Grad Students in Penn Today

A speaker at the podium during Climate Week at Penn.

Climate Week 2026: Empowering you to take action

The seventh Climate Week at Penn, taking place Oct. 5-9, will inform and inspire people to get involved with the climate movement.

9/28/2026

Cedric Hollande (left) and Dhyey Shah with their vehicle at the ICRA 27th RoboRacer Autonomous Racing Competition.

From the RoboRacer course to the RoboRacer track

Graduate students in Penn Engineering’s GRASP Lab bring model-based controllers to autonomous racing competitions.<br />

9/28/2026

Annie Liang-Zhou standing with arms crossed and smiling while facing forward, near the Weitzman School of Design

Annie Liang-Zhou builds on a legacy in historic preservation

Weitzman School of Design graduate student Annie Liang-Zhou—the great-granddaughter of Penn alums—returned to higher education to better appreciate historic preservation, and engaged with community leaders in Strawberry Mansion to co-produce an interactive online archive to elevate the neighborhood’s visibility and resilience.

9/14/2026

Madison McTier standing with her hands on her hips, smiling and facing forward, outdoors at a street intersection

Supporting youth enrichment and well-being in West Philadelphia schools

Graduate student Madison McTier helps young students in local public schools improve social skills, emotional regulation, and self-advocacy through her role on the Netter Center for Community Partnerships’ school-based mental health and supportive services team.

9/4/2026

Five images of Penn students at their White Coat ceremonies.

White Coat Ceremonies in photos

Penn’s School of Dental Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, and the Perelman School of Medicine marked the start of the 2026-27 academic year with white coat ceremonies.

9/3/2026

How Vanessa Chan is training Ph.D. engineers for real-world impact

The Jonathan and Linda Brassington Practice Professor in Materials Science and Engineering and vice dean of innovation and entrepreneurship is helping students to bridge the divide between technical excellence and real-world impact.

8/18/2026

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.

8/17/2026

Legal advocacy across disciplines

Penn Carey Law’s Interdisciplinary Child Advocacy Clinic brings law and social work students together to tackle issues including education, child welfare, immigration, and mental health.

7/29/2026

How artists have depicted—and shaped—society’s relationship with the sea

In recognition of the summer season and beach vacations, Penn Today spoke with history of art professor Ann Kuttner about ancient Roman portrayals of the sea and Ph.D. student Benjy Jude about 19th-century French seascapes.

7/17/2026

Nick Dockery speaking at a podium in decorated uniform.

Wharton MBA student Nick Dockery awarded Medal of Honor

Major Dockery, who retired from active duty in May, received the award for acts of gallantry while serving as a platoon leader in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, in 2012.

7/6/2026

The concept, popularity, and dismissal of the ‘beach read’

Penn Today talked about beach reads with comparative literature Ph.D. candidate Angelina Eimannsberger, whose dissertation focuses on women readers, social media, the romance genre, and bookstores.

7/2/2026

Two women sit on a couch with a child and dog.

How same-sex parents divide work and childcare

The birth of a child can cause one member of a couple to specialize more in paid work and the other in childcare, but sociology and demography Ph.D. student Emily Curran found that female same-sex couples specialize less than different-sex couples or male same-sex couples.

6/24/2026

12 pictures from Penn’s 2025-26 year roundup on campus.

Our favorite photos of 2025-26

Penn Today’s iconic photos show the passion and spirit of the University community.

6/23/2026

Mark Trodden with folded arms in front of College Hall.

Dean Mark Trodden on what’s next for Penn Arts & Sciences

Dean Trodden reflects on his first year on the job, how the School of Arts & Sciences is supporting students' futures through curriculum innovation, the new Physical Sciences Complex, and other initiatives.

6/22/2026

Three students working on a robotic arm in the GRASP lab

Helping robotic arms solve problems using tools

Penn engineers have developed VLMgineer, an AI framework that can design, adapt, and deploy tools in the real world.

6/16/2026

Awards and accolades for Penn faculty, faculty emeritus, and graduate students

Members of Penn’s faculty present and past along with graduate students in the School of Arts & Sciences, Penn Carey Law, Penn Vet, and the Weitzman School are featured.

6/12/2026

Shadow of a drone over a map of housing units.

Enabling robots to chart a better course

A novel, open-source system has the ability to streamline disaster recovery and parcel delivery by rapidly generating a smooth path plan that cuts travel time and avoids obstacles.

6/10/2026

Weitzman externships in retrospect: Aidan Williams

The Weitzman Master of Architecture student spent his externship with in situ studio, a small design-based architecture practice.

6/3/2026

A student experimenting with a handheld STEM project in a classroom.

AI education for kids

An interdisciplinary seminar at Penn’s Graduate School of Education explores how students can design, critique, and teach AI and machine learning in K–12 education.

6/2/2026

People walking down Locust Walk in the summer.

Awards and accolades for Penn faculty and Centers

A roundup of the latest awards and honors for faculty in the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the School of Arts & Sciences, Penn Nursing, and the Wharton School.

5/29/2026

Yiduo Hao and a researcher using a microphone and a laptop outdoors.

SmartDJ lets users reshape audio experiences with simple words

Penn Engineers have created an AI-powered audio editor specifically for stereo that responds to simple requests in everyday language.

5/26/2026

Two students take video of archivist holding up newspaper clipping.

Penn filmmaking class shares the stories of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods

Graduate and undergraduate students in Alissa Jordan’s course partnered with community organizations to create five short films that touch on education, archiving, and grassroots organizing in Germantown, Northeast Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia.

5/26/2026

A person signing paperwork from a salesman at an outdoor car lot.

What makes messages persuasive?

Psychology researchers Dolores Albarracín and Yubo Zhou studied the relative persuasive impact of messages expressing attitudes, describing behaviors, or combining both.

5/22/2026

Graduates cheering on franklin field during commencement

Celebrating Penn’s 270th Commencement at a historic moment

Reflecting on the 250th anniversary of the United States, speakers invoked American traditions and provided guidance on building a meaningful life in a fast-changing world. Graduates, cheered on by family and friends, celebrated their part in Penn’s storied history.

5/18/2026