2009
Chemistry Professor Amos Smith Awarded Honorary Doctorate from Queen’s University Belfast
Amos B. Smith III, the William Warren Rhodes-Robert J. Thompson Professor of Chemistry, was recently awarded an honorary doctorate of science from Queen’s University Belfast in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the field of organic chemistry.
Samuel Freeman: Avalon Professor in the Humanities
Dr. Samuel R. Freeman, a member of the philosophy department faculty, has been named the Avalon Professor in the Humanities. Dr. Freeman’s research interests include political and social philosophy, moral philosophy, philosophy of law, and history of ethics.
Avery Goldstein: Inaugural David M. Knott Professor of Global Politics and International Business
Professor of Political Science Avery Goldstein has been named the inaugural David M. Knott Professor of Global Politics and International Relations. Associate director of the Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics and a recipient of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, he specializes in international relations, security studies and Chinese politics.
Peter Conn: Vartan Gregorian Professor of English
Peter Conn has been appointed the Vartan Gregorian Professor of English. A specialist in American literature, his publications include The Divided Mind: Ideology and Imagination in America, 1898-1917, Literature in America, and Pearl S. Buck: A Cultural Biography. His latest book, The American 1930s: A Literary History, was recently published by Cambridge University Press
George E. Smith, 1955 Penn Alum, Receives the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2009 to Charles Kao, Willard S. Boyle and 1955 Penn alumnus George E. Smith. Smith, together with Boyle, invented the charge-coupled device, an integrated circuit that converts light into an electronic charge. The technology improved medical diagnostics, allowed humankind to see the surface of Mars and provided teenagers with digital cameras in their cell phones.
Associate Professor of Classical Studies Peter Struck to Serve as Co-Director of the National Forum on the Future of Liberal Education
The Teagle Foundation has awarded a grant of $392,500 to fund the National Forum on the Future of Liberal Education, a three-year program designed to identify and prepare emerging academic leaders. The grant will be administered through Penn, and the program will be co-directed by Associate Professor of Classical Studies Peter Struck and Sarah Igo, an associate professor of history, sociology and political science at Vanderbilt University.
SAS Welcomes 17 New Faculty Members
The School of Arts and Sciences has appointed 17 new members to its standing faculty for the 2009-10 academic year. This year’s new appointments are:Daud Ali, Associate Professor of South Asia Studies: Pre-Sultanate India, with special interests in Sanskrit studies, early medieval courtly culture, and the history of secular ethics. Comes to Penn from the University of London. Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
Death of Dr. Aditya Behl, Associate Professor of South Asia Studies
Dr. Aditya ‘Adi’ Behl, associate professor of South Asia Studies, died in his sleep on August 22, as a result of a chronic medical condition, at the age of 43.He earned a BA in 1988 at Bowdoin College. He then attended the University of Chicago, where he was awarded both his master’s in religious studies in 1989 and his PhD in 1995.
Tukufu Zuberi Awarded ASA's Oliver Cromwell Cox Prize
Tukufu Zuberi, the Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations and Chair of the Department of Sociology, has been awarded the 2009 Oliver Cromwell Cox Award from the American Sociological Association for his book White Logic, White Methods: Racism and Methodology. Zuberi shares the honor with his co-editor, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, a professor of sociology at Duke University.
Madeleine Joullié Honored Twice by American Chemical Society
Professor of Chemistry Madeleine M. Joullié, G'50, Gr'53, has received two prestigious awards from the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific association.
Martin Seligman Awarded Inaugural Wiley Prize in Psychology
Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology Martin Seligman has been named the first recipient of the Wiley Prize in Psychology. Bestowed by the British Academy in partnership with publisher Wiley-Blackwell, this new prize awards £5,000 annually in recognition of excellence in research—alternately honoring lifetime achievement by an outstanding international scholar and promising early work by a U.K.-based psychologist.
2009 Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Challenge Awards Honor Distinguished Undergraduate Students
Given annually to outstanding undergraduate students in the
submatriculation program in chemistry or physics, the 2009 Roy and
Diana Vagelos Science Challenge Awards were conferred in June by a
committee of standing faculty. This year’s recipients are biochemistry
and physics major Kevin Axelrod, C’11, biochemistry and chemistry major
Phillip Benedetti, C’10, biochemistry and physics major Matthew Berck,
C’10, biochemistry major Edward Kreider, C’11, and physics major Aaron
Levy, C’11.
2009 Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Challenge Awards Honor Distinguished Undergraduate Students
Given annually to outstanding undergraduate students in the submatriculation program in chemistry or physics, the 2009 Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Challenge Awards were conferred in June by a committee of standing faculty. This year’s recipients are biochemistry and physics major Kevin Axelrod, C’11, biochemistry and chemistry major Phillip Benedetti, C’10, biochemistry and physics major Matthew Berck, C’10, biochemistry major Edward Kreider, C’11, and physics major Aaron Levy, C’11.
Samuel Preston Wins Olivia Schieffelin Nordberg Award
Frederick J. Warren Professor of Demography Samuel H. Preston has been named winner of the 2009 Olivia Schieffelin Nordberg Award for excellence in writing and editing in the population sciences. The award is given every two years by the Population Council—an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the well-being and reproductive health of current and future generations through biomedical, public health, and social science research on population issues.
Death of Renowned Penn Chemist Ralph F. Hirschmann, 1922-2009
Ralph F. Hirschmann, the Rao Makineni Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry at Penn and former head of research at Merck, passed away peacefully on June 20. A 2002 winner of the National Medal of Science, he made seminal contributions to organic, medicinal and bioorganic chemistry for more than 50 years.
Death of Renowned Penn Chemist Ralph F. Hirschmann, 1922-2009
Ralph F. Hirschmann, the Rao Makineni Professor of Bioorganic Chemistry at Penn and former head of research at Merck, passed away peacefully on June 20. A 2002 winner of the National Medal of Science, he made seminal contributions to organic, medicinal and bioorganic chemistry for more than 50 years.
Shelley L. Berger is appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor
Shelley L. Berger has been named the 10th Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor. The announcement was made on June 16 by Penn President Amy Gutmann and Interim Provost Vincent Price.
Wolf Visiting Associate Professor in Television Studies Wins Katherine S. Kovacs Book Award
Described by her colleagues at Penn as an “outstanding teacher” who has had a “terrific impact,” Wolf Visiting Associate Professor in Television Studies Victoria E. Johnson is the 2009 recipient of the Katherine S. Kovacs Book Award. Granted by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies, the award acknowledges original works that significantly advance scholarship in the field.
Arjun Yodh Named Director of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter
Dr. Arjun G. Yodh, a researcher studying condensed matter physics, medical and biophysics and optics has been named director of the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM) at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jack Nagel Appointed Associate Dean for the Social Sciences
SAS Dean Rebecca Bushnell has announced that Steven F. Goldstone Endowed Term Professor of Political Science Jack Nagel will become Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, effective July 1, 2009. In this capacity he will oversee the Departments of Anthropology, Criminology, Economics, History and Sociology of Science, Political Science, and Sociology; several research centers with ties to these departments; and the Fels Institute of Government.
David Stern Named Moritz and Josephine Berg Professor
David M. Stern, a member of the Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations department faculty, has been named the Moritz and Josephine Berg Professor. Stern’s fields of specialization include classical Jewish literature and religion, as well as the history of the Jewish book.
SAS Teaching Awards
Dr. Rebecca W. Bushnell, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Dennis DeTurck, dean of the College, announced the following recipients of the School’s 2009 teaching awards, to be presented on Thursday, April 30 at an awards reception that is open to the University community. The reception will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Upper Egyptian Gallery of the Penn Museum.Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching
The 2009 Dean’s Scholars
The School of Arts and Sciences has named 20 students from the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, and the Graduate Division as 2009 Dean’s Scholars. This honor is presented annually to SAS students who exhibit exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise.
$1.7 Million Gates Foundation Grant to Enhance Global Understanding of Parasitic Genomes
The University of Pennsylvania has received a $1.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help researchers share data and develop tools to fight globally neglected diseases.
Biology Professor Joshua Plotkin Named Inaugural Martin Meyerson Assistant Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies
Dr.
Joshua Plotkin has been named the inaugural Martin Meyerson Assistant
Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies. Holding appointments in both
the department of biology in the School of Arts and Sciences and the
department of computer and information science in the School of
Engineering and Applied Science, Dr. Plotkin uses mathematics and
computation to study questions in evolutionary biology and ecology.
College Announces 2009 Graduation Speaker
The University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences has selected R&B singer and songwriter John Legend, C'99, to speak at this year's graduation ceremony.
Rohm and Haas Gift to Create a Program in Sustainable Development in Organizational Dynamics
Rohm and Haas Company, the global pioneer in the creation and development of innovative technologies and solutions for the specialty materials industry, has made a significant gift to the School of Arts and Sciences’ program in Organizational Dynamics to create a concentration in sustainable development. It is the first-ever gift from a corporate sponsor to an academic institution to create a program for working professionals focused on the study and implementation of sustainability principl
Penn Student Wins Gates Cambridge Scholarship
PHILADELPHIA – University of Pennsylvania senior Alexander Jacobs has been selected to receive a 2009 Gates Cambridge Scholarship. He becomes the 16th Penn student to win the award since it was established in 2001.
Biology Professor Joshua Plotkin Awarded Sloan Research Fellowship
Assistant Professor of Biology Joshua Plotkin has been named an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow for 2009. Awarded to faculty members at an early stage of their careers, Sloan Research Fellowships honor scientists who are working at the frontiers of their fields. Fellows receive two-year, $50,000 grants and are permitted to employ fellowship funds in a wide variety of ways to further their research.
Paul Guyer Elected Vice President of the American Society for Aesthetics
Paul Guyer, the Florence R.C. Murray Professor in the Humanities, has been elected vice president of the American Society for Aesthetics (ASA). Founded in 1942, the ASA is dedicated to promoting research, discussion and publication in aesthetics—where aesthetics is understood to include all studies of the arts and related types of experience from a philosophical, scientific or other theoretical standpoint.
Cristina Bicchieri Receives Italian Knighthood
Dr. Cristina Bicchieri, Carol and Michael Lowenstein Professor of Philosophy and Legal Studies and director of the PPE program, has been knighted by the Italian government Cavaliere al Merito della Reppublica Italiana. This is one of the highest honors conferred by the Italian government for contributions in the field of arts and sciences.
2008
Mellon Foundation Awards $6-Million Grant to Support Graduate Education in the Humanities
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded the School of Arts and
Sciences a grant of $6 million to support graduate education in the
humanities. This endowment gift will significantly enhance financial
aid for SAS graduate students in the humanities through fellowships as
well as a new award program.
Biology Professor Michael Lampson Named Searle Scholar
Assistant Professor of Biology Michael A. Lampson is among the 15
scientists named Searle Scholars in 2008. The Searle Scholars Program
makes grants to selected universities and research centers to support
the independent research of exceptional young faculty in the biomedical
sciences and chemistry.
2007
Pew Charitable Trusts Make Grant of $2 M for Graduate Fellowships
The Pew Charitable Trusts has awarded a four-year grant of $2
million to support graduate students in economics, English, history,
political science and sociology. The grant will expand the School’s
Presidential Prize Fellowships Program, which supports Ph.D. students
in the humanities and social sciences. The new fellowships will be
awarded on the basis of merit by department graduate chairs.
2006
Chemistry's Eric Meggers Receives Dreyfus Award
Dr. Eric Meggers, assistant professor of chemistry, has been
selected to receive the 2006 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award. Dr.
Meggers' laboratory group works on novel chemical tools for the
manipulation of biological processes and biological tools for the
creation of molecules and materials with new properties and functions.
Dr. Meggers is also the recipient of a 2006 Sloan Fellowship and the
2002 Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award.
2005
Guggenheim Recipient Wins Second Fellowship
History and sociology professor Thomas J. Sugrue, who recently
received a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation
for a history of the struggle for civil rights in the American
North in the 20th century, has been awarded a second fellowship
for his work related to civil rights.
2004
College Interns Get Hands-on Training in Arts, Culture Settings
Twelve College undergraduates are studying firsthand the
dynamics of Penn’s arts and cultural organizations
as part of a new summer research institute for students in
the humanities and social sciences.