Learning from the practitioners of statecraft | Penn Today Skip to Content Skip to Content News from University of Pennsylvania Try Advanced Search A cohort of 18 Perry World House undergraduate student fellows traveled to Geneva during their 2026 spring break to meet some of the heroes who have helped to create a global system that has enabled us to escape the cycle of human suffering. PWH student fellows advance their interest in global affairs throughout the school year, attending classes, workshops, and keynote addresses by visiting leaders on campus every week throughout their fellowships. In early March, they got a deep dive directly into the global community for what has become an annual capstone opportunity of the program: travel to a key location where diplomats, technical experts, and activists work to advance global security, economic growth, and well-being. View large image Image: Courtesy of Penn Washington While the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council headquarters in New York is often the focus of headlines when international crises break out, Geneva is where the actual work to prevent, mitigate, and resolve those crises is rooted. PWH fellows met with UN officials from multiple agencies and supporting organizations: the International Organization for Migration, the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, the International Telecommunications Union, UNAIDS, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the World Trade Organization. The PWH fellows also met with leading non-governmental organizations that both support UN missions and hold its members accountable through fact-based reporting: the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Center for Human Rights, and Geneva Calls—an NGO led by a Penn Wharton alum that presses non-state armed groups to be bound by the international laws on armed conflict. Additionally, the students got direct insight into how member countries advance national priorities by working with UN agencies in meetings with the U.S. mission to the UN, and with the Swiss permanent mission to the UN. Read more at Penn Washington Share this article Threads More from Perry World House Undergraduate Students Global Outreach Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system Health & Medicine Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell investigates the use of a lettuce-based, plant-encapsulated delivery platform as a new oral delivery of two GLP-1 drugs previously approved by the FDA in injectable form. No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise Image: Sciepro/Science Photo Library via Getty Images Natural Sciences No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise Research led by Penn neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley and collaborators finds that hypothalamic neurons are essential for translating physical exertion into endurance, potentially opening the door to exercise-mimicking therapies. Studying Shakespeare through the lens of love In honor of Valentine's Day, and as a way of fostering community in her Shakespeare in Love course, Becky Friedman took her students to the University Club for lunch one class period. They talked about the movie "Shakespeare in Love," as part of a broader conversation on how Shakespeare's works are adapted. nocred Arts & Humanities Studying Shakespeare through the lens of love In Becky Friedman’s English course Shakespeare in Love, undergraduate students analyze language, genre, and adaptation in the Bard’s plays through the lens of love. Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion nocred Technology Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.