A look back at the week's top news:
THON: This year's IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, or THON, raised more than $10.6 million to support the fight against childhood cancer.
"A Light in the Dark": Having personally known children battling pediatric cancer during her years in and out of hospitals, Barker’s own experiences with childhood health struggles fueled her interest in helping THON fight this disease, even if she had never been personally impacted by cancer herself — that is, until her own diagnosis.
"Day of Dialogue": The "Day of Dialogue" drew more than 600 campus community members together in 60 facilitated dialogue groups recently. "No matter what happens, humanizing one another is crucial — when we do that, the conversation changes, relationships change, the world changes."
Plastic pollution: While the polyester leisure suit was a 1970s mistake, polyester and other synthetic fibers like nylon are still around and are a major contributor to the micro plastics load in the environment, according to a Penn State materials scientist, who suggests switching to biosynthetic fibers to solve this problem.
Research disclosures: University researchers are being encouraged to disclose their international affiliations in an effort to be more transparent about partnerships and collaborations they are involved in.