Oceania
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Countries and Areas in this Region
Countries and Areas in this Region
  • Australia
  • Fiji
  • Kiribati
  • Marshall Islands
  • Micronesia
  • Naura
  • New Zealand
  • Palau
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Samoa
  • Solomon Islands
  • Tonga
  • Tuvalu
  • Vanuatu
Fast Facts
  • 690 + Penn alumni located in Oceania
  • 65 Penn students on average reported studying abroad annually in Oceania
  • 130 + Penn faculty reporting more than 210 projects and activities in Oceania
  • 36 active agreements with institutions in Oceania

Penn has forged a significant and growing footprint in Oceania. During a typical academic year, Penn hosts well over 100 students from Oceania. Since Penn and Australia’s University of New South Wales signed an exchange agreement in 2003, several dozen Penn students each year have traveled to Oceania to study or pursue internships. Today, Penn Global’s Global Partnerships Initiative team is actively working with peer institutions in the region to explore new avenues for engagement. In March 2018, Wharton’s Global Forum was held for the first time in Australia, signaling the region’s increasing importance for Penn.

Sydney, Australia
 
Student Voices
Faculty Engagement
Conference
Writing as Discovery
Yvonne Paterson
Microbiology

Emeritus Professor of Microbiology, Yvonne Paterson focuses on harnessing the immune system to provide cures for, or protection against, neoplastic and infectious disease. Dr. Paterson partnered with the A.N.U’s Humanities Research Centre and University of Canberra’s Centre for Creative and Cultural Research to discuss her work on the conference, "Writing as Discovery / Investigating a Hidden Component of Method.” The conference invites scientists and scholars to discuss the act of writing as a key plank in scientific and scholarly method. Dr. Paterson shares her thoughts on writing as a research scientist, discussing various forms of writing her field requires and how the creative, discovery process unfolds, with a focus on research papers and grant proposals.

Updated November 2020

Research
Archael Proteome Project
Mechthild “Mecky” Pohlschroder
Biology

Mecky Pohlschroder is Professor of Biology and Undergraduate Chair with research interests in cell and developmental biology, genetics, epigenetics, genomics, and microbiology. Over the summer, Pohlschroder and her lab launched the Archaeal Proteome Project (ArcPP), “a web-based database to collect and make available datasets to further the work of all scientists interested in archaea, a domain of life composed of microorganisms that can dwell anywhere from deep-sea vents to the human gut.” Pohlschroder is also partnering with the University of Technology of Sydney on a project focusing on archael cell shape.

Research
Canine Olfaction in New Zealand
Cynthia Otto
Penn Vet

Since 2017, Cynthia Otto, Professor of Working Dog Sciences and Sports Medicine at Penn Vet has conducted collaborative research and provided educational opportunities focused on canine olfactory capabilities and canine physical fitness in New Zealand. Dr. Otto is the Executive Director of Penn’s Working Dog Center in Grays Ferry, Philadelphia.

Research
Broadband Regulation in Oceania
Christopher Yoo
Law and Technology

Christopher Yoo, of Penn Law, is one of the leading legal scholars on the regulation of the Internet. He is exploring collaborations with the APNIC Foundation in Brisbane.  In the fall of 2019, he has been invited to give the Baxt Lecture at the Melbourne Law School and to be a featured speaker at 17th Annual Competition Law and Economics Workshop, co-hosted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the University of South Australia in Adelaide. He has also been invited to join the Academia Network of the United Nations Asian-Pacific Information Superhighway.

Research
Experimental Animal Models in Australia
Julie Engiles
Avian and Mammalian Pathology

In May 2019, Julie Engiles of Penn Vet studied experimental animal models, including bone healing in sheep, and laminitis in horses (a crippling disease that affects the feet of ungulates such as horses, cattle, and deer), in Australia.

Research
Avian Vocal Production in Australia
Marc Schmidt
Biology

Marc Schmidt, of the School of Arts and Sciences, has studied the role of the brain stem respiratory stem of vocal production in birds since 2005. Schmidt, co-Director of the Biological Basis of Behavior Program, primarily works with the Zebra finch (native to Oceania) for his research in this area. 

Research
The Genographic Project
Theodore Schurr
Anthropology

Professor of Anthropology and Graduate Group Chair, Theodore Schurr has investigated the genetic prehistory of Asia and the Americas through studies of mtDNA, Y-chromosome and autosomal DNA variationin Asian, Siberian and Native American populations. Schurr is also Director of the North American Regional Center of the Genographic Project, which aims to model migration patterns based on an analysis of DNA samples. As part of this project, Schurr is working with Chamarro populations from Guam to elucidate the population history of this island nation and explore its links to the history of Micronesia, including the colonial settlement of the archipelago.

Updated November 2020