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Social Sciences

New Katz Center fellowship amplifies study of antisemitism through classes, events, and community
Mendel Kranz leaning against bookshelves in a library setting

Mendel Kranz is the inaugural recipient of the Ross-Silk-Lowenstein Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism

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New Katz Center fellowship amplifies study of antisemitism through classes, events, and community

Mendel Kranz, the inaugural recipient of the Ross-Silk-Lowenstein Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism, elevates awareness and critical inquiry into antisemitism through research projects, classroom dialogue, and educational events.

4 min. read

Ph.D. researcher Yefan Zhi wins the Hangai Prize

Ph.D. researcher Yefan Zhi wins the Hangai Prize

Yefan Zhi, a third-year Ph.D. student in architecture at the Weitzman School and a member of the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory has won the Hangai Prize at the International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures Annual Symposium 2025 for co-authoring the paper “Surface-Toolpath Twins of Shell Components in 3D Concrete Printing for Optimized Buildability and Surface Quality”.

How has talking about politics changed in the last quarter-century?
Two people speaking in a government building.

Americans are having more political conversations than they were 24 years ago, and are more likely to be talking with people they agree with politically, Penn researcher Diana C. Mutz finds.

(Image: Hill Street Studios via Getty Images)

How has talking about politics changed in the last quarter-century?

Penn researcher Diana Mutz finds that we’re having more political conversations now with like-minded people, and that political intolerance has increased as a result.

2 min. read

Kathleen Hall Jamieson honored with William D. Carey Lectureship Award for Leadership in Science Policy

Kathleen Hall Jamieson honored with William D. Carey Lectureship Award for Leadership in Science Policy

The Annenberg Public Policy Center director has been honored with the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s William D. Carey Lectureship Award for Leadership in Science Policy. Her presentation at the 49th Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy, “Preempting public misconceptions about science,” urged scientists and science communicators to stop being reactive in seeking to correct misinformation.

Research shows there are no easy fixes to political hatred

Research shows there are no easy fixes to political hatred

A nonpartisan team from the from the Polarization Research Lab at Penn’s Annenberg School for Communication finds reducing polarization and “partisan animosity” is remarkably difficult.

Understanding the nation’s roadways
Traffic from New Jersey to Philadelphia.

Professor of city and regional planning Erick Guerra recently published a book exploring the economic and societal impacts of American highways. He explains some of the pitfalls associated with an ever-expansive highway system, arguing that spending more on highways might not be the solution to the country’s transportation issues.

(Image: Courtesy of Getty / peeterv)

Understanding the nation’s roadways

Penn urban planner Erick Guerra’s new book, “Overbuilt,” argues that additional spending on building more highways might not be the solution to the country’s transportation issues. In a Q&A, Guerra shares his insights.

4 min. read

Philosophy, technology, and pushing beyond human limitations
Gary Purpura teaches class.

But to Gary Purpura, the associate vice provost for education and academic planning in the Office of the Provost and a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, is teaching Enhancing the Human Mind with Technology this semester.

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Philosophy, technology, and pushing beyond human limitations

Gary Purpura’s class Enhancing the Human Mind with Technology introduces students to philosophy through the lens of transhumanism, illustrating the possibilities of technology to enhance the human condition and expand the idea of what it means to be human.

3 min. read

Dolores Albarracín receives Career Award from Society for Personality and Social Psychology

Dolores Albarracín receives Career Award from Society for Personality and Social Psychology

The Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Communication Science division has been honored with the 2025 Career Contribution Award from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology for her contributions to social psychology.