Flower Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics: Dr. Alcock

Dr. Charles R. Alcock has been named the Reese W. Flower Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics. Dr. Alcock, a theoretical physicist, comes to Penn from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he was Director of the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics and the Principal Investigator of the MACHO Project, an international dark matter experiment. He was educated at the University of Auckland (in his native New Zealand) and at the California Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a Ph.D. in 1978. In 1996, he was the recipient of the E.O. Lawrence Award in physics for "scientific and technological leadership" in the hunt for "dark matter," a leading mystery in the field of astronomy.

For two decades, astronomers have believed that our galaxy has a lot more mass than is visible. That missing mass is called dark matter. A team of astronomers, led by Dr. Alcock, believes that periodic extra light from distant stars provide evidence that could help account for about half the missing parts of the Milky Way. Significantly, they have found evidence of about 20 compact but massive objects--nicknamed MACHOs for Massive Compact Halo Objects. Finding these MACHOs in a relatively thin slice of the galaxy, "it figures these invisible objects can account for about half of the galaxy, or about 325 billion times the weight of our sun," Dr. Alcock said.

The Reese W. Flower Chair in Astronomy and Astrophysics was established through a bequest from Reese Wall Flower in the late 19th century. His bequest also funded the Flower Observatory (now the Flower and Cook Observatory) which was originally located on his farm in Upper Darby, PA. While Mr. Flower did not attend Penn, the fact that he was a descendent of George Graham of London, a famous maker of astronomical instruments, may explain his interest in astronomy. The first Flower Chair was awarded in 1982 to Dr. Ezra Kendall, who according to one contemporaneous account was credited with "all of the data relating to Jupiter and its satellites..were computed by him."

Carey Term Chair in Economics: Dr. Diebold

Dr. Francis X. Diebold has been named the W. P. Carey Term Professor in Economics. Dr. Diebold works in econometrics, forecasting, finance and macroeconomics. He has published extensively and has served on the editorial boards of numerous journals, including Econometrica and Review of Economics and Statistics.

He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society and the recipient of several prizes for outstanding teaching in economics, finance and statistics. Dr. Diebold has held visiting appointments at Princeton University, the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago, and the Stern School of Business at New York University. From 1986-1989 he served as an economist under Paul Volker and Alan Greenspan at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in Washington D.C. Dr. Diebold received his B.S. in 1981 and his Ph.D. in 1986 from the Wharton School.

The W. P. Carey Term Chair in Economics is the third economics term chair created by William Polk Carey, a 1953 alumnus of the Wharton School. Mr. Carey, who studied economics while at Penn, remains committed to its study at Penn. He established the William Polk Carey Prize in Economics and has been a major supporter of the Institute for Economic Research. In addition to his generous financial support, Mr. Carey provides valuable leadership in the Penn community and is extremely active in the Department of Economics.

Merriam Term Chair in Sociology: Dr. Jacobs

A new chair in sociology has been established and its first incumbent is Dr. Jerry Jacobs. Dr. Jacobs has been named the Merriam Term Chair in Sociology. He received his Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard in 1983 and joined the Penn faculty that year. He served as chair of the sociology department's graduate program for seven years and is a member of many departmental and University committees.

He has received numerous awards and fellowships, such as the American Sociological Association Max Weber Award for Best Paper, a Russell Sage Foundation Residential Fellowship, and a National Academy of Education-Spenser Foundation Fellowship.

Dr. Jacobs has published several books and dozens of articles, book reviews and essays. He has been on the editorial boards of American Sociological Review, Social Forces, and Work and Occupations. Dr. Jacobs is also a member of many professional societies, including the American Sociological Society, the International Sociological Association, and the Population Association of America.

The Merriam Term Chair in Sociology was created from the late John W. Merriam's generous bequest to Penn. Born in Chicago in 1907, Mr. Merriam received his bachelor's and master's degrees from Penn's Wharton School, and taught economics here in 1934.

Lawrence R. Klein Associate Professor of Economics: Dr. Merlo

Dr. Antonio M. Merlo has been named the Lawrence R. Klein Associate Professor of Economics. Dr. Merlo received his undergraduate degree in economics from Bocconi University in Italy and received his Ph.D. from New York University. In 1988, he began his career as a research associate at Italy's National Research Council before deciding to pursue graduate training in the United States. He later worked for the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis before returning to academia, first at the University of Minnesota and later at NYU before coming to Penn this year. His research interests include political economy, public economics, applied econometrics, bargaining theory and experimental economics.

He has published numerous articles and recently received a National Science Foundation Research Grant for a study of "A Political Economy Model of Congressional Careers" co-authored with Michael Keane.

The Lawrence R. Klein chair was created in honor of Professor Lawrence R. Klein, Benjamin Franklin Professor Emeritus of Economics and Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences. It is intended for scholars who will carry on the tradition of superlative teaching and research established by Professor Klein.

Watkins Assistant Professor in Humanities: Dr. Nathans

Dr. Benjamin Nathans has been appointed the M. Mark & Esther K. Watkins Assistant Professor in the Humanities. Dr. Nathans, an assistant professor of history at Penn, completed his undergraduate education at Yale and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Berkeley. He came to Penn in 1998 from Indiana University where he had been an assistant professor of history and Jewish studies since 1995.

Dr. Nathans' book, Beyond the Pale: The Jewish Encounter With Late Imperial Russia was recently published as a volume in the series "Studies on the History of Society and Culture." He has also authored dozens of articles, book chapters, and book reviews and delivered his papers throughout the United States.

He has won over twenty distinguished fellowships; including a Penn Research Foundation Faculty Fellowship, SSRC Postdoctoral Fellowship, and a Lucius N. Littauer Foundation Book Project Grant. Dr. Nathans also serves a manuscript reviewer for Slavic Review, Jewish Social Studies, and the Koret Foundation.

Mr. Mark Watkins, a graduate of the Class of 1921, and his wife Esther established a bequest in 1969 to support a chair in the humanities, even though Mr. Watkins majored in chemical engineering. As an undergraduate, Mr. Watkins was a member of Alpha Chi Sigma and Alembec Senior Society. In his professional life, Mr. Watkins was the president of Conoflaw Corporation and served as a director of several other corporations. The Watkins chair was intended for a scholar who is "an accomplished teacher and one who shows potential as a leader" in his or her field. Beyond that, he or she should show a breadth of knowledge and accomplishment spanning more than one discipline and, most importantly, have "a lively awareness of the role and ramifications of the humanities, as they touch upon cultural values and aesthetics and human history."

Annenberg Professor of Modern European History: Dr. Steinberg

Dr. Jonathan Steinberg has been appointed the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Modern European History. Dr. Steinberg received an A.B. at Harvard College and a Ph.D. from Cambridge University in England. Dr. Steinberg has come to Penn this fall after more than 30 years at Cambridge University. He has written on twentieth century Germany, Italy, Austria and Switzerland and has also prepared the official report on the Deutsche Bank's gold transactions in the Second World War. His teaching covers modern Europe since 1789 with specialization in the German and Austrian Empires, Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and modern Jewish history. He has also taught graduate seminars in historical thought and method. He has published numerous articles and translations and is the co-editor of Historical Journal. His most recent books are All or Nothing: the Axis and the Holocaust 1941-43 published in London and New York by Routledge and Die Deutsche Bank und thre Goldtransaktionen im Zweiten Weltkreig (also published in English) by Verlag. Dr. Steinberg has been a frequent presenter on BBC radio documentaries.

The Walter H. Annenberg Chairs were created by Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The Annenbergs are lifelong supporters of Penn and patrons of education across the United States. They have endowed many chairs in the School of Arts and Sciences and made countless generous contributions to the University. They also founded the Annenberg School for Communication in 1958. Ambassador Annenberg and his wife, the Honorable Leonore Annenberg, are emeritus trustees.

Kogod Term Chair in Psychology: Dr. Fara

Dr. Martha Farah has been named the Bob and Arlene Kogod Term Chair in Psychology. Dr. Farah received her Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Harvard in 1983; she completed her undergraduate education at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1977. Prior to joining the Penn faculty in 1991, she served as a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.

Her current research centers on the neural bases of thought and emotion in the human brain. Dr. Farah's current interests include the effects of poverty on brain development in children. She has published her research extensively and received many awards. Her honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1996, a Troland Research Award from National Academy of Sciences in 1992, and a Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution from the American Psychological Association in 1992.

The Bob and Arlene Kogod Term Chair in Psychology was created in 1992. Mr. and Mrs. Kogod are very active in philanthropic circles, particularly in the Washington DC area. Arlene Kogod, who has a keen interest in psychology, graduated from Penn in 1956 with an economics major from the College for Women, which later merged with the College to create the School of Arts and Sciences.

Edmund and Louise Kahn Term Chair: Dr. Meister

Dr. Michael W. Meister, professor of history of art and professor of South Asia Studies, has been appointed the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor. He received his B.A. in history and literature from Harvard University, as well as an M.A. and Ph.D. in fine arts. He taught at University of Texas at Austin for two years before coming to Penn in 1976.

An expert in the art of South Asia, some of Dr. Meister's most recent publications include the two volume Encyclopedia of Indian Temple Architecture, published by Princeton University Press and Oxford University Press and Ananda K. Coomaraswamy: Essays in Architectural Theory, published by Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and Oxford University Press.

Dr. Meister lectures widely in the United States, Europe and in India. He is a member of several professional associations including Association for Asian Studies, American Committee for South Asian Art, and the College Art Association. Last year he curated an exhibition of drawings from Jain Temples at Osian and Rajasthan titled "Jains as Temple Worshipers: Architecture and Planning," on display in Penn's Architectural Archives.

The Kahns were remarkable philanthropists who gave generously to Penn, most significantly to Van Pelt Library, the Modern Languages College House, and support faculty in the School of Arts and Sciences.

Korea Foundation Assistant Professor in History: Dr. Hejtmanek

Dr. Milan Hejtmanek has been named the Korea Foundation Assistant Professor in History. Dr. Hejtmanek received his B.A. in linguistics from Stanford in 1974, his M.A. in East Asia regional studies from Harvard in 1982, and his Ph.D. in history and East Asian languages from Harvard in 1994. He is joining Penn from Harvard, where he has been an assistant professor of Korean history since 1995. He also has served as visiting assistant professor at Berkeley and acting assistant professor at the University of Kansas. His research interests focus on Chosôn Korea and encompass the social, political, and cultural importance of local educational institutions; the institution of slavery; Confucian thought; and magic and ritual in the royal court.

Dr. Hejtmanek has received many honors including a Presidential Fellowship from Harvard, a Korea Foundation Research Fellowship, and a Fullbright Dissertation Fellowship. He has published several works and has presented his papers throughout the world.

This chair was created in 1997 when the Korea Foundation awarded Penn a challenge grant to establish teaching positions dedicated to encouraging an understanding of Korea. The Korea Foundation was founded in 1991 to enhance international goodwill and friendship through a variety of international programs. Its mission is to foster a better understanding of Korea in the international community and to promote international friendship through exchange activities between the Republic of Korea and other countries.

Bers Assistant Professor in the Social Sciences: Dr. Sil

Dr. Rudra Sil has been appointed the Bers Assistant Professor in the Social Sciences. Dr. Sil received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. After completing his Ph.D. in 1996, he joined Penn as an assistant professor of political science.

His teaching and research interests include comparative politics and political economy, comparative industrial relations, Russia, South Asia, and the philosophy of social science. He is the author of several articles and book chapters, and his first book, Managing 'Modernity': Work, Community, and Authority in Late-Industrializing Japan and Russia, is forthcoming from the University of Michigan Press. Dr. Sil has received numerous grants and fellowships, including a University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation Grant, a Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics Faculty Research Grant, and a John L. Simpson Memorial Fellowship for Research in Comparative Studies.

Penn alumni Janice and Julian Bers established the Bers Assistant Professorship in the Social Sciences in 1972. The chair is intended to recognize an assistant professor who demonstrates outstanding promise as a teacher and scholar in the social sciences. Julian Bers, who passed away several years ago, graduated from Wharton in 1931 and had been chairman of Imperial Metal and Chemical Company. He served on many Penn volunteer boards, most notably as a Trustee of the University and board member at HUP. Janice Bers graduated with an education degree in 1939. She served as president of her class for many years and participated in the class's 50th reunion gift committee. The Bers have given generously to Penn over the years, and faculty excellence has been their chief priority.