Philadelphia Through the Lens of Archaeology

Visiting Instructor of Anthropology Katharine Davis turned her typical focus on prehistoric Andean civilizations to the streets of Philadelphia when she and Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies Kelly Sorensen mapped out an interesting Philly X mash-up in the City of Brotherly Love. Students in the archaeologist’s “Rise of Urbanism” course joined Sorensen’s “Philly 101” students for a 12-mile walk along the perimeter of the city, exploring abandoned graffiti-covered coal piers, ruins of factories, wooded areas, and active work sites. (At the end of the walk, they refueled with cheesesteaks, of course.)

Ecologically Based Strategies for Controlling Insect Pests

Associate Professor of Biology Cory Straub returned to the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences to mentor two Summer Fellows studying predatory insects. A blend of lab and field work, the ongoing research on biological pest control seeks to understand how predatory insects—and the agricultural pests they consume—will respond to climate change.

Research in Paradise

Associate Professor of Biology Denise Finney and Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Tristan Ashcroft led 16 students through Costa Rica over winter break as part of the biennial “Biology of the Neotropics” course. The group visited four biological field stations in an array of tropical habitats throughout the country, with up-close views of fauna such as birds, bats, and sloths—and not-too-close views of crocodiles. Students also honed their skills in identifying tropical flora and carried out research projects they designed themselves.

Exploring Economies in Transition

Professor of Business and Economics Andrew Economopoulos and Assistant Professor of Business and Economics Olga Nicoara helped launch a new biennial course that combines the objectives of an economics class with experiential learning—and then wrote a book article detailing how to plan the trip and curriculum. In “Economies in Transition,” students spent an intensive three weeks learning about the socioeconomic and legal-political transformations in formerly communist economies by traveling to the capitals of four transitioning countries in Central and Eastern Europe: Berlin, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Budapest, Hungary; and Bucharest, Romania.

Rebuilding Efforts in Puerto Rico

Five years after Hurricane Maria tore a destructive path through the Caribbean in 2017, many communities are still struggling to recover. Associate Professor of Politics Rebecca Evans traveled with fellows for the Melrose Center for Global Civic Engagement on three service-learning trips to Puerto Rico. The 2021, 2022, and 2023 cohorts repaired family homes damaged in the storm, learned more about Puerto Rico’s history and culture, and gained real-life insights into the importance of global citizenship.

Showcasing the Art of Curatorial Practices

For two intensive weeks in early January, Associate Professor of Art History and Creative Director of the Berman Museum of Art Deborah Barkun worked with advanced students in the interdisciplinary museum studies minor on an immersive experience in curating and installing “Michael Dela Dika: Shaping Rhapsody,” an exhibition the group has been working toward in the “Curatorial Practices” seminar since August 2022. Working closely with the artist and museum staff, student curators applied research and theory to processing, cataloging, composing, and installing Dika’s work to support their exhibition thesis asserting a human quest for community amidst contemporary forms of displacement, such as migration and isolation.