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What lies beneath
A scuba diver under water.

To better understand trade and economics along the Mediterranean Sea during Late Antiquity, second-year Ph.D. student Konstantinos Raptis dives deep into the ocean. Artifacts and shipwrecks remain preserved on the seafloor, offering a rare time capsule from a world long gone by.

(Image: Courtesy of Konstantinos Raptis)

What lies beneath

From uncovering ancient ways of life to addressing the pressing threat of climate change, scholars at Penn Arts & Sciences are finding an upside to looking down.

2 min. read

Reto Gieré on energy systems, waste, and sustainability
Reto Gieré holding a map.

“Many people still think of waste as something disposable, rather than as a resource that still contains value,” says Reto Gieré, earth and environmental science professor in the School of Arts & Sciences.

(Image: Courtesy of Penn Climate)

Reto Gieré on energy systems, waste, and sustainability

The earth and environmental science professor invites his students to view sustainability as integral to industry and to reconsider waste as a potential resource for reuse.

From Penn Climate

2 min. read

Greenland’s fragile ice: Three new takeaways
Ice sheets in Greenland

Image: jamenpercy via Getty Images

Greenland’s fragile ice: Three new takeaways

The Greenland Ice Sheet is more vulnerable to climate change than previously thought. School of Arts & Sciences assistant professor Jon Hawkings unpacks new research.

From Omnia

2 min. read

Summer storms
Summer storms

nocred

Summer storms

A roundup of stories from Penn Today on water quality, AI and sustainability, clean fuel production, and managing stormwater runoff.

Penn Today Staff

2 min. read

Lessons from the Schuylkill River on community-engaged research
People kayak on the Schuylkill River.

Image: Bethany Wiggin

Lessons from the Schuylkill River on community-engaged research

A historian working on both sides of the Atlantic, Bethany Wiggin, a professor of German in the School of Arts & Sciences, is interested in how historic legacies—including pollution—shape modern landscapes and how changed landscapes impact human populations.

3 min. read

Getting to the root of it: Why soil matters
Aerial view of fields at Penn Vet's New Bolton Center.

Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center.

(Image: Elliot Bullen)

  • Q&A

    • Getting to the root of it: Why soil matters

    Soil specialist Alain Plante of the School of Arts & Sciences explains what soil is, how it works, and why its health matters far beyond plant growth.

    3 min. read

    Penn announces nine 2026 Thouron Scholars
    Recipients of the 2026 Thouron awards are (left to right, top to bottom) Tristen Brisky, Charissa Howard, Jean Kim, Jordan Liu, Caroline Magdolen, Griffin Pitt, Andrew Schmidt, Sriya Teerdhala, and Megha Thomas.

    Recipients of the 2026 Thouron awards are (left to right, top to bottom) Tristen Brisky, Charissa Howard, Jean Kim, Jordan Liu, Caroline Magdolen, Griffin Pitt, Andrew Schmidt, Sriya Teerdhala, and Megha Thomas.

    nocred

    Penn announces nine 2026 Thouron Scholars

    Six fourth-year students and three recent graduates will use the scholarship award to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom.

    6 min. read