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Who, What, Why: Discovering Jewish identity through Yiddish studies
A student in a red long sleeved shirt stands with arms crossed leaning against the wall atop a staircase.

Tyler Kliem, a third-year in the College of Arts & Sciences from Hamilton, New Jersey, is majoring in comparative literature and design.

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  • Who, What, Why

    • Who, What, Why: Discovering Jewish identity through Yiddish studies

    Third-year Tyler Kliem has used his Yiddish and Ladino studies as a steppingstone to connect with his Jewish heritage.

    Kristen de Groot

    Who, What, Why: Tess Kuracina tends to the ‘BioPond,’ a beloved campus oasis
    Person poses by the Biopond on Penn's campus

    The BioPond, as it’s widely known, sits amid campus buildings, offering a place of respite for both the Penn community and the broader West Philadelphia community. Its accessibility sets it apart from many botanical gardens, Kuracina says.

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    Who, What, Why: Tess Kuracina tends to the ‘BioPond,’ a beloved campus oasis

    As garden supervisor for the treasured green space formally known as the James G. Kaskey Memorial Park, Kuracina plans, plants, waters, and weeds, aiming to make it ‘more beautiful and special every year.’

    Katherine Unger Baillie

    Making moves with Lucas Monroe
    Lucas Monroe stands under the hoop at the Palestra holding a basketball at his side.

    Image: Eric Sucar

    Making moves with Lucas Monroe

    The fourth-year guard discusses what he loves about basketball, the history of the game, his social justice work, and his plans for the future.
    States with high COVID-19 death rates also saw high mortality from other causes
    Illustration of COVID-19, made by drawing in red circular orbs with match-like objects sticking out around all of them.

    Image: iStock/hatchakorn Srisook

    States with high COVID-19 death rates also saw high mortality from other causes

    Research from Penn, Boston University, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that between March 2020 and February 2021 non-COVID deaths accounted for some 20% of excess mortality.

    Michele W. Berger

    Does more money correlate with greater happiness?
    Illustration of a person holding a brief case bounding up stacks of money. Dollar signs float all around and one appears in a large circular coin at the bottom right.

    Image: iStock/uniquepixel

    Does more money correlate with greater happiness?

    Reconciling previously contradictory results, researchers from Penn and Princeton find a steady association between larger incomes and greater happiness for most people but a rise and plateau for an unhappy minority.

    Michele W. Berger

    Tracing public opinion on global issues
    Tom Etienne with students sitting outside.

    Doctoral student Tom Etienne with students from his cohort.

    (Image: Courtesy of Annenberg School for Communication)

    Tracing public opinion on global issues

    Tom Etienne, a joint doctoral student at the Annenberg School for Communication and the Department of Political Science, uses his skills in data collection to analyze political opinions.

    From Annenberg School for Communication

    The war in Ukraine: One year on
    A graveyard is covered in Ukrainian flags and large displays of flowers.

    A woman searches for the grave of her husband, a Ukrainian serviceman killed in the Bakhmut area, in the Alley of Glory part of the cemetery in Kharkiv, Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2023.

    (Image: AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

    The war in Ukraine: One year on

    A panel of experts took the stage at Perry World House to consider the prospects for peace and what constitutes a victory in an insightful discussion about the war and what the future holds for both Russia and Ukraine.

    Kristen de Groot

    New York Times journalist Brent Staples and Penn’s Tukufu Zuberi in conversation
    Tukufu Zuberi (left) and Brent Staples

    Tukufu Zuberi, the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations in Penn’s departments of Sociology and Africana Studies, and New York Times journalist Brent Staples.

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    New York Times journalist Brent Staples and Penn’s Tukufu Zuberi in conversation

    At the inaugural W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture in Public Social Science, the two discussed Du Bois’ legacy and influence, Staples’ personal and professional journey, and the importance of speaking truth to power.

    Michele W. Berger

    Genomics reveals a complex human history in Africa
    Two people from the Hadza group pose and smile outdoors

    Study participants included individuals from the Hadza, a group who traditionally practiced hunting and gathering and speak a language that includes click sounds. They live in what is now Tanzania.

    (Image: Tishkoff Laboratory)

    Genomics reveals a complex human history in Africa

    An international team of researchers led by Penn geneticists sequenced the genomes of 180 Indigenous Africans. The results shed light on the origin of modern humans, African population history, and local adaptation.

    Katherine Unger Baillie

    ‘Politics Unequal: The State of Women in Elected Office’
    Campaign signs dot a lawn outside a Tennessee polling location.

    Campaign signs are posted outside a polling location on the first day of early voting July 15, 2022, in Nashville, Tennessee.

    (Image: AP Photo/Jonathan Mattise)

    ‘Politics Unequal: The State of Women in Elected Office’

    A panel of experts and activists from across the ideological spectrum sat down in a virtual event last week to unpack how far women in politics have come, and the obstacles that remain.

    Kristen de Groot