington Post, Anjan Chatterjee, a professor of neurology, psychology, and architecture in the Perelman School of Medicine, Chatterjee identified “homeyness” as one of three dimensions affecting the subjective experience of environments. “I suspect homeyness could apply when you think about dark studies or bars, especially if they’re paired with warm light like a fireplace,” he said.
6ABC reported on an AI-based tool designed to help identify autism in children. The tool, the Computerized Assessment of Motor Imitation (CAMI), assesses how children imitate on-screen movements. “This is a much more fine-grained motor assessment than is usually done in the current standardized test,” said Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor René Vidal.
