Honors & Other Things

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Spencer Fellow: Michael Katz of History

Dr. Michael B. Katz, the Sheldon and Lucy Hackney Professor in the History Department, was recently named a Spencer Foundation Senior Fellow. This is an invitational award in which the Chicago-based foundation invites a distinguished scholar to apply, their board of directors reviews the application and votes on it. Dr. Katz, a specialist in American social history, received one of four awards given by the foundation in the past twelve months. It carries with it $400,000 in research funding which Dr. Katz plans to use to supplement a grant he and Dr. Mark Stern of social work received from the Russell Sage Foundation, to write a book placing the year 2000 census in the context of social and economic trends in the twentieth-century. Dr. Katz also intends to turn some long unpublished data on adolescence, schooling and race in turn-of-the-century Philadelphia into publishable articles as well as write a historiographical introduction to a reissue of his first book, The Irony of Early School Reform, published in 1968.

Dr. Katz focuses on three areas: the history of education, the history of urban social and family structure and the history of poverty and social welfare. He received his M.A.T. and Ed.D. from Harvard University. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a resident fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, the Shelby Cullom Davis Center for Historical Studies at Princeton, the Russell Sage Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He also has held a fellowship from the Open Society Institute. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Education and the National Academy of Social Insurance.

From 1989-95, he served as archivist to the Social Science Research Council's Committee for Research on the Urban Underclass and in 1992 was a member of the Task Force to Reduce Welfare Dependency, appointed by Pennsylvania's governor. From 1991-95, he was chair of Penn's history department; from 1983-96 he directed or co-directed the undergraduate Urban Studies Program. In 1994, Dr. Katz founded the graduate certificate program in Urban Studies , which he directs.

Dr. Katz is the author of numerous books and essays, including The People of Hamilton, Canada West: Family and Class in a Mid-Nineteenth Century City, the 1975 winner of the Albert C. Corey Prize from the American and Canadian Historical Associations. His book, The Undeserving Poor: From the War on Poverty to the War on Welfare, was a 1990 finalist for the American Sociological Association's Distinguished Book Award. He is completing a book on the redefinition of the American welfare state since 1980, Market Price or Social Value? Redefining America's Welfare State.

Edgar Fahs Smith Collection: National Historical Chemical Landmark

Edgar Fahs Smith in his office in Harrison Laboratory.

On March 16, the American Chemical Society will designate the University library's Edgar Fahs Smith Memorial Collection in the History of Chemistry as a National Historical Chemical Landmark. The landmark status in conferred on chemical sites, artifacts and collections that "clearly evidence a seminal achievement in the history of chemistry and chemical technology."

The Edgar Fahs Smith Collection was started over one hundred years ago by Dr. Edgar Fahs Smith, a prominent chemist and provost at Penn. It is recognized as one of the preeminent collections of the history of chemistry in the world. The collection contains Sir Isaac Newton's copy of Ashmole's Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum, manuscripts by Joseph Priestley, and notes of Benjamin Rush's lectures. It also contains photographs and engravings of scientists and their laboratories and chemical apparatus.

The designation program will include the presentation of the NHCL plaque by Dr. Daryle Busch, president, American Chemical Society to Michael Ryan, director of Rare Books and Manuscripts and curator of the Collection, followed by remarks by James Bohning, and Dr. Arnold Thackray. The ceremony will take place from 4-5 p.m., in the Rosenwald Gallery, 6th floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center. Please contact Carol Carr at (215) 573-6144 or e-mail carrca@sas.upenn.edu to indicate an interest in attending.

... At CHOP CHOP Chief: Dr. Altschuler Dr. Steven M. Altschuler, professor and chair of pediatrics at CHOP and the hospital's physician-in-chief, was chosen last week after a national search as CHOP's new president and chief executive. Dr. Altschuler, an expert in the brain circuitry that controls swallowing, will assume his new roles on April 3. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Case Western University in Cleveland and received his pediatric training at Children's Hospital in Boston. He came to CHOP in 1982 as a fellow and joined the their staff in 1985. Dr. Altschuler has been involved in developing the hospital's network of surgery and specialty-care centers and pediatrician practices known as Kids First. Director of Psychology: Dr. Kazak Dr. Anne E. Kazak, associate professor in psychology in Pediatrics and associate professor in psychology at Penn, has been appointed Director of Psychology at CHOP. Dr. Kazak will be developing existing and new psychology services for children and adolescents served by the pediatric healthcare network. Before assuming her current position, she was director of Psychosocial Services for the Division of Oncology at CHOP. She has extensive experience working with children and youth and their psychological needs, especially in the area of post-traumatic stress and families with children with disabilities or chronic illnesses. After receiving her undergraduate degree in psychology from Smith College, Dr. Kazak was a predoctoral fellow at Yale and received her doctoral degree from the University of Virginia. Author of numerous publications, books and book chapters, Dr. Kazak is the editor of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology and is on the editorial board and serves as ad hoc reviewer for several professional journals and publications. Salzberg Award: Louise Schnaufer Dr. Lousie Schnaufer, senior surgeon at CHOP received the Arnold M. Salzberg Award by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The award recognizes outstanding mentorship of pediatric surgical trainees, and Dr. Schnaufer is one of only three surgeons honored with this award. Dr. Schnaufer received the Salzberg Award in honor of her commitment to the education of surgical trainees at CHOP. She completed her pre-medical studies at Wellesley College and graduated from the former Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1951. Dr. Schnaufer helped establish a pediatric surgical unit at Johns Hopkins University Hospital before coming to CHOP in 1971.

Panhellenic Council

Penn's Panhellenic Council has won the National Panhellenic Conference Award for Excellence. This award is presented to "College Panhellenics whose achievements and programs have best developed fraternity loyalties and friendships, confidence in one another, mutual respect, and helpfulness."

Recognizing Buildings The University has been selected to receive two awards from Preservation Pennsylvania, a "statewide voice for Pennsylvania's heritage," and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission at a ceremony on April 12 during the 2000 Historic Preservation an Heritage Partnerships Conference at the Lincoln Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Reading. The Public Institutional Award is being given for Irvine Auditorium's historic preservation. The Community Involvement Award is being given for Penn's Community Housing Initiative. The awards include a hand-made Mercer tile, mounted in a frame with an inscription.

Nassau Fund Recipients

Elizabeth Chertow and Christie Olsen, both of the Class of 2002, are the latest recipients of the 1999-2000 Nassau Fund Award for Undergraduate Research. Ms. Chertow and Ms. Olsen received the award for their proposal Qualitative Analysis of African American Adolescent Females' Knowledge and Use of Emergency Contraceptive Pills.

All-USA College Academic Team

Andrew March, Sarah Zimbler and Kristina Herbert have been named by USA Today, to the All-USA College Academic Team.

Andrew March, a College senior, was named to the first team, one of only 20 students nationwide. Mr. March received a $25,000 cash prize and was cited for his triple major in History, Political Science and Islamic Studies, was chosen for his work monitoring student demonstrations and elections in Kosovo, knowledge of 12 languages and scholarly work accomplished under six research grants.

Sarah Zimbler, also a College senior, was selected for third-team honors and was cited for her development of an innovative hands-on science curriculum for elementary school students. The curriculum involved additional instruction by Penn undergraduate students to small groups of urban elementary school students in order for them to gain hands-on experience in science projects.

College senior Kristina Herbert received honorable mention. Ms. Herbert is majoring in Biochemistry and Biophysics and works as a research assistant, which she has been since her freshman year. Additionally she is a volunteer peer counselor to incoming freshmen in the Vagelos Scholars Program In Molecular Life Sciences. She also tutors students as part of the TEACH West Philadelphia Program.

Honors/Awards Notice Almanac appreciates being informed of honors and awards that faculty, staff and students receive. Please submit information by fax,(215) 898-9137 or e-mail, almanac@pobox.upenn.edu.

Almanac, Vol. 46, No. 23, February 29, 2000

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