On Sunday, May 19, Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) welcomed family, friends and faculty for the Class of 2019 graduation ceremony, honoring 330 students graduating from undergraduate and graduate programs. Vice Dean Nora E. Lewis congratulated a record number of graduates onstage at the Zellerbach Theatre at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. “Each of you came to Penn with purpose, agency, and a strong sense of the problems facing our world,” said Lewis in her welcoming address.

Benjamin Rohr (Master of Environmental Studies ‘20—expected) is embarking on his capstone project to culminate his degree. The premise of his experiment is straightforward: to determine the types of trees the lanternfly prefers beyond its known affinity for ailanthus. The bugs, which don’t fly but can hop 20 meters or more in a go, were first seen in 2014 in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and quickly extended their range. They’re known to feed on 70 species of tree and vine, 30 of which occur in Pennsylvania.

Anna Carapellotti (LPS Bachelor of Arts, Cognitive Science ’15) has been awarded a Fulbright Grant to conduct international research.

Previously a dancer and teacher with First State Ballet Theater, Anna’s love of dance drew her to cognitive science—and to the Bachelor of Arts program at the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS).

At 16, Soleil Hawley was the youngest student to enroll in the Bachelor of Fine Arts offered through the University of Pennsylvania in at least the last decade, Penn officials said, and one of only three under age 18 that Penn officials could recall in undergraduate programs offered by Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies.

Cristina Bicchieri, social norms expert and founding director of Penn’s Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences (MBDS), wanted to understand how different countries’ COVID-19 responses have been affecting individual behavior. Along with MBDS instructor Enrique Fatas, she developed a survey to determine how new social norms like mask-wearing and social distancing have emerged.

Through field trips around the region and up-close and hands-on studies, students in the Master of Environmental Studies program’s Field Study of Soils summer course taught by Alain Plante learn to see soil as more than the ground we walk on. For the first time this year, class members examined soils on University property from within a five-foot pit dug at the School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center campus.

The College of Liberal and Professional Studies and School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Pennsylvania today announced the launch of a cybersecurity boot camp to be held on Penn’s campus. Geared toward adult learners, the Penn Cybersecurity Boot Camp will help supply Philadelphia with more cybersecurity professionals, filling a critical need among employers across the region.

LPS' Classical Studies post-baccalaureate program professor Emily Wilson, the first woman to publish an English translation of Homer’s epic poem the Odyssey, has been awarded a genius grant from the MacArthur Foundation.

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On Friday, November 22, the students and staff of Penn’s Pre-Health Programs welcomed David and Lyn Silfen University Professor of Ethics Jonathan D. Moreno for a discussion of his recently published book as part of the program’s Distinguished Speaker series.

Michael DiBerardinis, Professor of Practice at the Fels Institute of Government, has been awarded a 2019 Civic Champion Award by CORA Services, a Philadelphia non-profit that aids children, youth, and families experiencing emotional, academic, and social challenges.