2011
Tom Lubensky Named Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Physics
Tom Lubensky has been appointed the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Physics.
Wishing Well
According to the World Health Organization, one in eight people in the
world lack safe drinking water. From their estimates, almost 5,000
children die each day from water-related illness.
Emeritus Fellowships Awarded to Three Penn Faculty in One Year
Thomas Callaghy, Professor Emeritus of Political Science; Bruce
Kuklick, Professor Emeritus of American History; and John Richetti,
Professor Emeritus of English, were all awarded Emeritus Fellowships
last year from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Department of History Faculty Honored with Back-to-Back Awards
Four Department of History faculty members were recently recognized
for their distinguished scholarship. Spanning a myriad of
specializations, they received awards acknowledging their numerous
contributions to the field, in both publication and education.
Rebecca Bushnell’s Term as Dean of Arts and Sciences at University of Pennsylvania Is Extended
PHILADELPHIA –- University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price announced today that Rebecca Bushnell has agreed to extend her term as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Penn u
University of Pennsylvania Names Two New PIK Professors: Barbara Mellers and Philip Tetlock
PHILADELPHIA -- Barbara Mellers and Philip Tetlock have been appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge professors at the University of Pennsylvania. The
announcement was made today by Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost
Vincent Price. Both PIK appointments are effective January 1.
Sociology Professor Jerry A. Jacobs to Be Awarded 2011 Merit Award from the Eastern Sociological Society
Sociology Professor Jerry A. Jacobs is the 2011 recipient of the Merit
Award from the Eastern Sociological Society. This career achievement
award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to the
discipline, the profession, and the Eastern Sociological Society.
Jacobs has been a member of the faculty in sociology at Penn since 1983.
He has served as Editor of the American Sociological Review and
President of the Eastern Sociological Society.
2010
Mark Trodden Named Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics
Mark Trodden has been appointed the Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics in the School of Arts and Sciences. Trodden
is also Co-Director of the Center for Particle Cosmology.
Penn Arts and Sciences Senior Wins Marshall Scholarship
School of Arts and Sciences senior Kristen Hall has been awarded a
Marshall Scholarship. She is among 31 winners of the scholarship.
Richard R. Beeman Named John Welsh Centennial Professor of History
Richard R. Beeman has been appointed the John Welsh Centennial
Professor of History in the School of Arts and Sciences. As a historian
of the American Revolutionary Era, Dr. Beeman's research focuses on
aspects of America's political and constitutional history in the 18th
and 19th centuries. He has written seven books and is currently working
on his eighth, which is focused on the Continental Congress.
Penn Professor Christine Poggi’s “Inventing Futurism” Wins MLA’s Howard R. Marraro Prize
PHILADELPHIA -- The Modern Language
Association has awarded University of Pennsylvania History of Art Professor Christine Poggi its
Howard R. Marraro Prize for “Inventing Futurism: The Art and Politics of
Artificial Optimism.”
University of Pennsylvania Names Two New PIK Professors: Barbara Mellers and Philip Tetlock
PHILADELPHIA -- Barbara
Mellers and Philip
Tetlock have been appointed Penn Integrates Knowledge professors at the University of Pennsylvania.
The announcement was made today by Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost
Vincent Price. Both PIK appointments are effective Jan. 1.
Political Science Professor Marie Gottschalk Wins 2009-10 Fulbright Scholarship
Marie Gottschalk, Professor of Political Science, has been awarded a 2009-2010 Fulbright Scholarship.Gottschalk researches the welfare state and mass incarceration in America. She received a short-term grant to travel to Japan to lecture at the Nagoya American Studies Seminar for two weeks this past summer.
Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Music: Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr.
Guthrie P. Ramsey, Jr. has been appointed the Edmund J. and Louise
W. Kahn Term Professor of Music in the School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Ramsey
specializes in African-American and American music, jazz, cultural studies,
popular music, film studies and historiography and lectures internationally on
these topics.
Inaugural Bok Family Professor in the Humanities: Holly Pittman
Holly Pittman has been appointed the inaugural Bok Family
Professor in the Humanities in the School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Pittman is
also chair of the department of the history of art and curator of the Near
Eastern Section of the Penn Museum. Her research interests focus on ancient Near
Eastern art and architecture with a current focus on the excavations of the
sites of Konar Sandal South and North in the region of Jiroft, south-central
Iran.
Robert DeRubeis: Samuel H. Preston Term Professor in the Social Sciences
Professor of Psychology Robert DeRubeis has been named the Samuel H. Preston Term Professor in the Social Sciences in the School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. DeRubeis specializes in the study of abnormal behavior. His research focuses on the processes that cause and maintain mood disorders, as well as the treatments that reduce and prevent the return of mood symptoms.
Nora Lewis Appointed Vice Dean and Executive Director of the College of Liberal and Professional Studies
Nora Lewis has been appointed Vice Dean and Executive Director of the
College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) effective July 1,
2010. In this role, she will be responsible for overseeing the portfolio
of LPS programs including the BA for adult students; the Master of
Liberal Arts and several professional master's programs; summer programs
for undergraduate and high school students; and the English Language
Programs.
Nora Lewis Appointed Vice Dean and Executive Director of the College of Liberal and Professional Studies
Nora Lewis has been appointed Vice Dean and Executive Director of the College
of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) effective July 1, 2010. In this role,
she will be responsible for overseeing the portfolio of LPS programs including
the BA for adult students; the Master of Liberal Arts and several professional
master's programs; summer programs for undergraduate and high school students;
and the English Language Programs.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to Ei-ichi Negishi, Gr'63
Ei-ichi Negishi, the Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at
Purdue University and a Penn Chemistry Ph.D., has won the 2010 Nobel Prize in
Chemistry, along with Richard Heck (University of Delaware) and Akira Suzuki
(Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan).
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded to Ei-ichi Negishi, Gr'63
Ei-ichi Negishi, the Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor of
Chemistry at Purdue University and a Penn Chemistry Ph.D., has won the
2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Richard Heck (University of
Delaware) and Akira Suzuki (Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan).
Machine Language
How does one go about teaching a machine a human language? This was the question DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) had in mind when it issued a call for the creation of an organization to support human language technology research and development—a call answered with the establishment of the Linguistic Data Consortium (LDC) at Penn.
SAS Welcomes 16 New Faculty Members
The School of Arts and Sciences has appointed 16 new members to its
standing faculty for the 2010-11 academic year. The new hires join the
faculty at the junior and senior levels across the natural sciences,
social sciences and humanities.
This year's new senior appointments are:
Federal Funding Renewed for National Resource Centers in Area Studies
Funding for all four of the area-studies National Resource Centers in the
School of Arts and Sciences has been renewed this year. The School's centers
receiving federal support under Title VI of the National Defense Education Act
are the Africa Studies Center, the Center for East Asian Studies, the Middle
East Center and the South Asia Center. The U.S.
Life out of Context
By Loraine TerrellThe story of immigration in America is a complicated one. Nostalgic, sepia-tinted images of a welcoming Ellis Island symbolize an era long past. Today, concerns about security and the economy are asserted by the wire-and-steel wall along the United States-Mexico border, a stark emblem of immigration in the 21st century.
Robert DeRubeis: Samuel H. Preston Term Professor in the Social Sciences
Professor of Psychology Robert DeRubeis has been named the Samuel
H. Preston Term Professor in the Social Sciences in the School of Arts and
Sciences. Dr. DeRubeis specializes in the study of abnormal behavior. His
research focuses on the processes that cause and maintain mood disorders, as
well as the treatments that reduce and prevent the return of mood symptoms.
Mathematicians Solve 140-Year-Old Boltzmann Equation
PHILADELPHIA –- Two University of Pennsylvania mathematicians have found
solutions to a 140-year-old, 7-dimensional equation that were not known to exist
for more than a century despite its widespread use in modeling the behavior of
gases.
Eugene Park Named Korea Foundation Associate Professor in History
Eugene Y. Park has been named the Korea Foundation Associate
Professor in History in the School of Arts and Sciences. He has also
assumed leadership of the Center for Korean Studies at Penn.
Renata Holod appointed the College for Women Class of 1963 Term Professor in the Humanities
Renata Holod has been named the College for Women Class of 1963 Term
Professor in the Humanities in the School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Holod is a
member of the history of art department and Curator in the Near East Section at
the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
Senior Cecilia Corrigan’s Play Memorial Day to Be Performed Across Philadelphia in May
An original play by undergraduate English major Cecilia Corrigan will be
performed five times at five different locations in Philadelphia during the
month of May. Her production of Memorial Day. mixes live
performance with video “news reports.” “I was interested in getting as many
different types of audiences and types of performance experiences as possible,”
she says.
Robert W. Preucel Named Sally and Alvin V. Shoemaker Professor of Anthropology
Robert W. Preucel, the Gregory Annenberg Weingarten curator-in-charge of the
American Section at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology, has been named the Sally and Alvin V. Shoemaker Professor of
Anthropology. This chair is designated for a School of Arts and Sciences faculty
member who is also a curator at the Penn Museum.
Jeffrey Kallberg Appointed Associate Dean for Arts and Letters
Jeffrey Kallberg, Professor and Chair of Music, has been appointed Associate Dean for Arts and Letters, effective July 1, 2010. In this role, he will oversee the School's academic programs in the humanities, including 13 departments: Classical Studies, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, English, German, History, History of Art, Music, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Romance Languages, Slavic Languages, and South Asia Studies.
College Senior Receives Woodrow Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship for Aspiring Teachers of Color
College of Arts and Sciences Senior Makeda Farley has received one of 25 Woodrow Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowships for Aspiring Teachers of Color from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. She will receive a $30,000 stipend to complete a master's degree in education, as well as preparation to teach in a high-need public school, support and mentoring throughout a three-year teaching commitment and guidance toward teaching certification.
College Announces 2010 Graduation Speakers
George Smith, a 1955 College alumnus and co-recipient of 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics, will be the guest speaker at this year's graduation ceremony for the University of Pennsylvania College of Arts and Sciences on Sunday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. at Franklin Field. Joshua Bennett, C'10, will be the student speaker.
Peter Decherney Is First Assistant Professor to Be Named Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Film Scholar
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has named Assistant Professor Peter Decherney a 2009 Academy Film Scholar. He is the first assistant professor to win this prestigious award, which the Academy normally reserves for senior scholars whose work examines the cultural, educational, historical, theoretical or scientific aspects of theatrical motion pictures.
Death of William R. LaFleur of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations
It is with great regret that we note the passing of Dr. William R. LaFleur of the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. The cause was a massive heart attack on Friday, February 26, 2010. He was 73 years old and is survived by his wife Mariko, his son David, and daughters Jeanmarie and Kiyomi.
Peter Decherney Named Inaugural Stephen M. Gorn Family Assistant Professor of English
Peter Decherney, of the Department of English and the Cinema Studies Program in the School of Arts and Sciences, has been named the inaugural Stephen M. Gorn Family Assistant Professor of English.
Thomas J. Sugrue Named David Boies Professor of History and Sociology
Thomas J. Sugrue, a member of the history department faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences, has been named David Boies Professor of History and Sociology.
Three SAS Faculty Awarded Sloan Fellowships
Three young scientists from the School of Arts and Sciences are among the five Penn scholars who have been named Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellows for 2010.
Penn’s Center for the Advanced Study of India’s $2 Million Grant from the Government of India
The University of Pennsylvania announced a $2 million grant from the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs of the Government of India (MOIA) to support Penn’s Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI), which will conduct research on international migration from India.This is the first time that MOIA has ever awarded an empirical research grant of this magnitude to an academic institution outside India.
Organizational Dynamics' Steven F. Freeman Awarded Louis O. Kelso Fellowship
Steven F. Freeman, Resident Scholar and Affiliated Faculty in the Organizational Dynamics Program in SAS, has received a Louis O. Kelso Fellowship. Freeman is a prominent teacher of organizational resilience, entrepreneurship and innovation. He has studied resilience and innovation in the U.S. auto industry, and he conducted a widely acclaimed study on the comeback of one of the firms hardest hit by the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Eiichiro Azuma Named the Alan Charles Kors Term Associate Professor of History
Eiichiro Azuma has been named the Alan Charles Kors Term Associate Professor of History in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Alan Charles Kors Named the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History
Alan Charles Kors has been named the Henry Charles Lea Professor of History in the School of Arts and Sciences.
SAS Students and Alumna Named Gates Cambridge Scholars
Two seniors and one alumna have been selected to receive a 2010 Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Donielle Johnson, C’10, of Virginia, is majoring in psychology and is in the biological basis of behavior program. She has volunteered and worked at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Autism Research. At Cambridge, she will continue studying autism in the Autism Research Centre earning an MPhil in medical sciences.
College Senior and Alum Win 2010 Thouron Awards
A College of Arts and Sciences senior and a recent College graduate have received Thouron Awards to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom.Senior Stefan Sabo, a math major who sub-matriculated into the Master's in Math program, is also a University Scholar, Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Undergraduate Advisory Board member and Dean's Scholar. He will attend the University of Cambridge.
Francis X. Diebold Appointed Paul F. and Warren S. Miller Professor of Economics
Diebold, who received his doctorate in economics from Penn, is a leader in economic modeling, forecasting, and risk management. He has received widespread recognition for his research, including election as a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and the Econometric Society. He has won the Department of Economics Kravis Award for Outstanding Teaching, the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the Alfred P.
Sociology's Randall Collins Elected President of American Sociological Association
Randall Collins, the Dorothy Swaine Thomas Professor in Sociology, has been elected to serve as the 102nd President of the American Sociological Association (ASA) for 2010-2011. Collins will assume office in August of 2010, following a year of service as president-elect.
National Academy of Sciences Honors Penn Psychologist Michael Kahana With Troland Research Award
PHILADELPHIA –- The National Academy of Sciences has honored Michael J. Kahana of the University of Pennsylvania and 16 other researchers with awards in recognition of extraordinary scientific achievements in the areas of biology, chemistry, geology, astronomy, and psychology.
Charles Epstein Named Thomas A. Scott Professor of Mathematics
Charles L. Epstein, a member of the mathematics department faculty, has been named the Thomas A. Scott Professor of Mathematics. Dr. Epstein’s research interests include partial differential equations, boundary value problems, medical imaging, population genetics and other fields of mathematical analysis and its applications.
Roger Allen Named Sascha Jane Patterson Harvie Professor of Social Thought and Comparative Ethics
Roger Allen, professor of Arabic and chair of the department of Near Eastern languages and civilizations, has been named the Sascha Jane Patterson Harvie Professor of Social Thought and Comparative Ethics. Dr. Allen is the author of numerous articles and translations, in addition to a major study on the Arabic novel and an anthology of critical writings.
Jonathan Baron Named to Society of Experimental Psychologists
Jonathan Baron, Professor of Psychology, has been named a Fellow by the Society of Experimental Psychologists. This prestigious society was formed in 1904 and admits a limited number of members annually from among the leading experimentalists in North America.