Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman of the Perelman School of Medicine were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Their partnership unlocked an understanding of how to modify mRNA to make it an effective therapeutic; the innovation ultimately enabled the rapid development of lifesaving vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. “With the truest devotion to their field, they’ve already promised they will not stop here, and that is the greatest inspiration of all,” says Penn President Liz Magill. “Our Penn community is enormously proud of their groundbreaking achievements and this well-deserved recognition.” (Image: Peggy Peterson)
Carl June, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the Perelman School of Medicine, will receive a 2024 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for the development of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy. The prizes are the world’s largest science awards; June is the sixth Breakthrough Prize laureate from Penn. (Image: Penn Medicine)
Penn President Liz Magill appeared on the Wharton School radio show “Wharton Business Daily” to talk about leadership. “I start from the view that leadership is a rare privilege and opportunity,” says Magill. “Even on those hardest days, my starting point is I have the ability to have so much impact as a leader and I always have that at the forefront of my mind.” (Image: Aaron Tran)
“Moveables” and “When the Children Come Home” are the latest exhibits on display at the ICA. The latter highlights the work of David Antonio Cruz; the show includes 20 pieces that are a mixture of new works for the show and others on loan, with portraits that speak to themes of chosen families and queer communities. “Moveables,” meanwhile, is a five-artist sculpture show that includes furniture work created by Ken Lum of the Weitzman School of Design.
Effects on human health from climate change are many and various: asthma from poor air quality, deaths from extreme weather events, anxiety, and more. Deans and leaders of the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the School of Social Policy & Practice came together at a Climate Week event to discuss these repercussions.
In a profile, Assistant Professor of Philosophy Sukaina Hirji discusses her upbringing in Canada as a child of East African immigrants, her course on Ancient Greek philosophy and philosophical issues around love and sex, and the importance of philosophy in education. “I think there are a lot of things that are really valuable about philosophy for anyone,” Hirji says. “When you really understand what a good argument looks like and what a bad argument looks like, you’re much less vulnerable to manipulation or abuse. You can advocate for yourself, but you also know when somebody is not being fully forthcoming or honest with you.”
Olivia Kim, now a third-year, conducted research with Professor of Neurology, Psychology, and Architecture Anjan Chatterjee this summer as part of the Penn Undergraduate Mentorship program. Her projects involved studying engagement with artworks and the impact art has on the viewer. “The biggest challenge for me this summer was actually the thing that drew me into the lab in the first place,” Kim says. “The most challenging, yet intriguing, part for me was taking artwork, which is something I always viewed as indefinable, and studying it in a quantifiable way.”
The Arthur Ross Gallery and Penn Live Arts have been awarded 2023 projects grants by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. The Arthur Ross Gallery was awarded $240,500 to support the exhibition “Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body,” and Penn Live Arts received $360,500 to support a three-year residency with hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris.
A record 436 undergraduates presented their research during the Fall Research Expo, sponsored by the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. The Expo featured 381 posters highlighting student research projects involving faculty from all 12 of Penn’s schools.
At a Perry World House panel event, Simon Richter of the School of Arts & Sciences moderated a discussion with Michael Mann, a climate scientist; Zinta Zommers, a former visiting fellow at Perry World House and specialist in risk management and climate-change adaptation; and Erol Akçay, a theoretical biologist. Topics covered included impacts on biodiversity and how climate change contributes to what has been characterized as the next major extinction event. (Image: Gabrielle Szcepanek)
Emily Wilson, a professor of classical studies, released her translation of “The Iliad.” It’s the follow-up to her acclaimed 2018 translation of “The Odyssey.” In an interview with Penn Today, she contrasts the two Homeric poems, relates “The Iliad” to the present, and describes her approach to translation. (Image: Daniel McGarrity)
Penn researchers, in a new study, revealed how the solid-tumor microenvironment prevents T cells from attacking tumors. The mechanisms behind the blockade were unclear, until now. “The physical barrier and immunosuppressive environment derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts limits or traps T cells and prevents them from entering into the tumor,” says first author Zebin Xiao, of the School of Veterinary Medicine. “We showed that targeting those fibroblasts can disrupt that barrier and has a very great tumor inhibition effect.” (Image: Zebin Xiao)
In a Q&A, Michael Mann of the School of Arts & Sciences, who founded the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, explains the role of storytelling in combatting climate change. “As humans, we’re naturally drawn to narratives,” says Mann. “Since ancient times, when we sat around the campfire at night telling stories of the hunt or the quest, we have evolved to learn and communicate through narratives. If we want to prevail in the rhetorical battle with polluters seeking to forestall societal decarbonization, we have to make use of all of the key tools for information exchange.” (Image: iStock / Luke Chen)
In a new Penn Today feature called “What’s That?”, highlighting noteworthy items, iconic objects, and hidden treasures on Penn’s campus, Kelly Writers House showed off the banned books chair. The chair is decoupaged with words and pictures related to banned books and is one of 50 beloved mismatched chairs in the Arts Café.
President Liz Magill and Provost John L. Jackson Jr. announced the appointment of Michael Weisberg as interim director of Perry World House. Weisberg is the Bess W. Heyman President’s Distinguished Professor and chair of Philosophy in the School of Arts & Sciences. “Esteemed across campus and at Perry World House, he is an outstanding choice for interim director. We are grateful for his service,” says Magill. (Image: Perry World House)
Brigitte Weinsteiger has been appointed the interim director of the Penn Libraries. She joined Libraries staff in 2008 and has served in multiple leadership positions. She follows Constantia Constantinou, who recently stepped down from the role for personal family reasons. (Image: Penn Libraries)
Penn Today previewed the fall season for the Quakers football team, which began its quest for the gridiron title on Sept. 16 against Colgate. “Our defense is very hungry,” said fourth-year linebacker Jonathan Melvin, one of the five co-captains, at Ivy Football Media Day, “very, very hungry. All across the board, we are a very experienced unit, from the front seven to the secondary. And we want it. We just really want it.” (Image: Penn Athletics)
