Emily Berkow

I am a member of the Class of 2024 majoring in Chemistry with a minor in Philosophy. Outside of class, I am part of a translational research lab working on the development of nanoparticle contrast agents for breast cancer imaging. I also enjoy science writing and illustrating, painting, and tutoring middle-school math.

 

Coming into college, I worried that I wouldn’t be able to find my perfect fit in one of Penn’s many academic communities. I viewed my interests in the hard sciences and the humanities as separate things, and determined that I would eventually have to make a choice between the two. My involvement in the Integrated Studies Program freshman year changed the course of my academic career, as I discovered the unique benefits of integrating interests in seemingly separate fields. For example, in Fall 2020’s “Happiness and Despair” I discovered the benefit of approaching happiness from a practical scientific and broad religious perspective in pursuit of answers on what constitutes a life well lived. I’ve also been inspired to take classes in different subjects and always search for the connection between their content and issues that are important to me.

 

I am a scientist who enjoys discussing and writing about topics in philosophy, but above all I am an always-curious thinker. I can apply my knowledge of practical chemistry to debates in the philosophy of science and also engage with ethics and epistemology as I develop research questions. ISP gave me the confidence to claim this title, access to an invaluable academic community, and an opportunity to meet some of my best friends at Penn.