Skylar Fan
From hieroglyphs on clay to words on screens, language changes and evolves with us since the dawn of time. My research interests lie at the intersection of sociolinguistics and history. I am curious to explore humanity's relationship with language and investigate how language has been used to construct power both historically and in modern times. As I am still narrowing down my focus, I also have secondary research interests in bilingualism and language acquisition.
Outside of my academic work, I am involved with The Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn Policy Consulting, as well as the Yarnaholics crochet and knitting club.
- Participant in the Turkish Language Program of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)
The Business of Borders
How do businesses participate in defining and implementing border security policy in the United States? This research project examines how private businesses define and influence United States national security threats, and specifically, US border policy and enforcement
Climate Decisions Lab
We meet regularly and conduct studies pertaining to climate change, sustainability and related matters. We produce reports from our work products. These reports are posted on the Web and/or submitted for refereed publication. The lab has been operating since 2000. Many students have found it useful for getting started post-Penn, either on the job or for graduate school. All levels of "technical" expertise welcome. Example of work product: Bina, Rachel and Luong, Kha and Mehta, Shrey and Pang, Daphne and Xie, Kristen and Chou, Christine and Kimbrough, Steven O., On Large Language Models as Data Sources for Policy Deliberation on Climate Change and Sustainability (February 02, 2025). The Wharton School Research Paper , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5123359 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5123359
Qualitative Research Assistant: The Housing Intitiative
The Housing Initiative at Penn seeks a qualitative research assistant for the fall semester (with the possibility of extension) to support an ongoing evaluation of Rebuilding Together Philadelphia (RTP)'s home repair program in West Philadelphia. Work will include a combination of in-person interviews with homeowners and interview coding.
Domestic Violence - Intimate Partner Violence - Child Maltreatment
Domestic Violence - Intimate Partner Violence -- Child Maltreatment Research -- Social Sciences, Medicine, Public Health, Law
Dr. Prah is Director of the Ortner Center on Violence and Abuse and the Health Equity and Policy Lab (HEPL)
