April

A message on fall term planning and course scheduling was sent to faculty and professional staff. Drexel will be returning to full on-campus operations in the fall to the maximum extent permittable.

Picotte, the University’s high-performing computing equipment, is named for Susan La Flesche Picotte, MD, who is believed to be the first Native American physician in the U.S.

Drexel University’s MXene material is one step closer to transforming the lives of people suffering from end-stage kidney disease. Nephria Bio, Inc., a U.S.-based spin-off of the South Korean medical device company EOFlow Co., Ltd., has signed a licensing agreement with the University to use the two-dimensional material, discovered at Drexel, as a filter in a wearable artificial kidney device it is developing. The technology could allow many of the millions of people suffering from end-stage kidney disease worldwide to move more freely, without spending hours each week anchored to large dialysis machines.

 

Get ready for upcoming meditation and wellness practices to be accessed virtually and on campus (like the greenhouse on the third floor of Stratton Hall).

On April 19, more than 1,000 Dragons received their first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at one of many Drexel University-sponsored and Sunray Pharmacy-operated clinics for employees and students.

 

A message announcing that Drexel will end the Pass/No Pass option and return to normal grading beginning in the summer term was sent to the University community.

Drexel University leadership announced that COVID-19 vaccination will be required for all undergraduate and graduate students in full-time and part-time face-to-face programs this fall.

The University’s “Climate Year: Global Research Symposium” brought together Drexel faculty and international partners to present and discuss ways of studying, addressing and combatting climate change.

How were Drexel and other institutions now part of the University affected by the 20th century influenza outbreak? Based off of their archival collections, it’s hard to say.

A message was sent to Drexel faculty and professional staff about the University requiring student vaccinations and academic investments to support the strategic plan.

Evolution is unfolding in real time within many natural animal populations and researchers are now observing how this influences biodiversity in the field. In a newly published study in Molecular Ecology a team of Drexel University scientists examined the biological variations in pea aphids, insects that reproduce frequently enough to evolve before our eyes, by tracing the prevalence of their protective endosymbiont, Hamiltonella defensa, which the insects use to ward off parasitoid wasps.

 

Five seasoned pandemic co-op students who are part of the Steinbright Career Development Center’s Peer Mentor program already knocked their pandemic co-ops out of the park. Now, they’re sharing success strategies to help other Dragons make their current co-op experiences a grand slam.

A decade after Drexel University researchers made the pathbreaking discovery of a family of versatile, two-dimensional materials, which they dubbed MXenes, the University is helping to establish a global trade association for researchers, manufacturers and companies that are working with the materials. Called the MXene Association, it will serve as the professional body to establish standards and best practices, connect researchers and corporations and promote the research and development involving the materials.

One of the nation’s most influential scholars in the field of urban inequality, Elijah Anderson, will address the class of 2021 at Drexel’s university-wide commencement ceremony on June 11. Provided that health and safety regulations and best practices allow, Drexel University will return to Citizens Bank Park to celebrate the graduating class. The ceremony will be live-streamed.

A new family-friendly cookbook co-authored by a Drexel professor explores the benefits of eating whole, organic and plant-forward foods for better health.

In the race to out-compete other companies– artificial intelligence (AI) design is lacking a deep understanding of what data about humans mean and its relation to equity. Two Drexel University sociologists suggest we pay greater attention to the societal impact of AI, as it is appearing more frequently than ever before.

Students voted at higher rates than ever before in 2020. Voting is an important first step in civic engagement but there is so much to do in between elections.

Three master’s students in different disciplines of creative arts therapy discussed the stressors, hurdles and advice for maintaining sound mental health one year into the coronavirus pandemic.

Psychosocial stress – typically resulting from difficulty coping with challenging environments – may work synergistically to put women at significantly higher risk of developing coronary heart disease, according to a study by researchers at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health, recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

A message with updates on planning for a fall return was sent to faculty and professional staff. Based on available data, Drexel is currently working with Real Estate and Facilities and the Office of the University Registrar to plan for 3 feet of masked socially distanced in-person instruction in the fall term. Instructors will be able to distance 6 feet or more and the University will continue to follow guidance from public health authorities as it becomes available.

Drexel’s Director of Athletics shared what it was like for both Drexel basketball teams to make the NCAA Tournament.

The Office of Government and Community Relations and the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement would like to remind Dragons to register to vote in the May 18 Pennsylvania Primary Election. 

An announcement about Drexel offering the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible students, faculty and professional staff was sent to the University community. Drexel will make vaccine available to eligible populations prioritized by Philadelphia’s phased distribution, Drexel’s return to campus phases and vaccine availability.

With the warmer weather has come expanded offerings both on and near campus in terms of recreation, dining and arts and culture.

Learn more about the work behind the Drexel University Public Safety Communications Center and reacquaint yourself with some safety tips applicable for both those on and off campus this term.

Report by AARP Pennsylvania and Drexel University Finds Health Inequities Driven by Geography and Race, Shortage of Health Care Workers, Digital Divide, and Pharmacy Deserts

The University will work with partner North American institutions of higher education to address and advance climate action through research, partnerships and other collaborations.