April 5, 2016 Volume 62 Issue 29

Lindback Awards for Distinguished Teaching

Since 1961, Lindback Awards—for members of Penn’s Standing Faculty—have been a springtime tradition at Penn. The Lindback Awards for Distinguished Teaching at the University of Pennsylvania were established in 1961 with the help of the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation.

Below are profiles and excerpts from letters of recommendation for this year’s winners.

For prior winners, see http://www.archives.upenn.edu/people/notables/awards/lindback.html

Health Schools

Lee A. Fleisher, Robert Dunning Dripps Professor of Anesthesia in the Perelman School of Medicine, has taught at Penn since 2004. A physician with “an inherent gift of being able to identify other people’s strengths and what can make them successful in life and work,” Dr. Fleisher “leads by example, exemplifying professionalism in every way.” A former student, now a colleague, marvels that he has been “the keynote speaker at most of the major meetings I have participated in for the last eight years.” Current and former students and colleagues alike note that he demonstrates on a daily basis that “in order to become a good doctor, one must strive to be a good person.” With teaching evaluations consistently describing him as an educator who “exceeds expectations,” Dr. Fleisher is also a valued department chair and a transformational leader who “truly cares about the professional advancement” of faculty, residents and staff, thus “ensuring the future of the department.” Many make special mention of his “teaching the art and specialty of anesthesia” through “numerous books, papers, talks and lectures” and that, through his “generosity of spirit,” he is nothing less than the “example of the Golden Rule: That we are here to care not just for the patient, but for each other.”

Ellen J. Kim, Sandra J. Lazarus Associate Professor of Dermatology in the Perelman School of Medicine, has taught at Penn since 2003. For “one of dermatology’s leaders both inside and outside Penn,” colleagues and students have nothing but praise. Of her 17 resident evaluators, “all 17 scored her a perfect ‘5’ in all categories of the evaluation,” marvels a colleague. This “true role model for all professional women,” says a former student, “spends so much time mentoring residents and medical students, one would guess it was her sole full-time job.” Many students of this “master clinician” describe a “consummate physician” who they “strive to emulate” on a daily basis. A former student notes that Dr. Kim “influenced my professional development at every level” and is widely known to be “extremely approachable on issues related to work life balance.” One former student, now a colleague, notes that “Dr. Kim takes time to explain the rationale behind her management and therapeutic decisions” and exemplifies “everything an institution could want” from an academic clinician. In the words of one colleague, “her patients are grateful for her care,” while students and colleagues consider it “a privilege to work with her.”

Robert P. Ricciardi, professor of microbiology in the School of Dental Medicine, has taught at Penn since 1981. An educator with “unparalleled teaching skills,” says a colleague, Dr. Ricciardi is well-loved by students “and for all the right reasons: his vigor, rigor and clarity of thought, fairness and ability to convey the essence of this science.” A nationally recognized expert in virology, he is “even-handed, principled and compassionate” and, as chair of the Committee for Student Advancement for the last 20 years, he “understands some of the struggles that our students may face.” Still, notes one admirer, “Rob is a demanding educator, and pushes students to understand both basic and clinical virology—he gives no quarter.” A student marvels at his “unparalleled teaching skills,” while another adds that he is “one of the best professors at this school, without a doubt.” A third student says that he “makes the topics relevant to real life,” while at the same time being “funny, and underrated as a comedian.” An award-winner within the School for his graduate teaching, he has “brought his numerous skills to bear in teaching basic virology to novice dental students from the standpoint of a superb and skilled researcher.” This award, says a colleague, is “long overdue” for a “star educator and researcher.”

Billy I. Smith, associate professor of clinical medicine, field service, in the School of Veterinary Medicine, has taught at Penn since 1998. From this “inspiring” professor’s “dynamic style of classroom teaching” to his “pick-up basketball games,” students and colleagues describe an educator who is as comfortable “out in the field” as in the lecture hall. A letter signed by numerous current students praises him as a teacher who motivates them to be “resourceful, and develop ideas based on original and unconventional approaches” to bovine care. Instructor evaluations conclude that this “super knowledgeable“ teacher is “great, as usual” and “fun to be around on the farm.” Another former student, now back at Penn due primarily to Dr. Smith’s mentorship and “unabashed enthusiasm,” adds that his lectures were “truly a joy to attend,” while another notes that seats would quickly fill with vet students “enchanted” in a ready-to-learn excitement “unique to Dr. Smith.” A former student, now a colleague, adds that “Billy Smith is one of the greatest and most influential teachers I have ever had,” and a second echoes this sentiment: “he personifies the prototypical triple threat: stellar teacher, researcher and clinician.”

Non-Health Schools

Karen Detlefsen, associate professor of philosophy and education in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 2001. This leader of an “innovative, internationally influential research program,” says a colleague, is also widely credited with being a “teaching role model.” Above all, in her Integrated Studies and Academically Based Community Service courses, Dr. Detlefsen is the “picture of a teacher whose influence extends far beyond the classroom.” Many students agree that, even though she “teaches complicated material at a high level,” she remains committed to making the subject matter “accessible and interesting,” as well as providing “the best philosophy diagrams.” A current graduate student is among many who cite an educator and mentor who is “committed to her students’ professional development” and who consistently collaborates, creating workshops that have yielded published papers and conference presentations from her students. A former student, now a colleague, still marvels at her uncanny ability to “manage discussions almost invisibly” yet still cover “precisely the material she set out to cover.” As someone who teaches her students how to think, says a colleague, she is committed to teaching that “changes lives. Her teaching is intellectually demanding, unusually coherent and permanent in its effect.”

Joshua R. Klein, professor of physics in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 1999. Colleagues and students alike use terms like “devoted” and “inspiring” to describe this “tremendous mentor” who—even with his own office and lab space—“spends every possible minute in an open-plan environment,” teaching students how to be “effective collaborative physicists.” An admirer notes that, at conferences, he often meets colleagues deeply appreciative of working with those “trained by Josh,” while a former student adds, “I learned more about teaching from Dr. Klein than physics—and I learned quite a lot of physics.” Another former student describes a teacher who not only “has a great love for physics” but also takes “great interest in his students’ success” through generous amounts of time and attention. A third student says that, “it was not only the subject that was fascinating, but how it was presented,” with Dr. Klein shedding “just enough light on the deep, intricate matters of the universe to inspire curiosity, while still maintaining the curriculum.” Summing up, a current graduate student says he has learned “how to think, how to succeed in collaborative work” and how to provide “helpful guidance to students while allowing the freedom for self-motivated discovery.”

Emily R. Steiner, professor of English in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 1999. An educator who is a “scintillating presence and an irresistible force” in the teaching mission of the School of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Steiner is someone whose “infectious enthusiasm” touches students and colleagues alike. A current graduate student praises a mentor who “believes in teaching how scholars create their arguments” by examining both primary and scholarly texts. Another student remarks that this “indefatigable” scholar with a “sheer passion” for difficult medieval texts is “always willing to help, in any way she can.” One graduate student doesn’t mince words: “basically, I owe her my entire graduate career thus far,” adding that she is “both sympathetic and demanding, informative and thought provoking.” Students and colleagues alike make special note of her successful use of technology in her teaching and an ability to connect ancient manuscripts with current ideas. “Seemingly ‘outdated’ or ‘irrelevant’ topics came to immediate saliency,” says one student, while another adds that she is a “local hero” at Penn and one of the “brightest stars in the international community of medieval studies scholars.” In her course evaluations, says a colleague, “scores that many of us can only aspire to are almost ho-hum standard marks.”

Daniel Swingley, professor of psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 2003. Numerous current and former students note his “tremendous positive impact” on both education and career, in particular his “enthusiasm for his work” and “genuine interest in the success of his students.” Many colleagues note the inherent challenges of teaching Introductory Psychology, a class so popular it is held in Irvine Auditorium. Yet even in this setting, students report being “engaged” by an educator who “exudes energy” and is “absolutely the boss!” PSYC001 “should be a requirement,” adds another admirer, while others say that he “challenged me to consider new ideas” and is never “an easy A.” In the closer confines of the Swingley Lab, students learn the “rigors of experimentation,” along with “highly technical skills,” presented by one of the “very top experimental phonologists in the field.” Former graduate students make note of an exceptional mentor who is “challenging but approachable” and came to dissertation committee meetings with both “creative ideas and constructive criticism.” A long-time colleague sums it up: this “remarkable man…adds considerable distinction to the Penn faculty as both scientist and educator.”

Since 1988, The Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty has been awarded to two members of Penn’s Associated Faculty or Academic Support Staff, one in the non-health schools and one in the health schools.

The Provost’s Award for Distinguished PhD Teaching and Mentoring has been awarded to two members of Penn’s Standing or Associated Faculty in any school offering the PhD since 2004.

For Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty

Health Schools

James Treat, associate professor of clinical pediatrics and dermatology in the Perelman School of Medicine, has taught at Penn since 2008. For this “true pediatric dermatology rock star,” the awards come “year after year,” testimonies to his ability to inspire medical students, residents and fellows. Dr. Treat distinguished himself as a teacher and mentor “even as a resident,” says a colleague, and he has “continuously set himself apart as an educator.” A former student marvels that he has “the remarkable ability to teach during a patient encounter” and adds that he was the “motivating factor” in her pursuit of a career in pediatric dermatology. Even with his vast body of knowledge and “incredible clinical acumen,” this voracious reader “never feels he knows enough” and is a “life-long learner.” Another former student adds that Dr. Treat’s “infectious enthusiasm” is matched only by his teaching creativity, including “innovative, computer-based tele-dermatology” that allowed students to practice their descriptive and diagnostic skills in a collaborative environment. Colleagues describe a “master” in the use of new technologies to assist learning. A former trainee who is now a colleague notes: “Jim never misses an opportunity to teach and help others develop into better doctors. The best I can do to thank him is to attempt to do the same.”

Non-Health Schools

Marcia Ferguson, senior lecturer and director of theatre arts in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 1999. This “innovative director” is an “ever-evolving artist” in both the theater and the classroom. Her contributions to diverse student theatrical productions, notes a colleague, are “immeasurable” in terms of time, commitment and inspiration, while her “love of performance” and deep understanding of theater create a classroom that “somehow feels relaxed in the context of serious academic and performance challenge.” Numerous current and former students make note of an energetic presence who is simply “a joy to be around,” with a tangible “passion for education” that “helped us pave the way to the elation of storytelling.” One former student marvels at “the confidence she exuded,” a feeling that “made me want to strive to be a more intelligent and commanding woman.” A colleague adds that Dr. Ferguson offers a striking combination of “historical research, innovative theater craft and theoretical inquiry,” producing students who are “clearly inspired” by her work. Says one admirer: “I only hope that Penn continues to recruit and honor the Marcia Fergusons of the world.”

2016 Provost's Award for Distinguished PhD Teaching and Mentoring

Dianne L. Chambless, professor of psychology in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 2002. A clinical psychologist with a “national reputation,” Dr. Chambless is a mentor of unmatched quality who is “instrumental in shaping young scientists’ careers.” A colleague notes that she sets “very high expectations” for her students, yet balances this with a supportive approach that allows them to “develop and pursue their own interests.” A long-time colleague makes particular mention of Dr. Chambless’ support for women graduate students, noting her track record of helping to place women in academic positions and continuing to mentor them throughout their careers. A current graduate student adds that while Dr. Chambless is always available to answer questions if necessary, she also “skillfully guides me through the process of determining the answers for myself.” A former graduate student adds that she “cannot imagine a more worthy recipient” of this award, marveling at a mentor with professional integrity, rigorous teaching, and challenging and effective supervision. This student says that, for her, difficult situations are always addressed with a simple question: “WWDD—What Would Dianne Do?” Another former student agrees, noting that “I owe my success—as well as much of my life satisfaction—to Dianne.”

Daniel K. Richter, Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History in the School of Arts & Sciences, has taught at Penn since 1999. A former graduate student, now a colleague, describes Dr. Richter as the “single biggest contributor to my own career success,” and not simply because he “has a ‘big name’ in the field.” He makes himself “endlessly available to students” and is widely regarded as a mentor who “picks them up if they stumble, and pushes them to do their absolute best.” A current doctoral student adds that, “mentoring students is his top priority,” and his actions as teacher and advisor “have shown this to be true.” Another former student notes that Dr. Richter made his “intellectual growth a priority” and paid particular attention to his teaching assistants, using the TA program “as an opportunity to mentor graduate students in the art of teaching.” Colleagues make special note of his dedication of time and effort in helping students find teaching positions, with one remarking that Dr. Richter “invests in the serious business of placing students” and has a “great record of job placement.” Another colleague sums it up: Dan Richter not only trains students, but “socializes them within the field.” His leadership has “inspired me and many others” to emulate his example.

All members of the University community are invited to a reception honoring the recipients of the 2015-2016 Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Awards for Distinguished Teaching, the Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty and the Provost’s Award for Distinguished PhD Teaching and Mentoring 

Tuesday, April 19, 2016, 5-6:30 p.m.

Hall of Flags, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce Street

Over Spring Break 2016, students from the University of Pennsylvania Law School participated in two international service-learning opportunities supported by the School’s Toll Public Interest Center. One was in Peru and the other was in Greece.

Along with professor Fernando Chang-Muy, 13 members of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) traveled to Peru, visiting Lima, Ica, El Carmen, Paracas and Huacachina.

In Lima, the Law students examined the Afro-Peruvian experience in employment, healthcare, education and political representation. Students met with local non-profit organizations and government officials at the ministries of Justice and Human Rights, Education, Health, and Culture.

They also worked with children at a youth empowerment and education center, interviewed members of a women’s group dedicated to bringing to light the unique challenges black women encounter in Peru and visited the only church in Peru with depictions of angels and saints with dark skin.

The BLSA students are drafting a report for submission to the United Nations evaluating Peru’s compliance with international obligations outlined in its conventions on children’s rights and eliminating discrimination against women.

The second trip this spring took 11 Penn Law students to Greece, along with Joyce Jeffries, a trauma specialist from the Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA), a non-governmental organization (NGO) in suburban Bucks County.

Organized by the Penn Law International Human Rights Advocates, one of the Toll Public Interest Center’s pro bono projects, this year’s trip focused on the refugee crisis, allowing students to meet face-to-face with families fleeing Syria.

Penn Law students met with representatives from NGOs to learn about refugee-camp challenges involving food, water, housing, sanitation and healthcare. They also met with non-profit organizations and representatives from the European Union to learn about the legal processes for asylum-seekers and the integration of refugees into Greek society. Afterward, students interviewed Asylum Services Center caseworkers, who relocate refugees.

The International Human Rights Advocates at Penn Law is creating a detailed report of the findings from their service trip and plans to maintain relationships with its organizational and community partners to provide legal research and assistance.

See images from their trips at https://www.flickr.com/photos/universityofpennsylvania/sets/72157665821341500

The McCabe Fund Advisory Committee is calling for applications from junior faculty in the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) and the School of Veterinary Medicine for the annual Thomas B. and Jeannette E. Laws McCabe Fund Fellow and Pilot Awards. The McCabe awards were established in 1969 by a generous gift from Thomas B. and Jeannette E. Laws McCabe to the Perelman School of Medicine. The purpose of this gift is to support junior faculty who initiate fresh and innovative biomedical and surgical research projects.

Eligible faculty are those who have received either limited or no external research funding while in their first through third years on the faculty at the PSOM or the School of Veterinary Medicine at Penn. Junior faculty in these schools should contact their department chair for information and application forms. The guidelines and instructions to determine eligibility are also available on the PSOM website: http://www.med.upenn.edu/evdresearch/mccabefundawardprogram.html

The deadline for submission is Monday, May 16, 2016. The McCabe Fund Advisory Committee will select the winners at its annual meeting in June.

Stuart W. Churchill, the Carl V. S. Patterson Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering and professor emeritus of biomolecular engineering at Penn, died on March 24. He was 95 years old.

Dr. Churchill was a leader in the fields of combustion, heat transfer and fluid dynamics for over half a century. He received BS degrees in both chemical engineering and mathematics from the University of Michigan in 1942, and went on to work at Shell Oil Company and Frontier Chemical. He returned to the University of Michigan in 1947 and became a member of the faculty after receiving his PhD in 1952. He served as chairman of the department of chemical & metallurgical engineering from 1962-1967. He was an active member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), serving as its president in 1966. In 2008, the AIChE designated him as one of the 100 most distinguished chemical engineers of the modern era.

In 1967, Dr. Churchill became the Carl V. S. Patterson Professor of Chemical Engineering at SEAS and earned one of Penn’s first Medals for Distinguished Achievement in 1993 (Almanac November 2, 1993). He also served as a visiting professor at Iowa State University, the University of Utah, Pennsylvania State University and Okayama University.

Dr. Churchill was awarded Penn Engineering’s S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1978. He advised 25 doctoral students at Michigan and 20 at Penn. Every doctoral thesis involved a significant experimental component, in addition to heavy emphasis on mathematics, often involving digital computation. He authored several textbooks, including Interpretation and Use of Rate Data—the Rate Process Concept (1974), The Practical Use of Theory in Fluid Flow: Inertial Flows (1980) and Viscous Flows: The Practical Use of Theory (1988).

Dr. Churchill was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 1974. In 2002, he received the NAE Founders Award for “outstanding leadership in research, education and professional service and for continuing contributions in combustion, heat transfer and fluid dynamics for over a half century.” His awards included the AIChE Professional Progress Award (1964), the William H. Walker Award (1969), the Warren K. Lewis Award (1978) and the Max Jakob Award in Heat Transfer (1979). He authored 215 papers and six books before retiring in 1990 and wrote 110 additional papers afterwards. On the occasion of his 80th birthday, he was honored with a symposium, a portrait (Almanac September 5, 2000) and a Festschrift in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, a leading archival journal in chemical engineering.

Dr. Churchill is survived by his wife, Renate, and his children, Stuart L., Diana, Catherine and Emily. At his request, there will be no funeral; instead, his body will be contributed for scientific studies. Plans for a memorial service will be announced.

Richard G. Lonsdorf, professor emeritus of psychiatry and law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, died of congestive heart failure at the Waverly Heights retirement community in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, on March 18. He was 93 years old.

Dr. Lonsdorf was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton in 1942. He then attended Penn’s medical school, which is now the Perelman School of Medicine, and graduated in 1946 at age 23. In the aftermath of World War II, he served with the Navy Medical Corps in Fort Worth, Texas. He then returned to Penn to complete training as a psychiatrist and, later, a psychoanalyst. He also ran a private psychiatry practice in his home and at an office in Center City Philadelphia.

He began teaching at Penn’s School of Medicine in 1952. In 1959, he took a secondary appointment at Penn’s Law School, where he helped to develop a course in forensic law that dealt with legal issues relating to the criminal mind. The course became a mainstay of the curriculum, and Dr. Lonsdorf taught it for more than 40 years to generations of Philadelphia lawyers and judges.

In 1982, he was promoted to clinical professor of psychiatry and law. During his time at Penn, he served on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and the Committee on the Chronically Mentally Ill Homeless, a subgroup of the Mayor’s Public-Private Task Force on Homelessness.

Dr. Lonsdorf was one of the pioneering authorities on the use of the insanity defense in criminal cases. He lent his expertise to state and federal lawmakers who were crafting rules for the introduction of such evidence at trial. He often testified in court, including as a consulting psychiatrist in the legal challenges that followed the 1982 conviction of John Hinckley, Jr. for the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan. Mr. Hinckley was found to be not guilty by reason of insanity.

Dr. Lonsdorf retired from Penn and took emeritus status in 1993.

He is survived by three sons, George (Deborah Holljes), David (Marilyn Chohaney) and Robert (Lino Aleylunas); four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His wife, Alice B. Lonsdorf, a former assistant dean for alumni affairs at Penn Law, died in 2014 (Almanac April 29, 2014). Donations in his memory may be made to the Sierra Club (http://www.sierraclub.org) or to the Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org).

Yale Rabin, a former urban planner at Penn, died of heart failure at his home at Foulkeways Retirement Community in Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, on March 22. He was 88 years old.

Mr. Rabin was born in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from Trenton High School in New Jersey. He was a Coast Guardsman from 1946-1947, then earned his bachelor’s of fine arts in 1952 at the Tyler School of Fine Arts and his bachelor’s in education in 1953 at Temple University.

He was a ceramics teacher and public school art teacher until 1957, then earned his master’s in urban planning at the University of Pennsylvania in 1960. He worked as a city planner in Camden, New Jersey, and in London, England.

Mr. Rabin returned to Philadelphia in 1963 and joined Penn’s staff as an urban planner. In 1964, he took a leave of absence to work on a construction project for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). During winter break in 1965, he used a gift from Penn’s Christian Association to take Penn students to build facilities in Mississippi for sharecroppers who had been evicted from their homes. He left Penn in 1967.

Until 1975, Mr. Rabin was a consultant and witness for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. In 1976, he served as an expert plaintiffs’ witness in the court cases that successfully sought to provide affordable housing in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

He was later associate dean for academic affairs in the urban & environmental planning department at the University of Virginia and a visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Rabin is survived by his wife, Barbara; two sons, Paul and Andrew; three daughters, Mira, Alix and Sarah Rabin-Lobron; three stepchildren, Judy, Sharon and Dan Wurtzel; eight grandchildren; and three step-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on April 17 at Foulkeways, 1120 Meetinghouse Road, Gwynedd, PA 19436.

Donations may be sent to a social justice organization of one’s choice. Condolences may be offered to the family at Foulkeways at the above address or at http://www.foulkeways.org

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

3-5 p.m.

Room 205, College Hall

1. Approval of the Minutes of March 16, 2016 (3 minutes)

2. Chair’s Report (5 minutes)

3. Past-Chair’s Report on Campaign for Community, Academic Planning and Budget &         Capital Council (2 minutes)

4. Ballot: 2016 Senate Committee on Committees (5 minutes)

5. Update from the Office of the Executive Vice President (30 minutes)
        Discussion with Craig Carnaroli, Executive Vice President

6. Update from the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty (30 minutes)
        Discussion with Anita Allen, Vice Provost for Faculty

7. New Business (10 minutes)

Three University of Pennsylvania faculty members, two from the Perelman School of Medicine and one from the Wharton School, are among the 126 recipients of this year’s Sloan Research Fellowship. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation provides grants annually to early-career scientists and scholars whose achievements and potential identify them as the next generation of scientific leaders.

Sloan Research Fellows are nominated by their peers and selected by an independent panel of senior scholars. Each Fellow receives a $55,000 award to further his or her research.

Matthew Kayser, assistant professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, is a practicing psychiatrist specializing in issues related to sleep and mental health. His lab studies how neural circuits give rise to complex behaviors and how dysfunction of neural processes can cause mental illness. His particular focus is in understanding how sleep—a highly conserved behavior whose core function remains a mystery—contributes to sculpting brain circuits during development and in other times of life.

Zongming Ma, assistant professor in the department of statistics at the Wharton School, conducts research on statistical analysis of high-dimensional and massive datasets, such as those arising from neuroscience and social networks. His research focuses on the core statistical problems that are common to these and other related application areas. By building the mathematical foundation for these problems, his goal is to gain sufficient theoretical insights to design practical algorithms for better data analysis.

Golnaz Vahedi, assistant professor of genetics and a member of the Institute for Immunology at the Perelman School of Medicine, studies the biological circuits that underlie cellular processes in immune cells to uncover the molecular basis of major inherited diseases. Her lab works with vast quantities of rich, high-dimensional data that capture system-wide properties at molecular and cellular resolution in immune cells. A major focus of the Vahedi lab is to deconstruct gene-environment interactions in complex diseases, such as autoimmune disorders, by generating the epigenomic maps of immune cells and developing computational methods to integrate these maps with human genetics.

Last year, there were three winners of the McCabe Fund Fellow Awards of $40,000 each:

Yi Fan, radiation oncology

Marc V. Fuccillo, neuroscience

Matthew C. Good, cell & developmental biology

There were 19 McCabe Fund Pilot Award winners, who received $19,323 each:

Jorge Ivan Alvarez, pathobiology

Agata M. Bogusz, pathology & laboratory medicine

Joshua M. Diamond, medicine

John P. Fischer, surgery

David S. Goldberg, medicine

Surbhi Grover, radiation oncology

Blanca E. Himes, biostatistics & epidemiology

Vandana Khungar, medicine

David K. Kung, neurosurgery

Meghan B. Lane-Fall, anesthesiology & critical care

Lisa D. Levine, obstetrics & gynecology

Shana Erin McCormack, pediatrics

Kenji Murakami, biochemistry & biophysics

Susanna M. Nazarian, surgery

Alexis Ogdie-Beatty, medicine

Mitesh S. Patel, medicine

Michael Povelones, pathobiology

Danielle K. Sandsmark, neurology

Delia Maria Talos, neurology

A team of Penn students has proposed a policy initiative to help re-entering citizens access an ID as soon as they are released from prison. Their proposal, also designed to combat Philadelphia’s recidivism crisis, won the 2016 Penn Public Policy Challenge, presented last month by the Fels Institute of Government. The Philadelphia Individual Dignity Project team proposal seeks to implement a pilot program at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Northeast Philadelphia that would enable eligible exiting prisoners to receive a state-issued ID card on site upon release. The team received $5,000 to help develop the pilot plan.

The team is comprised of Salomon Moreno-Rosa, a dual-degree candidate at the Fels Institute of Government and the Graduate School of Education; Samantha Waxman, a student in the master of science in social policy program at the School of Social Policy & Practice; and Sarai Williams, a master’s dual-degree candidate in the city & regional planning and landscape architecture departments at PennDesign. They were among only ten teams of students from across the country to move on to the National Invitational Public Policy Challenge earlier this month.

The Penn Libraries is excited to announce the debut of the online home for their Holy Land Collections. The Holy Land Collections website features a wide range of special and general collections related to the Holy Land, including rare manuscripts, original archaeological artifacts, engraved maps and many other fascinating primary and secondary source materials.

Among the most important collections in the series is the Lenkin Family Collection of Photography. This collection, purchased in 2009 with a generous donation from Edward J. Lenkin, C’71, PAR’12, consists of over 5,000 early photographs of the Holy Land dating from 1850 to 1937. These photographs serve as primary source materials for teaching and research across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including the history of photography, architecture, regional planning, religious studies, history and political science. The rich images in the collection provide glimpses of the early landscape, architecture and history of Palestine, allowing viewers to transport themselves to a time before the state of Israel was founded.

The Lenkin Family Collection of Photography also includes 813 additional photo-reproductions, a reference library of nearly 100 secondary sources, and an extensive archive of notes and documents. Among the photographs are dozens of images of the Western Wall and stunning panoramas of Jerusalem as seen from the Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus.

The Libraries’ Holy Land Collections also include the Paola and Bertrand Lazard Holy Land Print collections, including hundreds of early printed books, postcards, maps, drawings and watercolors. Recent acquisitions include the Moldovan Family Digital Holy Land Map Collection and the Zucker Holy Land Travel Manuscript.

This project was made possible through the leadership of Vice Provost and Director of the Penn Libraries Carton Rogers, an ongoing partnership with the National Library of Israel and its Director General, Oren Weinberg, who supported the digitization of the entire Lenkin Family Collection; and the invaluable vision and advice of Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities and Vigevani Professor of European Studies at the Hebrew University, Dror Wahrman.

Kislak Center digitization specialist, Dennis Mullen; digital photographer, Ardon Bar Hama; and devoted Penn Libraries’ volunteer and cataloger, Louise Strauss, C ’82, were also integral partners to the project.

The Penn Libraries announces the 2016 Lorraine Beitler Collection Lecture by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Trudy Rubin. The lecture, “The Relevance of Dreyfus in the Age of ISIS,” will take place on Thursday, April 7 at 5:30 p.m. in the Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion at the Penn Libraries’ Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books & Manuscripts on the sixth floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center.

Ms. Rubin’s work has sent her on assignments across the globe. She is the author of Willful Blindness: The Bush Administration and Iraq, a book of her columns from 2002-2004. In 2001, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in commentary, and in 2008, she was awarded the Edward Weintal Prize for Diplomatic Reporting. In 2010, she won the Arthur Ross Award for Distinguished Reporting & Analysis on Foreign Affairs from the American Academy of Diplomacy.

In 2002, Lorraine Beitler donated a collection of over 1,000 items documenting the history of the Alfred Dreyfus affair and its impact on the art, society and politics of France and the modern world to the Penn Libraries. The collection provides a context for international learning and debate through a program of touring exhibitions, publications and conferences. After donating the collection, Dr. Beitler and her husband, Martin, established the Lorraine Beitler Lecture Fund to serve as a catalyst for the examination of the issues of prejudice and intolerance.

The lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.

To register, please visit: http://www.library.upenn.edu/forms/eventsresponse15.html

All are welcome to attend PASEF’s special Spring Lecture on Thursday, April 14, in the Amado Recital Hall, Irvine Auditorium. The lecture, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., will be followed by a reception in the adjoining Class of 1958 Café.

Reverend Charles L. Howard, University chaplain, and Brian Peterson, director of Penn’s Makuu Black Cultural Center, will speak on: Charleston, Freddie Gray and Black Lives Matter: What Has Changed? What Hasn’t?

Reverend Howard is the author of several articles featured in the Black Arts Quarterly, The Huffington Post and many other publications. Dr. Peterson is a multiple graduate of the University of Pennsylvania—School of Engineering & Applied Science and the Graduate School of Education.

Please contact Jocelyne Waller if you plan to come at (215) 746-5972 or emeritus@pobox.upenn.edu 

Relâche, Philadelphia’s renowned new music ensemble, presents American Experimental Masters: Ashley and Wolff, featuring guest baritone singer Thomas Buckner, on Sunday, April 10 at 3 p.m., in Widener Hall at the Penn Museum.

Tickets are $15; $10 for Penn Museum members in advance or at the door, while supplies last. Admission for students with ID is $5 (and free for accompanying second student), at the door only. Concert tickets may be used to enter and explore the Museum’s international galleries after 2 p.m. on the day of the concert (the special exhibition The Golden Age of King Midas (Almanac February 9, 2016) requires an additional $5 admission). Advance concert tickets may be purchased online at www.penn.museum/calendar

Exploring the Music of Experimental Masters

For this program, the mixed octet of winds, strings, keyboard and percussion is joined by new music baritone, Thomas Buckner, who sings in two works and also leads the ensemble in an improvisation. Mr. Buckner’s long career has included performing over 100 works composed for him, working with improvisers like Roscoe Mitchell, and founding performance series and record labels on both the east and west coasts. He currently leads and performs for the Interpretations series at Brooklyn’s Roulette theater and produces recordings for Mutable Music. His long association with celebrated American composer Robert Ashley (1930-2014) included many new opera collaborations, including the work to be performed April 10, World War III (Just the Highlights).

The ensemble also performs Outcome Inevitable, which it commissioned from Mr. Ashley in 1991 and subsequently recorded on a CD of the same name. Outcome offers a hypnotic string of wind solos shadowed by gossamer sounds from keyboard and viola, with a relentlessly gentle beat from bass and percussion, both constant and unpredictable.

In 2007, Relâche commissioned another major figure in experimental music, Christian Wolff, to compose Grete, which he dedicated to the memory of his childhood piano teacher Grete Sultan, who died in 2005 at the age of 99. Ms. Sultan, a friend of John Cage, sent Mr. Wolff to Mr. Cage for composition lessons. It was Mr. Wolff who introduced Mr. Cage to the I Ching, the ancient Chinese divination book, which came to play such a large role in Mr. Cage’s use of chance procedures. Mr. Wolff’s Grete also leaves much to chance, or to decisions made by the players in Relâche. His other work on the program, 37 Haiku, dedicated to and sung by Mr. Buckner, is a setting of the poem by John Ashbery. The poem in 37 lines does not follow the usual syllable count, and can even be read as a satire of the American haiku tradition.

This spring, the Morris Arboretum will once again host its annual Japanese Cherry Blossom Celebration, in partnership with the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia. The Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival is an initiative of the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia with the goal of fostering a better understanding of the cultural, social and educational customs of Japan in the United States.

In the early 20th century, John and Lydia Morris (founders of the Morris Arboretum) established one of the finest collections of Japanese plants and gardens in the region at their home, Compton, which would later become the Morris Arboretum. To commemorate this heritage, the Morris Arboretum will celebrate the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival with a variety of activities this April. The events are for both children and adults, and will celebrate the art, culture and gardens inspired by the 35 varieties of cherry trees that grace the Arboretum with their blossoms each spring.

With the early spring this year, as Punxsutawney Phil predicted, many Yoshino cherries may be at the end of their bloom period during the celebration. However, the Arboretum’s vast cherry collection includes trees with varying bloom times, and their season can last up to three weeks. This should ensure that Arboretum visitors will enjoy flowering cherries during the festival.

During two weekends in April—Saturday, April 9 and Saturday, April 16—the Morris Arboretum will mark this unique aspect of Japan’s rich culture and heritage. Experience the beauty of Morris Arboretum’s cherry tree collection in bloom. Both Saturdays will feature traditional Japanese cultural activities including:

Cherry Walk, 10:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.; meet at Garden Rail Entrance. Visitors are invited to discover and appreciate the variety of cherry species planted throughout the Arboretum. This 45-minute walk will be led by an Arboretum expert. Limited space.

Kyo Daiko Drumming Crew, 10:30 a.m. and noon; HaHa Wall. Taiko drumming has been practiced in Japan for hundreds of years at festivals and battles and as a means of communication over long distances. A combination of choreography and drumming, taiko drumming is physically demanding and visually compelling. Kyo Daiko, under the sponsorship of Shofuso Japanese House and Garden, is a community-based taiko drumming group offering classes in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia. 

Japanese Elements Tours, 2-3 p.m.; meet at Garden Rail entrance. Led by an Arboretum docent, this tour will highlight the Arboretum’s Japanese style gardens.

Also, on Saturday, April 9:

Traditional Japanese Tea Demonstration, 1 p.m.; HaHa Wall (rain location: Upper Gallery). The picnic tea or Chabako is a beautiful and unique form of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. Featuring traditional costumes and designed to be done outdoors, there are four distinct presentations, one for each of the seasons. Weather permitting, this demonstration will be outside.

Also, on Saturday, April 16:

Kimono Dressing Demonstration, 11 a.m.; Upper Gallery. Young and old alike will delight in the beautiful kimonos exhibited by Fumiyo Batta. Since 1998, Mrs. Batta has given numerous classes, demonstrations and seminars on the art of kimono, traditional Japanese attire. As an extensive collector of kimonos, she will talk about the history of the kimono and demonstrate how to wear them. Participation from the audience will be welcomed. 

Origami Workshops, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.; Upper Gallery. Learn how to make an origami crane under the tutelage of local resident and Japanese native Yuki Flores. This art form of paper folding has been practiced for centuries and has become a lasting symbol of traditional Japanese culture.

All events are free with regular admission. For more information about any of these events, please call (215) 247-5777 or visit Morris Arboretum online at www.morrisarboretum.org

LOCATION CHANGE

The April 7 talk, US EPA Cleanup of the Capitol Hill Anthrax Site, will be held in Rm. 9-146 in the Smilow Center.

Special Event

10    Eureka!; a TEDxPenn event; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; registration begins 9:30 a.m.; Zellerbach Theatre, Annenberg Center; tickets: www.annenbergcenter.org/ (SPEC; Wharton Entrepreneurship; GAPSA).

It’s easy to be inadvertently separated from your mobile device. Fortunately, there are features built into the most recent versions of several mobile operating systems that can help you determine the whereabouts of your missing device.

Before your device goes missing, it’s important to make sure you have associated the device with an account that can aid with subsequent retrieval (this occurs on first login with Android and Windows Phone devices, or after activating iCloud with iOS devices).

Later, if you believe you have simply misplaced your mobile device, you can go online, log in to the account service associated with your device and then prompt your device to emit an audible signal to assist you in locating it. As long as your device is turned on and connected to the Internet it will emit a sound, even when its audio settings have been muted or its screen is asleep.

If your missing device is signaling its location, you may also be able to view the approximate location of your device on a street map.

If these features lead you to believe someone else has taken possession of your mobile device, you should never attempt to retrieve your device from an unknown party by yourself. Instead, immediately contact both your Local Support Provider and Penn Public Safety to request skilled assistance in safeguarding or retrieving your missing device and the information it contains, particularly if any Penn data is involved.

To learn more about options to remotely locate, lock or erase your device on Android, iOS or Windows Phone devices, look up Android Device Manager, Find My iPhone or Find My Phone, respectively.