January

The arts drew Lindsey Crane to Philadelphia, and they’re what caused her to stay after she finished graduate school.

The 15 Drexel students who volunteered at a public health clinic in Ghana over winter break were put to work almost as soon as they arrived in the village of Adansemaim—but not in any way they had anticipated.

Joshua Jacobs used to study computers, but they weren’t quite complex enough for his taste. So he moved on to examining a much more complicated instrument: the human brain.

Since Drexel moved into the historic Bachelors Barge Club as its main tenant, its rowing teams have experienced unprecedented success. But now that Drexel has taken over the facility's management, the partnership also presents an opportunity for faculty and staff, including those who've never held an oar.

A roughly 4- by 5-foot American flag on display at the Academy of Natural Sciences is a curiosity not just because of its number of stars, 43, but because of the story behind it.

If it has a motor and it can break, Bill Taylor has probably fixed it.

Hailed as “the undisputed queen of African music” (Daily Telegraph) and “Africa’s premier diva” (TIME), Angélique Kidjo is aGrammy Award-winning artist with a mission to unite different cultures through music, while raising global respect for her native continent. In her debut memoir, “SPIRIT RISING: My Life, My Music,” which was released by Harper Collins on Jan. 7, Kidjo shares the inspiring story of her journey from a little-known city in Benin, on the west coast of Africa, to international superstardom. The autobiography was co-written with Rachel Wenrick, an associate teaching professor of English in Drexel University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Tianna Gaines-Turner, a low-income mother of three children from North Philadelphia, will attend the State of the Union address as a guest of Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey on Jan. 28, the Senator announced today. Her attendance marks a new achievement of a Drexel program raising the voices of families living in poverty to gain a place in the national conversation.

For years, Drexel's enrollment strategy was all about volume. But leaders say it's time for that to change.

Three Drexel students on co-op at the Spaces Between Your Fingers nonprofit have gained more than something to put on their resumes.

Former Montgomery County Sheriff Eileen Behr officially started her tenure on Jan. 7 as Drexel University’s director of Police Operations.

Bob Brehm came to Drexel to get away from the news cameras, but he found himself in front of them after Philadelphia's deadly Market Street building collapse in June 2013. Now he and another Drexel professor, Scott Gabriel Knowles, are stepping up to help the city in the collapse's wake.

When researchers from Drexel, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Hebrew University of Jerusalem come together next week, leaders hope the result will be new research "dream teams" that can tackle pediatric problems in new ways.

Stephen Cox believes that all students can succeed, if given the opportunity. But he's had no trouble finding people who disagree.

The Democratic City Committee and Drexel University will host a debate among the democratic gubernatorial candidates vying for the chance to challenge incumbent Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett in the November election.

Bonnie Mackay, former marketing director at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and fashion director at Bloomingdales, will join Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. for a discussion about diversity and inclusion in fashion, product design and brand development. The presentation will be held in the URBN Annex Screening Room (3401 Filbert St.). It is free and open to the public.

International exchange students must overcome language barriers and culture shock when they step onto Drexel's campus, but they do have friends from day one: Dragon Buddies, student volunteers who connect with them and help them acclimate to Drexel and Philadelphia.

Montgomery County Community College and Drexel University have entered into a bold and innovative partnership that will build a pipeline of qualified graduates for high demand jobs in the region.

President Obama’s historic health care law, the Affordable Care Act, went into effect on Jan. 1, dramatically altering the nation's health care landscape. Amidst the rollout of the embattled law, Drexel University’s School of Law will host a book signing and discussion with nationally known health law scholars Robert I. Field, PhD, and Barry R. Furrow. The event will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 22, from 5p.m.– 6:30 p.m. in the law school’s Room 140 (3320 Market St.). It is free and open to the public. ***UPDATE: This event has been postponed due to inclement weather. It will now take place Thursday, Jan. 30 from 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. in Room 140.

After 30 years of filming and photographing the world’s most violent wars and conflicts, award-winning British combat photographer Sebastian Rich turned his lens to something more beautiful but no less powerful – the world of dance. From Sunday, Jan. 26 – Saturday, Feb. 8, an exhibit of Rich’s dance photographs will be on display as part of the42nd annual Dance on Camera Film Festival, part of the Lincoln Center Film Festival. Following the Dance on Camera festival, “Bullets to Ballet” will come to Drexel’s URBN Center Lobby from Feb. 10 – Feb. 21.

The discovery of new fossil materials from the ancient fish species Tiktaalik roseae has revealed a key link in the evolution of hind limbs. The newly described, well-preserved pelves and partial pelvic fin from this 375 million-year-old transitional species between fish and the first legged animals, reveals that the evolution of hind legs actually began as enhanced hind fins, contrary to the existing theory that large hind legs developed after vertebrates transitioned to land.

The mating rituals of elusive birds, a humorous look into natural history museums and the history of chocolate — yes, chocolate — will be featured in a series of exciting new exhibitions this year at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

The City of Philadelphia was one of three cities and a total of five areas selected for a Promise Zone designation, a federal initiative to accelerate revitalization efforts in targeted areas. The Promise Zone initiative is led by the White House with support from federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice.

In its first round of proof-of-concept funding, Drexel Ventures — the University’s new technology accelerator and transfer enterprise — is supporting research that could lead to improved solar cells, new drug therapy for treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, safer chemicals for oil extraction and smarter software system monitoring.

The leatherback turtle in the Pacific Ocean is one of the most endangered animals in the world. Its population has declined by more than 90 percent since 1980. One of the greatest sources of mortality is industrial longlines that set thousands of hooks in the ocean to catch fish, but sometimes catch sea turtles as well. Using modern GPS technology, researchers are now able to predict where fisheries and turtles will interact and to reduce the unwanted capture of turtles by fishermen.

Consumers tend to think of sit-down restaurants as offering healthier options than fast-food venues but there is little evidence to support that idea. In a new study of nutritional values for menu items at sit-down chain restaurants in the Philadelphia region, Drexel researchers determined the healthfulness of food in various menu categories, including the restaurants’ “healthy choice” offerings. They report that an average restaurant meal is not very healthy at all.

“Raw to Refined: String, Tape, Sponges and Vinyl,” a new exhibition of artwork created with unconventional materials, will open at Drexel University’s Leonard Pearlstein Gallery (3401 Filbert St.) on Tuesday, Jan. 14 and run through Friday, March 21. The gallery is free and open to the public Tuesday – Sunday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

While many college students are attached to their smartphones, students at Drexel University are just as likely to be spending their screen time programming the next great app. Drexel students have already launched apps that help users explore museums, find scholarships or get involved on campus. Now, thanks to a generous gift from Bentley Systems, the University has established a dedicated space for app development.

Drexel's Robert Field explains why the U.S. government’s involvement in health care is neither new nor is it unwelcome to the private market.

A queen in a paperwasp colony largely stays in the dark. The worker wasps, who fly outside to seek food and building materials, see much more of the world around them. A new study led by Drexel professor Sean O'Donnell, PhD, indicates that the brain regions involved in sensory perception also develop differently in these castes, according to the different behavioral reliance on the senses.