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University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania dates its founding to 1740, when a prominent evangelist, George Whitefield, and others established an educational trust fund and began construction of a large school building at Fourth and Arch streets in Philadelphia.

More than 250 years after its founding, the University of Pennsylvania continues to achieve excellence in research and education. Among its many more recent “firsts,” Penn developed ENIAC, the world’s first electronic, large-scale, general-purpose digital computer.

The University of Pennsylvania remains an eminent, world-class institution for the creation and dissemination of knowledge, serving as a model for colleges and universities throughout the world.

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 123 articles

Organizations that gather information should establish a framework for responsibly managing user data. (Shutterstock)

Want to know if your data are managed responsibly? Here are 15 questions to help you find out

Responsible data stewardship must take many factors into account including legal requirements, data governance, cybersecurity and user privacy.
Thousands of people attend a pro-Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden in New York in May 1934, with counterprotestors outside. Anthony Potter Collection/Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Nazi Germany had admirers among American religious leaders – and white supremacy fueled their support

Two social scientists analyzed periodicals from US religious leaders in 1935 to determine what factors influenced groups’ sympathy, ambivalence or outrage about Hitler and Nazi Germany.
While scissors congruence accurately captures the modern algebraic notion of 2D area, things get more complicated in higher dimensions. Maxine Calle

A brief illustrated guide to ‘scissors congruence’ − an ancient geometric idea that’s still fueling cutting-edge mathematical research

This is a story about geometry, algebra and many different dimensions, best read with construction paper, scissors and tape on hand.
Low-income residents are among those most likely to lose cooling in their homes because they can’t pay their bills. Solidcolours/iStock/Getty Images Plus

America faces a power disconnection crisis amid rising heat: In 31 states, utilities can shut off electricity for nonpayment in a heat wave

One in 4 American households are at risk of losing power because of the high cost of energy. Over 30% of those disconnections are in summer, when heat gets dangerous.
The Supreme Court issued a decision on June 29, 2023, that ends affirmative action in college admissions. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

A 2003 Supreme Court decision upholding affirmative action planted the seeds of its overturning, as justices then and now thought racism an easily solved problem

The Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate affirmative action programs sent shock waves across the US and is expected to impact racial diversity throughout society.
Andrew Wiles, the mathematician who presented a proof of Fermat’s last theorem back in 1993, stands next to the famous result. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

Proving Fermat’s last theorem: 2 mathematicians explain how building bridges within the discipline helped solve a centuries-old mystery

In 1993, a British mathematician solved a centuries-old problem. But he couldn’t have done it without the help of many other mathematicians, both historical and modern.

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