2014
Matthew Lane Appointed Vice Dean for Finance and Administration in Penn Arts and Sciences
Steven Fluharty, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, has announced the appointment of Matthew Lane as Vice Dean for Finance and Administration, effective immediately. Lane oversees the School's financial and administrative infrastructure, including the areas of finance, budget, facilities, human resources, and information technology.
O'Leary Receives First Linz Prize from International Political Science Association
Lauder Professor of Political Science Brendan O’Leary has been awarded the first Juan Linz Prize by the International Political Science Association (IPSA). The prize was created to honor a prominent scholar engaged in the comparative research on decentralization, multinational and multiethnic integration, and federalism that Linz demonstrated.
Physics Professors Study Graphene's Electrical Properties on an Atomic Level
Graphene is widely thought to be the most electrically conductive material ever to be investigated. Researchers at Penn Arts and Sciences just published a study in the journal Nano Letters on their use of a cutting-edge microscope to study the relationship between the atomic geometry of a graphene nanoribbon and its electrical properties.
Penn Student Examines Human Bones for Clues to Evolution
This summer Jordi Rivera Prince, C’16, is an assistant to the curator of physical anthropology at the Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. She is educating visitors and learning about how our species evolved while conducting her own independent research on a collection of human skulls.Read the full story here.
Penn Team Awarded $22.5 Million to Develop Treatment for Memory Loss
A team of scientists and physicians at the University of Pennsylvania will lead a four-year effort worth as much as $22.5 million to develop next-generation technologies to restore memory function in people who suffer from memory loss due to disease or traumatic injury.
Professor's Work Suggests Beginning with the Anticrystal
Physicists at Penn Arts and Sciences and the University of Chicago have evidence that a new concept should undergird our understanding of most materials: the anticrystal, a theoretical solid that is completely disordered.
Penn Researchers Receive $10 Million Grant to Study Asbestos
Researchers at Penn's Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET) have been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. Faculty from Penn Arts and Sciences and the Perelman School of Medicine will conduct the research, which will study asbestos exposure pathways that lead to mesothelioma, the bioremediation of this hazardous material, and mechanisms that lead to asbestos-related diseases.
Penn Anthropologist's Singular Approach to Identifying Indigenous Objects
Assistant Professor of Anthropology Margaret Bruchac uses multiple lines of evidence—including oral traditions, material analysis, university archives, and craft techonolgies—to better identify Native American cultural materials in museum collections. Her goal is to restore an unbiased understanding of indigenous peoples, objects, and communities, and to help with repatriation of materials.
Penn Biologist to Receive Blue Planet Prize
Penn biologist Daniel Janzen has been chosen to receive a 2014 Blue Planet Prize, an international environmental award sponsored by the Asahi Glass Foundation. The award announcement recognizes Janzen and Costa Rica’s Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad for work on sustainable development, environmental education, and conservation of biodiversity.
Psychology, Biology Professors Receive Honorary Degrees
Professor of Biology Dorothy Cheney and Professor of Psychology Robert Seyfarth have received honorary doctorates from the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, while Professor Emeritus of Psychology Jacob Nachmias has received an honorary doctorate from the SUNY College of Optometry.
Penn Team Creates Stable Vesicles for Time-Released Drug Delivery
One of the defining features of cells is their membranes. Each cell’s repository of DNA and protein-making machinery must be kept stable and secure from invaders and toxins. Scientists have attempted to replicate these properties, but despite decades of research even the most basic membrane structures—known as vesicles—still face many problems when made in the lab. They are difficult to make at consistent sizes and lack the stability of their biological counterparts.
Art Historian Davis Elected President of International Forum
Associate Professor of the History of Art Julie Nelson Davis has been elected president of the Japan Art History Forum, an international organization for professionals engaged in the study of Japanese arts and cultures. Davis has been a member of the Forum since its founding in 1996, when she was part of its steering committee and served as the graduate student representative.
Muller Chosen as Next Moorman-Simon Fellow by the Netter Center
The Director and Faculty Advisory Board Co-Chairs of the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships have unanimously selected Professor of Music Carol Muller to serve as the next Moorman-Simon Faculty Fellow for a two-year term, beginning on July 1, 2014.
Ruth Schwartz Cowan Elected to American Philosophical Society
Ruth Schwartz Cowan, Professor Emerita in the Department of History and Sociology of Science in Penn Arts and Sciences, has been elected a member of the American Philosophical Society (APS). The APS was founded in 1743 as the country’s first learned society, and past members include Benjamin Franklin, Marie Curie, and Albert Einstein.
Penn Junior Wins 2014 Cultural Vistas Fellowship
Courtney Bliler, a rising College junior from Horseheads, N.Y., is among 10 students from universities across the United States selected to receive 2014 Cultural Vistas Fellowships to intern abroad in Asia, Europe and South America this summer.
Three Appointed to Named Chairs in Arts and Sciences
Dean Steven J. Fluharty is pleased to announce the appointments of three faculty members to named chairs in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Twenty-One College Students Receive Penn Student Awards
Congratulations to the College students who received awards during Alumni Weekend and Commencement! Senior Honor AwardsGaylord P. Harnwell Award: Urja R. Mittal, C’14, W’14Spoon Award: Marcus M. Mundy, C’14 Leadership Awards Association of Alumnae Fathers’ Trophy: Alyssa F. Baron, C’14Class of 1915 Award: John R. Worster, C’14
Penn Researchers Create Artificial Chemical Sensor Using Graphene
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have led an effort to create an artificial chemical sensor based on one of the human body’s most important receptors, the mu-opioid, which is critical in the action of painkillers and anesthetics.
Penn Psychology Study Shows Learning Altered by Electrical Stimulation of Dopamine Neurons
Stimulation of a certain population of neurons within the brain can alter the learning process, according to a team of Penn neuroscientists and neurosurgeons including co-senior author and Professor of Psychology Michael Kahana.
Penn Researchers Find Yeast May Hold Clue to Aging
The single-celled microbes known as yeasts have long served as model systems for the puzzle that is the aging process, and in this week’s issue of Cell Metabolism, they fill in yet another piece.
Penn Psychologist Finds Correlation Between Working Memory and Socioeconomic Status in Children
Working memory—the ability to hold information in your mind, think about it, and use it to guide behavior—develops through childhood and adolescence and is key for successful performance at school and work. Previous research with young children has documented socioeconomic disparities in performance on tasks of working memory.
Sobti Family Fellowship Allows New Penn Grad to Do Research in India
Penn's Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) has awarded its inaugural 2014-15 Sobti Family Fellowship to Vignesh Selvakumaran, E'14.Established through a gift from alumnus Rajiv Sobti, Gr’84, and Slomi Sobti, Penn parents, the fellowship is the first program at Penn to provide funding for a recent Penn graduate to conduct independent research in India.
Biology Researchers Find Plant Hormone Has Dual Role in Flower Formation
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have revealed that a plant hormone once believed to promote flower formation in annual plants also plays a role in inhibiting flowers from forming. The dual role of this hormone, gibberellin, could be exploited to produce higher-yielding crop plants. The findings were published in the journal Science.
Brian Rose Receives Archaeological Institute of America’s Gold Medal
James B. Pritchard Professor of Archeology C. Brian Rose has been awarded the Gold Medal for Distinguished Archaeological Achievement by the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA). Rose, who holds joint appointments in the Departments of Classical Studies and History of Art, will receive the award at the AIA’s annual meeting in New Orleans on January 9, 2015.
Arts and Sciences Students Win Boren, CLS Scholarships to Study Languages
Five Penn Arts and Sciences students have received scholarships that will send them abroad to study foreign languages in the next year. Benjamin Filreis, C’14, has been awarded a National Security Education Program (NSEP) Boren Scholarship for the 2014-15 academic year. A political science major, he will study Persian Farsi and Tajik with American Councils for International Education (ACIE) in Tajikistan.
Penn Earth and Environmental Science Professor Finds Indications of Climate Change in Southern Ocean
To investigate the interplay between climate change and the ocean, Irina Marinov, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, has found it necessary to straddle disciplines.
Math Professor Receives Humboldt Award
Florian Pop, Samuel D. Schack Professor of Algebra in the Department of Mathematics, has received a Humboldt Research Award to fund a year-long collaboration with colleagues in Germany.
Penn Ph.D. Candidate Wins Rare Book School Mellon Fellowship
Jeannie Kenmotsu, a doctoral candidate in history of art, has been awarded a Rare Book School Mellon Fellowship in Critical Bibliography. She is among 20 early-career academics receiving fellowships to attend the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia.
Earth and Environmental Science Researchers' Project Renewed by NSF for Five Years
A team of researchers from Penn's Department of Earth and Environmental Science have spent the last five years studying the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico, its waterways, air and terrain.Recently, the Penn team and colleagues from the University of New Hampshire, University of California, Berkeley and other institutions got word that their project, part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Critical Zone Observatory program, has been renewed for another five years.
Biology’s Bonini Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Nancy Bonini, Florence R.C. Murray Professor of Biology, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's most prestigious honorary societies and a leading center for independent policy research. The American Academy describes the 204 individuals in its 2014 class of members as prominent men and women in the sciences, the humanities, and the arts, as well as philanthropists and business leaders.
Physics Doctoral Students Awarded Prestigious Fellowships
Three Penn Physics and Astronomy graduate students have earned some of the most prestigious fellowships in particle physics. Each has already made valuable contributions to the world of physics:
Mary Frances Berry Receives 2014 Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award
For her lifetime effort to bring her training as a historian to public service, Professor of History Mary Frances Berry has received the 2014 Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award. The award is given annually by the Organization of American Historians to an individual or individuals whose contributions have significantly enriched our understanding and appreciation of American history. The award was presented at the OAH annual meeting last month in Atlanta.
Heather Williams Appointed Presidential Professor and Professor of Africana Studies
Heather Andrea Williams has been named the sixth Presidential Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, effective July 1. Williams will be Presidential Professor and Professor of Africana Studies in the School of Arts and Sciences.
English Lecturer Susan Bee Wins Guggenheim Fellowship
Susan Bee, a lecturer in the Department of English and at Kelly Writers House, has been named a 2013 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow. Often characterized as "midcareer" awards, Guggenheim Fellowships are intended for men and women who have already demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts. Each year the foundation receives between 3,500 and 4,000 applications and awards about 200 fellowships.
Chemistry Faculty Garner Three Honors
David Christianson, Roy and Diana Vagelos Professor in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and Daniel Mindiola, Presidential Term Professor of Chemistry, have been elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In addition, Professor of Chemistry Madeleine Joullié will receive an honorary degree from Simmons College on May 9.
Physics, Biology Professors Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Class of 1965 Term Professor of Physics and Astronomy Charles Kane and Patricia M. Williams Term Professor of Biology Scott Poethig have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, considered to be one of the highest honors a U.S. scientist or engineer can receive. Members are chosen for their achievements in original research. The 2014 Academy class consists of 84 members and 21 foreign associates.
Rudra Sil cautions against simplified images of Russia and its leaders
While Professor of Political Science Rudra Sil views the current crisis in the Ukraine as a terrible mess that all major powers have had a hand in creating, he is also frustrated by the simplified images and narratives being circulated by the American media of Russian politics and society.
2014 Graduation Ceremony Schedule for Penn Arts and Sciences
Fels Institute of Government Graduation CeremonyMay 18, 2014 1:30-3 p.m. Fels Courtyard, 3814 Walnut StreetThe Honorable Marjorie O. Rendell, CW'69, Federal Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, will speak.
College of Liberal and Professional Studies Launches New Degree in Chemical Sciences
On April 1, the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) at the University of Pennsylvania officially opened applications for its newest master’s degree: the Master of Chemical Sciences. The program, the first of its kind in the Ivy League, offers current and aspiring professionals in the chemical sciences a path to build their expertise in a compact time frame.
Penn Arts and Sciences Faculty, Grad Students Receive Teaching Awards
Steven J. Fluharty, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and Dennis DeTurck, Dean of the College, have announced the recipients of the School’s 2014 teaching awards, to be presented on Thursday, May 1, at an awards reception that is open to the University community. The reception will take place from 4-6 p.m. in 200 College Hall.
Arts and Sciences Appoints Three to Named Chairs
Dean Steven J. Fluharty has announced the appointments of three faculty members to named chairs in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Rogers Smith Named Associate Dean for the Social Sciences
Steven Fluharty, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, has announced the appointment of Rogers Smith as Associate Dean for the Social Sciences, effective July 1, 2014. In his new role, Smith will oversee the Departments of Anthropology, Criminology, Economics, History and Sociology of Science, Political Science, and Sociology, as well as several research centers.
Penn Researchers Weigh Cosmic Voids
Cosmologists have established that much of the stuff of the universe is made of dark matter, a mysterious, invisible substance not directly detectable but which exerts a gravitational pull on surrounding objects. Dark matter is thought to exist in a vast network of filaments throughout the universe, pulling luminous galaxies into an interconnected web of clusters, interspersed with seemingly empty voids.
Penn Junior Awarded Truman Scholarship
Ariel Koren, C’15, has been awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship, a merit-based award for college students who plan to pursue graduate or professional degrees to prepare for careers in government or public service. Her major is in East Asian Languages and Civilizations.
Al Filreis Inducted into Minerva Academy
Kelly Family Professor of English Al Filreis is one of the first 14 individuals inducted into the Minerva Academy, an honorary institution dedicated to promoting and rewarding extraordinary advancements and innovation in higher education around the world. Filreis is Faculty Director of the Kelly Writers House, Director of the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing, Co-Director of PennSound, and publishes of the online magazine Jacket2.
Cinema Studies to Host “Film Diplomacy in the Digital Age” Symposium
On Friday, April 18, Cinema Studies will host Film Diplomacy in the Digital Age. The symposium brings together scholars, filmmakers, and government officials to discuss how film and digital media are used by governments, NGOs, and grassroots movements to bring about social change.
Doctoral Candidate Finds Mortality Risk of Being Overweight are Underestimated
New research by Andrew Stokes, a doctoral student in demography and sociology in Penn Arts and Sciences, suggests that many obesity studies substantially underestimate the mortality risks associated with excess weight in the United States. His study “Using Maximum Weight to Redefine Body Mass Index Categories in Studies of The Mortality Risks of Obesity” was published in the March issue of the open-access journal Population Health Metrics.
Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building to Promote Synergy Between Biology and Psychology
Described as "an epicenter of what Arts and Sciences will do" by Dean Steven Fluharty, Penn Arts and Sciences' Neural and Behavioral Sciences (NBS) building is expected to open in the fall of 2016. The new building will serve as the center of collaboration between the converging disciplines of biology and psychology.
College Announces 2014 Graduation Speakers
Laura Alber, C’90, will speak at this year’s graduation ceremony for the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences. As president and chief executive officer of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Alber is recognized as an innovator in the business world. The event, scheduled for May 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Franklin Field, will also feature Dau Jok, C’14, as the student speaker.
A Cosmic Explosion Observed from Philadelphia
Students at the University of Pennsylvania recently captured the explosive end of the life of a star in a nearby galaxy. This supernova was first discovered serendipitously on January 21, 2014, by undergraduate students being trained by Steve Fossey at the University College of London.