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Weekly paid professional staff learn resilience through free, online opportunity
Woman in a black suit standing, gesturing with her hands, with an African American man in the background, in front of a red wall.

Karen Reivich (seen here in March 2019) is director of resilience training at Penn’s Positive Psychology Center. She teaches an online Coursera course, Resilience Skills in a Time of Uncertainty, that’s now free and available to the public. (Image: Eric Sucar)

Weekly paid professional staff learn resilience through free, online opportunity

Offered through the Online Learning Initiative and the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, the course teaches participants resilience, gratitude, authenticity, and more.

Michele W. Berger

Genetic research has a white bias, and it may be hurting everyone’s health

Genetic research has a white bias, and it may be hurting everyone’s health

PIK Professor Sarah Tishkoff and Giorgio Sirugo of the Perelman School of Medicine collaborated on a paper that concluded that predominately European genetic databases may lead to difficulties treating people from other racial backgrounds. “If we don’t include ethnically diverse populations, we are potentially going to be exacerbating health inequalities,” said Tishkoff.

U.S. fertility is at an all-time low, but is that a bad thing?
Black and white silhouettes of many people and one large person with a stroller.

U.S. fertility is at an all-time low, but is that a bad thing?

Researchers from the Population Studies Center dissect the latest CDC numbers and explain the role of migration patterns, better family planning, and delayed parenthood.

Michele W. Berger

When green ‘fixes’ actually increase the carbon footprint
The Amazon World Headquarters Campus Spheres terrariums

When Amazon announced plans to bring its headquarters (seen here) to Seattle a decade ago, it promised eco-friendly infrastructure and encourages a sustainability ethos to go along with it. But according to new research from Penn and others, its arrival likely led to gentrification and stable or increased carbon emissions.

When green ‘fixes’ actually increase the carbon footprint

New research shows that when tech companies move in, they often encourage a sustainability mindset, but lead to gentrification and stable or higher emissions.

Michele W. Berger

The times and life of W.E.B. Du Bois at Penn
W.E.B. Du Bois sits at his desk in his office.

Photo courtesy: W.E.B Du Bois Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries

The times and life of W.E.B. Du Bois at Penn

In 1896, Du Bois was appointed an assistant instructor at Penn and began his investigation of the Seventh Ward of Philadelphia—research that he would turn into his groundbreaking work, “The Philadelphia Negro.”
Supreme Court decision a boon for truck drivers and, potentially, the gig economy
A white long-haul truck on an open highway.

A recent Supreme Court decision now allows transportation workers to sue their employers in class-action lawsuits. This verdict could have implications for truckers, but could also affect Uber drivers and others in the gig economy.

Supreme Court decision a boon for truck drivers and, potentially, the gig economy

Three Penn experts discuss the ruling, which gives transportation workers the ability to sue their employers in class-action lawsuits, sidestepping forced arbitration.

Michele W. Berger

Professional sports team wins create positive mood throughout the city, study finds

Professional sports team wins create positive mood throughout the city, study finds

School of Arts and Sciences postdoc Johannes Eichstaedt co-authored a social media study that suggests an unexpected improvement in daily life, like an Eagles win, can alter a city’s mood. “Using artificial intelligence, we were able to extract information about the mood of the community as a whole from what those on Twitter say,” said Eichstaedt.

Becoming a mother reduces a woman’s earning potential by up to 10 percent per child
Florian stands in front of tree with autumn leaves

Florian explains that though maternity leave doesn't last long, it has a long-lasting and unfair impact on mothers' careers.

  • Q&A

    • Becoming a mother reduces a woman’s earning potential by up to 10 percent per child

    In a Q&A, Sandra Florian, a postdoctoral fellow in sociology and the Population Studies Center, discusses motherhood’s short- and long-term effects on a woman’s career.

    Jacob Williamson-Rea

    What happens when someone’s skin color and racial identity don’t align?
    Haley-Pilgrim-is-a-4th-year-PhD-student-in-Penns-Sociology-department

    Haley Pilgrim is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Sociology Department in the School of Arts and Sciences. She studies racial identity.

    What happens when someone’s skin color and racial identity don’t align?

    Doctoral student Haley Pilgrim is trying to answer this question through her research, which focuses on second-generation multi-racial populations.

    Michele W. Berger