Student engineering group TemPO helped its community by building prosthetics for those who have lost limbs, while a CPH professor considered how people will have to readjust to in-person interactions when the coronavirus pandemic is over.

A student-run engineering club creates prosthetics for humans and animals
When Morgan Rollins, Class of 2021, suffered a career-ending injury while playing for Temple’s women’s soccer team, she fell into a deep depression. Her growing interest in biomechanics—and the opportunity to change lives by creating prosthetics for those who have lost limbs—gave her something new to focus on. Rollins founded TemPO (Temple Prosthetics and Orthotics), an engineering club that designs prosthetics and has nearly 200 members. “My favorite thing about [TemPO] is that it allows people to discover their passions or challenge themselves,” she said. “It’s really cool to see how many people this has affected and how this has taken off.”
Philadelphia Inquirer｜March 30, 2021

An Owl steps up to help members of his community look after their mental health
Adrian Sullivan, KLN ’16, knows what it’s like to struggle with mental health issues and feel as if you’ve no one to turn to. That’s why the former Temple football player has begun offering mental health workshops for employees at his media agency and volunteering for community organizations and mentorship programs. “If sometimes people see that person who seems big and strong can have those emotions, and be vulnerable, it gives them that confidence to be vulnerable in their own life,” he said.
6ABC｜March 29, 2021

Kamali Thompson returns to the nest
This year’s Match Day (when medical residents are matched with hospital programs) was also a form of homecoming for Kamali Thompson, CST ’12, a medical student and U.S. Olympic fencing team hopeful who will be doing her residency at Temple. With the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately affecting communities of color, Thompson feels the presence of Black doctors is more important now than ever before. “I could not be more excited to enter a specialty [orthopedic surgery] with only 100 African American women in the entire country,” she said.
Forbes｜March 29, 2021

Goldman Sachs bankers highlight concerns over striking work-life balance during the pandemic
Junior bankers at Goldman Sachs have complained about having to work more than 105 hours a week, prompting a wider debate about how the coronavirus pandemic has blurred the lines between work and leisure. “People feel the boundaries have disappeared between work and leisure and work and life. A lot of people are struggling with it because they are not sure when they are allowed to take time off,” said Kevin Delaney, a sociologist and professor at the College of Liberal Arts.
Barron’s｜March 28, 2021

Once the pandemic is over, people will have to adjust to being around others again
A year of quarantining and isolation has left many of us feeling rusty when it comes to social interaction and we will have to adapt to being able to meet others in person again. “People, jobs and society should be aware that the first few months of reopening society are going to be awkward. You won’t be able to just leave the Zoom room anymore,” said Jeni Stolow, a social and behavioral scientist and assistant professor of instruction at the College of Public Health.
Washington Post｜March 27, 2021

How schools might be able to enforce pandemic-related rules over spring break
It’s legal for schools to ask families about personal travel due to COVID-19 concerns, as long as the institution’s rules aren’t discriminatory, said Scott Burris, a professor of law and director of the Center for Public Health Law Research. It’s also important for schools to develop rules based on explicit risk behavior criteria, rather than just on a destination. “It’s not going to Florida that puts you at a greater risk,” he said. “It’s going to Florida and engaging in unsafe COVID behavior.”
USA Today｜March 25, 2021

An Owl filmmaker finds the balance between laughter and grief
Rachael Moton, TFM ’17, who is currently working on her first feature film, makes comedies about weighty subjects like gentrification, grief and performative allyship. “I love comedy but I also think that there has to be a balance of joy and pain so I tend to make things very deeply sad but also keep people laughing the whole time,” she said.
Yahoo! Sports｜March 25, 2021 

Dawn Staley takes a stand
Former Temple basketball coach Dawn Staley, who recently celebrated her 500th coaching win, is steering South Carolina’s women’s basketball team through the NCAA Tournament—and speaking out about issues like gender inequality at the tournament. “We’re at the NCAA Tournament and we see stark differences of what the men’s tournament looks like,” she said. “If you see that, you need to speak out.”
Philadelphia Inquirer｜March 24, 2021

Temple works with WRTI to broaden intellectual heritage curriculum
A new partnership between Temple and WRTI will use music to help make the university’s intellectual heritage curriculum more engaging and accessible. “The relationship with WRTI has inspired us to do more with community engagement,” said Douglas Greenfield, senior associate director of the intellectual heritage program. “In many ways, WRTI’s been a catalyst and a role model.”
WRTI｜March 24, 2021

Ibram X. Kendi is trying to build a newsroom
Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi, CLA ’07, is working with the Boston Globe to cover racism in a project inspired by Boston’s 19th-century abolitionist newspapers. “If there was ever a body of people who should be arguing out the definition of a term, particularly a seemingly politically charged term like ‘racism,’ why would it not be journalists?” he said. “They should define the term based on evidence.”
New York Times｜March 21, 2021 

Should Pennsylvania raise the limit on its film-production incentive?
A new bill has been proposed which would increase Pennsylvania’s tax incentive for film and TV productions to a record level. Steven Balsam, professor of accounting and Senior Merves Research Fellow at the Fox School of Business, isn’t in favor of tax incentives used to entice specific industries, partly because the incentives often seem to serve no greater policy goal. “Somehow [film-production companies] have it set up so that they don’t owe a tax liability to the state of Pennsylvania, but the state of Pennsylvania is still effectively giving them money, or giving them credits, which they then can sell to somebody else who could use those credits,” he said. “That doesn’t seem right to me.”
WITF｜March 19, 2021

—Edirin Oputu