Streaming endures growing pains

Just in time for the launch of two new streaming services from Disney and Apple, video on demand (VOD) has gone from golden age to a state of buffering. Peter Fader joined Penn Today to discuss the state of video streaming and what’s ahead for the burgeoning media format.

• Marketing

Changing Societal Behavior

Damon Centola joins the Dollars and Change podcast to discuss his book “How Behavior Spreads”—a look into how changes in societal behavior occur. His findings offer insights for those looking to harness networks for social change.

• Communication

The culture of coworking spaces

As Penn sociologist David Grazian discovered through hundreds of hours of fieldwork, despite today’s digital work-anywhere economy, having a physical place to conduct business still matters.

• Sociology

Your Data Is Shared and Sold…What’s Being Done About It?

Even as businesses seek to self-regulate, data privacy laws remain necessary because companies have to be prodded to adopt them. Michael Kearns, Sebastian Angel, and Aaron Roth discuss how companies collect and use data, and potential privacy solutions.

• Computer and Information Science

Driven by Data

Big data—the analysis of extremely large data sets that reveals patterns and associations—is at the forefront of the modern research process. Penn Arts & Sciences' new program, Data Science Hangout, gives undergraduate students a chance to work with faculty mentors, like Bhuvnesh Jain.

• Physics and Astronomy

Physicists look to navigational ‘rhumb lines’ to study polymer’s unique spindle structure

Biology is full of complex patterns, shapes, and geometries which play important roles in biological function but can be difficult to create. A new study from Eleni Katifori describes how spheres can be transformed into twisted spindles thanks to insights from 16th century navigational tools.

• Biology

The Missing Link: Can the Additive Tree Expand Machine Learning in Medicine?

A multidisciplinary team including Lyle Ungar, Professor in Computer and Information Science, discovered a once-hidden through-line between two popular predictive models used in artificial intelligence. By connecting these two models, researchers can open the door to confidently spreading machine learning throughout healthcare.

• Computer and Information Science

2020 IEEE Robotics and Automation Technical Field Award recipient announced

Congratulations to Vijay Kumar, selected recipient of the prestigious 2020 IEEE Robotics and Automation Technical Field Award for "Contributions to cooperative robotics; networked mobile manipulation systems, particularly unmanned aerial vehicles; and leadership in robotics research, policy, and education."

What the 2016 Presidential Election Can Teach Us About Political Tweeting

There is growing evidence that microblogging (such as on Twitter) about political topics often serves to activate the political identities of consumers, and these identities play an important role in influencing a wide range of consumer consumption behaviors. Ron Berman investigated this phenomenon in his recent article.

• Marketing

Penn Researchers’ Model Optimizes Brain Stimulation Therapies, Improving Memory in Tests

In an effort to better personalize and optimize brain stimulation as a type of therapy, a new study from Danielle Bassett has developed a way to model how a given patient’s brain activity will change in response to targeted stimulation.

• Bioengineering
• Electrical and Systems Engineering