Hosted through Penn State's Consortium on Moral Decision-Making, the speaker series brings established and emerging scholars together for discussions of cultural differences, interdisciplinary research and the evolving understanding of empathy.

Working with Penn State faculty, the undergraduate fellows will investigate questions ranging from whether AI can help patients understand medical treatments to how maps can represent Indigenous experiences of environmental contamination and what happens when public spaces are privatized. Their research also addresses intelligence, empathy, environmental restoration, media ethics and neuroscience.

Penn State, a nationally-recognized top producer of Fulbright Scholars, sponsored the 80th Anniversary Conference of the Fulbright Association on Oct. 23-25 in Washington, DC. As sponsors of the conference, the University held a plenary panel focused on the innovation and impact of its Fulbrighters, held on Saturday afternoon, and then held a reception that evening.

Penn State Assistant Professor of Sociology and Public Policy Sarah Brothers is the author of the new book, “Hit Doctors: Care, Harm, and the Art of Survival,” which examines the uncredentialed expertise of people who inject drugs for fellow drug users, usually for a few dollars or a share of drugs.

AI-generated empathy may prove an effective complement to — not a replacement for — human companionship, according to new study led by Penn State researchers.

The Rock Ethics Institute is accepting applications for its 2027–28 Faculty Fellows Program. The deadline to apply is Nov. 8. The institute anticipates awarding two fellowships, each providing a one-course release from teaching during the academic year to support ethics-related research.

Five Penn State scholars affiliated with the Rock Ethics Institute will participate in an international workshop Oct. 20-22 in Freiburg, Germany, launching a new collaboration with the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies. The workshop will explore ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence, technology and sustainability, building on Penn State's longstanding strategic partnership with the University of Freiburg.

Nora Reikosky has joined Penn State’s Rock Ethics Institute as assistant director, bringing a research agenda focused on the influence of private power on public institutions and a professional background spanning academia, education and the private sector.

The College of IST recently announced the winners of its inaugural AI in Research Symposium. The event presented an opportunity for students and faculty to explore how AI is reshaping research and discuss how standards and practices might differ across academic communities.

Two free lectures by internationally respected ethics experts highlight the public portion of “Media Challenges to Digital Flourishing,” a two-day symposium coordinated by the Donald W. Davis Program in Ethical Leadership Penn State and scheduled Oct. 22-23 on the University Park campus.