Journey to Joy
In a joint class within the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication, PIK professor Desmond Upton Patton invites students to dream big in Journey to Joy: Designing a Happier Life.
In the News
Featured Articles
Is ‘bypassing’ a better way to battle misinformation?
Bypassing involves offering accurate information that has an implication opposite to that of the misinformation. New research from APPC finds bypassing may be superior to correction in forming beliefs, but not in attitude about the delivered information.
Squire Booker appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Through his work as an interdisciplinary chemist, Booker has has made advancements in human health and innovative new treatments of disease.
Introducing the Penn AI Council
The Council consists of five faculty members collaborating to enhance visibility and impact of AI research across Penn.
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts named a 2024 MacArthur Fellow
Roberts, who has appointments in Penn Carey Law and School of Arts & Sciences, is one of 22 Fellows to be named this year.
Derek Griffith appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
Griffith is an innovator in the study of health equity, and will teach in the School of Nursing and the Perelman School of Medicine.
Testing a novel, community-driven response to heat islands in Philadelphia
Researchers from three University of Pennsylvania schools collaborated with a Hunting Park nonprofit to design, build, and test a prototype of a cooling shelter to place at a bus stop.
University of Pennsylvania launches Penn Center on Media, Technology, and Democracy
The Center will bring together six Schools at Penn with $10 million in support from Knight Foundation and the University.
The mechanics of collaboration
Penn Ph.D. student Xinlan Emily Hu leads a group of budding engineers and social scientists who study communication across teams. The group has developed a new toolkit aimed at helping researchers analyze and measure teamwork.
Study reveals impact of concern about misinformation on Americans’ media consumption habits
In a new study, researchers from the Annenberg School for Communication evaluate whether perceiving misinformation as a threat influences the amount of Americans’ partisan media consumption.
Duncan Watts and CSSLab’s New Media Bias Detector
Researchers from Penn have developed a new tool to equip news consumers with a way to gauge bias in media.
Hurricane changed ‘rules of the game’ in monkey society
PIK Professor Michael Platt and collaborators from the University of Exeter find Hurricane Maria transformed a monkey society by changing the pros and cons of their interpersonal relations.
How unflagged, factual content drives vaccine hesitancy
A new paper from computational social scientist Duncan Watts examines how factual, vaccine-skeptical content on Facebook has a greater overall effect than ‘fake news,’ discouraging millions from the COVID-19 shot.
More than two hearts beat as one
PIK Professor Michael Platt and collaborators studied how physiologic measures like heart rate synchrony can guide decision making in groups.
What predicts human behavior and how to change it
In the largest quantitative synthesis to date, Dolores Albarracín and her team dig through years of research on the science behind behavior change to determine the best ways to promote changes in behavior.
Addressing declining fertility
In a Q&A with Penn Today, Michael Platt talks about the socioeconomic and emotional factors leading to plummeting fertility rates.
Collaborating to advance health communication
As a generation of pioneering scholars retired, several new hires are working together to continue Annenberg’s legacy as a leader in Health Communication.
Five from Penn elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024
Dolores Albarracín, Charles L. Kane, Edward D. Mansfield, Virgil Percec, and Deborah A. Thomas are recognized for their contributions to mathematical and physical sciences and social and behavioral sciences.
Six from Penn elected 2024 AAAS Fellows
Researchers from the School of Arts & Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Perelman School of Medicine, Wharton School, School of Nursing, and Annenberg School for Communication join a class of scientists, engineers, and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines.
‘Can Technology Spark Joy and Imagination?’
In the 2024 Albert M. Greenfield Memorial lecture hosted by Penn Nursing, Desmond Upton Patton and Courtney D. Cogburn discussed how social media and AI might foster well-being.
What the brain reveals in nature’s subtle game of give and take
Research led by Michael Platt uncovers the neural pathways for primate reciprocity, social support, and empathy.
‘From the Freedom Rides to neuroscience’
In conversation with Professor of Practice Ben Jealous, neuroscience professor Peter Sterling returned to campus to talk about activism in his youth and how that informed his research in health.
The YouTube algorithm isn’t radicalizing people
A new study from Annenberg School for Communication’s Computational Social Science Lab finds that the YouTube recommendation system is less influential on users’ political views than is commonly believed.
‘Are Civil Rights Enough?’
During the 23rd annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture in Social Justice, PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts addressed this question in a conversation with Marcia Chatelain of Africana studies.<br />
Breaching the blood-brain barrier
A team of researchers in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has devised a method to deliver mRNA into the brain using lipid nanoparticles, potentially advancing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and seizures.
How common is common sense?
Researchers from Penn address a critical gap in how knowledge is understood.
More than skin deep: A molecular and mechanistic look at pigmentation variation
A new collaborative study offers a better understanding of genes and variants responsible for skin color, providing insights into human evolution and local adaptation.
Scientists observe composite superstructure growth from nanocrystals in real time
The findings could enable engineers to more reliably manufacture next-generation materials by combining different nanocrystals.
Experiencing record-breaking heat days affects perception of weather trends
New research from Penn’s Annenberg Public Policy Center finds that for residents in areas with record-breaking heat, the perception that the weather is getting hotter increases.
Neanderthals carried genes acquired from ancient interactions with ‘cousins’ of modern humans
A new collaborative study led by Sarah Tishkoff shows that Neanderthals inherited at least 6% of their genome from a now-extinct lineage of early modern humans.
Understanding the brain via a molecular map
PIK Professor Michael Platt and collaborators have generated the first single-cell ‘atlas’ of the primate brain to help explore links between molecules, cells, brain function, and disease.
Delving into quantum dots
Christopher B. Murray shares his excitement, thoughts, and knowledge on quantum dots, a nanoparticle that just earned his Ph.D. advisor the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
National Academy of Medicine elects five new members from Penn
Kurt T. Barnhart, Christopher B. Forrest, Susan L. Furth, Desmond Upton Patton, and Robert H. Vonderheide are among 100 new Academy members elected this year, one of the highest honors in health and medicine.
An inauspicious arrival for the ambitious Benjamin Franklin
Penn’s founder arrived in Philadelphia on Oct. 6 300 years ago as a nearly penniless 17-year-old looking for a job as a printer.
Three from Penn receive NIH Director Award
Kevin B. Johnson, Jina Ko, and Sheila Shanmugan awarded NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program.
Trading decisions are observable in the eyes of buyers and sellers
In a new collaborative study, PIK Professor Michael Platt models how the decision-making process unfolds in the brains of buyers and sellers considering a deal. These decisions were observable in eye movements and pupil dilation.
Nudge Cartography: Building a map to navigate behavioral research
Ph.D. candidate Linnea Gandhi of the Wharton School and research assistant Anoushka Kiyawat discuss the development of their team’s innovative research tool.
Factors that make correcting misinformation about science more successful
New Penn research assesses belief in misinformation about science and determines how well debunking misinformation proves to be effective.
AI could transform social science research
Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Philip Tetlock and researchers from the University of Waterloo, University of Toronto, and Yale, discuss AI and its application to their work.
Why is machine learning trending in medical research but not in our doctor’s offices?
Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Konrad Kording will lead Penn’s NIH-funded cohort for making advancements in the field of machine learning in biomedical research by creating the Community for Rigor, which will provide open-access resources on conducting sound science.
Folding@home: How you, and your computer, can play scientist
Two heads are better than one. The ethos behind the scientific research project Folding@home is that same idea, multiplied: 50,000 computers are better than one.
Two Penn faculty elected to the American Philosophical Society
Paul Offit and Dorothy Roberts have been recognized for extraordinary accomplishments in their fields.
Reconsidering world heritage for the modern era
Through recent research, archaeologist and Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Lynn Meskell has continued to highlight how World Heritage Sites have become flashpoints for conflict and out of touch with local communities.
Instead of refuting misinformation head-on, try ‘bypassing’ it
A new study from PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín has found that redirecting an individual’s attention away from misinformation and toward other beliefs can be just as effective as debunking it.
Four from Penn elected to the National Academy of Sciences
The newly elected members, distinguished scholars recognized for their innovative contributions to original research, include faculty from the School of Arts & Sciences, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Perelman School of Medicine, Annenberg School for Communication, and Wharton School.
Gregory Bowman appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
The pioneer of biophysics and data science has joint appointments in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Department of Bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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.
What statistics are most likely to promote positive actions during a pandemic?
A new study from PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín and research associate Haesung Annie Jung finds that some COVID statistics are more effective than others at encouraging people to change their behavior.
A new role for NATO in conflict zones
One year after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, PIK Professor Lynn Meskell calls on the alliance to take a more expansive view of cultural property protection.
John L. Jackson Jr. named Penn’s next provost
The Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School for Communication and Richard Perry University Professor will begin his appointment on June 1, 2023.
In the News
The New York Times
An epidemic of vicious school brawls, fueled by student cellphones
PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that many schools don’t have a playbook for addressing student violence or helping pupils engage more positively online, in part because few researchers are studying the issue.
12/15/2024
The New York Times
A century-old law’s aftershocks are still felt at the Supreme Court
PIK Professor Karen M. Tani says that granting the Supreme Court the power to set its own agenda has caused it to gravitate toward cases that have preoccupied the conservative legal movement.
12/9/2024
The New York Times
How Kennedy could make it harder for you and your family to get vaccinated
In a co-written opinion essay, PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel explains how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies in the Trump administration could discourage the use and research of vaccines.
11/20/2024
Scientific American
Grumpy voters want better stories. Not statistics
In a Q&A, PIK Professor Duncan Watts says that U.S. voters ignored Democratic policy in favor of Republican storytelling.
11/20/2024
Philadelphia Tribune
Engaging discussion at Center in the Park on conservative agenda Project 2025
At a Philadelphia panel on Project 2025, PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts said that Black women would have even greater numbers of unwanted pregnancies without access to legal contraceptives.
10/11/2024
The New York Times
MacArthur Foundation announces 2024 ‘genius’ grant winners
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts has been named a MacArthur Fellow for her work on racial inequities in health and social-service systems.
10/1/2024
Associated Press
This city is hailed as a vaccination success. Can it be sustained?
PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín found that the most effective strategy to increase vaccination rates among children is to make it easier for families to get to doctor appointments.
9/15/2024
Reuters
Google antitrust ruling may pose $20 billion risk for Apple
PIK Professor Herbert Hovenkamp says companies that have a dominant market position with a product need to avoid the use of exclusive agreements and make sure every agreement gives the buyer free choice to substitute away.
8/7/2024
Philadelphia Inquirer
As colleges grapple with AI’s pitfalls, U. of Delaware uses technology to transform faculty lectures into interactive study aides
Penn will be the first Ivy League school to launch a new undergraduate degree in artificial intelligence. PIK Professor Duncan Watts and colleagues built the Media Bias Detector, which uses artificial intelligence to scan news articles for tone and bias.
8/7/2024
The New York Times
How the Google antitrust ruling may influence tech competition
PIK Professor Herbert Hovenkamp says that the government’s monopoly case against Google was a convincing narrative.
8/6/2024
The Wall Street Journal
Google’s antitrust loss set to reshape search and mobile industries
PIK Professor Herbert Hovenkamp says that the Google antitrust ruling is likely to put an end to Google’s practice of paying to be the default search engine on devices and browsers from companies like Apple and Samsung.
8/6/2024
The Washington Post
As Biden ends campaign, focus shifts to health for remainder of his term
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that the presidency is an administration with a team led by the president, not a one-man show.
7/21/2024
American Psychological Association
How to reverse the alarming trend of health misinformation
Deen Freelon of the Annenberg School for Communication and PIK Professor Dolores Albarracín say that, while there is an audience that’s quite hungry for misinformation of various types, correcting health misinformation won’t change health behavior.
7/1/2024
Stat
HHS considering changes to sterilization consent process
PIK Professor Dorothy Roberts says there’s widespread devaluing of certain people’s childbearing from negative stereotypes to laws that deny someone extra benefits if they get pregnant while on welfare.
6/18/2024
The Conversation
Reconstructing heritage after war: what we learned from asking 1,600 Syrians about rebuilding Aleppo
In a co-authored survey of residents of the Syrian city of Aleppo, PIK Professor Lynn Meskell identifies four key themes for the reconstruction of heritage sites after conflict.
6/12/2024
The New York Times
Harrison White, groundbreaking (and inscrutable) sociologist, dies at 94
Randall Collins of the School of Arts & Sciences and PIK Professor Duncan J. Watts discuss the career of the late Harrison White, a theoretical physicist-turned-sociologist.
6/12/2024
Politifact
Fact-checking Byron Donalds’ ‘Jim Crow’ comments on Black families, conservatism
PIK Professor Dorothy E. Roberts and Kathleen M. Brown and Mary Frances Berry of the School of Arts & Sciences comment on Rep. Byron Donalds’ comparison of modern Black culture to the Jim Crow era.
6/10/2024
MSNBC
‘Villains nor victims’: Why immigration is good for our economy
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that it’s in America’s best interest, socially and economically, to embrace immigrants.
6/2/2024
Newsweek
There is one major element missing from the debate on kids and social media
In an opinion essay, PIK Professor Desmond Upton Patton says that gun violence needs to be part of the conversation about how smartphones and social media impact young people.
4/30/2024
The New Yorker
How to die in good health
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel says that incessantly preparing for old age mistakes a long life for a worthwhile one.
4/15/2024