The University of Pennsylvania Archives

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Esther Tong

While most seniors in college are still struggling with their thesis and looking forward to all the senior week activities and graduation, psychology major students are the group who people are jealous of because we are always the one’s who starts our own celebration first.

Every year, the University of Pennsylvania’s Psychology department holds a wine tasting event for seniors a month before graduation. The interesting part of the wine tasting night is, not only do you get to taste different red and white wines brought from the faculty, enjoy the cheese and food throughout the night, but you also get a chance to win free bottles of wine at the end of the night. Every faculty member from the psychology department would pick a bottle of wine they like but the students would not know who brought which wine. The rule of the tasting is that the students would get a paper which included the description of each wine, which includes the taste of the wine and why that person likes it. After tasting, students need to match the wine with the correct faculty member. The person who guesses the most right would get to take the free bottles of wine home.

It was a really fun night. Professors got to share their life and interests with the senior students. The competition was intense and students communicated a lot about their own ideas of each professor’s taste. Apparently, I wasn’t able to capture the winner of the night, since she was busy taking photos the whole time!

About the Author: Esther Tong is a senior enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2015.

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Nina Zhu

When I first began attending courses designated for my degree, listening to professors in windowless, dark buildings, my understanding of engineering did not expand beyond general math and science equations. Throughout my four years at the University of Pennsylvania, I have witnessed the construction and opening of a state-of-the-art building with a contemporary design on campus. At the same time, my outlook on the potential impact of engineering has also become brighter and more innovative.

The Singh Center of Nanotechnology is the newest building on the engineering side of campus, with extensive laboratory spaces as well as large conference rooms and ample forum space. The modern architecture of the building and its high ceilings allow for natural light to reflect onto the people and statues inside the building. The orange colored theme of the rooms in the building also brings brilliance to a building where researchers spend much of their time working with tiny nanoparticles. Especially under the sunlight, the orange walls brighten up the hallways for all who are inside.

Similarly, I have felt that as I have taken on more bioengineering related courses, my understanding of what my skills can create has grown. Beyond just mundane problem solving, I am developing skills that in the future can be applied towards building devices and pioneering solutions to address a variety of technical and medical problems. I feel that my understanding of engineering has matured into a more modern and complex realm, alongside the erection of such a grand and open building design. There is a bright potential for what engineering and hopefully my degree can contribute to improving society.

The construction of the building reflects the school’s confidence that nanotechnology will play a meaningful role in the future in science. I hope that with my degree, I too have the confidence to make important contributions to the scientific field.

About The Author: Nina Zhu is a senior bioengineering major at the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2015.

Tag: The University of Pennsylvania

Nina Zhu: Looking Forward