A Ph.D. candidate in music, composer-pianist Ania Vu brings her Vietnamese roots, Polish upbringing, and experience studying in Americato her music compositions and poetic lyrics. She is now writing the music and the libretto of an original opera for her doctoral dissertation, to be premiered in Philadelphia.
Composing an interplay of music and language
A Ph.D. candidate in music, composer-pianist Ania Vu brings her Vietnamese roots, Polish upbringing, and experience studying in America to her music compositions and lyrics. She is now writing an original opera for her doctoral dissertation, to be premiered in Philadelphia.
(Homepage image) Five students portray Dohhkin Rai, a tiger demon that convinces villain Dhona to sacrifice his own nephew in exchange for riches from the forest. “There’s a lot being said about the nature of lust and greed, about forgiveness, and about the bonds between parent and child, human and non-human, and the Earth and those who dwell on it,” Sethi says.
From the page to the stage
In collaboration with author Amitav Ghosh, musician Ali Sethi, and Penn’s Brooke O’Harra, 14 students brought to life a parable Ghosh wrote about the world’s largest mangrove forest, human greed, and the environment.
Penn Electric Racing introduced their new race car, REV7, at the official unveiling on March 18.
Penn Electric Racing unveils new REV7 race car despite pandemic setbacks
During the pandemic, Penn Electric Racing virtually designed the REV7, an almost entirely new design from REV6. The team is slated to bring the REV7 to this year’s FSAE Michigan competition in May.
(Homepage image) Left to right: Carson Eckhard, Jessica Gooding, Terrance Lewis, Sarah Simon, and Natalia Rommen in Center City, Philadelphia, outside the Criminal Justice Center on the day of Jehmar Gladden’s hearing. (Image: Courtesy of Project HOPE)
Seeking justice, support for incarcerated Pennsylvanians
As winners of the 2021 President’s Engagement Prize, Carson Eckhard, Natalia Rommen, and Sarah Simon provide hope for wrongfully convicted people and a roadmap for inmates set for release.
One year in, Penn Museum Director Christopher Woods has continued to lead the massive transformation of the 135-year-old institution’s building while reevaluating the collection, expanding the staff, strengthening community engagement, and addressing sensitive issues through new policies.
Christopher Woods on his first year as director of the Penn Museum
Penn Museum Director Christopher Woods leads the massive transformation of the 135-year-old institution’s building while reevaluating the collection, expanding the staff and community engagement, and addressing sensitive issues through new policies.
(Homepage image) Participants in the Penn Global Seminar to the Galápagos Islands traveled over winter break to see first-hand the ecology, evolution, and natural history of Galápagos, along with the growing impact of humans on this fragile place. (Image: Courtesy of Penn Abroad)
Exploration awaits as Penn Abroad ramps up student trips
Two years after the pandemic forced Penn Abroad to brings students home, trips are back on and a busier-than-normal abroad schedule is coming in fall 2022.
Bill Cullina, director of the Morris Arboretum, poses inside the Arboretum's Victorian fernery in March 2022.
A ‘reawakening’ of interest in nature
In a Q&A with Penn Today, Morris Arboretum Director Bill Cullina discusses lessons taken from the pandemic, adapting to climate change, and future research.
The water tank for the Olua I community is now installed and fully operational, with 10 filling stations where community members can obtain clean water. In the coming weeks, Maji aims to finish fencing the area around the water tank and installing additional irrigation equipment. (Images: Martin Leet)
Changing lives in refugee communities through access to clean water
As winners of the 2021 President’s Engagement Prize, May graduates Martin Leet and Leah Voytovich co-founded Maji, a nonprofit organization dedicated to projects that support refugee initiatives in Uganda.
From left: Josephine Park, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Dagmawi Woubshet, pictured in conversation on March 16, 2022.
Pulitzer-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen speaks on migration and ‘multitudes’
In a wide-ranging conversation sponsored by the Wolf Humanities Center, author and professor Viet Thanh Nguyen visited Penn to discuss his work, representation, and more.
In a controlled field experiment on Penn’s campus, biologists tracked fruit fly evolution over the course of four months, documenting some of the fastest rates of adaptation ever in animals. (Image: Seth Rudman)
Rapid adaptation in fruit flies
New findings from School of Arts & Sciences biologists show that evolution—normally considered to be a gradual process—can occur in a matter of weeks in fruit flies in response to natural environmental change.
From left: Josephine Park, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Dagmawi Woubshet, pictured in conversation on March 16, 2022.
