Erin Baker, PEP steering committee member, and colleagues, recently visited the University of Ghana and University of Cape Town as part of a World University Network (WUN) grant. The Sustainable Energy-Access Network for Africa, established as part of the WUN grant, is made up of researchers from the University of Massachusetts, University of Ghana, University of Cape Town, University of Nairobi, Argonne National Lab and Carnegie Mellon University. The team’s aim is to investigate how to improve electricity systems and access throughout the African continent, using stakeholder-driven methods to inform policy and investment. Read more here.

PEP Co-Director, Linda Tropp, is quoted in a Yes Magazine article on changing minds and developing empathy for others. The article explains that we develop beliefs through our feelings, and a way to change beliefs is through making emotional connections with people. “The more contact we have, the less anxious we feel about being with people who are different from us, and the more able we are to empathize with them in terms of what they’re going through,” explains Tropp.

2018 PEP Fellow, Donald Tomaskovic-Devey, quoted in HR Drive article about a public hearing of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Tomaskovic-Devey says new required reporting on EEOC forms is not as burdensome as some business consultants claim.

Julie Brigham-Grete, 2017 PEP Fellow, will deliver the talk, on “What the Arctic Paleo Record says about Earth's Climate” at the Retired Faculty Association meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Read more here.