Lifetime Achievement: Dr. Allen

Roger Allen, the Sascha Jane Patterson Harvie Professor Emeritus of Social Thought and Comparative Ethics, School of Arts & Sciences, received the 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association of Teachers of Arabic (AATA) at its annual meeting in Washington in November 2014.

Penn-made President: Dr. Flanagan

Scott Flanagan, GrEd’09, became the seventh president of Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin in August.

For more Penn-made presidents, see www.upenn.edu/almanac/pennpres.html

OSA Fellow: Dr. Salzberg

Brian M. Salzberg, professor of neuroscience and of physiology in the Perelman School of Medicine, was elected a Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA) “for development of optical methods in cell physiology and neuroscience, including the discovery of voltage-sensitive dyes and calcium indicator dyes and functional imaging using these probes.”

Since the early 1970s, Dr. Salzberg has pioneered the application of optical methods to cell physiology and neuroscience. In 1972, he and Larry Cohen and their colleagues discovered the first molecular probes of membrane potential, the merocyanine voltage-sensitive dyes. This was followed by optical recording of action potentials from individual neurons and then multiple site optical recording of membrane voltage, which paved the way for functional imaging of the nervous system. Dr. Salzberg, L.B. Cohen, J.E. Brown and their colleagues then introduced the first calcium indicator dye (Arsenazo III), which led to R.Y. Tsien’s development of fluorescent calcium indicators and the thousands of papers that followed. Other contributions include the first recording of voltage changes from vertebrate nerve terminals, the discovery of light scattering changes in these terminals, the detection of robust intrinsic fluorescence changes from these same terminals that help us to understand the coupling of action potentials to mitochondrial activation and the discovery of extremely rapid mechanical “spikes” in nerve terminals.

PSADR Award: Dr. Stineman

Margaret G. Stineman, professor emeritus of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the Perelman School of Medicine, received the Prince Salman Award for Disability Research (PSADR) in the branch of rehabilitative and social sciences. PSADR, a newly created award by the Prince Salman Center for Disability Research, in Saudi Arabia, is for distinguished work in the fields of health and medical sciences, educational sciences, rehabilitative and social sciences. The awards hope to encourage scientific research to explore effective solutions to disability.

Packard Fellowship in Science and Engineering: Dr. Sweeney

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation announced that Alison Sweeney, an assistant professor of physics & astronomy in the School of Arts & Sciences, will receive a 2014 Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Dr. Sweeney is one of 18 innovative early-career scientists and engineers who will each receive a grant of $875,000 over five years for research. The fellowship is designed with minimal constraints on how the funding is used, giving researchers the freedom to think big and look at complex issues with a fresh perspective.

Dr. Sweeney holds an appointment in the School of Arts & Sciences’ department of physics & astronomy but she was trained as a biologist. Her research involves studying sea creatures that exhibit living photonic structures or cells that can manipulate light for a variety of purposes.

Responsible for these animals’ shifting, iridescent coloration, these cells provide a distinct survival advantage in attracting mates or hiding from predators.

Most recently, however, Dr. Sweeney has shown how these structures allow giant clams to function as efficient living greenhouses, filtering sunlight into the optimal wavelengths for growing nutritious algae inside their bodies. Learning how these structures assemble themselves has implications for designing new light-harvesting materials. Such an approach typifies Dr. Sweeney’s role in the School of Arts & Sciences’ evolution cluster, which brings together scholars from across departments to study different facets of this core scientific concept.

“Alison epitomizes the culture of innovation Penn strives for,” Penn President Amy Gutmann said. “Not only does she integrate insights from biology, physics and materials science, she collaborates across disciplines, departments and schools to consider problems from bold new angles. To enlist giant clams on a tropical reef in our quest for alternative energy solutions takes a special kind of scientist, one that we are proud to have at Penn and to have recognized by the Packard Foundation.” 

The program provides early-career scientists with flexible funding and the freedom to take risks and explore new frontiers in their fields. Each year, the Foundation invites 50 universities to nominate two faculty members for consideration.

President’s Award: Dean Taylor

Marilyn Jordan Taylor, dean of the School of Design and Paley Professor, received the President’s Award celebrating her “amazing career trajectory” at the Heritage Ball in October, the annual black tie event hosted by the American Institute of Architects’ New York Chapter and the Center for Architecture Foundation.

NIH Innovators: Dr. Bonasio; Dr. Huh

Roberto Bonasio, assistant professor of cell & developmental biology, Perelman School of Medicine, and a core member of the Penn Epigenetics Program and Dongeun (Dan) Huh, the Wilf Family Term Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering & Applied Science’s department of bioengineering, are the two Penn recipients of the 2014 National Institutes of Health (NIH) New Innovator Awards. The NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, totaling $1.5 million over five years for each of the 50 recipients this year, supports highly innovative research and creative, new investigators who exhibit strong potential to make great advances on a critical biomedical or behavioral research problem. The initiative, established in 2007, supports investigators who are within 10 years of their terminal degree or clinical residency, who have not yet received a research project grant (R01), or equivalent NIH grant, to conduct unusually innovative research.

Dr. Bonasio studies the molecular mechanisms of epigenetic memory, which are key to a number of biological processes, including embryonic development, cancer, stem cell pluripotency and brain function. In particular, he will be looking at gene expression controlled by epigenetic pathways that alter the chemical structure of chromosomes and allow for multiple cell identities to arise from a single genome. These pathways are also critical in the brain and their improper functioning can cause mental retardation, cognitive decline and psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Huh, a pioneer in the development of “organs-on-chips,” tiny, three-dimensional models of living human organs, uses nature’s creativity as a source of inspiration and will use the next five years to develop microfabricated systems that mimic diseased human lungs. This technology could help researchers to better understand the progression of chronic lung diseases, including asthma and develop effective therapeutics against them.

Honorary Doctorate: Dr. Vuchic

Vukan R. Vuchic, professor emeritus of electrical and systems engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, has received an honorary doctor of environmental studies from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Vuchic, who taught at Penn from 1967 to 2010, was the UPS Foundation Professor of Transportation Engineering. His research included the interrelationship of cities and transportation with respect to urban planning, livability and sustainability. Dr. Vuchic has greatly influenced the construction of urban transport networks throughout the world.

AppitUP Finalists

AppitUP is part of the Penn Center for Innovation and PCI Ventures. The following five teams were chosen as finalists from among the 11 semi-finalists. In April 2015, the winning idea will get a $50,000 offer of investment from the Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

• Live Directory: A dynamic phone directory for hospitals that automatically updates the phone numbers for each team based on who is physically in the building. Finalist: Benjamin Ranard (graduate student, Perelman School of Medicine); Development Partner: Wodify.


• MobileOptx:Compliments a device that directly records endoscopies onto smartphones. Optimizes recording, organizes metadata and acts as an interface for medical records and telemedicine. Finalists: Jason Brant and Natasha Mirza (faculty, Perelman School of Medicine) with Jodi Cook, CEO; Development Partner: Sempercon.


• PathwayRx:Helps deliver and evaluate clinical pathways that allow for interactive progression, creation of patient-specific checklists, shared workflow and real-time collection of usage data. Finalist: Kathleen Lee (resident, Penn Hospital); Development Partner: Tangled Web Communications.


• Stroke Vision:A Google Glass app to assist patients with neurological problems with rehabilitation. Finalist: Claude Nguyen (faculty, Perelman School of Medicine); Development Partner: SkyLess Game Solutions.


• Vision Testing with OKN: Measures vision in infants with moving screen patterns while watching the visual behavior. Pattern size can be changed to measure visual acuity threshold.Finalists Monte Mills and Shivani Sethi (faculty, Perelman School of Medicine); Development Partner: Kanda Software.

Three Bassini Writing Apprentices

Three students have been selected as Bassini Writing Apprentices for winter/spring 2015. They will work closely with a member of the Creative Writing faculty as an “apprentice” to projects being undertaken by this experienced practicing writer (and will receive credit for this work). They are:

Jacob Gardenswartz, a freshman who is managing editor of The Spectrum, acampus political publication as well as a member of the interview staff for the Penn Political Review, will be working with political blogger and journalist Dick Polman;

Annika Neklason, a sophomore English major with a concentration in creative writing, will be working with fiction writer and magazine editor Karen Rile;

Leah Davidson, a junior concentrating in management and innovation and an English minor, will be working with journalist, fiction and nonfiction editor, essayist and magazine writer Avery Rome.

Each will work on a project (or series of projects) that is at the heart of the mentor’s work as a practicing writer and/or as a member of a professional writing community.

Leaders in LGBT Healthcare Equality: Penn Medicine Hospitals

All four hospitals in the University of Pennsylvania Health System, including the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Chester County Hospital were listed as 2014 LGBT Healthcare Equality Leaders from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).

They were selected based on an annual survey identifying healthcare institutions that lead in efforts to offer equal care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients. Penn Medicine hospitals earned top marks in meeting non-discrimination and training criteria that demonstrate commitment to equitable, inclusive care for LGBT patients and their families. The hospitals standardized patient and employee non-discrimination policies to include sexual orientation and gender identity or expression and provided LGBT patient care training in organization leadership, nursing management, patient relations, admitting and human resources management. 

“This is a major honor for our health system and reflects our commitment to advancing LGBT patient care, research and education,” said Dr. Baligh Yehia, assistant professor of medicine and director of the Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health.

Penn Ranked #1 In Safety & Security

The University of Pennsylvania has been ranked #1 in safety and security in the higher education sector, according to Security Magazine’s “Security 500” list. This is the 8th consecutive year that Penn has taken the magazine’s top honors in their respective vertical market.

The Security 500 Benchmarking Survey tracked 18 vertical markets and collected unique data where appropriate and applied this data to key metrics. The key metrics collected include the dedication of resources each organization makes to their safety and security programs. The survey received its information from data supplied directly by national universities and colleges, as well as data obtained through public resources and records.

Security Magazine states that the “purpose of the Security 500 is to create a reliable database to measure your organization versus others and create a benchmarking program among security organizations. The results will enable you to answer the question, “Where Do I Stand?” as a basis of an ongoing peer review process.”

“We are so grateful to be recognized for the 8th year in a row by Security Magazine, as the #1 Public Safety organization in the country within the University Market,” said Maureen S. Rush, the vice president for Public Safety.