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Seven Penn Medicine Scientists: National Institutes of Health Director’s Awards

For the second year in a row, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has selected seven researchers from the University of Pennsylvania to receive its prestigious Director’s Awards, part of the NIH’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program; for last year’s winners see Almanac October 16, 2018. The initiative—designed to fuel research endeavors that are more open-ended and have a potentially broader effect on scientific understanding compared to more traditional research—presents awards to scientists in four categories to support research over a five-year period.

A total of 93 High-Risk, High-Reward awards are being granted this year, each award category has at least one Penn Medicine recipient.

caption: James Eberwinecaption: Sydney Shaffer

Pioneer Award

James Eberwine, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Professor of Pharmacology, will receive up to $3.5 million to investigate RNA structure within single cells in cortex and hippocampus tissue in the brains of mice and humans. Traditional isolation of RNA for research purposes changes its makeup, and therefore, the intracellular forms of RNA are not well understood. By uniquely analyzing natural structural changes of RNA and also how RNA structure can be manipulated, Dr. Eberwine’s work may influence the development of future therapies. This is Dr. Eberwine’s second Pioneer Award, having also won in 2008 (Almanac September 30, 2008); he is one of only five people to be awarded the grant more than once.

Early Independence Award

Sydney Shaffer, assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and assistant professor of bioengineering, has been awarded up to $1.25 million. Building on her previous work in melanoma, her research will focus on rare resistant or invasive cancer cells and using new ways to illuminate RNA signatures in those cells. This research has the potential to lead to novel treatments of these highly dangerous cancer cells.

caption: Maayan Levycaption: Ophir Shalemcaption: Christoph Thaiss

New Innovator Award

Maayan Levy, assistant professor of microbiology, will receive $2.4 million total over five years to study new modes of communication between the intestinal microbiome and host immunity. Her lab continues to analyze the communication network between the microbiome and its host and discovered that metabolites act as messengers. This forms the basis for a large number of innovative therapeutic approaches for numerous multi-factorial human diseases. 

Ophir Shalem, assistant professor of genetics, will also receive $2.4 million in total over five years for his research, which focuses on the development of functional genomics tools that are based on scalable gene tagging for the direct measurement and perturbation of endogenous proteins. His lab focuses on the development of state-of- the-art functional genomics and gene editing tools and applications for studying a range of disorders including neurodegenerative diseases. 

The third Penn Medicine recipient in this category is Christoph A. Thaiss, assistant professor of microbiology and a member of the Institute for Immunology (IFI) and the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism (IDOM). The award, which also comes with funding totaling $2.4 million over five years, will enable Dr. Thaiss and his lab to study the role of amyloid proteins in intestinal host-microbiome interactions. The Thaiss lab studies how environmental signals are integrated into host physiology and how these signals contribute to the development of human disease. 

caption: Rajan Jaincaption: Arjun Raj

Transformative Research Award

Together, Rajan Jain, assistant professor of medicine and cell and developmental biology and member of the Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) and the Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM), and Arjun Raj, professor of bioengineering, will receive over $5 million. These funds will allow their labs to work together to develop new approaches to elucidate factors that control cell identity and how they regulate transdifferentiation approaches. Ultimately, this will allow researchers to more efficiently transform one type of cell into another. Last year, Dr. Jain received a New Innovator Award to advance understanding of how 3D genome organization regulates organ development and homeostasis (Almanac October 16, 2018).

$1.15 Million Gift to ICA

caption: James Britt, Jr.The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania announced a $1.15 million gift from an anonymous donor that will endow the director of public engagement position. The role, now titled the DAJ Director of Public Engagement, is currently held by James E. Britt, Jr., and was established in 2016 to deepen the institution’s connections to local and student communities and build on ICA’s commitment to engaging wider audiences. The gift marks a significant milestone for the internationally acclaimed contemporary art institution and will also provide unrestricted annual support for ICA’s programming. Additionally, it will support a travel fund for undergraduate students, named the DAJ Student Travel Fund, in the department of the history of art in SAS to enable academic research and immersion in the arts on a global scale. 

Since joining ICA in 2018 as the director of public engagement, Mr. Britt has implemented a number of new initiatives, such as Pennsight, a student docent program designed to enhance visual acuity and establish authentic engagement between the viewer and the Institution’s exhibitions. Mr. Britt has also provided platforms for Penn students to combine their academic and extracurricular interests with contemporary art through an expanded student board, performances, symposiums and other opportunities that allow for the incubation process to unfold. Mr. Britt works collaboratively with interim Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director John McInerney and the curatorial department to further integrate ICA’s curatorial program within the curriculum of the University of Pennsylvania’s 12 schools and continues to strengthen and build new partnerships with civic, educational and cultural institutions throughout the city. He also oversees a range of public outreach programs, including lectures and workshops, and is working to improve the overall visitor experience at the museum for all audiences. 

“ICA is extremely grateful to this anonymous donor for making such a visionary gift,” said Mr. McInerney. “Finding innovative and meaningful ways to engage with a diverse and wider public is central to our mission. As our DAJ Director of Public Engagement, James will now be able to significantly strengthen connections between ICA and the University while also expanding our partnerships and collaborations with communities throughout Philadelphia.”

From the President and Provost: On the Results of the AAU Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct

Dear Members of the Penn Community:

Ensuring the safety of Penn students is among our highest priorities. No one should experience sexual misconduct on campus. Despite our best efforts, sexual assault continues to be endemic. Penn has taken numerous steps to protect and support our students, including strengthening our policies, educating for prevention and increasing our resources to provide education and respond to reports.

Last spring, Penn was one of 33 colleges and universities that participated in the second administration of the Association of American Universities’ Campus Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct. Penn also participated in the first AAU survey in the spring of 2015. Our goals in both cases were to learn more from our undergraduate, graduate and professional students about sexual misconduct on campus, assess our education and prevention strategies and guide our efforts moving forward. We write today to share information about the follow-up survey, the results of which were released by AAU.

We thank our great Penn students for the much higher response rate this year than in 2015, which offers us a much fuller understanding of our students’ experiences. The 10,306 students who responded represented 42.8% of our enrollment, compared to a response rate of 26.9% in 2015 and an overall AAU response rate for this survey of 21.9%. However, we are troubled that there was little change in the prevalence of non-consensual/unwanted sexual contact reported by our students.

 Penn’s figures are almost exactly at the median of our peers. But there is no comfort in that. The numbers are disturbing—25.9% of female undergraduate students in this year’s survey experienced unwanted sexual contact, down from 27.2% in 2015. Among male undergraduate students, the figure rose from 5.5% to 7.3%; among undergraduate students who are transgender, genderqueer and non-binary (TGQN), it increased from 19% to 21.5%. Among graduate students, the figure for female students rose from 6.5% to 7.5%, and for male students it rose from 2.1% to 2.7%.

We urge all members of the Penn community to read the full results of the survey, which can be found at http://www.upenn.edu/ir/aau-campus-climate-survey.html As we all better understand the scope of the problem, we might better work together to lessen the risk that any student may face. We also want to remind anyone who has experienced sexual misconduct—or knows someone who has experienced it—of the confidential resources available on campus:

  • African-American Resource Center (resource for students, staff or faculty)
  • Counseling and Psychological Services, including its Sexual Trauma Treatment Outreach and Prevention team also known as STTOP (resource for students)
  • Employee Assistance Program (resource for staff or faculty)
  • Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center (resource for students, staff or faculty)
  • Office of the University Chaplain (resource for students, staff, faculty or visitors)
  • Office of the Ombuds (resource for students, staff or faculty)
  • Penn Violence Prevention (resource for students)
  • Penn Women’s Center (resource for students, staff or faculty)
  • Special Services Department, Division of Public Safety
  • (resource for students, staff, faculty or visitors)
  • Student Health Service (resource for students)

If you have any doubt about where to turn, Penn’s HELP Line is available 365 days a year, 24 hours a day at (215) 898-HELP.

Sexual misconduct is absolutely unacceptable. The AAU survey makes clear the extent of the challenge and the need to reaffirm education, prevention, and support on our campus.

We encourage all members of our community to learn more about our Sexual Misconduct Policy and the resources available at Penn. It is our collective responsibility to create a shared campus environment in which every student can fulfill their fullest potential.

—Amy Gutmann, President

—Wendell Pritchett, Provost

Call for Honorary Degree Nominations: December 13

Dear Colleagues, 

We invite you to nominate candidates to receive honorary degrees from the University of Pennsylvania at the 2020 Commencement ceremony and beyond. Candidates should exemplify the highest ideals of the University, which seek to educate those who will change the world through innovative scholarship, scientific discovery, artistic creativity and/or societal leadership. 

We encourage you to involve your faculty colleagues, within and across departments and schools, in the nomination process. Nominations should detail how nominees meet the criteria for selection and outline the nominees’ achievements and contributions. Please include as much biographical and other supporting information as possible, but do not contact the nominees, who should not know that they are being considered. We particularly encourage nominations from departments and schools whose fields have not been recognized by the awarding of honorary degrees in recent years. Please note that it is University policy not to consider Penn standing faculty, Trustees, or school and center overseers for Penn honorary degrees. Nominations for the University Commencement speaker are also considered through this honorary degrees selection process. 

Nominations are welcome any time, but for consideration by this year’s University Council Honorary Degrees Committee, it would be helpful to have them in hand by December 13. Review is ongoing and candidates may ultimately be selected several years after their initial nominations. The University Council Committee’s recommendations are forwarded to the Trustee Committee on Honorary Degrees and Awards for final selection. A list of previous University of Pennsylvania honorary degree recipients can be found at: https://secretary.upenn.edu/ceremonies/honorary-degree-recipients

Please send signed letters of nomination on your official stationery to: University Council Committee on Honorary Degrees, c/o Office of the University Secretary, 1 College Hall, Room 211/6303. Additional information on the honorary degrees process and an online nomination form can be found at: https://secretary.upenn.edu/ceremonies/honorary-degree-nominations If you have any questions, please contact Antoine Jones at jonesan@upenn.edu or (215) 898-7005.

Penn emeritus faculty are eligible to receive honorary degrees through a special nomination process. University deans propose candidates for consideration by the Council of Deans. The Council’s nominations are then reviewed by the President and Provost and final selection is made by the Trustee Committee on Honorary Degrees and Awards.

Honorary degrees are important statements of Penn’s values and aspirations, and we strongly encourage your participation in this process. 

––Amy Gutmann, President

––Daniel Raff, Chair, University Council Committee on Honorary Degrees

Kevin Turner: Chair of MEAM for the School of Engineering

caption: Kevin TurnerKevin T. Turner has been named chair of the department of mechanical engineering and applied mechanics (MEAM) for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Dr. Turner, who also has an appointment in the department of materials science and engineering, joined Penn Engineering in 2011 and has served as director of the Quattrone Nanofabrication Facility at the Singh Center and as the Graduate Group chair of MEAM.

Dr. Turner has earned numerous honors and awards, including ASME Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award, the Adhesion Society’s Young Adhesion Scientist Award, SME’s Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, an NSF CAREER Award, a 3M Non-tenured Faculty Award, and he was named an ASEE Ferdinand P. Beer and E. Russell Johnston Jr. Outstanding New Mechanics Educator.

Dr. Turner’s research is at the nexus of mechanics, manufacturing and materials, with a particular emphasis on problems involving small-scale systems and interfaces. He has extensive experience in the mechanics of adhesion and fracture, micro and nano systems, and advanced manufacturing. His group employs a combination of experimental and computational approaches in nearly all projects. Ongoing research efforts include structured materials with controllable adhesion and fracture behavior, additive manufacturing of cellulose nanomaterials, soft robotic grasping, nanocomposites and manufacturing of flexible hybrid electronics and sensors.

He has recently received a Manufacturing PA Innovation grant from the State of Pennsylvania (Almanac September 17, 2019). His project will investigate the use of cellulose materials in inks for additive manufacturing, broadening the materials choices for 3D printing.

A New Name—and a New Era—for Wharton School Book Publishing

The book publishing arm of Wharton School at Penn is changing its name from Wharton Digital Press to Wharton School Press.

“Wharton School Press has made a significant impact on behalf of the school since it first launched as Wharton Digital Press. We’re very excited about this new direction, which emphasizes the school’s continued commitment to publishing important books,” said Dean Geoffrey Garrett.

“This change underscores the Wharton School name, a key selling point for readers seeking trusted information and for authors looking for a prestigious publishing partner,” said Peter Fader, Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor and Chair of Wharton School Press’s Faculty Advisory Board. “In our conversations with stakeholders, including faculty and authors, we heard time and again that the Wharton School’s name is among our greatest strengths. This evolution will enable the Press to make an even greater impact in the years ahead.”

The Press was launched in 2011 by Stephen J. Kobrin, William H. Wurster Emeritus Professor of Multinational Management, who retired from his role as executive director in 2018. At its inception, the Press set out to leverage emerging digital publishing technologies to position the Wharton School on the leading-edge of experimentation in learning and as a forward-thinking innovator. While many business-school presses experimented, the Wharton School was the first and only business school to launch a digital book press dedicated exclusively to exploring the unique opportunities presented by these changes.

“The spirit of innovation and experimentation with which the Press was launched will continue to be central to the Press’s work,” said Shannon Berning, director and publisher, Wharton School Press. “We will also continue to publish a select list of research-driven, fast-reading and actionable business books and operate the Wharton School Press Bookstore, which features a curated selection of thought-leading books by Wharton faculty.”

The name change points to digital publishing’s pivot from an innovative new technology to an enduring method for delivering excellent content to readers globally. The Press has matured with the industry, going from an innovative publishing experiment to an established operation making a global impact.

Wharton School Press features a growing pipeline of high-profile, award-winning and bestselling books from a wide range of thought leaders, including Wharton professors Peter Fader, Barbara Kahn, Michael Useem and  Kevin Werbach, as well as outside experts, including The New York Times-bestselling author Charlene Li, Penn President Emerita Judith Rodin and technology entrepreneur and academic Vivek Wadhwa. The books, distributed and sold globally, have garnered honors including Economist Book of the Year and coverage in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times. Wharton School Press has a strong list slated for 2020 that will soon be announced.

Meg Onli: Andrea B. Laporte Associate Curator at ICA

caption: Meg OnliJohn McInerney, interim Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director at the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania, recently announced the promotion of Meg Onli as the Andrea B. Laporte Associate Curator.

Ms. Onli’s work attends to the intricacies of language and race. She joined ICA in 2016 as assistant curator and in 2017 curated the critically acclaimed exhibition Speech/Acts, which explored how black American experiences have been shaped by the social and cultural constructs of language. The recent opening of Ms. Onli’s latest exhibition, Banal Presents marks the realization of the final chapter of Colored People Time, a pioneering three-part presentation exploring race, history and time over the course of a year. In 2019, Ms. Onli was awarded the Transformation Award from the Leeway Foundation in recognition of her achievements and is currently a Warhol Foundation Curatorial Fellow.

“I am thrilled to announce Meg’s new position as the Andrea B. Laporte Associate Curator,” said Mr. McInerney. “Meg has been an invaluable member of the ICA curatorial team since 2016 and this appointment is a well-deserved recognition of her talent and achievements. Her work examining the intricacies of race, language and power has brought an important and exciting voice into the institution.”

DRC Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program: December 9

The Diabetes Research Center (DRC) of the University of Pennsylvania is now accepting applications for support to perform pilot and feasibility studies in diabetes and related endocrine and metabolic disorders.

The application deadline is Monday, December 9, 2019 by 5 p.m.

The P&F program is intended to support new investigators and established investigators new to diabetes research. Established diabetes investigators pursuing high impact/high risk projects or projects that are a significant departure from their usual work are also eligible for support under the DRC P&F program. Applications are welcome from basic, clinical and translational investigators.

Grants will be reviewed by the DRC Pilot and Feasibility Review Committee, as well as internal and external reviewers. Funding level maximum is $50,000.

For detailed information and instructions: https://www.med.upenn.edu/idom/drc/pilots.html

Investigators who are currently in the first year of support through this P&F program may reapply for an additional year of funding. Continuation requests need to be carefully justified and will be considered as competing renewals.

For more information please contact Lisa Henry at henryli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu; (215) 898-4365 or Doris Stoffer at stoffer@pennmedicine@upenn.edu or (215) 573-5413. 

Rare Disorders Pilot Grant Program: November 4

The Orphan Disease Center at the University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with the ZC4H2 Deficiency Research Foundation, is pleased to announce the ZC4H2-Associated Rare Disorders (ZARD) Pilot Grant Program, offering up to three one-year awards at $50,000, each.  This funding opportunity is open to the international community.

Overview: 

Pathogenic mutations in the zinc finger C4H2-type gene (ZC4H2) are associated with a neurodevelopmental and neuromuscular disorder often diagnosed as a form of arthrogryposis multiplex congenita.  ZC4H2 is a protein-coding gene located on the X-chromosome and the mechanism by which ZC4H2 mutations lead to disease remain unclear. Due to the key clinical features of both males and females with these mutations, there is a growing recognition of this condition as a unique disorder that should be clinically recognized as ZARD. Recent research has found that due to variation in X-inactivation or the presence of significant mutations in ZC4H2 (such as full deletions), females may also present with a form of the disease, albeit less severe than male ZC4H2 patients. It is believed that the pathogenic variants of ZC4H2 may result in impairment of the central and peripheral nervous system through the impairment of neurologic development. 

They are seeking grant applications that progress the understanding of ZC4H2 basic biology or development of treatments and/or a cure for ZARD. While the RFA is broad in scope, priority will be given to grants that cover the following areas:

  1. Unbiased approaches to discovering the protein function of ZC4H2, including, but not limited to, rescue, modifier or synthetic lethal screens in genetically tractable model organisms 
  2. Molecular characterization of ZC4H2 and the effect of mutations on molecular and protein function using in vitro and in in vivo models (mouse and human where possible): 

    -identification and characterization of naturally occurring transcripts, including splice isoforms 

    -spatio-temporal expression patterns of wildtype ZC4H2 expression at RNA and protein level (i.e. developmental time course and tissue- and cell type-specific expression of RNA and protein; cellular sub-localization of protein)  

  3. Discovery and validation of druggable targets or pathways for ZC4H2 treatment. Pilot data should be already established. This grant would focus on validating the approach in a translatable experiment with clear Go/ No Go experiments. 

Letter of Interest Instructions:

Visit the Center’s website to submit your Letter of Interest (LOI). This one-page LOI is due no later than Monday, November 4, by 8 p.m. 

Deaths

Paul Gaddis, Senior Vice President Management and Finance

Paul Otto Gaddis, former senior vice president of management and finance at the University of Pennsylvania, died September 11 in Brentwood, Tennessee. He was 95.

Mr. Gaddis graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1947, served aboard USS Boxer (CV21) and was then ordered to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned his master’s degree in engineering in 1948. He went on to complete tours in Guam with the 103rd Seabees, Newport, Rhode Island, and the Naval Ordnance Plant, Forest Park, Illinois.

In 1954 he resigned from the service and joined Westinghouse, working in atomic power on the Nautilus SSN571 project. He was nominated by Westinghouse for a Sloan Fellowship at MIT, where he earned his master’s degree in industrial management and finance in 1961. His graduate thesis on corporate accountability in the US won the Dean’s prize as best of the year. He went on to write a book, Corporate Accountability, in 1964. He returned to Westinghouse International in New York as director of overseas investments, before moving to Westinghouse headquarters as chief information officer and then vice president of corporate strategy. 

Mr. Gaddis left Westinghouse in 1972 to join the University of Pennsylvania as senior vice president of management and finance, a position that was created in 1970. He was responsible for areas of administration related to management planning and control, facilities, management systems development and other activities that served academic programs (Almanac February 22, 1972). He took on a secondary appointment as adjunct professor for Wharton’s Multi-National Enterprise. 

He left Penn in 1979 when his position was phased out (Almanac September 12, 1978) to become dean of  a new graduate management school at The School of Management for the University of Texas at Dallas. He remained there for 26 years. 

Mr. Gaddis served on the advisory board for CARE/MEDICO, was a board member for Westinghouse, was editor of The Journal for Corporate Growth, president of the La Napoule Art Foundation in France and served as director of the Society for Management Information Systems.

Mr. Gaddis is survived by his sons, Paul (Claire) and David; daughter, Holly; and grandchildren and great grandchildren.

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To Report A Death

Almanac appreciates being informed of the deaths of current and former faculty and staff members, students and other members of the University community. Call (215) 898-5274 or email almanac@upenn.edu

However, notices of alumni deaths should be directed to the Alumni Records Office at Suite 300, 2929 Walnut St., (215) 898-8136 or email record@ben.dev.upenn.edu

Governance

From the Senate Office: SEC Actions

The following is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the constituencies and their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Chair’s Report. Senate Chair Steve Kimbrough announced that the chairperson of the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Scholarly Communications will be Daniel Raff, associate professor of management in the Wharton School.  A list of committee candidates has been developed, and invitations will be distributed in the coming days.

Past Chair’s Report. Past Chair Jennifer Pinto-Martin reported on the ongoing work of the Provost’s Academic Planning and Budget Committee and the Capital Council.

2019 Senate Nominating Committee. Pursuant to the Faculty Senate Rules, the members of SEC were requested to submit the name of a member of the Standing Faculty to appear on the Nominating Committee ballot.

Update from the Office of the President. President Amy Gutmann shared a progress report on the Penn Compact 2022 across three focus areas: Inclusion, Innovation and Impact.

Update from the Office of the Ombuds. University Ombuds Lynn Hollen Lees and Associate Ombuds Marcia Martínez-Helfman described the work of the Office of the Ombuds. The Office has existed on campus since 1971 as an independent resource for faculty, staff and students to aid in resolving conflict and disputes.  All interactions are off-the-record, confidential, informal, impartial and outside any academic or administrative chain of command. Patterns that surface from the concerns brought to the Ombuds are raised in a de-identified, generalized manner with appropriate leaders at the University, school or unit level while protecting the identities of the individual visitors to the Office.  During discussion with SEC members, Dr. Lees noted that the Ombuds are considering the establishment of office hours at different locations on the central campus to make it easier for their services to be accessed.  Services are primarily tailored to individuals, although suggestions were made to tailor Ombuds materials for different constituencies (i.e., faculty, staff, students). SEC members emphasized the value of clarifying where the Ombuds Office fits with other campus resources, and communicating publicly the conditions in which individuals should seek out the Ombuds Office, so that Penn community members fully understand the mission of the Ombuds Office and the particular needs it fills.

Moderated Discussion. SEC members identified specific topics to address in-depth during the current academic year, focusing in particular on matters related to climate change. SEC members were invited to recommend other topics for discourse at subsequent meetings.

Honors

Chris Callison-Burch, Julia Ticona: NSF Grant

caption: Chris Callison-Burchcaption: Julia Ticona Julia Ticona, assistant professor of communication at the Annenberg School, and her research partner Chris Callison-Burch, associate professor of computer and information science at the School of Engineering and Applied Science, recently received funding for their study through a study funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) with a $2.5 million collaborative grant that involves scholars from Carnegie-Mellon, Penn State, Penn and West Virginia State. Penn’s portion of the grant is about $375,000.

They will study the Future of Work on the Human-Technology Frontier, one of NSF’s 10 Big Ideas announced in 2016. The grant aims to bring together researchers from computer science and the social sciences to undertake a variety of studies focused on the hidden workers and infrastructures that power artificial intelligence (AI) systems, such as the Amazon Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing marketplace. The grant is meant to catalyze interdisciplinary research that examines the benefits and risks of the technological transformation of work.

Drawing on Dr. Callison-Burch’s expertise in crowdsourcing and AI and Dr. Ticona’s research about cultures of low-wage work and the politics of digital labor platforms, the pair will explore social and computational approaches to improving worker wages, pricing transparency and the meaning of access to digital work for marginalized urban and rural communities.

Julie Dees, Shreya Kangovi, Carrie Kovarik, Cecilia Livesey, Nicole O’Donnell: Influencers of Healthcare Awards

Five Penn Medicine researchers, faculty and staff members were honored at the Philadelphia Inquirer’s first Influencers of Healthcare Awards. The winners from Penn Medicine were: Julie Dees, director of behavioral health at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, who was recognized for Excellence in Innovation; Shreya Kangovi, founding executive director of the Penn Center for Community Health Workers and an associate professor of general internal medicine, who was recognized as an Outstanding Educator; Carrie Kovarik, associate professor of dermatology and creator of the Penn Dermatology Global Health program, who was recognized for Excellence in Volunteerism; Cecilia M. W. Livesey, chief of integrated services in the department of psychiatry, assistant professor of psychiatry and associate residency program director of clinical training, who was honored with both the Excellence in Patient Care and Excellence in Innovation awards; and Nicole O’Donnell, certified recovery specialist at both the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, who was recognized for excellence in patient care for her work at Penn Medicine’s Center for Opioid Recovery and Engagement. There were also several winners from Penn Nursing (Almanac October 1, 2019).

Douglas Easton, Antonis Antoniou: Basser Global Prize

The Basser Center for BRCA at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center recently announced Douglas Easton and Antonis Antoniou as the recipients of the seventh annual Basser Global Prize. Drs. Easton and Antoniou are both professors in the department of public health and primary care at the University of Cambridge and members of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre.

Each year, the Basser Global Prize recognizes a leading scientist who has conceptually advanced BRCA1/2-related research. Individuals with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are at an increased risk of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and other cancers. The Prize provides $100,000 in unrestricted support of the winner’s BRCA1/2-related research efforts, a Basser sculpture and a $10,000 personal prize, which will be awarded at the symposium.

Dr. Easton is currently the director of the Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Antoniou currently leads a research group within the department of public health and primary care at the University of Cambridge and he is the academic course director for the MPhil in epidemiology. 

Their research focuses on genetic susceptibility to common cancers with the goal of identifying and characterizing genetic variants associated with cancer risk, with a particular emphasis on hormone-related cancers. Much of their work has focused on characterizing the cancer risks for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, the analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in breast and other cancers, and using this information to personalize cancer risk prediction.

They will receive the award and give the keynote address at the eighth annual Basser Center for BRCA Scientific Symposium on May 12, 2020

Melissa M. Lee, Lisa Ruth Rand, Stephanie Schwartz: Emerging Scholars Global Policy Prizes

The University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House recently announced the winners of its inaugural Emerging Scholars Global Policy Prize. The competition sought to reward scholars who were able to make their cutting-edge research on significant global issues more accessible to policymakers. Three prizes of $10,000 have been made to the following awardees:

Lisa Ruth Rand, postdoctoral fellow-in-residence and program coordinator at the Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine and NASA fellow in Aerospace History at the American Historical Association, was awarded the General Emerging Scholars Global Policy Prize for “Egalitarian Orbits: A New Regime for Geostationary Space.” Ms. Rand looks at the challenges of governing geostationary space—the ideal environment for communications satellites—fairly and sustainably, and proposes reforms to the United Nations’ Outer Space Treaty of 1967. 

Melissa M. Lee, assistant professor of politics and international affairs and Cyril E. Black University Preceptor at Princeton University, was awarded the Global Order Emerging Scholars Global Policy Prize for her essay “Subversive Statecraft: The New Face of Great Power Conflict.” Dr. Lee examines why United States policymakers have been slow to tackle foreign subversion and analyzes how they can respond effectively in the future. 

Stephanie Schwartz, assistant professor of international relations at University of Southern California, was awarded the Global Shifts Emerging Scholars Global Policy Prize. In “Calling Foul on ‘Refoulement’: Why Refugee Return is Not (always)  the Answer,” Dr. Schwartz explores the risks of repatriating refugees.

Penn Dental LGBTQIA+ Advocacy Awards

Penn Dental Medicine recently held its first Annual Penn Dental Medicine Pride Celebration, sponsored by the office of the dean, bringing together faculty, staff, students and alumni to celebrate diversity and build community within the School. The Inaugural LGBTQIA+ Advocacy Awards were presented as part of the event, recognizing recipients’ efforts to support diversity and inclusion. 

Student honorees included Shirley Zhang (D’21) and Travis Toth (D’21). Faculty awards were presented to Beverley Crawford, director of diversity and inclusion, and George Lynch, clinical associate in the division of pediatric dentistry; and the staff recipients included John O’Donnell, associate director of advanced dental education and academic affairs registrar; and Bryan Cole Smith, program coordinator in the department of oral medicine, who works within the Medically Complex Clinic.

Penn Architecture: #9 and #5 DesignIntelligence Rankings

DesignIntelligence has released its annual rankings of America’s Top Architecture Schools and the department of architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design earned two Top 10 rankings: #9 Most Admired Graduate Programs and #5 Architecture Programs Most Hired From.

Survey participants were asked, “What schools do you most admire for a combination of faculty, programs, culture and student preparation for the profession?” and “From which schools have you hired the greatest number of students (graduate and undergraduate combined) in the last five years?”

These rankings are determined by surveys sent to recent graduates, hiring practitioners and department deans and chairs. This year DesignIntelligence received nearly 12,000 responses.

Features

Annual Student Photography Competition and Exhibit: Penn in the Field 2019

caption: First place: Sunset over the Lessley Site, Smith Creek Archaeological Project, Fort Adams, Mississippi by anthropology student Autumn Melby.The annual Penn in the Field photography competition took place earlier this semester, just as students were returning to campus from their summer travels. “These photographs represent the extraordinary and varied fieldwork that Penn students do all around the world,” said Deborah Brown Stewart, head of the Penn Museum Library. “And they underscore the opportunities available to Penn students to travel into regions they’ve been learning about in the classroom, to get direct experience with the work they’re considering as careers.”

To solicit student submissions, the Penn Museum Library collaborated with departmental coordinators in anthropology, archaeology and intersectional disciplines in which students regularly conduct fieldwork. The requirements for entry were broad: photographs should reflect a currently enrolled Penn student’s archaeological fieldwork, ethnographic fieldwork or academically-related travel from the last five years.

This year’s photographic subjects reflect a diversity of scholarly interests: community health policies and practices in Liberia; the history of medical research in the United States; ethnographic research into textile industries in Pakistan; environmental anthropology in Hawaii; and a Mayan ceremony in the Yucatan. They depict archaeological fieldwork in France, Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Turkey, Iraq, French Guiana and the United States, as well as travel through Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Penn in the Field 2019’s three winning photographs came from students in anthropology (Autumn Melby, first place; Pablo Aguilera Del Castillo, third) and art and archaeology of the Mediterranean world (Katherine Burge, second), though the contest has received submissions from schools and departments as varied as the Graduate School of Education, Africana studies, and public health and environmental studies. After students uploaded their entries, the Vitale Digital Media Lab printed the images and Museum Library interns curated the photos for exhibition. 

The first exhibition of student photography in the Museum Library was spearheaded in 2001 by Matt Tomlinson, a then-graduate student who now teaches in the department of social anthropology at the University of Oslo. “The brutalist concrete wall of the Library seemed like it wanted some livening up,” Dr. Tomlinson explained. “My friends in the department had some really excellent photos of their work in the field, and I had some photos of my own that I wanted to share. We mounted and framed them and held a small reception.”

Dr. Stewart used the Museum Library during that time to do research for her dissertation. When she returned as head of the Library in 2016, she was surprised to see the photographs from Mr. Tomlinson’s cohort still decorating the walls. Given the convenience of digital submission and printing, it was an easy decision for Dr. Stewart and her staff to revive the tradition as an annual competition, an event intended to simultaneously spotlight student work, highlight the role of the Museum Library on campus and encourage cross-departmental conversation.

The practice of featuring student art also reflects Dr. Stewart’s understanding of libraries as shared cultural spaces. “Before so much was available online, you built a scholarly community by accessing resources and studying together in libraries,” she said. “It’s still the case that the Library is the heart of the research community of the Penn Museum. By showcasing student art, we hope to revitalize students’ sense of the Museum Library as a space that belongs to them.” 

Penn in the Field 2019 received roughly 40 submissions. The three winning entries—depicting scenes from Mississippi, Iraq and Mexico— will be on display through August 2020 inside of the Penn Museum Library’s entrance, while all other entries will hang in a gallery on the Penn Museum Library’s second level. 

caption: Second place: Tea time near the marshes around Lagash Dawwaya, Dhi Qar Province, Iraq by Katherine Burge who studies art and archaeology of the Mediterranean world.

caption: Third place: Crocodile, Rio Lagartos, Mexico by anthropology student Pablo Aguilera Del Castillo.

Events

Update: October AT PENN

Conferences

25 Penn India Research Symposium 2019; about Penn’s ongoing engagement in India; 12:30-5:30 p.m.; Perry World House; register: global.upenn.edu/penn-india-research-symposium (PennGlobal).

Fitness and Learning

30 Healthy Food Options on Campus; wellness walk with Dan Connolly, Penn Dining; noon; Benjamin Franklin Statue, College Hall (CPHI).

Penn Alumni Reading Group; discussion of Ladysitting: My Year with Nana at the End of Her Century with author Lorene Cary; 6:30 p.m.; Sweeten Alumni House or online; register: https://tinyurl.com/y55bjelq (Alumni).

Special Events

26 Indigenous Languages Week; activities to commemorate 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages; info: https://tinyurl.com/lndigLangWeek (Quechua). Through October 31

29 The Phantom of the Opera; silent film with live organ accompaniment; 7 p.m.; Irvine Auditorium (VPUL).

Talks

28 Changing Coasts: Combining Satellite Imagery, Machine Learning and Census and Survey Data to Understand Transformation; Elizabeth Frankenberg, Duke; noon-1 p.m.; rm. 150, McNeil Bldg. (PSC).

AT PENN Deadlines 

The November AT PENN calendar will be published on Tuesday, October 29. The deadline for the weekly Update is the Monday prior to the week of the issue’s publication. The deadline for the December AT PENN calendar is November 11

Annual Selection Period for Retirees and Long-Term Disability (LTD) Recipients

The Annual Selection Period for Retirees and Long-Term Disability (LTD) recipients will run from Monday, October 28 to Friday, November 8. This annual two-week event allows participants to review their current benefits and make changes for the upcoming calendar year. All changes will be effective as of January 1, 2020.

Personalized enrollment packets will be mailed to each participant’s home shortly. Participants will receive a 2020 Annual Selection Guide, which includes current enrollment information and costs, medical plan comparison charts, what’s new for 2020 and more. Visit the Human Resources website at www.hr.upenn.edu/retirees for complete details.

Retirees and LTD recipients are invited to attend an Annual Selection Fair on Monday, November 4 in Golkin Room, Houston Hall, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Representatives from Independence Blue Cross, Aetna, SilverScript and Social Security will be available to consult with the retirees. 

There are two ways to enroll or make changes to your benefits for the 2020 Annual Selection period. Call the University of Pennsylvania Benefits Solution Center at Health Advocate at (866) 799-2329, or use the Workday@Penn enrollment system and complete the following steps online: 

1. With your PennKey and password log in to Workday at www.myworkday.com/upenn/login.html

2. From your home page, select the Inbox icon in the upper right corner or click “Go to Inbox.”

3. Select “Open Enrollment—Event” in your inbox.

4. Click “Elect” or “Waive” next to the corresponding benefit plan (your current coverage will be displayed for each benefits election).

5. When you have completed all of your elections, click “Submit.”

All elections or changes must be made by Friday, November 8, 2019

If you have questions about this year’s Annual Selection Period, please contact the University of Pennsylvania Benefits Solution Center at Health Advocate at (866) 799-2329, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m., ET. 

Human Resources: Upcoming November Programs

Professional and Personal Development Programs

Open to faculty and staff. 

Register at http://knowledgelink.upenn.edu/

Navigating Difficult Conversations; 11/5;
9 a.m.-noon, $75. Difficult conversations are inevitable in any workplace. Those conversations can create unhappiness, stress and tension. While you can’t avoid these conversations, you can learn how to handle them more effectively. Developing the ability to handle these challenges will offer increased confidence, improved relationships, higher productivity and better career opportunities.

The Gift of Feedback; 11/5; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Feedback can be an amazing gift that helps improve performance, but many managers feel challenged by giving and receiving feedback. Managers will learn how to frame feedback as a gift that creates productive dialogue and improved performance. We will cover how managers can solicit feedback from staff in order to become a more effective leader.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable; 11/6; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Indispensable employees perform with a mindset that drives them to think, act and behave differently. You’ll learn how to: take ownership of your responsibilities and results, take initiative to go above and beyond what is expected of you, expand your sphere of influence, perform well under pressure, adapt to changing situations and avoid being “irreplaceable.”

Connection and De-escalation in Communication through Crisis or Conflict; 11/8; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Participants will learn about the significance of making connections with people when not in crisis or conflict.  They will learn about de-escalation and how to help bring a conflict to a halt and key strategies to help should one arise.

Ted Talk—How to Train Employees to Have Difficult Conversations; 11/19; 12:30-1:30 p.m. The information we use to effect change and help others comes from everyday employees asking everyday people questions that may not be easy to ask or answer. Thorough, in-person training is necessary for employees to be prepared to navigate questions about race, gender, ethnicity and more in a respectful and engaging way. That’s why Tamekia MizLadi Smith came up with “I’m Graced” training, guiding employees through difficult conversations face-to-face.

Work-life Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. 

Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Money is Emotional: Prevent Your Heart from Hijacking Your Wallet: 11/1-11/30; ongoing. This webinar pulls back the curtain on why we do what we do with our money. Christine Luken’s “Mindful Money Management” approach to personal finance is unique in that it harnesses the power of positive thought and emotions—and short circuits the negative ones. Participants will learn how to navigate emotional money situations with purpose and confidence, so you can ensure that your heart won’t hijack your wallet.

Mindful Communication; 11/4; 12:30-1:45 p.m. Mindfulness is “paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,” said Jon Kabat-Zinn. Mindful communication practices shine awareness on our intentions in communication. We learn how to be intentional, stay present, observe our thoughts and manage our feelings for both listening and being heard—true communication. In this experiential workshop, you’ll see how mindful communication can help you become more intentional, engaged and effective both at home and in the workplace. No prior meditation or mindfulness experience necessary.

Maximizing Quality of Life as You Age Webinar; 11/5; 1-2 p.m. Whether retirement seems far away or just around the corner, it’s important to maximize quality of life as we age. In order to do that, it’s helpful to consider how best to enhance wellbeing, independence and social connection. This seminar will cover topics such as livable communities, in-home supports, technology resources and the cost of long-term care.

Important Resources for Family Caregivers; 11/12; 12:30-1:30 p.m. As family caregivers, we are often confronted with a confusing array of choices. How can you sort out the various senior living arrangements, in-home services and care options, so you can determine what’s best for your loved one? How do you find the right support for yourself so you can handle your care-giving responsibilities along with everything else? Learn about the long-term care landscape, including resources and costs so that you can be an informed and proactive caregiver.

Lactation Support Group; 11/13; noon-1 p.m. This interactive discussion will be led by Jabina Coleman, a licensed social worker and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

Guided Meditation; 11/15, 11/26; 12:30-1:30 p.m. Practice mindful breathing that focuses your attention on the present moment with kindness, compassion and awareness. Self-massage and gentle mindful movements that promote relaxation and reduce stress may also be included in the workshop. No experience necessary.

Mindfulness; 11/20; 12:30-1:30 p.m. This workshop will offer participants an opportunity to practice awareness activities adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. During the first part of our practice, we will begin with a guided meditation focusing on the breath. The second half will focus our attention on a guided exploration of the body, bringing awareness to the different areas of the body and allowing ourselves to experience how each part feels, without trying to change anything. No experience necessary. All warmly welcome.

Understanding Life and Disability Income Insurance Workshop; 11/25; noon-1 p.m. Having the proper protection is important. In this workshop, you will learn the benefits and different types of life and disability income insurance, which types are best suited for different situations, and how to determine how much insurance is needed.  Our speaker is Albert Corrato, Jr., certified financial planner professional from Creative Financial Group, MassMutual.

Penn Healthy You Workshops

Open to faculty and staff. 

Register at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration 

November Wellness Walk; 11/1; noon-1 p.m. Our wellness walks encourage participants to increase their physical activity by stepping outside to pump up their heart rate by walking through Penn’s beautiful campus. What better way to get motivated and gain energy for the day. Meet the Center for Public Health Initiatives staff in front of College Hall by the Ben Franklin statue. The walk will be approximately 2 miles and we will inform you when we have reached the 1-mile mark in the event that you need to exit early. We hope you will be able to join us. Bring your water bottle and don’t forget to bring along a colleague and your sneakers.

Zumba; 11/8; noon-1 p.m. Perfect for everybody and every body. Each Zumba® class is designed to bring people together to burn calories. We take the “work” out of workout, by mixing low-intensity and high-intensity moves for an interval-style, calorie-burning dance fitness party. Once the Latin and World rhythms take over, you’ll see why Zumba® Fitness classes are often called an exercise in disguise.

Flu Vaccine Clinic; 11/12, 11/18, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Hall of Flags, Houston Hall; 11/22, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Alumni Hall, New Bolton Center. The Penn community is encouraged to get the flu vaccine this season. All full-time and part-time benefits-eligible faculty and staff can attend one of Penn’s free, on-campus flu vaccine clinics. Advance registration is required at www.hr.upenn.edu/registration

Chair Yoga; 11/13; noon-1 p.m. Interested in trying yoga but don’t know where to start? Join us on for a wonderful class of chair yoga. You get the same benefits of a regular yoga workout (like increased strength, flexibility and balance) but don’t have to master complex poses. Chair yoga can improve your breathing and teach you how to relax your mind and improve your wellbeing.

Gentle Yoga; 11/14; 11 a.m.-noon. Let your body reward itself with movement. This session and explore the natural movements of the spine with slow and fluid moving bends and soft twists. You will flow into modified sun salutations that loosen those tightened muscles and joints of the lower back, neck, shoulders and wrists. You’ll get a workout in the process. Mats and props will be provided.

—Division of Human Resources

Crimes

Weekly Crime Reports

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department Community Crime Report

Below are the Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Society and Crimes Against Property from the campus report for October 7-13, 2019. View prior weeks' reports. —Ed.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety and includes all criminal incidents reported and made known to the University Police Department for the dates of October 7-13, 2019. The University Police actively patrol from Market St to Baltimore and from the Schuylkill River to 43rd St in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police. In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call the Division of Public Safety at (215) 898-4482.

10/8/19

11:56 AM

3711 Market St

Unsecured bike taken

10/8/19

1:51 PM

433 University Ave

Unsecured laptop taken

10/8/19

2:55 PM

3600 Walnut St

Offender sprayed complainant with pepper spray

10/8/19

3:05 PM

231 S 34th St

Unsecured laptop taken

10/8/19

4:22 PM

3000 Chestnut St

Backpack containing books and power pack taken

10/8/19

8:56 PM

100 S 30th St

Vehicle taken and recovered immediately

10/9/19

9:33 AM

202 S 36th St

Wallet taken

10/9/19

11:04 AM

220 S 33rd St

Secured bike taken

10/9/19

11:58 AM

250 S 33rd St

Driver’s license and credit card taken from wallet

10/9/19

3:35 PM

4016 Spruce St

Secured bike taken

10/10/19

8:21 AM

3409 Walnut St

Merchandise taken without payment/Arrest

10/10/19

3:05 PM

3600 Civic Center Blvd

Fraudulent $100 bill given for payment

10/10/19

3:21 PM

3549 Chestnut St

Two checks cashed without authorization

10/10/19

7:18 PM

3025 Walnut St

Male attempted to pass counterfeit $100 bill

10/11/19

7:16 AM

200 S 33rd St

Motorcycle moved from location and plate taken

10/11/19

10:37 AM

120 S 36th St

Merchandise taken without rendering payment

10/11/19

2:10 PM

3925 Walnut St

Merchandise taken without rendering payment

10/11/19

4:47 PM

4205 Pine St

Packages and US mail taken

10/11/19

7:18 PM

3400 Civic Center Blvd

Unsecured bike taken

10/11/19

9:04 PM

100 S 40th St

Secured bike taken

10/12/19

1:29 AM

100 S 39th St

Window to vehicle kicked out

10/12/19

12:37 PM

3925 Walnut St

Merchandise taken without payment

10/12/19

4:14 PM

51 N 39th St

Complainant punched in the face by known offender

10/12/19

6:57 PM

318 S 40th St

Window cracked by unknown juvenile

10/13/19

11:13 AM

3400 Spruce St

Complainant punched in the mouth

 

18th District

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 4 incidents (2 assaults, 1 aggravated assault and 1 robbery) with 1 arrest was reported from October 7-13, 2019 by the 18th District covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

10/08/19

2:55 PM

3600 Walnut St

Aggravated assault

10/12/19

10:02 PM

4721 Springfield Ave

Assault

10/12/19

10:37 PM

4400 Osage Ave

Robbery/Arrest

10/13/19

11:51 PM

3400 Spruce St

Assault

Bulletins

Disability Symposium Proposals: November 3

The Weingarten Learning Resources Center is proud to host the 19th Annual Disability Symposium on Friday, April 3, 2020. The theme for this year’s Symposium is Changing Landscapes. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act serve as the anchors to determine how to assess accommodations, great change has occurred in how post-secondary disability administrators/educators handle accommodation requests.

In preparation for the 2020 Symposium, we are requesting proposals that address the changing landscape of what it means to have a disability; what documentation is needed to support a request for accommodations; and, what does reasonable accommodation mean in the university setting? In creating a proposal, keep in mind the Symposium’s theme and what you have experienced in your daily work with students, parents, faculty and other stakeholders.

Please submit your proposal through our proposal submission form by November 3. The form is available online at: https://tinyurl.com/yybgwecf

The Symposium Review Committee will notify you of the status of your proposal no later than December 15, 2019.

We look forward to reviewing proposals and seeing you in April.

—Weingarten Learning Resources Center

Penn’s Way 2020 Raffle Prize Drawings

Week Two Winners

SuperCuts—Two Free Haircut Gift Cards ($40 value): Anthony Walton, Public Safety

P’unk Ave—Gift card for catering or event rental @1149 cooperative ($100 value): Margaret Maher, Penn Medicine

Penn Athletics—Two tickets to 2020 Men’s Football ($50 value): Thomas Brown, Penn Medicine

Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts—Two tickets to 2019-2020 performance ($100 value): Tiffany Osterrieder, Penn Medicine

Thermo Fisher Scientific—PF Chang’s gift card ($50 value): Cortney Cragg Reger, Penn Medicine

Philadelphia Eagles—Rodney McLeod autographed photo ($45 value): Mackeisha Rogers, Penn Medicine

Morris Arboretum—Dual membership ($95 value): Diane Peyton, Penn Medicine

Week Five (November 4 Drawing)

Penn Museum—Four gift passes to Museum ($60 value)

Morris Arboretum—Dual membership ($95 value)

Philadelphia Eagles—Alshon Jeffery autographed photo ($80 value)

Digital Color Graphics—Gift card for Mission Taqueria ($100 value)

13th Street Kitchens—Gift card ($100 value)

Blue Mercury—Make-up artist private master class for up to six ($100 value)

Fresh Grocer—Gift Card ($100 value)

*Note: subject to update based on receipt of promised prizes/late additions.

Donating Swag for Seniors

LaShauna Connell, recruitment coordinator at Penn Nursing, is gathering items with the Penn logo to donate for senior citizen outreach presentations in the area. There are a couple of large galas for senior citizens coming up, and items could also be used at vending tables at local health fairs throughout the year. Any out-of-date/season items are useful. In the past they have received pens, bags, water bottles and bookmarks,  to share with the seniors in Philadelphia. Any donated items are greatly appreciated. 

Contact LaShauna Connell at lashauna@nursing.upenn.edu to donate or to arrange a pickup.

One Step Ahead: Spam vs. Phishing

 

 

 

 

Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy

Spam is unsolicited commercial email for selling products or services to a large market similar to the junk mail you receive at home such as coupons, advertisements and unsolicited catalogs. Usually, you discard junk mail unless you are interested in using the coupons or making a purchase. Be cautious of opening unsolicited commercial email as it could be a scam prompting you to click on a link or download a file to view or purchase a product. The best course of action is to delete any unsolicited email without opening it. You can also customize your spam filter and use the report spam option in your email platform e.g., Gmail, MS Outlook and Apple Mail. 

Phishing is email targeted to specific groups or individuals prompting immediate action or response.  Phishing email messages are:

  • Interactive—Requests take an immediate action to attempt acquiring the recipients’ sensitive information e.g., passwords, SSNs, credit card details, banking information, etc.
  • Often a phishing message contains malicious code as a link or attachment. The code is executed when the recipient clicks on the link or downloads the attachment. This code can allow others’ to have complete control over your computer or device.  

To combat phishing:

  • Avoid providing sensitive information in response to an unsolicited email request.
  • Verify the sender and the contact before acting. Check with your supervisor, department IT support staff, or contact your bank or government entity for confirmation and/or validation.
  • Pay attention to the website URL. A malicious website masquerading as a university may use the domain “.net” instead of “.edu.”
  • Delete unsolicited email message without opening.
  • Report suspicious email to your department IT support staff, or to the Office of Information Security at security@isc.upenn.edu

For additional tips, see the One Step Ahead link on the Information Security website: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/news-alerts#One-Step-Ahead

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