HONORS & Other Things
Four Women of Color Awards
At the twelfth annual Women of Color luncheon on March 7, four Penn women were cited for their personal and public achievements to enhance the community:
This year's winner of the prestigious Helen O. Dickens Life Time Achievement Award is Orneice Dorsey Leslie, assistant dean of the School of Social Work, for her leadership in advocating change in multiple areas of University life on behalf of all women-students, faculty and staff. In her more than 25 years at Penn, Orneice Dorsey Leslie has served on many University committees; she was "one of the greatest proponents for the establishment of an African American Resource Center," and continues to serve on its Board.
Other award recipients include:
Patricia Andrews, a nurse at Presbyterian Medical Center and a captain in the U.S. Army Corps, was the Faculty/Staff Honoree for her work as spokesperson for the Black Women's Health Project and for planning breast cancer workshops to educate the community.
Nsenga Burton, an M.A. candidate at the Annenberg School for Communication, was the Graduate Student Honoree for her service as president/political action committee chair of BGAPSA. She was also recognized for her work with the Call to Action Committee formed in defense of affirmative action policies on college campuses nationwide.
Hema Sarangapani, C '00, who won the Helen O'Bannon for her work at the Women's Law Project, was the Undergraduate Student Honoree. She has also been co-editor of Voyage Out, Penn's literary magazine for and about women,
Prizes for Two in Music
Dr. Christopher F. Hasty, graduate chair and associate professor of music, was awarded the Wallace Berry Prize by the Society for Music Theory for his book Meter as Rhythm (Oxford University Press, 1997). Each year this prize is given to the best book published in the field of music theory in the previous year.
Dr. James T. Primosch--associate professor of music, co-director of Penn Contemporary Music and director of the Theodore Presser Electronic Music Studio--was one of two composers to be awarded the 1999 Elise Stoeger Prize of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center-a cash gift of $10,000, given annually to each of two composers in recognition of distinguished achievement in chamber music composition. Dr. Primosch was cited for his "almost theatrical" work. "It is music that is witty and scholarly and yet, it also has a hint of grease and paint and footlights" said David Shifrin, artistic director of Lincoln Center's Chamber Music Society. Dr. Primosch records on CRI, Centaur and New World labels.
Dual Recognition for Dr. Beck
Dr. Aaron T. Beck, University Professor of Psychiatry, was inducted into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences with a citation that he "has almost single-handedly restored the relevance of psychotherapy. His cognitive therapy is the fastest growing form of psychotherapy and has influenced the treatment of psychiatric disorders throughout the world."
Dr. Beck also received the 1998 "Lifetime Achievement Award" of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, for "an unparalleled career" in the field. Considered the father of cognitive psychotherapy, Dr. Beck has achieved worldwide acclaim for his pioneering therapeutic methods in the treatment of depression, anxiety, panic, substance abuse and personality disorders.
AAAS: Five Penn Fellows
The American Association for the Advancement of Science elected 288 distinguished members to the status of Fellow, including five from Penn. The five and their sections:
Chemistry--Dr. S. Walter Englander, professor of biochemistry and biophysics, for distinguished contributions to protein and nucleic acid dynamic, including the understanding and use of hydrogen exchange.
Engineering--Dr. Paul Ducheyne, professor of bioengineering, for fundamental materials research and innovative applications for medical prostheses.
Medical Sciences--Dr. Garret A. Fitzgerald, chair of pharmacology and director of Center for Experimental Therapeutics, for innovative investigation characterizing the biochemistry and functional role of lipid metabolites in health and disease and Dr. Howard Goldfine, professor of microbiology/Med., for contributions to understanding of the structure and function of lipids and membranes of bacteria, including important pathogens.
Physics--Dr. David P. Balamuth, associate dean, SAS, professor of physics, for experimental studies of the structure of nuclei lying far from the valley of stability using gamma ray spectroscopy and beams of unstable nuclei.
All-USA Academic Team: Two Undergraduates
Two Penn undergraduates made USA Today's "All USA College Academic Team" announced last month in the national newspaper: College Senior Samatha Barend, a member of UA and chair of the Tangible Change Committee, is one of the 20 in the nation named to the "First Team." She was cited for her work during an intership with U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan to win Interstate Highway status New York's Route 17, making it eligible for federal upkeep support. Fifth-year Engineering Student Eugene Huang, an upcoming Thouron Scholar, was named to the Third Team. He was recognized especially for pioneering uses of the Interntet in political campaigns, leading to a patent and the founding of a new company called Navispace.
Remembering Dr. Cotter: April 3
On Saturday April 3, starting at l p.m. in Rainey Auditorium at the University Museum, there will be a program in memory of Dr. John L. Cotter. The ceremony is open to the public and all members of the Penn community.
At this event, colleagues will remember John L. Cotter, curator emeritus, Historical Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania Museum, who died February 5 (Almanac February 16). Dr. Cotter's life and career will be reviewed through a series of slide presentations, videos and testimonials from former colleagues and friends. As his career spanned well over fifty years of Americanist archaeology, including Paleo-Indian Studies, Southwestern and Southeastern prehistory and the entire field of Historical Archaeology, the ceremony will also act as a good introduction to the history of American archaeology. Penn students and the public are welcome.
The Museum's director, Dr. Jeremy Sabloff, will open the session chaired by Dr. Robert L. Schuyler,associate curator-in-charge of the Historical Archaeology Section. Speakers will include Penn faculty colleagues, former graduate students, archaeologists from the National Park Service, and members of the Society for Historical Archaeology. A reception follows.
Dr. Schuyler asks that anyone planning on attending send a brief e-mail note to: schuyler@sas.upenn.edu.
Almanac, Vol. 45, No. 24, March 16, 1999