OMNIA Podcast

In our second episode of Horizons, Dean Mark Trodden chats with Michael Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science and Director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media. The two discuss Mann’s groundbreaking research as a leading climate scientist, his collaborative work at Penn, and why science communication is essential to meeting the urgent challenges posed by a warming planet. Horizons is a new podcast series from Penn Arts & Sciences, featuring Dean Mark Trodden speaking with faculty experts about the big issues shaping our world and higher education—including their work exploring new ideas, inspiring students, and driving meaningful change.

Horizons is a new podcast series from Penn Arts & Sciences featuring Dean Mark Trodden talking with faculty experts about the big issues shaping our world and higher education—including their work exploring new ideas, inspiring students, and driving meaningful change. In our first episode, Dean Trodden talks with Guy Grossman, David M. Knott Professor of Global Politics and International Relations and Co-Director of the Penn Development Research Initiative (also known as the PDRI-DevLab). The two discuss Grossman’s research and projects with Penn’s DevLab and why global collaborations and perspectives are important for the School of Arts & Sciences and its students. Learn more about Horizons, a vision that will help the School of Arts & Sciences navigate a changing world: https://web.sas.upenn.edu/horizons

In the fifth episode our special edition of the Ampersand Podcast, Mark Trodden, Dean of Penn Arts & Sciences and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy, speaks with Bhuvnesh Jain, Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences and the Co-Director of the Penn Data Driven Discovery Initiative and the Penn Center for Particle Cosmology. The two discuss how advances in data science and artificial intelligence are transforming cosmology, teaching, and interdisciplinary research at Penn.  

What do street lights, tree cover, and public art all have to do with criminology? According to the data, these small initiatives can move the needle on the prevalence of neighborhood crime. In the fourth special edition of the Ampersand Podcast, Mark Trodden, Dean of Penn Arts & Sciences and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy, talks with John MacDonald, Professor of Criminology and Sociology, and Director of the Master of Science in Criminology, about crime prevention through design, big data and technology, and how the Cambridge inspired a new program at Penn.

We all have intuitions about why we are the way we are, says Associate Professor of Psychology Rebecca Waller. The connection between self and subject matter in psychology is especially close, she says. “That’s exciting because you have the potential to think about things you learned and apply them in your own life.”In the third special edition of the Ampersand Podcast, Mark Trodden, Dean of Penn Arts & Sciences and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy, speaks with Waller about her research on child development, antisocial behavior, and the ways in which scientific tools are transforming psychology and reshaping how we understand parenting, well-being, and education.***Produced and edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo Andrew Nealis The Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

What role does higher education play in a democracy? In the second episode of a special edition of the Ampersand Podcast, Dean Mark Trodden and historian Sophia Rosenfeld discuss the importance the humanities play in preserving culture, how the history of choice can help students think critically about the hidden assumptions that shape their worlds, and how democracies work best when they operate on shared commonalities that define perceptions of truth, law, and solidarity.***Produced and edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo Andrew Nealis The Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

Join us for the launch of a special edition of the Ampersand podcast, featuring Mark Trodden, Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy in conversation with select faculty members across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.In this conversation, Trodden speaks with Peter Struck, Stephen A. Levin Family Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Vartan Gregorian Professor of the Humanities, about the Roman roots of the liberal arts, how AI is changing the college experience, and charting curriculum for the 21st century.***Produced and edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo Andrew Nealis The Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

Our new podcast series, Ampersand, features faculty from different disciplines discussing a topic they have in common. In our first episode, Sophia Rosenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, and Sudeep Bhatia, Associate Professor of Psychology, explore the ramifications of choice in everyday life and society as a whole.***Produced and edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo Andrew Nealis The Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

Our final episode of this Omnia podcast season offers a conversation between Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies, and Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Political Science. They discuss the implications of Trump’s second term as president, as well as what the future of democracy may look like in the United States and so much more.***Produced by Alex Schein and Michele Berger Hosted by Stephanie Perry Edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo by Nick MatejDemocracy and Decision 2024 is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences in collaboration with the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES). Visit our website to listen to every episode of the Omnia Podcast: https://omnia.sas.upenn.edu/podcastThe Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

The results of last week’s presidential election are in and Donald Trump will have a second term after earning 312 Electoral College votes and some 75 million votes overall. Republicans also re-gained a majority in the Senate and are poised to maintain control of the House of Representatives. In the fifth episode of Democracy and Decision 2024, the Omnia podcast that has been dissecting the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the election, PORES Executive Director Stephanie Perry spoke with John Lapinski, Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science, PORES Director, and Director of Elections at NBC News. They offered some post-election analysis.The pair talked about seeing Trump’s advantage early on at the NBC News Decision Desk. “What we started to see at a granular level was that Harris was under-performing in key places,” Lapinski says. They also discussed how the polls measured up to election night results, exit polling results—which showed the economy as the most important factor for many voters—and how polling can continue to improve in future election cycles.***Produced by Alex Schein and Michele Berger Hosted by Stephanie Perry Edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo by Nick MatejDemocracy and Decision 2024 is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences in collaboration with the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES). Visit our website to listen to every episode of the Omnia Podcast: https://omnia.sas.upenn.edu/podcastThe Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

In this season of Democracy and Decision 2024, we take a close look at the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the 2024 election. The fourth episode, “The Gears of Democracy,” features Marc Meredith, Professor of Political Science, in conversation with podcast host Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) and the Fox Leadership Program. Both Meredith and Perry are members of the NBC News Decision Desk Team.The pair talked before Election Day, though the episode focuses on what will happen today at the polls. Plus they discuss why voting laws are so complicated, what has changed since the last election, voter turnout, mail-in ballots, poll workers, and why some races take longer to call than others. Check back after the election for our fifth episode, in which Perry speaks with John Lapinski, Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science, PORES Director, and Director of the Elections Unit at NBC News.***Produced by Alex Schein and Michele Berger Hosted by Stephanie Perry Edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo by Nick MatejDemocracy and Decision 2024 is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences in collaboration with the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES). Visit our website to listen to every episode of the Omnia Podcast: https://omnia.sas.upenn.edu/podcastThe Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

In this season of Democracy and Decision 2024, we take a close look at the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the 2024 election. The third episode, “The Fight for Democracy,” features Matthew Levendusky, Professor of Political Science and Stephen and Mary Baran Chair in the Institutions of Democracy at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, in conversation with podcast host Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) and the Fox Leadership Program, who is also a member of the NBC News Decision Desk Team.The pair spoke about the myths and realities of political polarization, what got Levendusky interested in this field, what has changed over time with people who consider themselves “moderates” and “independents,” whether this election will end up being an “election of vibes,” and so much more.Next week—on Election Day—we’ll release our fourth episode, “The Gears of Democracy,” featuring Professor of Political Science Marc Meredith. And check back after the election for our fifth episode, where Perry speaks with John Lapinski, Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science, PORES Director, and Director of the Elections Unit at NBC News.***Produced by Alex Schein and Michele Berger Hosted by Stephanie Perry Edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo by Nick MatejDemocracy and Decision 2024 is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences in collaboration with the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES). Visit our website to listen to every episode of the Omnia Podcast: https://omnia.sas.upenn.edu/podcastThe Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

In this season of Democracy and Decision 2024, we take a close look at the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the 2024 election.The second episode, “The Voice of Democracy,” features Diana Mutz, Samuel A. Stouffer Professor of Political Science and Communication, in conversation with podcast host Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) and the Fox Leadership Program, who is also a member of the NBC News Decision Desk Team.They spoke about a range of media-related topics, like the institution’s influence on how the public understands government and politics, how people interact with others who don’t share their political viewpoint, media consumption, and more.Check out a new episode of Democracy and Decision 2024 from the Omnia Podcast every two weeks starting on October 1, 2024. We'll explore topics like the myths and realities of political polarization, how media is shaping our understanding of the issues and candidates, and how state voting laws have changed. And we’ll even give you some post-election analysis.  ***Produced by Alex Schein and Loraine Terrell Hosted by Stephanie Perry Edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo by Nick MatejDemocracy and Decision 2024 is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences in collaboration with the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES). Visit our website to listen to every episode of the Omnia Podcast: https://omnia.sas.upenn.edu/podcastThe Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund 

Our new season of Omnia, Democracy and Decision 2024, examines the state of U.S. democracy in the context of the upcoming presidential election. The first episode, “Truth and Democracy,“ features Sophia Rosenfeld, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, in conversation with podcast host Stephanie Perry, Executive Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES) and the Fox Leadership Program, who is also a member of the NBC News Decision Desk Team. They discuss some of the big questions at the heart of American democracy, like whether common sense has changed in the context of politics, how a healthy democracy works, who decides what’s true in democracy, and much more.Check out a new episode of Democracy and Decision 2024 from the Omnia Podcast every two weeks starting on October 1, 2024. We'll explore topics like the myths and realities of political polarization, how media is shaping our understanding of the issues and candidates, and how state voting laws have changed. And we’ll even give you some post-election analysis.  ***Produced by Alex Schein and Loraine Terrell Hosted by Stephanie Perry Edited by Alex Schein Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Illustration and logo by Nick MatejDemocracy and Decision 2024 is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences in collaboration with the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies (PORES). Visit our website to listen to every episode of the Omnia Podcast: https://omnia.sas.upenn.edu/podcastThe Arts & Sciences Annual Fund is the most fundamental way to support the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn. Donations mean immediate, unrestricted dollars for the School to use on its top priorities, including the path-breaking faculty and research featured in this podcast. Show your support today: www.sas.upenn.edu/annual-fund

Many people know Philadelphia for the Declaration of Independence, Rocky, and cheesesteaks. Philly’s deep musical history is less familiar, but its influence continues to inspire audiences and artists across the globe. For Carol Muller’s graduate-level ethnomusicology field methods class, students focused on documenting the city’s Black music history, interviewing figures ranging from Grammy-award winning hip-hop producer Jahlil Beats to Mark Christman and Anthony Tidd of the Ars Nova Worskhop to radio icon Dyana Williams. The class also produced a podcast based on the book There’s that Beat Guide to The Philly Sound by Dave Moore. Each student created an episode based on a chapter of the book, including music samples to make the material more accessible to all audiences. The class was part of the Paideia program at Penn, which is focused on educating the whole student. Paideia funded some of the guests, and other research interviews were supported by a Klein Family Social Justice Grant. Muller, a professor of music, has been teaching the field methods class since 2001. Supported by the Penn Global program, she recently has spent time in Australia working with aboriginal leaders— an experience that she says has helped her re-think the focus of her field methods class. The course now centers around deep listening and working to understand the relationships between humans, non-human animals, and the environment. “To fully grasp human sound production, we need to expand how we see, hear, and know the world,” she wrote in the course description. Hear from Muller and graduate students Kwame Ocran and Yuri Seung about the experience, and listen to some of the material they created, in this episode of the Omnia podcast.***Produced, Narrated, and Edited by Alex ScheinPodcast Logo by Hemani KapoorMusic excerpts by the O’Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Meek Mill (Pr.  Jahlil Beats), Chris Brown and Tyra (Pr. Jahlil Beats), Big Pun (Pr. Minnesota), Bobby Byrd, Jay-Z (Pr. Just Blaze), Marian Anderson, James Mtume, Rasheed Ali Quintet, Mahal Richard Abrams, Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom, Soul Brothers Six, and Barbara Mason.Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions Visit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and alumni: omnia.sas.upenn.edu

After the enormous success of her translation of Homer’s The Odyssey, Emily Wilson spent another five years translating The Iliad. The book was released this fall, again to tremendous acclaim.Wilson is the College for Women Class of 1963 Term Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Classical Studies. She is the recipient of two prestigious fellowships, the MacArthur “Genius Grant” and the Guggenheim, and was chosen to judge the Booker Prize competition. She’s been invited to speak across the United States and Europe.Wilson’s translations are notable because they are in straightforward, common English, but she also uses a poetic meter to echo that of the originals. To do so, she read both the ancient Greek version and her translation aloud repeatedly as she worked.For this episode, we asked Professor Wilson to select and read a few passages from The Iliad in Homer’s original Greek and then from her English translation, after first sharing her thoughts about why she chose the passages she did.***Produced, Narrated, and Edited by Alex ScheinTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Michael Levy: "Ode to Athena" and "Umbra Morris" (ancientlyre.com) and Blue Dot Sessions: "Cloudbank"Podcast Logo by Hemani KapoorCheck out our feature article on Emily Wilson in the Fall/Winter issue of OMNIA Magazine: bit.ly/3SGMVh6

This July, global temperatures soared to the warmest ever recorded. Ocean surface temperatures hit record highs. Extreme weather-related events are becoming ever more common, seen this spring and summer with the wildfires in Canada and Hawaii, flooding in Vermont, and a tropical storm in Los Angeles dumping almost three inches of rain in one day.Renowned climate scientist Michael Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science and the Director of Penn’s Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, has been following the changing climate for decades, starting with his doctoral work, which focused largely on natural climate variability. In the ’90s, he and colleagues published the now iconic hockey-stick curve, an estimate of how temperatures varied in the past using natural sources like tree rings, corals, and ice cores. His new book, Our Fragile Moment: How Lessons from Earth’s Past Can Help Us Survive the Climate Crisis, publishes at the end of September.OMNIA spoke with him about this summer’s weather events, how we can move forward in this climate reality, and why he still believes there’s still time for action.***Produced, Narrated, and Edited by Alex ScheinTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions Podcast Logo by Hemani KapoorVisit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and alumni: omnia.sas.upenn.edu

The 2022 midterm elections took place on Tuesday, November 8th in the United States, and are still being decided in many parts of the country. Historically, the president’s party loses in the midterms. And yet this year, Democrats – the party of President Joe Biden – maintained their control of the Senate and may only lose their majority in the House of Representatives by a slim margin. So what happened? In this episode, we speak with political science professor, Daniel Hopkins, about why this year’s midterms were so different than the historical trend and what the next two years might look like in American political life.Guest:Daniel Hopkins, Professor of Political Science***Produced, Narrated, and Edited by Alex ScheinTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions Illustration by Nick MatejPodcast Logo by Hemani KapoorVisit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and alumni: omnia.sas.upenn.edu

The pandemic has had a pronounced impact on mental health. Participating in activities that benefit well-being is crucial, but Katherine Cotter and James Pawelski, experts in the field of positive psychology, say being conscious of these benefits, and optimizing participation, is the end goal.In this final episode of the season, we speak with both researchers from the Positive Psychology Center about how art museum visitation and museum program participation impact flourishing-related outcomes.Guests:James O. Pawelski, Professor of Practice and Director of Education, Positive Psychology Center and Director of the Humanities and Human Flourishing ProjectKatherine Cotter, Postdoctoral Fellow, Positive Psychology Center***Produced by Blake ColeNarrated by Alex ScheinEdited by Alex Schein and Brooke SietinsonsInterview by Blake Cole Theme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions Illustration and logo by Marina MuunIn These Times is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences. Visit our series website to learn more and listen to the first three seasons of In These Times: web.sas.upenn.edu/in-these-timesVisit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and alumni: omnia.sas.upenn.edu

Music is undeniably one of oldest and most essential art forms. The power of song and dance has been the pulse of social movements throughout the world and a source of collective and individual healing during difficult times for millennia. In this episode we speak with ethnomusicologist Carol Muller about the power of song and dance during the apartheid era in South Africa, and Nicholas Escobar, C'18, about his process composing music for the screen, and our very own OMNIA podcast. ***Produced, Edited, and Narrated by Alex ScheinInterviews by Alex ScheinTheme music by Nicholas Escobar, C'18Additional music by Nicholas Escobar; Randy Newman, "You've Got a Friend in Me" (from Toy Story 4); Thomas Newman, "May" (from The Shawshank Redemption); Dollar Brand aka Abdullah Ibrahim, "Whoza Mtwana" and "Mannenberg Revisited"; Miriam Makeba, "Soweto Blues"; Duke Ellington, "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)"; Sathima Bea Benjamin, "Lush Life" and "Solitude"; The O'Jays, "I Love Music" (Mike Maurro Mix).Illustration and logo by Marina MuunIn These Times is a production of Penn Arts & Sciences. Visit our series website to learn more and listen to the first three seasons of In These Times: web.sas.upenn.edu/in-these-timesVisit our editorial magazine, Omnia, for more content from Penn Arts & Sciences faculty, students, and alumni: omnia.sas.upenn.edu