Penn Law faculty react to formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump
On Sept. 24, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House will begin a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump over allegations that he pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Penn Law faculty provided their commentary on the announcement.
Stephen B. Burbank, the David Berger Professor for the Administration of Justice, writes, “The impeachment process is integral to the architecture our founders created for the preservation of democracy.”
Cary Coglianese, the Edward B. Shils Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science and director of the Penn Program on Regulation, writes that the allegations of presidential misconduct are deeply troubling, because “they implicate the most fundamental principles of constitutional government.”
Mark Nevitt, a Sharswood Fellow, calls the impeachment “an extraordinary step that matches an extraordinary allegation against a sitting President.”
On the move: Water quality and antimicrobial resistance testing goes mobile
Penn researchers have developed a mobile field laboratory allowing them to test water quality and track antimicrobial resistance in and around San Cristóbal in the Galápagos.
Penn researchers Vanessa and Alexis North are studying one of the largest collections of Egyptian blue objects ever found in the ancient Near East, shedding new light on how the world’s first synthetic pigment may have traveled far beyond Egypt.
A new role for dental providers? Rethinking where vaccines are given
Vaccinations have traditionally been administered in primary care settings or pharmacies. However, for about a decade, some states have authorized dentists to administer vaccines, and many others did so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effectiveness of this approach has led some countries and states to expand or consider expanding the role of dental providers in delivering routine vaccines, including those against COVID-19 and the human papillomavirus (HPV), and in providing vaccine education.
Penn student develops a way for computer chips to run more efficiently
Fluid Silicon, a platform from President’s Sustainability Prize winner Nhlanhla Mavuso, allows computer chips to continuously monitor their health and self-tune as their characteristics change. The technology has the potential to reduce energy usage in data centers and improve reliability in mission-critical applications.
