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Karen Detlefsen: Vice Provost for Education

caption: Karen DetlefsenProvost Wendell Pritchett and Deputy Provost Beth Winkelstein are pleased to announce the appointment of Karen Detlefsen as Vice Provost for Education, effective on July 1, 2021. 

Dr. Detlefsen is a professor of philosophy in the School of Arts and Sciences, with a secondary appointment in the Graduate School of Education; chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Education in the College of Arts and Sciences; founding director of Penn’s Project for Philosophy for the Young; and affiliated faculty of the Alice Paul Center for Research on Gender, Sexuality, and Women. She is a leading global scholar of early modern philosophy who has taught at Penn since 2001, with particular interests in women in the history of philosophy, the history and philosophy of education, and the history and philosophy of science. She has been awarded the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, the highest University-wide teaching honor, and the Kahn Award for Distinguished Teaching by an Assistant Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences. 

“Karen Detlefsen is renowned for her strong commitments to teaching and education, not only on our campus but also in our Philadelphia community,” said Provost Pritchett. “She will be an ideal partner to help us chart the course for graduate and undergraduate education at Penn as we emerge from the pandemic in the years ahead.” 

Dr. Detlefsen is co-editor of The Routledge Handbook of Early Modern European Women Philosophers (Routledge, forthcoming) and Women and Liberty, 1600-1800 (Oxford University Press, 2017); editor of Descartes’ Meditations: A Critical Guide (Cambridge University Press, 2013); and the author of dozens of major articles and reviews across early modern philosophy. At Penn, she served from 2014-2019 as director of the Integrated Studies Program and currently serves as co-chair of the University Advisory Council to the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia and a member of the Faculty Advisory Board of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, among many other positions. She earned a PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto, an MA from the University of Western Ontario, and a BA in English and philosophy from the University of Calgary. 

“I greatly look forward to working with Karen Detlefsen in this new role,” said Deputy Provost Winkelstein. “She is a highly experienced teacher and scholar who is well-known across campus as one of our great mentors and collaborative leaders. She will work closely with me, Provost Pritchett, and our many faculty, staff, and student partners to help shape and implement our core educational initiatives going forward.”

The Vice Provost for Education, reporting to the Deputy Provost, oversees undergraduate and graduate education at Penn, developing and implementing policies that promote academic excellence, innovative teaching and learning, and interdisciplinary knowledge across the University. The Vice Provost chairs the Council of Undergraduate Deans, the Council of Graduate Deans, the Council of Professional Master’s Degree Deans, the Graduate Council of the Faculties, and the Faculty Advisory Council for Access and Academic Support Initiatives.

From the Provost and Williams Director of the Penn Museum: A Message to the Penn Community—Towards a Respectful Resolution: An Apology to the Africa Family

April 28, 2021

(Content Warning: contains discussion of human remains.) 

The Penn Museum and the University of Pennsylvania apologize to the Africa family and the members of our community for allowing human remains recovered from the MOVE house to be used for research and teaching, and for retaining the remains for far too long.  

The Africa family and our community have experienced profound emotional distress as a result of the news that human remains from the horrific 1985 bombing of the MOVE house were at the Penn Museum and this fact has urgently raised serious questions: Why were the remains at the Museum in the first place? Why were they used for teaching purposes? And, most importantly, what are we going to do to resolve this situation? 

In 1985, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office asked Penn physical anthropologists to assist with the efforts to identify some of the remains from the MOVE house. It is common for physical anthropologists to assist in forensic cases where individual identity is uncertain, and over the years our experts revisited this question, driven by new science and technology. But despite these efforts, we, unfortunately, are still unable to provide conclusive confirmation of identity. 

Chris Woods personally learned on April 16 that these remains were in our Museum and that they had been used in a forensic anthropology class, having assumed his role as director on April 1. The important topic of returning human remains to descendants was very much on the minds of Museum staff as there had just been a public announcement of plans regarding the Morton Cranial Collection, and the issue of the MOVE victim’s remains was raised in this context. In the April 12 announcement of the plans for the Morton Collection, we vowed to work with local communities to learn their wishes and to return individuals to their ancestors, wherever possible, as a step toward atonement and repair for the racist and colonial practices that were integral to the formation of these collections.

While the remains recovered from the MOVE house were not part of the Museum collection, it could not be clearer that this same standard should be applied here as well—these remains should be returned to the Africa family as soon as possible. The research of our physical anthropologists was done in the interests of serving our community, but by any measure 36 years is far too long to have waited.

We understand the importance of reuniting these remains with the family. This is our goal. And we are committed to a respectful, consultative resolution.

For many, one of the most traumatic parts of this narrative is that some of these remains were used in a forensic anthropology class that was offered by Princeton University and taught by a member of the Penn Museum staff. This course has now been suspended.

Classes in forensic science require human remains to teach the next generation of forensic specialists. However, it is an ethical imperative to show the utmost respect to family survivors. Informed consent must be given by the person before death or by the family afterwards. Regretfully, this did not happen in this case—and it was a serious error in judgment to use these remains in a class of any kind, especially given the extreme emotional distress in our community surrounding the 1985 bombing of the MOVE house. Unquestionably, the decision to use the remains in this way has torn at old wounds that our city and community have long sought to heal.  

The Museum has promised to reassess our practices of collecting, stewarding, displaying, and researching human remains, and we are committed to this promise. It is now obvious, however, that this reassessment must also include how human remains are used in teaching as well as a comprehensive review of the holdings and collection practices of our Physical Anthropology section.

As part of this review, the University of Pennsylvania has hired attorneys Joe Tucker and Carl Singley of the Tucker Law Group to investigate how the remains came into the possession of the Museum and what transpired with them for nearly four decades. This report will be shared with the community and its findings used to help us ensure that nothing of this nature is repeated in the future. 

We must constantly bear in mind the fact that human remains were once living people, and we must always strive to treat them with the dignity and respect that they deserve. 

—Wendell Pritchett, Provost 
—Christopher Woods, Williams Director, Penn Museum 

From the President and Provost: Statement Regarding Human Remains Recovered from the MOVE Home

April 26, 2021

We were profoundly disturbed to learn this past week that human remains, provided to a faculty member by the medical examiner many decades ago in an effort to identify a victim from the 1985 bombing of the MOVE house, had been kept at the Penn Museum for much of that time. Simply said, this was insensitive, unprofessional, and unacceptable.

An official apology has been extended to the Africa family by the Museum and the University, and the Museum is currently working to return the remains to the family. In our judgment, it is imperative that we bring in an outside investigator who can examine how this unfolded and provide us with a complete report on what transpired. To this end, we have hired attorneys Joe Tucker and Carl Singley of the Tucker Law Group to investigate how the remains came into the possession of the Museum and what transpired with them for nearly four decades. We will share this report with the community and use its findings to help us ensure that nothing of this nature is repeated in the future.

—Amy Gutmann, President
—Wendell Pritchett, Provost

School of Social Policy & Practice Excellence in Teaching Awards

SP2 Standing Faculty

The Excellence in Teaching Award is presented to both standing and non-standing faculty members in recognition of excellence in teaching and mentoring during the previous year. Winners of this award are chosen by the Student Policies and Procedures Committee from the pool of five standing and five non-standing faculty with the highest quantitative scores for “overall quality of the instructor” on the course evaluations.

The 2021 award honorees are as follows.

caption: Ram CnaanRam A. Cnaan is a professor and the director of the Program for Religion and Social Policy Research at SP2. He is the founder and faculty director of the Goldring Reentry Initiative, which works to reduce recidivism and help returning citizens to better integrate in society. He is also a Global Eminent Scholar at Kyung Hee University Graduate Institute of Peace Studies in South Korea. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.

He is the past president of ARNOVA (Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action). He is the originator of the first practice doctoral degree in social work (DSW), which is now in its 10th year and has been emulated by some 12 schools nationwide.

Dr. Cnaan received his doctorate degree from the School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh and his BSW and MSW (both cum laude) from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. He has published numerous articles in scientific journals on a variety of social issues, mainly faith-based organizations, volunteerism, criminal justice, social policy, and social development. He serves on the editorial boards of 11 academic journals and is the author or editor of eight academic books including The Other Philadelphia Story: How Local Congregations Support Quality of Life in Urban America (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006) and Cases in Innovative Nonprofits: Organizations That Make a Difference (Sage, 2014). Currently, Dr. Cnaan is working on three new books: one on religious organization and society; one on community organizations; and a family history project. In his spare time, Dr. Cnaan collects and publishes books on antique obsolete tools. He also collects Inuit prints. He is considered an international expert in the areas of faith-based social care, volunteering, prisoners’ reentry, and social policy. He lectures widely and teaches regularly in four countries.

caption: Allison Werner-LinAllison Werner-Lin is an associate professor at SP2. Her research addresses the intersection of genomic discovery and family life. Her work is among the first to explore the psychosocial challenges unique to women and men of reproductive age who carry a genetic mutation that confers elevated risk of cancer. Dr. Werner-Lin has served as an investigator in multiple interdisciplinary, NIH-funded grants examining dissemination and implementation of emerging genomic technologies in reproductive, pediatric, adolescent, and emerging adult contexts. Presently, Dr. Werner-Lin is an investigator on a Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot Grant with the Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania, where she is examining barriers to cascade genetic testing in families of pediatric cancer survivors. She is a senior advisor to the Clinical Genetics branch of the division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute, where she oversees psychosocial research addressing hereditary tumor predisposition syndromes, including Li-Fraumeni syndrome and inherited bone marrow failure syndromes. She is a member of the Scientific Committee governing the International Meeting on Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer, and in 2019, she was a visiting scholar at the Hastings Center for Bioethics. In 2021 she will assume the role of director of research for the Association of Oncology Social Work.

Dr. Werner-Lin has held multiple training grants to build and evaluate interdisciplinary educational programs in oncology, genome-based health literacy, and health care social work practice. She has partnered with local and national agencies that seek to identify how best the rapidly evolving knowledge base of genomics may be translated into education and outreach programs for teachers and families. At SP2, she is founder and director of the Advanced Certificate in Oncology Social Work continuing education program and director of the Social Work in Health Care Specialization for the MSW program. She regularly advises MSW and DSW students and teaches advanced clinical social work practice, family caregiving, and qualitative research methods. In 2020 she won SP2’s Excellence in Teaching Award.

Dr. Werner-Lin received her MSW and PhD from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. She earned a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University, and a bachelor of arts in family studies and psychology from Wellesley College. She is a fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research and a distinguished scholar and fellow of the National Academies of Practice in Social Work. She was recently honored by the CSWE’s Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work Education for outstanding mentorship. Dr. Werner-Lin is a licensed clinical social worker practicing in New York and Pennsylvania. She has practiced in community-based organizations providing individual, family, and group counseling and psychotherapy to families affected by cancer, and she maintains a small private practice for parentally bereaved children and teens.

SP2 Non-Standing Faculty

caption: Meredith MyersMeredith Myers is a senior fellow in the Wharton School’s Center for Leadership and Change Management. She has benn a member of the Penn faculty since 2009, working within the Wharton School, SP2, and the Positive Psychology Center. Dr. Myers has won excellence in teaching awards in the Wharton School and SP2’s MS in Nonprofit Leadership program.

Dr. Myers is also the executive director of Job Crafting LLC, an organization that helps people bring more purpose and engagement to their work. In her research and consulting, she has coached international leaders, executives, and board members in corporations, non-profits, government, and mission-critical teams. Her key areas of interest include optimal human performance, leadership, collaborating in contentious contexts, training the trainer, bias in decision-making, and the science of emotions.

Dr. Myers holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Case Western Reserve University. She is also a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Huntsman Program in International Studies & Business, earning a BS in economics from the Wharton School and a BA in international studies from the College of Arts & Sciences.

caption: Matthew BennettMatthew Bennett teaches the course Data Analysis for Social Impact as part of the nonprofit leadership (NPL) program. He is a professorial research fellow at the Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities (CIRCLE) at the University of Sheffield, U.K. Dr. Bennett received his MSc and DPhil in sociology from the University of Oxford, and his BA in psychology and sociology from the University of Washington.

Dr. Bennett’s expertise is in inequalities and wellbeing outcomes of care, prosocial behaviour and social diversity. He is a co-investigator in the Economic and Social Research Council’s (U.K.) “Sustainable Care,” and the National Institute for Health Research’s (U.K.) “Achieving Closure” programs, which look at the cost and contributions of care and the impact of care home closures. He is also principal investigator on an ESRC award that looks at the impact of diversity on intergroup relations, stress (allostatic load) and wellbeing. His expertise is in linking and analyzing large-scale surveys and administrative datasets using advanced statistical methods (multilevel, panel and structural equation models). Dr. Bennett’s social care research (both academic and co-produced with Carers U.K.) has consistently featured in the media nationally and has been debated in the House of Lords. He also works with SP2 professor Peter Frumkin as assistant director of the Social Impact Fellowship, which brings together some of the top doctoral researchers in the world working in the area of voluntary sector and non-profit studies. He is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Social Policy and the International Journal of Care and Caring.

caption: Daniel BakerDaniel Baker is a lecturer in the MSSP Program, where he teaches courses in policy analysis and policy communication. He holds a BA in philosophy from the University of Washington, a JD from Duke University, a graduate diploma in economics from the University of Cambridge, and an MPP and a PhD in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Baker’s research focuses on the theory of social policy and public administration, looking at the intersection of democratic theory, ethics, and practical policy analysis. In particular, his research aims to reconcile the normative obligations in deliberative democracy, one of the most prominent conceptions of democracy in modern political theory, with the practical and pragmatic arguments for cost-benefit analysis and evidence-based policy that sway much of the social policy and public administration literatures.

Dr. Baker is a licensed attorney in his home state of Washington and practiced law near Seattle before pursuing his doctoral degree. He has published on the First Amendment and researches the interplay between legal obligations and moral obligations in modern governance. Outside of work, Dr. Baker plays chess and reads extensively about economic history and the history of philosophy.

Stuart Weitzman School of Design G. Holmes Perkins Distinguished Teaching Awards

The G. Holmes Perkins Teaching Awards are presented annually, based on nominations by students at the Weitzman School of Design, to recognize distinguished teaching and innovation in the classroom, seminar, or studio. 

The 2021 faculty honorees are:

G. Holmes Perkins Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award

caption: Gabriel MartinezGabriel Martinez, senior lecturer in the department of fine arts, is a Cuban American visual artist originally from Miami, Florida who works largely with photography, performance, and installation. Mr. Martinez was a recipient of a Pew Fellowship in the Arts in 2001 and was granted a Joan Mitchell Foundation Fellowship in 2003. He has received two Individual Artists Grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. He has also participated in several national artist residencies and artist-in-residence programs including: The Rosenbach Museum and Library and the Fabric Workshop and Museum, both in Philadelphia; Atlantic Center for the Arts, Florida; Arcadia Summer Arts Program, Maine; MacDowell, New Hampshire; and Yaddo, New York.

He has created performance-oriented events and installations for various venues including: in Philadelphia at the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Fabric Workshop and Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Art Alliance and NEXUS/Foundation for Today’s Art; in New York at White Columns, Franklin Furnace, Exit Art, Thread Waxing Space and the SCOPE Art Show at Lincoln Center; and in Miami at Miami Art Central and Bernice Steinbaum Gallery. Mr. Martinez studied at the Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting in 2003. His work is included in the Phaidon Press publication Art & Queer Culture (Themes and Movements Series).

One of Mr. Martinez’s students said, “Gabe has been a pivotal part of my journey as a photographer. He is genuinely excited about his students’ work and provides clear and constructive criticism.” Another said, “he has taught me how to boil down my ideas into a concept that’s clearly communicated to my audience. I really owe him a lot!”

G. Holmes Perkins Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award, Non-Standing Faculty 

caption: Paul FarberPaul Farber, lecturer in the department of fine arts, is a curator, historian, and educator, serving as the artistic director and co-founder of Monument Lab and senior research scholar at the Center for Public Art and Space at the Weitzman School. Dr. Farber’s research and curatorial projects explore transnational urban history, cultural memory, and creative approaches to civic engagement. He is the author of A Wall of Our Own: An American History of the Berlin Wall, which tells the story of a group of American artists and writers who found refuge along the Berlin Wall and in Cold War Germany in order to confront political divisions back home in the United States. He is also the co-editor with Ken Lum of Monument Lab: Creative Speculations for Philadelphia, a public art and history handbook and catalogue designed to generate new critical ways of thinking about and building monuments. 

As a curator, Dr. Farber works with artists and their families to engage, revisit, and re-imagine their archives. In doing so, he also brings multi-generational students into the fields of public art and history. In addition to curating Monument Lab’s City Hall exhibition (2015) and citywide exhibition (2017), he is a co-curator with Salamishah Tillet of Monument Lab’s A Call to Peace exhibition in Newark (2019). His work on culture has also previously appeared in The Guardian, Museums & Social Issues, Diplomatic History, Art & the Public Sphere, Vibe, and on NPR. Dr. Farber earned a PhD in American culture from the University of Michigan and a BA in urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He previously served as a postdoctoral writing fellow and visiting assistant professor of history at Haverford College, a doctoral fellow at the German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C., and a visiting scholar in the urban studies program at the University of Pennsylvania. 

One of Dr. Farber’s students said, “I took Paul’s Monument Lab class last semester, and it was one of the best learning experiences I’ve had, even though it was over Zoom.  I always left his classes feeling more energized and with many more ideas and important questions.” “Paul’s classroom, even virtually, is a place that cultivates warmth, creativity, and openness,” said another. “He leaves space for close listening and lively candor. His interpersonal skills paired with his research and experiences are invaluable and prescient. The intimacy in which he operates his classroom provides ground for sacred and fruitful interrogation into the human condition.” A third student said, “his knowledge and his critical work with issues of monuments, public space, and public art were inspiring, as was his sense of humor and ability to engage a group of people.” 

G. Holmes Perkins Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award for Standing Faculty

caption: Erick GuerraErick Guerra is an associate professor and the associate chair of city and regional planning in the Weitzman School of Design, where he teaches courses in transportation planning and quantitative planning methods. His research focuses on the relationship between land use, transportation systems, and travel behavior with an emphasis on rapidly motorizing cities, public health outcomes, and transportation technologies. He has published articles on land use and transportation in Mexico and Indonesia, public transport policy, land use and traffic safety, and contemporary planning for self-driving vehicles. As a practicing researcher and consultant, Dr. Guerra has completed projects on accessibility and transportation affordability for the Brookings Institution, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. He holds a PhD in city and regional planning from the University of California Berkeley, a master’s in urban planning from Harvard University, and a BA in fine arts and French from the University of Pennsylvania. He also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gabon from 2002 to 2004.

One of Dr. Guerra’s students said, “He teaches in an engaging manner and creates a learning environment in which students want to perform well.” Another said, “Erick serves as a great example of civility which makes not only an educator but also a role model.” “His courses inspire an atmosphere in which students want to perform well and impress,” said a third student. 

New Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies

caption: Tulia FalletiThe School of Arts & Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania announces the establishment of the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies (CLALS). The center will stimulate and support research and teaching on the Latin American region and the Latinx populations of the U.S. and provide an integrated academic base for scholars, students, and programs across Penn that focus on these topics.

The center will bring together 60 faculty, representing 12 departments and two programs in the School of Arts & Sciences in addition to six other schools across Penn. This figure includes 18 scholars of Latin American and Latinx studies that Arts and Sciences has recruited since 2015.

CLALS will build on the foundation of Penn’s 33-year-old Latin American and Latinx Studies Program (LALS), which is home to an undergraduate major and minor, a graduate certificate, and limited research activities. The center will absorb the existing program and also promote a robust research mission, featuring thematic research clusters, an expanded speaker series, support for junior faculty research, and expanded dissemination of research findings, as well as visiting professor and post-doctoral fellow positions. New support for graduate students will include research awards and a graduate student colloquium, while existing undergraduate research opportunities will be expanded.

The center will also be a vehicle for expanding academic-community collaborations, building on existing LALS program partnerships with Latinx communities and organizations in Greater Philadelphia as well as with institutions and communities in Latin America.

CLALS will be led by director Tulia Falleti, Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professor of Political Science. Emilio Parrado, Dorothy Swaine Thomas Professor of Sociology and a longtime head of the Latin American and Latinx Studies Program, will also hold the title of founding director and oversee programming on Latinx populations.

“We take great pride in Penn’s deep tradition of excellence in Latin American and Latinx studies,” said Steven J. Fluharty, Dean and Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Psychology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience. “CLALS will provide a focal point for showcasing Penn’s considerable faculty and programmatic strength in this area and serve as an institutional base for pursuing innovative new research and teaching agendas. Given the importance of Latin America globally and of Latinx in the U.S., the center will also have a key role to play in advancing the School priorities around global inquiries and diversity and inclusion.”

“I am honored and humbled to lead the new Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies at Penn,” said Dr. Falleti. “It constitutes the realization of a dream we have been working towards with colleagues, students, and staff for many years. Our interdisciplinary center will strive to support and provide the human and intellectual talent capable of addressing the most pressing challenges and opportunities faced by Latin America and Latinx populations during the 21st century. Indeed, the creation of our center amidst the challenges posed by the pandemic heightens its relevance and promise. It also fills me with gratitude and with hope for more equal, sustainable, and just futures.”

Penn COVID-19 Response Update 

The University community must continue to follow Penn’s public health guidance on campus. Masking, distancing, washing, testing, and completing your daily PennOpen Pass are still required even if you are vaccinated. Penn’s public health program is based on evidence specific to our University population.

Actions to Keep the Penn Community Healthy

Penn tracks data and follows the latest science to make decisions in the best interest of public health. 

Actions by individuals remain our primary tools to minimize virus transmission:

  • Wearing a mask,
  • Staying physically distanced, especially when eating indoors or outdoors,
  • Hand washing,
  • Staying home when feeling sick, and
  • Completing daily PennOpen Pass symptom checker and exposure reporting. The use of PennOpen Pass is required for those on campus.

The Penn community should remember that our decisions impact the lives and health of student pods, classmates, colleagues, and our West Philadelphia neighbors. 

Guided by our commitment to education and research and to the health and safety of our community, Penn supports innovative remote learning and work while inviting students back to campus to live and learn. Being vigilant about public health at Penn helps preserve the health of our neighbors as well. We all pull together because Penn Cares.

For the latest Penn COVID updates, visit https://coronavirus.upenn.edu/.

Black Music City Project Awards: $48,000 in Grants

The Black Music City project announced that it is distributing a total of $48,000 to 23 Black creatives in the greater Philadelphia area to produce new artistic works inspired by Philadelphia’s rich Black music history. Each recipient is receiving between $1,000 and $3,500.

In December 2020, the new Black Music City collaboration between Philadelphia public music radio stations WXPN-FM and WRTI-FM and REC Philly announced that it had secured funding from Wyncote Foundation to award grants to Black creatives in the greater Philadelphia region to help them create new projects that recognize and honor the influence of Philadelphia’s Black music history. Since that announcement, another $19,000 in sponsorship funding provided by Tito’s Handmade Vodka and a donation by Philadelphians Dan and Marilyn Hauser has brought the total amount of grant money available to $48,000. More than 600 applications were received. The Black Music City Selection Committee, which determined the final list of recipients, includes Black Philadelphia-based professionals in the arts, media and business.

The deadline for applications was January 25, 2021 and more than 600 applications were received. The Black Music City Selection Committee, which determined the final list of recipients, were Black Philadelphia professionals in the arts, media and business.

Committee member Gerald Veasley, President of Jazz Philadelphia, said, “Reviewing the submissions was an incredible reminder of the breadth and depth of talent we have in our city.” Hip hop artist and committee member Chill Moody said, “We’re all excited to see these amazing jawns come to life.” 

The committee also includes:

  • Alex Holley, FOX-29 TV Good Day Philadelphia anchor/co-host
  • Dame and Yaya Horne, creative director and CEO, co-founders, Tiny Room for Elephants
  • Ashley Coleman Thomas, senior membership and project manager, Philadelphia Chapter of the Recording Academy
  • Dyana Williams, CEO, Influence Entertainment and award-winning broadcaster

Work on the new creative projects will begin immediately. Videos hosted by artist and Black Music City spokesperson Suzann Christine and posted at www.blackmusiccity.com will spotlight the journeys of some of these new creations. All new works must be completed by May 27, with exhibition and distribution of the videos and final artwork taking place during June, which is African American Music Appreciation Month.

More information about Black Music City is available at www.blackmusiccity.com. Follow and share about the project using #blackmusiccity. 

To read more information, including the full list of funding recipients, read the WXPN press release

Deaths

Manfred Fischbeck, Theatre Arts

caption: Manfred FischbeckManfred Fischbeck, a celebrated avant-garde dancer who held well-regarded performances and workshops in the Philadelphia area and who was a lecturer in the School of Arts and Sciences’ department of theatre arts, died from a ruptured aortic aneurysm on March 17. He was 80.

Mr. Fischbeck was born in Tanzania but spent much of his childhood in East Germany. He went to high school in West Berlin and studied literature, philosophy, and theater at the Free University of Berlin from 1959 to 1967. In 1968, he joined forces with a Berlin dance group and moved to Philadelphia with them to found Group Motion Multimedia Dance Theater. The troupe, which is still active today, became internationally known for avant-garde performances and outreach to enthusiasts. It holds weekly community workshops that encourage non-dancers to express themselves through the medium.

Mr. Fischbeck was heavily involved in the Philadelphia dance community, serving as a director, choreographer, musician, writer, performer, and teacher. He and Group Motion performed and collaborated all over the world. In Philadelphia, Mr. Fischbeck joined the faculty of the University of the Arts School of Dance in 1985, eventually becoming an adjunct associate professor. In 1976, he became a lecturer in Penn’s department of theater arts, where he continued to teach until his death and where he taught a popular course called Mime and Movement: Movement for the Actor. He received various grant awards and fellowships, including funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Mr. Fischbeck is survived by his daughters, Aura Fischbeck-Wise and Laina Fischbeck; his former wife, Brigitta Herrmann; a brother; and a grandson. Donations in his memory can be made to Group Motion Dance Company, 3500 Lancaster Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Christina Goessman, LPS

Christina Goessman, a student in the College of Liberal and Professional Sciences’ (LPS) Pre-Health Post-Baccalaureate Studies Program, died on April 25 after suffering a brain aneurysm. She was 24.

Ms. Goessman grew up near Seattle. She earned a bachelor’s degree in archeology and a master’s degree in palaeopathology at Durham University in England. While abroad, she became a United Kingdom varsity champion in ballroom dancing. She enjoyed traveling for archeological excavations, including ones to a Viking village in Sweden and a medieval churchyard in Spain. She came to Penn in 2019, studying in the Academic Associates Program under Benjamin Abella, a professor of emergency medicine at HUP. While at Penn, Ms. Goessman was a member of the University of Pennsylvania chapter of the American Medical Women’s Association.

She is survived by her parents, John and Cornelia Goessman; her sister, Julia; and her maternal grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. A Zoom memorial service was held on April 28.

William Grigsby, City and Regional Planning

caption: Bill GrigsbyWilliam (Bill) Grigsby, a former faculty member in the School of Design’s department of city and regional planning, died on April 20. He was 94.

Dr. Grigsby was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He took undergraduate courses at Northwest Missouri State Teachers College, University of Kansas, and University of Colorado. Then, he received a PhD in economics from Columbia University. Dr. Grigsby served for five years in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War.

Dr. Grigsby joined the faculty of Penn’s Graduate School of Fine Arts in 1955. In 1961, he became a research associate professor of urban studies in the School of Fine Arts, a joint position with the Wharton School’s department of finance. In 1963, he published his first book, Housing Markets and Public Policy, with Penn Press, which staked out the still-fledgling field of housing policy. Four years later, he became a professor of city planning at Penn. Dr. Grigsby also had a secondary appointment in the Institute for Urban Studies. He was active in Penn’s community, serving on several University Council and Faculty Senate committees throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including the Senate Advisory Committee, a prestigious position. In 1987 he published the book The Dynamics of Neighborhood Change and Decline, considered a definitive work in his field. In 1996, Dr. Grigsby retired from Penn and took emeritus status.

Dr. Grigsby’s research, which was recognized by his colleagues in a paper published after his retirement, was instrumental in establishing neighborhood change as a sub-field of city planning. Dr. Grigsby studied the politics of housing markets and residential segregation, the effect of poverty on neighborhoods, and steps public leaders could take to alleviate negative effects of neighborhood change. “It is very important to note that Grigsby’s contributions are so foundational to the modern field of housing economics and housing policy that many of the first-generation analysts like John Kain, John Quigley, William Wheaton, Richard Muth, and Anthony Downs do not bother to cite his works,” said his colleagues in their paper in celebration of him. “Grisby’s contributions have become ingrained in the core of housing policy.”

Dr. Grigsby was predeceased by his wife, Esther (née Olson). He is survived by his daughters, Anne Lanshe (Timothy), Laurie de Linde (Jorn), Sioux Xenakis, Karen Grigsby, and Astrid Dee Bennett (Joseph); seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

Ronald Litman, Anesthesiology

caption: Ronald LitmanRonald Steven Litman, a leader in pediatric anesthesiology and a former professor in anesthesiology and pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine, died on April 21 after a battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He was 62.

Born in Manhattan and raised in Yonkers, Dr. Litman had a lifetime love of Broadway shows and pizza. In 1980, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Five years later, he obtained a DO (doctor of osteopathic medicine) from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, New York. In addition, Dr. Litman received an ML from Penn Law in 2018. Dr. Litman first worked at the University of Rochester Medical Center, then came to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (as a pediatric anesthesiologist) and PSOM (as a professor of pediatrics and anesthesiology) in 2001.

Professionally, Dr. Litman was heavily involved throughout the field of anesthesiology. He was a longtime member of the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia. “For his entire career, Ron was a guiding light of clinical excellence, a dedicated mentor of all from undergraduate students to anesthesia trainees and faculty colleagues,” said SPA in a written tribute. “His unending inquisitiveness and challenging of established dogma led him to innovative clinical research investigations, in which he collaborated with those from many fields outside pediatric anesthesiology. His innovative findings have educated us all about everything from airway anatomy under anesthesia to pathophysiology of mediastinal masses and malignant hyperthermia.”

Outside Penn, Dr. Litman served as the chair of the FDA Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee and as the medical director at the Institute for Safe Medication Practice. Dr. Litman served on many hospital and national committees and participated in medical missions to Mexico and Central America. He was also medical director and vice chair of the Malignant Hypothermia Association. In early 2021, Dr. Litman launched a new journal, Pediatric Anesthesia Article of the Day, which his colleagues intend to continue. To subscribe, visit https://ronlitman.substack.com/.

“Ron will be remembered as a giant in the field of pediatric anesthesia,” wrote Charles Dean Kurth, professor of anesthesiology and critical care at HUP and CHOP. “He was passionate about medication safety and teaching pediatric anesthesia.” “He trained and inspired a generation of pediatric anesthesiologists,” said SPA.

Dr. Litman is survived by his wife, Daphne Klausner; his children, Alan and Cory; his parents, Arthur and Barbara; and his stepchildren, Ethan and Becca Genyk. A private service was held on April 23. Donations in Dr. Litman’s memory can be made to the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation, P. O. Box 7512, Philadelphia, PA, 19101, or The Museum of Jewish Heritage, Development Office, 36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280.

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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.

Governance

Trustees Meetings: May 13

 On Thursday, May 13 there will be virtual open meetings of the University’s Trustees committees via BlueJeans Events. 

The meetings are:

  • Budget & Finance Committee, 10:30-11:45 a.m.
  • Executive Committee, 2:45-3 p.m.

Agenda and call-in information will be posted on May 13 at  https://secretary.upenn.edu/trustees-governance/open-trustee-meeting. Please contact the Office of the University Secretary at (215) 898-7005 or ofcsec@pobox.upenn.edu with questions regarding Trustee meetings or your attendance plans.

Policies

CCTV Locations

CCTV Camera logo

The Division of Public Safety is committed to enhancing the quality of life for the campus community by integrating the best practices of public and private policing with state-of-the-art technology. A critical component of a comprehensive security plan using state-of-the-art technology is Closed Circuit Television (CCTV).

As prescribed by the University Policy “Closed Circuit Television Monitoring and Recording of Public Areas for Safety and Security Purposes” (Almanac April 29, 2008), the locations of all outside CCTV cameras monitored by Public Safety are to be published semi-annually in Almanac. The locations and descriptions of these cameras can also be found on the Division of Public Safety website: https://www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/about/security-technology/closed-circuit-television-cctv/.

The following existing cameras meet those criteria:

University of Pennsylvania Cameras

39th St. & Baltimore Ave. (Vet School, Hill Pavilion)
40th St. & Baltimore Ave.
41st St. & Baltimore Ave.
42nd St. & Baltimore Ave.
43rd St. & Baltimore Ave.
31st & Chestnut Sts. (Left Bank)
33rd & Chestnut Sts.
34th & Chestnut Sts.
36th & Chestnut Sts.
38th & Chestnut Sts.
40th & Chestnut Sts.
4040 Chestnut St. (front)
41st & Chestnut Sts.
43rd & Chestnut Sts.
46th & Chestnut Sts.
Steve Murray Way & Chestnut St.
38th St. & Hamilton Walk
36th St. & Locust Walk
37th St. & Locust Walk (1&2)
38th St. & Locust Walk
39th St. & Locust Walk
40th St. & Locust Walk
41st & Locust Sts.
42nd & Locust Sts.
43rd & Locust Sts.
39th & Ludlow Sts.
40th & Ludlow Sts.
34th & Market Sts.
36th & Market Sts.
38th & Market Sts.
40th & Market Sts.
40th & Pine Sts.
41st & Pine Sts.
42nd & Pine Sts.
36th & Sansom Sts. (Franklin Bldg.)
38th & Sansom Sts.
39th & Sansom Sts.
4040 Sansom St. (rear)
Steve Murray Way & Sansom Sts.
33rd St. & Smith Walk
34th & Spruce Sts.
36th & Spruce Sts.
37th & Spruce Sts.
38th & Spruce Sts.
39th & Spruce Sts.
40th & Spruce Sts.
41st & Spruce Sts.
42nd & Spruce Sts.
43rd & Spruce Sts.
31st & Walnut Sts. (Left Bank)
33rd & Walnut Sts.
34th & Walnut Sts.
36th & Walnut Sts.
37th & Walnut Sts.
38th & Walnut Sts.
39th & Walnut Sts.
40th & Walnut Sts.
41st & Walnut Sts.
43rd & Walnut Sts.
4119 Walnut St.
100 Block of S. 37th St.
Blockley Hall (bike racks 1-8)
Blockley Hall (roof)
BRB II (loading dock–exterior)
BRB II (roof–rear and front)
Caster Building (rear entrance)
Caster Building (bike racks 1&2)
Chemistry Building (bike racks 1-4)
CineMark
College Green (1&2)
College Green (lower)
College Hall (exterior basement)
CRB (roof)
CRB-Stemmler Hall (main entrance)
CRB-Stemmler Bridge (interior)
CRB-Stemmler Bridge (main entrance hall)
English House (Law School bike rack)
Fels Institute of Government
Fisher-Bennett Hall (overseeing Levine Bldg.)
Franklin Field
Garage 40 (rooftop)
Generational Bridge (1&2)
Gregory College House (bike rack)
GSE on Plaza 1
GSE on Plaza 62
Harnwell College House
Harrison College House (1&2)
Hayden Hall (east door & west door)
Hilton (Homewood Suites–1&2)
Hollenback (lower level rear parking)
Hollenback (rooftop)
Houston Hall/Penn Commons
Irving & Preston Sts.
Jerome Fisher (main entrance)
John Morgan Building (Hamilton Walk)
Jon M. Huntsman Hall (NE corner)
Kane Park (Spruce Street Plaza)
Law School (Sansom St.)
Left Bank (loading dock)
Levy Dental (loading dock)
Meyerson Hall (bike racks 1&2)
Mod 7 (North)
Mod 7 (Southeast)
Mod 7 (West)
Museum (33rd St.–exterior)
Museum (Kress entrance–exterior)
Museum (Kress entrance–interior)
Museum (loading dock–exterior)
Museum (upper loading dock–exterior)
Museum (Warden Garden–main entrance)
Museum (Stoner Courtyard–lower courtyard)
Osler Circle Courtyard
Palestra (1&2)
Pennovation Works
Pennovation Works (gate)
Pottruck (bike racks 1&2)
Public Safety Annex Building (2-5)
Richards Labs (rear door)
Ringe Squash Court Parking
Rodin College House (bike rack)
Schattner (coffee shop)
Schattner (bike rack)
SEAS (Courtyard)
Shoemaker Green (1-8)
Singh Center (courtyard)
Singh Center (east loading dock)
Singh Center (Nano roof terrace north)
Singh Center (nitrogen loading dock)
Singh Center (roof terrace south)
Singh Center (west loading dock)
St. Leonard’s Court (roof, rear)
Solomon Labs (1-4)
Steinberg Conference Center
Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall (Joe’s Café)
Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall (trolley)
Stellar-Chance Labs (loading dock)
Stellar-Chance Labs (main entrance)
Stellar-Chance Labs (roof–rear)
Stellar-Chance Labs (roof–front)
Tandem Accelerator Laboratory
Translational Research Labs, 30th St. (lower level South)
Translational Research Labs, 30th St. (lower level North)
Translational Research Labs, 31st St.
Translational Research Labs, 31st St. (upper level)
University Meeting & Guesthouse Courtyard
University Meeting & Guesthouse Parking Lot
Van Pelt-Dietrich Library (Button)
Van Pelt-Dietrich Library (Ben Statue)
Van Pelt-Dietrich Library (Mark’s Café 1&2)
Van Pelt Manor (bike rack)
VHUP (bike rack)
VHUP (dog walk 1&2)
Weiss Info Commons (front door)
Weiss Info Commons (rear door)
Wharton Academic Research Building Bike Racks
Wharton EMBA (loading dock)
Williams Hall (bike racks 1-3)
WXPN/World Café Live
WXPN/World Café Live (SW side–lower level)
1920 Commons (38th & Spruce roof)

Penn Park

Field 1
Field 1 (bike rack)
Field 2
Field 2 (bike rack)
Field 2 (NE corner)
Field 2 (SW corner)
Field 2 (north bike rack)
Field 4 (South Street Bridge)
Lower 30th & Walnut Sts. (1&2)
Paley Bridge (1&2)
Paley Bridge (entrance walkway)
Paley Bridge (walkway to Penn Park)
Parking Lot (SW corner)
Parking Lot (NE corner)
Penn Park (NE corner)
Penn Park (North)
Penn Park (Plaza)
Penn Park Drive (entrance)
River Field
Ropes Course
Ropes Course Maintenance Bldgs.
Softball Stadium (bike racks 1&2)
Softball Stadium (men’s restroom)
Softball Stadium (women’s restroom)
Tennis Center
Tennis Center (Field 4)
Tennis Center (Field 4 walkway)
Tennis Center (Transit Stop)
Utility shed
Walnut St. Bridge (Pedestrian Walkway)
Walnut St. Bridge (Upper)
Weave Bridge (Bower Field)
Weave Bridge (East)
Weave Bridge (Hollenback)
Weave Bridge (Penn Park ramp)

Penn Medicine Cameras

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

34th St. Pedestrian Bridge
Dulles Bldg. (bike racks-Spruce St.)
Emergency Department (Driveway 1-4)
Gates Bldg. (fire exit door-Spruce St.)
Maloney Bldg. (entrance–36th & Spruce Sts.)
Miller Plaza (adjacent to Stemmler)
Penn Tower/HUP Bridge/Civic Center
Penn Tower Bridge (Hospital side)
Ravdin Bldg. (Driveway–Civic Center Blvd.)
Rhoads Bldg. (1st floor–Hamilton  Walk)
Rhoads Bldg. (1st floor–patio)
Rhoads Bldg. (basement–dock ramp)
Rhoads Bldg. (loading docks 1&2)
Rhoads Bldg. (loading dock ramp)
Rhoads/Stemmler bike rack
Spruce St. between 34th & 36th Sts. (facing east)
Spruce St. between 34th & 36th Sts. (facing west)
Spruce St. (Maloney entrance & morgue driveway)
Spruce St. (Morgue, Maloney Ground –36th St.)
Spruce St. (west fire tower door)
White Bldg. courtyard
White Bldg. (entrance–Spruce St.)

Perelman and Smilow

3600 CCB-Ll01 (NW Corner E/W)
3600 CCB-Ll01 (NW Side E/W)
3600 CCB-Ll01 (SW Corner E/W; entrance to Lot 51)
3600 CCB-Ll01 (SW Side E/W; loading Dock)
3600 CCB-L1 (NE Entrance)
Civic Center Blvd. at East Service Dr.
Convention Ave & Health Science Dr.
East Service Dr. & Health Sciences Dr.
Health Sciences Dr. (outside loading dock–1& 2)
Perelman (front door)
Perelman (loading dock)
Perelman Parking garage entrance (Health Sciences Dr.)
PCAM staff entrance (Convention Ave.)

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

3910 Bldg. (entrance)
3910 Bldg. (loading dock)
3910 Bldg. (parking lot)
Advanced Care Canopy (bench)
Advanced Care Canopy (ED 1&2)
Advanced Care Canopy (Trauma 1-4)
Cupp Lobby (entrance)
Garage (front & side)
Heart and Vascular Pavilion (front entrance)
Heart and Vascular Pavilion (rear entrance)
Helipad
Mutch Bldg. (roof)
Powelton Ave.
Powelton Ave. (dock)
Powelton Lot
Scheie Eye Institute (north door)
Wright/Saunders Bldg. (main entrance)
38th St. (Healing Garden)
38th St. (Advanced Care Building)

3930 Chestnut Street

Front Main Entrance
Loading Dock Entrance
Patio Seating Area
Parking Lot Bike Rack
Parking Lot (Front)
Parking Lot (Rear)

Honors

Jessica Anna: NSF CAREER Award

Jessica Anna, assistant professor of chemistry, has been selected to receive a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) Award. The project, titled Elucidating the Interplay Between Exciton Dynamics and Symmetry-Breaking Charge Transfer Through Multidimensional Visible and Mid-Infrared Spectroscopies, will receive five years of funding from the NSF.

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. NSF encourages submission of CAREER proposals from early-career faculty at all CAREER-eligible organizations and especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities to apply.

Tathagat Bhatia: Gates Cambridge Scholarship

caption: Tathagat BhatiaSenior Tathagat Bhatia has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a master’s degree in history and philosophy of science at the University of Cambridge in England.

From Lucknow, India, Mr. Bhatia is Penn’s 33rd Gates Scholar since the program’s beginning in 2001 and the second this year. Mr. Bhatia is one of an additional 50 recipients worldwide chosen from 30 countries for a total of 74 scholars. The scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge for as long as four years as well as additional discretionary funding. This latest cohort joins 24 students from the United States to be named in the first cohort of 2021 Gates Cambridge Scholars announced in February.

Mr. Bhatia is majoring in science, technology and society with a concentration in energy and the environment and minoring in Russian studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. His research involves environmental history and science and technology studies, with a focus on South Asia. His senior thesis on the role of United States development experts in diagnosing food crises in postcolonial India received support from Penn’s Center for the Advanced Study of India and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. He recently completed a research project as a Rising Waters Fellow in the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities, where he analyzed the disproportionate impact of lead in Philadelphia’s drinking water on communities of color.

At Penn, Mr. Bhatia is a Penn World Scholar, a Penn Emerging Scholar, and an undergraduate fellow of the Wolf Humanities Center. He works at the Penn Museum and Penn’s LGBT Center. He is a teaching assistant, involved with the Radical South Asian Collective, and tutors students in Russian at the Penn Language Center. He is also a member of Penn’s Figure Skating Club. He studied abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia where he led discussions at a community center about LGBTQ organizing in the U.S.

More information about the Gates Cambridge Scholarship is available from Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

Samantha Moore-Berg: Bruneau Fellow

caption: Samantha Moore-BergSamantha Moore-Berg, a postdoctoral fellow with the Peace and Conflict Neuroscience Lab (PCNL), has been named the inaugural Emile Bruneau Postdoctoral Fellow at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.

The newly established fellowship honors the memory and legacy of the late Emile Bruneau, Annenberg School researcher and founding director of PCNL (Almanac October 13, 2020). Dr. Bruneau’s legacy will live on through the work of passionate, interdisciplinary scholars, artists, and creators with a vision as unique and ambitious as his own.

“Emile’s mission was, simply put, to harness science for peace,” said Annenberg Dean John L. Jackson, Jr. “In the spirit of Emile, the Annenberg School seeks to foster scholarship that is rigorous, paradigm shifting, and driven by a desire to improve the human condition. We are thrilled to launch this fellowship toward that end, and we are confident that Samantha is the perfect inaugural fellow.”

Dr. Moore-Berg, who joined the Annenberg School as a postdoctoral fellow in 2018, investigates the antecedents and consequences of intergroup conflict around the globe and uses these findings to develop interventions that promote peace and reconciliation. A key commitment of Dr. Moore-Berg’s research involves consulting with stakeholders outside academia who are directly involved in the conflicts she studies. She worked closely with Dr. Bruneau until his death last year, collaborating on numerous studies and co-authoring nine journal articles.

As a Bruneau Fellow, Dr. Moore-Berg will serve as the principal investigator for PCNL and will continue working on a variety of projects, including assessing attitudes toward immigration; developing interventions to reduce anti-migrant bias; developing interventions to reduce political polarization; analyzing media’s impact on partisan attitudes; developing interventions to correct misperceptions about racial wealth inequality; and many others.

Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo: Beinecke Scholar

caption: Chinaza Ruth OkonkwoJunior Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo has been awarded a 2021 Beinecke Scholarship to pursue a graduate education in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Each 2021 scholar receives $4,000 upon completion of undergraduate studies and an additional $30,000 to support graduate study, with no geographic restrictions.

Ms. Okonkwo is one of only 16 Beinecke Scholars chosen this year from the United States, and the 14th recipient from Penn since the award was first given in 1975. Universities may nominate only one student, and this year there were about 100 applicants. This is the third consecutive year that a Penn student has been named a Beinecke Scholar.

Ms. Okonkwo, from Los Angeles, is majoring in philosophy and history with concentrations in moral and political philosophy and world history in the School of Arts & Sciences. She is also pursuing minors in Africana studies; gender, sexuality, and women’s studies; and Native American and Indigenous studies. She sub-matriculated into the philosophy master’s program and will be receiving her master’s degree along with her bachelor’s degree upon graduation in 2022.

Ms. Okonkwo identifies as a first-generation, low-income student and has done extensive research across the humanities and social sciences throughout her time at Penn. Her current independent research project on Igbo philosophy aims to re-shape the understanding of indigeneity as it relates to the African continent. Ms. Okonkwo intends to pursue graduate study in philosophy or social/modern thought.

The Beinecke Scholarship Program was established in 1971 by the Board of Directors of the Sperry and Hutchinson Company to honor philanthropists Edwin, Frederick, and Walter Beinecke. The program seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated students, selected on the bases of academic excellence and financial need, to pursue opportunities and to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

Ms. Okonkwo applied for the Beinecke Scholarship with assistance from Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

Six Faculty: Election to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Six members of the University of Pennsylvania faculty have been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. They join more than 250 new members honored in 2021, recognized for their work to “help solve the world’s most urgent challenges, create meaning through art, and contribute to the common good.”

Cristina Bicchieri is the S. J. Patterson Harvie Professor of Social Thought and Comparative Ethics in the School of Arts & Sciences. She is also a professor of legal studies at the Wharton School. She is the director of the Center for Social Norms & Behavioral Dynamics and founding director of the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences program. Her research sits at the intersection of philosophy, game theory, and psychology, with a primary research focus on judgment and decision-making, as well as on how expectations affect behavior. Dr. Bicchieri’s work also examines the nature and evolution of social norms, how to measure them, and what strategies are necessary to foster social change.

Michael Hanchard is the Gustav C. Kuemmerle Professor of Africana Studies and professor of political science in the School of Arts & Sciences. He also serves as director of the Marginalized Populations Project, a collaborative research initiative designed to explore political dynamics between populations with unequal, minimal, or non-existent state protections and national governments. His research and teaching interests combine a specialization in comparative politics with an interest in contemporary political theory, encompassing themes of nationalism, racism, xenophobia, and citizenship.

Vijay Kumar is the Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering with appointments in the departments of mechanical engineering & applied mechanics, computer & information science, and electrical & systems engineering. He is an internationally recognized robotics expert who specializes in multi-agent systems, teams of robots that can cooperate to complete a task. Dr. Kumar’s research on new ways for these teams to sense their environments and communicate will help them collaborate on tasks that no single robot could do on its own, whether splitting up to count oranges in an orchard or coming together to lift a heavy payload.   

Stanley Plotkin is an emeritus professor of pediatrics and microbiology at the Perelman School of Medicine, an emeritus professor of virology at the Wistar Institute, and former director of infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Dr. Plotkin has spent his career focused on developing vaccines for diseases like rubella, polio, rabies, varicella, and cytomegalovirus. He is also a founding member of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.

Sarah Tishkoff is the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor in Genetics and Biology, holding appointments in the Perelman School of Medicine and School of Arts & Sciences. She is also director of the Penn Center for Global Genomics and Health Equity. Dr. Tishkoff studies human genetic diversity, specifically that of African populations, blending field, lab, and computational approaches. Her work has not only elucidated African population history but also how genetic variation affects traits such as disease susceptibility or ability to metabolize drugs.

Kenneth Zaret is the Joseph Leidy Professor in the department of cell and developmental biology at the Perelman School of Medicine. He is also the director of Penn’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IRM). Dr. Zaret joined Penn in 2009 as associate director of IRM and co-director of the epigenetics program, where he served until 2014. He is also a member of the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group. The Zaret Lab focuses on understanding how genes are regulated to allow one type of cell to change into another type, “cell type control” that occurs in embryonic development and tissue regeneration.

Miriam Robbins: American Academy of Oral Medicine Award

Penn Dental Medicine’s Miriam Robbins, professor of clinical oral medicine and restorative dentistry and director of the School’s Care Center for Persons with Disabilities, has been recognized by the American Academy of Oral Medicine at this year’s recipient of its Craig S. Miller Diamond Pin Award. The award was presented as part of the Academy’s annual meeting, held virtually April from 15-17.

The academy’s highest honor, the Craig S. Miller Diamond Pin Award is presented for exceptional and dedicated service to the academy.

Dr. Robbins, a fellow of the academy, has been involved in the academy throughout her dental career. She became active in the academy in 1989 during her residency, going on to serve on a number of committees before being named to the Executive Committee. She served as assistant treasurer of the Executive Committee from 2011-2014, as treasurer from 2014-2016, and went to lead the academy as President in 2017-2018.

Liza Vick: President, Music Library Association

Liza Vick, head of the Penn Libraries’ Otto E. Albrecht Music Library and Eugene Ormandy Music Library and Media Center, has become president of the Music Library Association, the primary professional organization for music librarians in the United States. She has contributed significantly to the field of music librarianship throughout her career, having served previously in a number of organizational leadership positions and as book review editor of publications like Notes, the Music Library Association’s quarterly journal.

The Music Library Association is the professional association for music libraries and librarianship in the United States. Founded in 1931, it has an international membership of librarians, musicians, scholars, educators, and members of the book and music trades. Complementing the association’s national and international activities are ten regional chapters.

Antonia Villarruel: Ohtli Award

caption: Antonia VillarruelThe Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME), through the Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia, has announced that the Consul of Mexico Carlos Obrador Garrido, will present the prestigious Ohtli Award to Antonia M. Villarruel, professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Nursing, on May 6, 2021. The ceremony will be broadcast live at 6 p.m. through the Facebook account of the Consulate of Mexico.

Since 1996, the government of Mexico has conferred this distinction on individuals and organizations that, through their professional and personal achievements, have helped the integration and empowerment of the Mexican diaspora and have paved the way for new generations of young people of Mexican origin to develop their potential in order to foster the well-being and improve the quality of life of their families and communities.

As Dean of the School of Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Villarruel’s leadership across the school’s nursing research, education, and practice mission has resulted in positive impact in the ongoing effort to improve equity and access to health care in communities around the world.

In addition, Dr. Villarruel has dedicated much of her professional life to serving Latino communities in the area of public health. She has been at the forefront of the efforts of Penn Nursing’s World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership’ to reduce maternal mortality in Latin America and is a co-founder of the first doctoral program of nursing in Mexico at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, contributing substantially to the training of hundreds of highly specialized educators and researchers in Mexico.

Dr. Villarruel’s outstanding work in academia and public health has had a significant impact in promoting equitable access to high-quality health services, both in Mexico and in the United States.

Corey Wills and Team: EPA Campus RainWorks Challenge

Corey Wills, LPS’21, GFA’22, leads a team that won the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ninth annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a national competition that engages college students in the design of green infrastructure solutions to address stormwater pollution.

Ms. Wills and her team won first place in the demonstration project category, which focuses on how green infrastructure can address stormwater pollution at a specific site on campus or local elementary, junior high, or high schools, with their project, “Growing Together.” Ms. Wills is enrolled in the master of environmental studies and master of city planning programs in the Weitzman School of Design.

The team’s entry proposes a redesign of the Andrew Hamilton School campus in West Philadelphia to incorporate a variety of green infrastructure practices, including raised garden beds and a food forest. Extensive stakeholder engagement within the community led to a realistic design that would manage stormwater runoff on-site, connect students to their watershed, and help address food insecurity. The Andrew Hamilton School supported the team’s vision and will move forward with project construction this spring.

“The students at Hamilton are very excited to have these tools that can cool the grounds to make campus a safer place to play in the summer, provide STEM education opportunities, and offer a food source for the community,” said Ms. Wills, who is a watershed resource analyst at the Penn Water Center.

Features

University of Pennsylvania Libraries Receives Major Gift of Works by Renowned Photographer Arthur Tress

caption: Arthur Tress self-portrait (2018). The University of Pennsylvania Libraries  announces the gift of works by the renowned American contemporary photographer Arthur Tress (b. 1940, Brooklyn). Generously given by an anonymous donor, this outstanding collection – part of which has already been appraised at $4.2 million – joins another recent gift of Tress photography given to the Penn Libraries by J. Patrick Kennedy, PAR’97, and Patricia Kennedy, PAR’97, for a combined 2,500 photographic prints. Together these collections document Mr. Tress’s diverse and fascinating career and represent the largest collection of Tress photographic prints in the United States. In 2018, Mr. Tress, among the most original artists of his generation, gave the Penn Libraries his collection of Japanese illustrated books, which served as inspiration for his own artistic vision.

“This incredible collection of photographs by Arthur Tress will significantly expand the Penn Libraries’ collected works and make these cultural treasures accessible to scholars, students, and the public,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “Preserving culture and sharing knowledge is our unwavering commitment, and we are enormously grateful to these donors who are making these works accessible to countless individuals for appreciation and study.”

“The Penn Libraries is building collections for current research and pedagogical needs while actively contributing to the global scholarship of tomorrow,” said Constantia Constantinou, H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and director of Penn Libraries. “We are thrilled to add this meaningful work by Arthur Tress to the Penn Libraries’ photography collections, which have seen significant growth over the last decade. These gifts have opened an important new frontier in research about contemporary photography – to great benefit across the University and beyond.”

Lynne Farrington, senior curator in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Penn Libraries, describes Mr. Tress’s work as “innovative and imaginative photographs that reflect his interest in using the camera to tell stories that draw the viewer into a world of dreams and fantasies.” Further, “the images are often staged or directed, transforming found objects or chanced upon scenes into visual mosaics, often with erotic overtones.”

Mr. Tress’s photography is widely published, exhibited, and collected, and can be found in numerous public institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Smithsonian American Art Museum (Washington), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts (Houston), and the Whitney Museum of Art (New York). Among his publications are The Dream Collector (1972), Theater of the Mind (1976), Facing Up (1980), The Teapot Opera (1986), and Fish Tank Sonata (2000).

The works gifted to the Penn Libraries cover a broad spectrum of Arthur Tress’s varied career and include rare color cibachrome prints. The collection spans his first forays into ethnographic documentation in Mexico, his groundbreaking use of psychological metaphors using the dreams of children as his inspiration, and his most recent explorations into a Bauhaus style of visual abstraction using contemporary architecture for his subject matter.

These gifts offer the opportunity for students and faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, and throughout Penn to study the range and scope of one of the preeminent photographers in contemporary American art. Moreover, when studied in conjunction with the Tress collection of Japanese illustrated books, they illuminate a major influence in the development of Mr. Tress’s aesthetic. Some of these photographs will be featured in the 2022 exhibition of the Arthur Tress Collection of Japanese Illustrated Books, slated for the Goldstein Family Gallery and curated by Julie Nelson Davis, professor and graduate chair in the history of art, and students in her recent curatorial seminars in which they closely studied works from the collection.

The Penn Libraries is committed to exceeding expectations in longstanding as well as emerging areas of research, including the growing interest in photography as an art form among Penn’s history of art faculty. Jonathan D. Katz, interim chair of gender, sexuality and women’s studies (GSWS) and associate professor of practice, history of art and GSWS, has frequently included Mr. Tress’s photographs in exhibitions and publications on queer identities in American art. According to Dr. Katz:

“Arthur Tress documented LGBTQ liberation at its very origins, and in his personal, idiosyncratic way, created a psychic portrait of a community and a culture that has repeatedly swerved between oppression and liberty, violence and self-determination, plague and vigor. Tress shot some of the very first images of a public LGBTQ life, beginning even before the Stonewall riots in 1969. And generations hence, when this social revolution in sexuality is more fully studied, documents may tell us what happened, but Tress’s photos will tell us what no document can. They show what it felt like to have once been forced to cower, only to then stand tall. It’s a memory we are thankfully losing, and Tress reminds us how far we’ve come.”

caption: Playground, New York (1977)caption: Secret Conversation, New York (1980)caption: Highway Sign, New York (1978)

All photos from the Facing Up series of the Arthur Tress Photography Collection, University of Pennsylvania Libraries.

Research

Toward a Better Understanding of “Fake News”

Duncan Watts, a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor and computational social scientist with appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication, School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the Wharton School, has published a new framework for studying media bias and misinformation. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and co-authored by colleagues at Microsoft Research, the paper describes an ambitious and comprehensive research agenda for understanding the origins, nature, and prevalence of misinformation and its impact on democracy.

The phrase “fake news” has become part of the lexicon, spurred by news coverage of fake political ads and Twitter bots and by concerns about their role in populist political movements such as Brexit and the 2016 U.S. presidential election. These stories triggered an enormous amount of research, with the publication of thousands of papers trying to understand how fake news was spreading.

“This overwhelming focus on outright lies circulating on social media was disturbing, but it was missing something,” said Dr. Watts. “And that something is this much broader conception of misinformation.”

Dr. Watts explains that misinformation includes more than just lies and falsehoods because there are also more subtle ways that people can be misled. This includes data cherry picking, misconstruing the relationship between correlation and causation, or even simply presenting facts in a particular way, tactics that can lead people to a false conclusion without technically failing a fact check.

Misinformation is also not something that is limited to social media, he said, with television, radio, and print publications also playing an important role. “All of the research that has been done on Twitter vastly outweighs the amount of research that has been done on TV in the last four years, and yet TV is a larger source of information related to politics for typical Americans than Twitter is.” said Dr. Watts. “We really have to be thinking much more expansively about the parts of the information ecosystem that might be causing some of these problems.”

To this end, Dr. Watts and his co-authors describe specific objectives that would enable research communities and funding agencies to address these types of complex questions.

The first step, Dr. Watts said, is to build a research infrastructure to collect, organize, clean, and make data available and accessible to the broader research community. With a robust data infrastructure in place, the next objective is to maximize its value by coordinating the efforts of multiple research groups. Instead of working on single datasets that are curated and analyzed by an individual or group, this working model provides a way to study problems more holistically. Next, it is important to educate members of the public on their findings, Dr. Watts said, and it’s also crucial to make data both accessible and relevant. Finally, from collaborating with computer scientists on improving the fairness of algorithms to working with journalists to help them understand how their work influences public opinion, engaging with partners outside of academia is essential for addressing misinformation.

Adapted from a Penn Today article by Erica Brockmeier.

Thermal Architecture Lab Tackles Public Health and Environmental Crises

Two studies by Dorit Aviv, assistant professor of architecture and director of the Thermal Architecture Lab at the Weitzman School of Design, show how architecture can help create interior spaces that are both COVID-safe and energy efficient.

The first study, published in Indoor Air, provides design-based solutions on how to best use ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) to disinfect occupied rooms without harming individuals. This research was conducted by Dr. Aviv, visiting scholar Miaomiao Hou, and Jovan Pantelic, an air quality expert at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

The second paper, published in Applied Energy, describes the massive amount of energy required to increase ventilation in current HVAC systems and provides an approach for creating comfortable, well-ventilated indoor environments using radiant cooling. This study is the result of a collaboration between the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) devices use short-wavelength ultraviolet light to inactivate viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens by destroying their DNA or RNA. UV light is highly effective and has long been used to clean air and surfaces, with increased uptake in settings such as subway cars during the COVID pandemic. However, UV light can also damage skin and eyes and must be used cautiously in occupied spaces.

Striking a balance between efficient disinfection and personal safety is fundamentally a spatial problem, said Dr. Aviv, and in this study the researchers used their architectural expertise to determine optimal placement of a UVGI device to sterilize a space safely. “You’re trying to disinfect the air but also make sure people are safe, so it means you need to understand how the device is working throughout the space,” she said.

For their Indoor Air paper, the researchers used simulations of an industry-standard UVGI device and looked at how different design variables impacted the distribution of UV light between a room’s upper zone, where disinfection of aerosols should take place, and a lower “occupied” zone which people inhabit and where UV light leakage should be avoided as much as possible.

The researchers found that ceiling and mounting height had a major impact on the efficiency of disinfection in the upper zone. Based on their simulations, the researchers recommend that UVGI device height be increased wherever possible. This not only increases the disinfection rate but also reduces the possibility of UV exposure in the occupied zone.

The variable that was found to have the biggest impact on reducing leakage was material reflectance. Because UV light can be absorbed or reflected by a material, much like visible light is, using paints or wall coverings with lower reflectance coefficients reduced the likelihood of UV forming dangerous “hot spots” in the occupied zone. Importantly, changes in reflectance didn’t impact disinfection efficiency in the upper zone.

Along with guidance on how people can install these devices in a way that is both effective and safe, Dr. Aviv’s group is now studying the role of air flows in UVGI disinfection, key insights which could be used to direct how contaminated and clean air moves within a room.

Most modern buildings have centralized heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems that heat or cool external air before it is brought indoors. Before the pandemic, one common way to reduce energy use was to recirculate air, and building standards generally only require 10-20% of outdoor air intake at any given point in time.

Now, because of the risks of airborne exposure to COVID-19, the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers recommends increasing the amount of outdoor air to avoid recirculating virus particles. However, doing this within the current HVAC paradigm means a massive increase in energy usage in an already highly-carbon-intensive sector, putting the health of a building’s occupants and the environment at odds.

In their Applied Energy study, the researchers first modeled the energy requirements needed to increase the outdoor-to-indoor-air ratios in several cities in the United States at different climactic zones. In hot and humid cities like Miami, for example, the researchers found that as much as a 300% increase in energy output was needed in order to use 100% outdoor air.

To address what could be done to increase ventilation and keep spaces comfortable without using more energy, the researchers detail a simple, cheap, and scalable solution using radiant cooling systems. This system decouples air temperature control from ventilation and comfort by relying on surface-level cooling alongside natural ventilation.

Adapted from a Penn Today article by Erica Brockmeier.

Penn Wharton Budget Model Projects That American Jobs Plan Will Raise $2.1 Trillion by 2030 and Decrease Federal Debt by 6.4% by 2050

On March 31, President Joseph Biden announced the American Jobs Plan–a $2.7 trillion plan to invest in American infrastructure. The plan includes spending provisions aimed at rebuilding various sectors of American infrastructure and financing provisions which would increase business taxes, notably raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.
The Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM) at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania released a report analyzing the budgetary and economic effects of the plan’s changes to the tax code and $2.7 trillion in public investment.

PWBM estimates that:

  • President Biden’s American Jobs Plan (AJP) would cost $2.7 trillion and raise $2.1 trillion over the 10-year budget window 2021-2030.
  • The spending provisions of the AJP, in absence of any tax increases, would increase government debt by 4.72 percent and decrease GDP by 0.33 percent in 2050, as the crowding out of investment due to larger government deficits outweighs productivity boosts from the new public investments.
  • The tax provisions proposed in the AJP, absent any new spending, would decrease government debt by 11.16 percent in 2050. Despite the reduction in public debt, the AJP’s tax provisions discourage business investment and thus reduce GDP by 0.49 percent in 2050.
  • Considered together, the tax and spending provisions of the AJP would increase government debt by 1.7 percent by 2031 but decrease government debt by 6.4 percent by 2050. The AJP ends up decreasing GDP by 0.8 percent in 2050.

Read the full Wharton News article.

Events

Update: May AT PENN

Films

8          Calle de la Resistencia; an emotional look at the struggle of the Puerto Rican people to regain their dignity; 7 p.m.; online screening; tickets: https://annenbergcenter.org/event/calle-de-la-resistencia (Annenberg Center).

Fitness & Learning

7          ODEI Spotlight: Conversations with GABE About Our Classrooms and Diversity; set of two discussions that explores steps faculty are taking and can take in the future to make classrooms more equitable; 1:30 p.m.; Zoom meeting; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/99110942740 (Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion).

Special Events

5          Remembering Professor Howard Lesnick; a virtual memorial service for Professor Howard Lesnick, Jefferson B. Fordham Professor Emeritus of Law; 4 p.m.; Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl.com/lesnick-memorial-may-5 (Penn Law).

7          2021 Lavender Graduation; a virtual celebration of Penn’s LGBTQ graduates, including undergraduate and grad students and postdocs; 5 p.m.; online event; register: https://tinyurl.com/penn-lavender-2021 (LGBT Center).

Talks

5          Lightning Lectures 2021; short presentations by fine arts students; 6:30 p.m.; Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl.com/ica-lightning-2021 (Weitzman School, ICA).

6          Public Policy Analytics: Code and Context for Data Science in Government; Ken Steif, MUSA; 5 p.m.; online event; register: https://tinyurl.com/steif-talk-may-6 (Penn Institute for Urban Research).

Penn Dental

Online events. Info and to register: https://www.dental.upenn.edu/news-events/events/

4          Oral Potentially Malignant Conditions/Oral Cancer: An Update; Thomas Sollecito, Penn Dental; 5 p.m.

            Direct Anterior and Posterior Esthetic Restorations; Gaetano Paolone, Università Vita Salute San Raffaele; 6 p.m.

5          Caring for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairments – Making it Work!; Janet Yellowitz, University of Maryland; 5:30 p.m.

6          Business Basics & Employment Essentials for a Post-Grad Periodontics Resident; Todd Singer, Penn Dental; 6 p.m.

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AT PENN Calendar

Almanac publishes a monthly calendar that gives you all the details you need to know about fun family events, engaging talks, useful seminars and workshops, unique performances, and more happening around campus. The May AT PENN calendar is online now! Hosting an event but missed the cutoff to submit it for the May calendar? Email us an event for inclusion in a weekly May update at almanac@upenn.edu.

We’re accepting submissions for our Summer AT PENN calendar until May 11. Send event information to almanac@upenn.edu.

Morris Arboretum Celebrates 40 Years of Moonlight & Roses

caption: Morris Arboretum’s will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Moonlight & Roses virtually on Friday, June 4.  Photo Courtesy of Morris Arboretum.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Morris Arboretum’s annual Moonlight & Roses gala. Join in the virtual celebration at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 4.  The event will look back at 40 years of this iconic gala, take you behind the scenes with Arboretum horticulturists in the Rose Garden, and showcase the garden in full bloom. All virtual attendees will receive a curated gift bag that can be picked up at the Arboretum. Proceeds will support all areas of the Arboretum and ensure that the garden continues to be a resource for our community throughout the pandemic and beyond.

Because the 2020 gala was cancelled, the Arboretum is delighted that 2021 will celebrate the honorees named last year, Susan and Robert (Bob) Peck, longtime residents of Chestnut Hill, as well as an institutional honoree, TreePhilly, a program of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and the Fairmount Park Conservancy.

Chairing the 2021 Moonlight & Roses Planning Committee is Gabrielle Baugh, a Philadelphia native and a longtime member of the Moonlight & Roses Committee, and Honorary Chair Lee Laden, who is active in her community at The Hill at Whitemarsh. Ms. Laden first became involved with the Arboretum more than three decades ago.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.morrisarboretum.org/moonlightandroses.shtml.

Primary Election Deadlines

The Philadelphia Municipal Primary Election is approaching! Check your voter registration, registration address, and ballot status well in advance of deadlines at www.votespa.com.

The last day to apply for an absentee or mail-in ballot is Tuesday, May 11. Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, 2021.  For more information and resources, please visit www.pennvotes.org.

Crimes

Weekly Crime Reports

University of Pennsylvania Police Department Crime Report

Below are the Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Society and Crimes Against Property from the campus report for April 19-25, 2021. 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 April 19-25, 2021. 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.

04/19/21

8:45 AM

4001 Walnut St

Merchandise taken without payment/Arrest.

04/19/21

2:20 PM

51 N 39th St

Offender assaulted complainant with knife inside parking garage/Arrest.

04/19/21

2:21 PM

4001 Walnut St

Male observed taking wallet from shopping cart.

04/19/21

5:04 PM

3400 Spruce St

Work phone taken.

04/19/21

7:56 PM

415 Curie Blvd

Secured bike taken.

04/20/21

2:52 PM

2929 Walnut St

Unauthorized purchase on credit card.

04/21/21

10:37 AM

3100 Jones Way

Vehicle taken.

04/21/21

2:31 PM

220 S 33rd St

Secured bike taken.

04/24/21

1:06 AM

4000 Walnut St

Three offenders took delivery driver’s vehicle as he tried to stop them.

04/24/21

4:28 AM

124 S 39th St

Offender unlawfully used complainant’s credit card.

04/24/21

9:03 PM

20 S 40th St

Offender burglarized complainant’s apartment, removing two computers and other items.

04/25/21

7:30 PM

3700 Chestnut St

Offender struck complainant in the face several times.

 

18th District

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 4 incidents (2 robberies, 1 aggravated assault and 1 domestic assault) with 2 arrests were reported for April 19-25, 2021 by the 18th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue.

04/21/21

3:27 PM

4627 Pine St

Robbery/Arrest

04/24/21

1:00 AM

40th and Walnut Sts

Robbery/Arrest

04/24/21

8:57 PM

300 Hanson St

Aggravated Assault

04/25/21

7:34 PM

37th and Chestnut Sts

Domestic Assault

Bulletins

Benefits Open Enrollment Ends on Friday, May 7

Penn Benefits Open Enrollment will end this Friday, May 7. Don’t miss your opportunity to make changes to your health plans, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts for the 2021-2022 plan year.

For full details about this year’s Open Enrollment and benefits changes, visit www.hr.upenn.edu/openenrollment. There, you can access the 2021-2022 Benefits Enrollment Guide, the 2021-2022 medical, dental, and vision rates, and watch the What’s Changing video. You can also listen to The Choice is Yours, a three-episode podcast where Benefits experts talk about upcoming plan changes, answer frequently asked questions, and discuss other healthcare topics.

We encourage you to review your benefit choices each year. If you are satisfied with your selections, you don’t need to make a change, and you will receive the same coverage you had last year. This does not apply, however, to those who have the Child Life MetLife Insurance plan. If you have this plan you must re-enroll and add your qualified dependent children who are under the age of 26.

You can enroll or update your current elections via Workday@Penn 24 hours a day, 7 days a week during the Open Enrollment period. After May 7 you will only be able to make a change if you experience a qualifying life event.

If you prefer to enroll by phone, please call the Benefits Solution Center at 1 (866) 799-2329, Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Changes made during Open Enrollment will be effective as of July 1, 2021.

For more information, please call the Benefits Solution Center at 1 (866) 799-2329 or contact Human Resources at benefits@hr.upenn.edu.

—Division of Human Resources

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