January 25, 2022 Volume 68 Issue 20

January 20, 2022

We are grateful to every member of the Penn community who has come together to help us get through this latest phase of the COVID pandemic. We will return to in-person classes as scheduled on Monday, January 24. On that day, we will also resume the hybrid work plan for staff that first went into effect last year. There are many indications that the Omicron surge has peaked in our region; in particular, our campus positivity rate declined dramatically in the past week to 6.9%, after new highs of 17.7% and 13.5% in the previous two weeks. The trend is encouraging, and we will continue to work with our public health experts to monitor these rates as more people return to campus.

We thank all of you who have already participated in gateway testing, which will continue until January 31, and we are happy to report that nearly half of our undergraduates have already conducted their gateway tests. All members of the Penn community have access to free testing at any time. As a reminder, all students, faculty, staff, and postdocs are required to receive a booster shot by January 31. Students can upload their booster documentation to their Student Health Portal, and faculty, staff, and postdocs should upload their information into Workday.  

In advance of next week’s return to in-person education, we are sharing below our current plans and policies, which we will continue to adjust as the situation evolves. 

Screening Tests 

Beginning February 1, we will continue the screening test policies from last semester and conduct regular screening testing for all students (other than students enrolled in an online program), faculty, staff, and postdocs. Please continue to use PennOpen Pass on a daily basis to report any symptoms. Faculty and staff in clinical schools, as well as medical students on clinical rotations, should follow local guidance. 

• Fully Vaccinated Undergraduate and Graduate Students: All students who are fully vaccinated will be required to test once every other week. We encourage students to schedule all tests online now so that they can work around other time commitments and receive text reminders. 
• Fully Vaccinated Faculty, Staff, and Postdocs: We will continue to monitor a random sample of screening tests every two weeks. Faculty, staff, and postdocs are encouraged to test regularly. PCR tests will remain free and readily available to all members of the Penn community. 
• Not Fully Vaccinated Students, Faculty, Staff, and Postdocs: All students, faculty, staff, and postdocs who are not yet fully vaccinated, or who have a vaccine exemption, are required to test twice each week. 

Positive Screening Tests from Winter Break

All students, faculty, staff, and postdocs who tested positive during Winter Break (or during Pre-Arrival Testing) should report to PennOpen Pass and answer “yes” to “have you tested positive in the past 5 days” even if the test was more than 5 days ago. If your positive result was from an at-home rapid test, you only need to report to PennOpen Pass. If your positive result was from an antigen or PCR test, please submit a copy of the test result to covidtesting@upenn.edu with your name, Penn ID, Penn affiliation, and phone number. If you tested positive over Winter Break and report your result, you will be exempt from screening testing for 90 days following the date of the positive test. 

Isolation and Quarantine Policies

As announced last month, we have updated our quarantine policies in accordance with new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Given the higher number of students testing positive during this phase of the pandemic, we have been identifying potential additional isolation spaces for students in on-campus housing. However, if we reach capacity in our designated isolation spaces and/or more students test positive before isolation spaces become available, COVID-positive students may be required to isolate in place. We will continue to consult public health experts and keep the community updated if plans change. 

Masking 

We are making surgical masks widely available across campus as we implement the requirement to wear a KN95 or N95 mask or to layer a cloth mask on top of a disposable mask. Please contact your school and/or college house if you need a mask and are not able to access one. Instructors can find additional guidance on masking in the FAQs on the Provost’s website. 

In-Person Classes and Gatherings 

For instructors, the Center for Teaching and Learning offers extensive guidance and strategies for returning to in-person teaching. The Faculty Senate will also be offering a webinar on Returning to In-Person Teaching on January 26 from 4-5 p.m., for which instructors can register online.  

Students can find updated guidelines for events and for event registration on the University Life website. The guidelines announced in December remain in effect until further notice. 

Both students and faculty can also find extensive academic FAQs on the Provost’s website. 

We are hopeful for better days ahead, as we continue to assess and respond to the unpredictable course of this virus. We will continue to keep you updated over the coming weeks.

—Amy Gutmann, President
—Beth Winkelstein, Interim Provost
—Craig Carnaroli, Senior Executive Vice President
—J. Larry Jameson, Executive Vice President for the Health System

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries is pleased to announce that Emily Morton-Owens has been named Associate Vice Provost for Technology and Digital Initiatives. In this role, she will lead and work with colleagues across the libraries and the University to plan, implement, scale, and sustain digital technologies and practices that enable Penn students, researchers, scholars, and their collaborators to function skillfully and competitively in a digital world.

“As a national leader in library technology, Emily is celebrated for her people-first approach,” said Constantia Constantinou, H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and Director of Libraries. “Her technical acumen, combined with her focus on user service, her commitment to team building and collaboration, and her considerable multidisciplinary strengths, will guide the Penn Libraries as we build on current successes in technological transformation in alignment with our strategic priorities.”

Ms. Morton-Owens is currently the acting associate university librarian for IT at the Penn Libraries and was a core contributor to the Penn Libraries Strategic Plan 2020-2025. She has held positions of increasing responsibility and complexity over her six-year tenure with the Penn Libraries and played a leading role in making library technology more accessible across campus. Her extensive professional experience in both information technology and library management beyond Penn includes positions as the applications and systems manager of the Seattle Public Library and as an assistant curator of the New York University Health Sciences Library.

She holds an MS in computer science from the Courant Institute of New York University and an MS in library and information science from Drexel University. From 2013 to 2018, she was an instructor of the Digital Library Technologies course at the College of Computing & Informatics at Drexel University. From 2013 to 2018. she was an instructor of the Digital Library Technologies course at the College of Computing & Informatics at Drexel University.

She also brings deep knowledge and passion for the humanities to her work. She holds a BA in German studies, with a focus in art history, from Yale University. She speaks both French and Dutch, and in recent years she has extended her interest in languages through taking introductory courses in Korean at Penn.

“As our technology landscape gets more complex, we need to embrace digital libraries as services, programs, and experiences that include but extend beyond information technology,” said Ms. Morton-Owens. “We are building the libraries of the future, and our technology is a large screen for us to project our values on. The Penn Libraries is committed to human-centered design and development, and I look forward to working with my very talented Penn Libraries colleagues to provide effective user experiences that meet the needs of diverse communities on campus and in the wider world.”

Ms. Morton-Owens’s vision and approach have been recognized nationally. She served from 2019 to 2020 as President of the Library Information Technology Association (LITA) and from 2020 to 2021 as a member of the board of directors of the American Library Association’s core division. She previously sat on the editorial board of the journal Information Technology and Libraries, the book publishing panel of the Medical Library Association, the LITA Assessment  and Research Committee, and the LITA Top Technology Trends Committee. She has authored or co-authored and presented numerous peer-reviewed articles and presentations on topics ranging from de-identifying patron data to building open repositories for cultural heritage sources and building mobile services for a medical library.

As the Associate Vice Provost for Technology and Digital Initiatives, Ms. Morton-Owens will oversee a team of 80 Penn Libraries staff members, providing leadership and direction for both traditional and innovative digital services, systems, and initiatives. Areas under Ms. Morton-Owens’s purview include digital development and systems to support the digital library; desktop support and client services; educational technology and learning management, including management of Canvas, the University-wide courseware platform; research data and digital scholarship; the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image; and cultural heritage technologies and digital assets management.

She will also work with colleagues across the University of Pennsylvania on overall digital strategy and IT governance and innovation, with the ultimate goal of continually improving, enhancing, and extending library services to meet the emerging needs of the Penn community.

Her first day in her new role was January 10, 2022.

In September 2021, Penn President Amy Gutmann and Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, announced a $100 million commitment to accelerate innovations in medical technologies. Called the Center for Precision Engineering for Health (CPE4H), the initiative aims to bring together researchers from a wide range of fields to develop customizable biomaterials and implantable devices that can be tailored for individualized diagnostics, treatments and therapies.

Now, Daniel A. Hammer, the Alfred G. and Meta A. Ennis Professor in Penn Engineering’s departments of bioengineering and chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been named CPE4H’s inaugural director.

“Penn is a unique environment where innovations in healthcare can emerge very rapidly, as we’ve seen with the development of CAR-T cancer immunotherapy and the design and delivery of mRNA vaccines,” Dr. Hammer said. “Engineering plays a central role in making those technologies functional and maximizing their impact, and CPE4H is a golden opportunity to take these technologies to the next level in a way that actually helps people.”

With CPE4H serving as one of the three signature initiatives in Penn Engineering’s strategic plan, the school’s first priority is the hiring of ten new faculty members whose expertise will have a long-term impact on its overall research agenda. Dr. Hammer is leading the center’s search committee, featuring faculty from Penn Engineering and Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, which aims to recruit in four key areas:

• Drug delivery, such as the development of lipid nanoparticles that can safely encapsulate mRNA and other high-value active agents, such as proteins, DNA, CRISPR enzymes and guides, and antibiotics and get them to the most appropriate site of action. Such nanoparticles have already been critical to the success of COVID-19 vaccines, but other packaging materials and surface customizations can be developed to target specific organs or promote complementary biological responses as delivery vehicles release their payloads.
• Biomimicry, including entirely synthetic materials that are based on the design of biological cells and tissue. These materials would communicate with the body using the same principles that natural cells use to signal to one another. Such materials could interface with the immune system’s memory cells, improving the efficacy of vaccines or preventing autoimmune disorders, or lead to the assembly of organoids, or organ-like materials that can be used to produce or test biological molecules in vitro.
• Responsive biodevices, or assemblies of biological material that are sensitive to external stimuli, such as light, heat, or mechanical stress. Such devices could include gel-like scaffoldings that can stiffen or relax depending on a pre-programmed cue, prompting the response of cells or tissues, or implantable, light-activated materials that heal damaged tissue by releasing small molecules.
• Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for an integrated, multicellular response. Advanced microstructured materials that are hybrids of biological and non-biological materials, MEMS can be used to connect cells in circuit-like arrangements. Examples might include implantable, self-powering electrodes that can monitor or extend neural activity for memory or therapeutic intervention.

Dr. Hammer envisions CPE4H connecting the extensive community of research centers within Penn Engineering and Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine, like Penn Health-Tech, the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Institute for Immunology, and the newly formed Penn Anti-Cancer Engineering Center, with collaborations through interdisciplinary seminars and workshops, as well as through seed funding for high-risk, high-reward research that leads to commercialization.

“Penn has an enormous advantage in this space, given that medicine and engineering are on the same contiguous campus. It is a place where a student in engineering can go to a medical school seminar and not skip a beat in their own labs,” Dr. Hammer said. “Combined with the talent on the Penn campus, it’s an amazing environment for doing creative science at the interface between engineering and health.”

The transformative potential for work at that interface is why the CPE4H was selected as one of the school’s three signature initiatives.

“CPE4H creates an unparalleled ecosystem of people and ideas, using engineering principles to enable a healthy lifespan never seen before in history,” said David F. Meaney, Senior Associate Dean and Solomon R. Pollack Professor in Penn Engineering’s department of bioengineering. “Inspired by interdisciplinary science, connected to the human condition, and broadly accessible to the world, the center truly embodies Penn Engineering’s ideals.”

“I appreciate and am grateful for the support of the school and to Dean Kumar in selecting me to spearhead this important signature initiative,” said Dr. Hammer.

January 18, 2022

Dear Law School students, faculty, and staff,

Since at least 2017, and most recently again two weeks ago, Professor Amy Wax has repeatedly made derogatory public statements about the characteristics, attitudes, and abilities of a majority of those who study, teach, and work here. In some of those instances, she has exploited her faculty access to confidential information about students in ostensible support of her inaccurate statements.

Her conduct has generated multiple complaints from members of our community, citing the impact of pervasive and recurring vitriol and promotion of white supremacy as cumulative and increasing. The complaints assert that it is impossible for students to take classes from her without a reasonable belief that they are being treated with discriminatory animus. These complaints clearly call for a process that can fairly consider claims, for example, that her conduct is having an adverse and discernable impact on her teaching and classroom activities.

Taking her public behavior, prior complaints, and more recent complaints together, I have decided it is my responsibility as Dean to initiate the University procedure governing sanctions taken against a faculty member. As I have already discussed with Faculty Senate leadership, I am aggregating the complaints received to date, together with other information available to me, and will serve as the named complainant for these matters. This process is necessarily thorough and deliberate, but using it allows consideration of the range of minor and major sanctions permissible under the University’s rules.

As this process takes place, my colleagues and I will continue the daily work of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School in training and supporting brilliant attorneys from the broadest possible range of backgrounds, ensuring equitable treatment in the classroom and throughout our institution.

—Ted Ruger, Dean of the University ofPennsylvania Carey Law School and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law

Building on its portfolio of advanced degree options, Penn Dental Medicine has launched a new hybrid master’s program, the Master of Advanced Dental Studies (MADS), where students will take courses through an interactive online platform and attend a six-week on-campus clinical rotation. The new program is designed for clinicians who wish to enhance their knowledge and skills as dental practitioners. Students will have the opportunity to choose from seven specialty programs: endodontics, orthodontics, oral & maxillofacial surgery, oral medicine, pediatric dentistry, periodontics and prosthodontics.

“The MADS program is unique among U.S. dental schools as it gives clinicians the opportunity to pursue professional enrichment to enchance their career while providing the flexibility to do so while continuing their dental practice or training,” said Esra Sahingur, associate dean of graduate studies and student research and the MADS program director. “This global program will bring together a diverse group of clinicians and we are all very excited to welcome our first cohort.”

The curriculum offers a broad range of relevant courses, from in-depth seminars to discussion-based lectures, which culminates in an on-campus clinical rotation. During the clinical rotations, students will review cases, develop diagnosis and treatment planning, and observe various clinical procedures. Additionally, students will be assigned a mentor within their specialty to empower their professional development.

“The program will expose participants to the latest innovations and technological advances in dentistry and deepen their knowledge in basic and clinical sciences,” added Dr. Sahingur.

The MADS program will welcome its first cohort in July 2022.

This is a summary of the annual report of the University of Pennsylvania Health & Welfare Program, Plan No. 503, sponsored by The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, EIN 23-1352685, for the period that began on July 1, 2020 and ended on June 30, 2021. This annual report has been filed with the Employee Benefits Security Administration, as required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). Please note that not all employees are eligible to participate in all of the benefits available under the plan. Please consult your plan materials for specific eligibility information.

Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, and Long-Term Disability Benefits

The University of Pennsylvania has committed itself to pay certain medical and prescription drug claims, dental benefits, and long-term disability benefits incurred under the terms of the plan on a self-insured basis. In addition, the plan has a contract with CIGNA Health and Life Insurance Company to pay certain medical claims incurred under the terms of the contract. The total premiums paid for the plan year ending June 30, 2021 to CIGNA were $120,097. The plan also has a contract with Standard Insurance Company to pay certain long-term disability benefits incurred under the terms of the contract. The total premiums paid to Standard Insurance Company for the plan year ending June 30, 2021 were $1,267,810.

Vision Benefits

The plan has contracts with Davis Vision Plan and Vision Service Plan to pay vision claims incurred under the terms of the contract. The total premiums paid under these contracts for the plan year ending June 30, 2021 to Davis Vision Plan were $689,675 and to Vision Service Plan were $714,413.

Life Insurance Benefits

The plan has a contract with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company to pay life insurance, dependent life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance claims incurred under the terms of the contract. The total premiums paid under this contract for the plan year ending June 30, 2021 were $8,189,821.

Long-Term Care Benefits

The plan has contracts with John Hancock Life Insurance Company and Genworth Life Insurance Company to pay long-term care claims incurred under the terms of the contracts. The total premiums paid under these contracts for the plan year ending June 30, 2021 to John Hancock Life Insurance Co. were $1,150,850 and to Genworth Life Insurance Co. were $870,399.

Your Rights to Additional Information

You have the right to receive a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, on request. Insurance information is included in this annual report. The items listed below are included in that report:

1. financial information and information on payments to service providers; and
2. insurance information including sales commissions paid by insurance carriers.

To obtain a copy of the full annual report, or any part thereof, write the office of the Plan Administrator, c/o Joanne M. Blythe, Director, Retirement and Leave Administration, 3451 Walnut Street, Franklin Building, 6th Floor, Philadelphia, PA  19104-6205, or call (215) 898-9947. The charge to cover copying costs will be $5.00 for the full annual report or 25 cents per page for any part thereof.

You also have the legally protected right under ERISA to examine the annual report in the offices of the Employer at the address for the Plan Administrator, above, and at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C., or to obtain a copy from the U.S. Department of Labor upon payment of copying costs. Requests to the Department of Labor should be addressed to: Public Disclosure Room, Room N-1513, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210.

—Division of Human Resources

Section IV.3(c) of the Council bylaws provides that a University Council meeting “shall incorporate an open forum to which all members of the University community are invited and during which any member of the University community can direct questions to the Council.”

All members of the University community are invited to bring issues for discussion.

University Council Open Forum

Wednesday, February 23, 2022
4-6 p.m.
Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall

(PennCard required for entry)

Individuals who want to be assured of speaking at Open Forum must inform the Office of the University Secretary (ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu) by 10 a.m. on Monday, February 7, 2022. Please indicate the topic you would like to discuss.

Those who have not so informed the Office of the University Secretary will be permitted to speak only at the discretion of the moderator of University Council and in the event that time remains after the scheduled speakers.

Please see the meeting format provided below. Questions may be directed to the Office of the University Secretary at (215) 898-7005 or ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu.

—Office of the University Secretary

Format for University Council’s Open Forum
February 23, 2022

The University Council will devote a substantial portion of its February 23, 2022 meeting to a public forum. The purpose of the Open Forum is to inform the Council of issues important to the University’s general welfare and of the range of views held by members of the University. The forum is open to all members of the University community (PennCard required for entry) under the conditions set by the bylaws, following guidelines established by the Steering Committee of University Council:

1. Any member of the University who wishes to do so may attend the Council meeting. Individuals who want to be assured of speaking at Council, however, must inform the Office of the University Secretary (ucouncil@pobox.upenn.edu) by 10 a.m. on Monday, February 7, 2022, indicating briefly the subject of their remarks. Those who have not so informed the Office of the University Secretary will be permitted to speak only at the discretion of the moderator of University Council and in the event that time remains after the scheduled speakers.
2. Speakers should expect to be limited to three minutes. The moderator may restrict repetition of views.
3. Following the deadline for speakers to sign up with the Office of the University Secretary, the chair of the Steering Committee and the moderator of University Council will structure the subject matter themes, speakers, and times for the Open Forum session. In the event that there is not enough time available at the meeting to provide for all those who have requested to speak, the two officers may make selections which accommodate the broadest array of issues having important implications for Council’s work and represent the breadth of Council’s constituencies. The resulting order of Open Forum topics will be made available no later than the Tuesday before the meeting, to be published on the Office of the University Secretary website (https://secretary.upenn.edu/univ-council/open-forum) and, if deadline constraints allow, in Almanac.
4. Speakers’ statements should be framed to present policy issues and be directed to University Council as a body through the moderator. The moderator will have discretion to interrupt statements that are directed against persons and otherwise to maintain the decorum of the meeting, as provided for in the bylaws.

University Council Meeting Agenda

Bodek Lounge, Houston Hall
February 2, 2022 at 4 p.m.

I. Approval of the minutes of the December 1, 2021 University Council meeting. 1 minute
II. Follow-up comments or questions on Status Reports. 5 minutes
III. Presentation: Wellness Update. 30 minutes
IV. New Business. 5 minutes
V. Adjournment.

Our February AT PENN calendar is live now! Click here to view a web version, or download a printable PDF of the calendar here.

As always, to submit an event for a future calendar or update, send the salient details to almanac@upenn.edu!

The Arthur Ross Gallery is pleased to announce No Ocean Between Us: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America & The Caribbean, 1945–Present, an exhibition that explores Asian migration to Latin America and the Caribbean and its influence on modern and contemporary art. No Ocean Between Us is on view at the Arthur Ross Gallery from January 29 through May 23, 2022.

Inspired by the permanent collection of the AMA|Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States, No Ocean Between Us: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America and The Caribbean, 1945–Present features more than 30 important works by Latin American and Caribbean artists of Asian heritage. The exhibition demonstrates how this work emerged from cross-directional global dialogues between the artists, their Asian cultural heritages, their Latin American or Caribbean identities, and their interaction with major artistic movements.

Included in the exhibition are paintings, works on paper, sculptures, videos, and mixed media works by artists from Brazil, Cuba, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Showcasing the work of influential artists such as Wifredo Lam, Manabu Mabe, and Tomie Ohtake, among many others, No Ocean Between Us demonstrates their vital but often overlooked contributions to the creative landscape.

Asian migration to the Americas resulted from labor shortages stemming from the United Kingdom’s abolition of its slave trade in 1807. The British, Spanish, and Dutch colonizers in the Caribbean, along with newly independent countries such as Peru and Brazil, brought workers from India, China, Indonesia, and Japan to meet the rising demand for labor. While most of these workers ultimately returned to their countries of origin, many settled in their new homelands, setting in motion the rich and complex histories of assimilation and exchange on view in this singular exhibition.

No Ocean Between Us has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor. The exhibition was graciously supported by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation.

Adriana Ospina is the director of the OAS AMA|Art Museum of the Americas. She began at the AMA in 2008 as the educational program manager, and in 2014 was appointed the permanent collection curator. She also oversees AMA’s Archives of Modern and Contemporary Art of the Americas. Ms. Ospina is a Colombian art historian and holds an MA in art history from George Mason University.

No Ocean Between Us: Art of Asian Diasporas in Latin America & The Caribbean, 1945– Present was developed and organized for tour by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC, in collaboration with the Art Museum of the Americas of the Organization of American States, Washington, DC. International Arts & Artists is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs and services to artists, arts institutions, and the public.

Exhibits

Penn Museum

Online and in-person events. Info: www.penn.museum/calendar.

28        Virtual Global Guide Tour: Asia Galleries; 2:30 p.m.

Fitness & Learning

Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships

Online webinars. Info: https://www.curf.upenn.edu/curf-events.

26        Info Session: Summer Humanities Internship Program; 7 p.m.

28        PURM Info Session; 3 p.m.

Graduate School of Education (GSE)

Unless noted, online events. Info: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/events-calendar.

27        Time and Energy Management Workshop; for staff; 10 a.m.

28        Friday Virtual Chats with Admissions; 9 a.m.

            Yoga at the Palestra; noon; meet at the Palestra.

29        School Leadership Program Information Session; 10 a.m.-noon.

Talks

25        Asian America Across the Disciplines: Race and Academic Approaches; Mike O’Bryan, Drexel; noon; room 473, McNeil Building and Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/o-bryan-talk-jan-25 (Asian American Studies).

26        Salmonella Persisters During Infection; Sophie Helaine, Harvard; noon; BlueJeans webinar; join: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/live-event/xqbzwhrb (Microbiology).

            Social Policy, the Workforce, & the COVID Economy; Katherina Rosqueta, Center for High Impact Philanthropy; Ioana Marinescu, National Bureau of Economic Research; noon; online webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/rosqueta-marinescu-jan-26 (SP2).

            Learning in Factor Graphs for Tactile Perception; Paloma Sodhi, Carnegie Mellon University; 3 p.m.; room 307, Levine Hall and Zoom webinar; join: https://tinyurl.com/sodhi-talk-jan-26 (GRASP Lab).

            Revealing the Unknown Dynamics of High-Energy-Density Lithium-Metal Batteries; Fang Liu, Stanford; 3:30 p.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall, and Zoom webinar; register:  https://tinyurl.com/liu-talk-jan-26 (Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering).

27        Dissecting Causes of Variation in Immune Defenses: The Case of the Swarming T-Helper Cells; Andrea Graham, Princeton; 4 p.m.; Zoom webinar; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/97464347521 (Biology).

            Before and After: Cycles of Destruction and Renewal in Martial’s Rome; Virginia Closs, University of Massachusetts Amherst; 4:45 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/classical-studies-spring-2022

            Masters in Miniature: Future Horizons for Italian Manuscript Studies; Bryan Keene, Riverside City College; 5:15 p.m.; Kislak Center, Van Pelt Library; register: https://libcal.library.upenn.edu/event/8592688 (Italian Studies).

28        Making It: How to Navigate the Fine Arts as an Asian American; Piyali Bhattacharya, creative writing; noon; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/bhattacharya-talk-jan-28 (Asian American Studies).

            What Can a Taxidermied Horse Teach Us About the Politics of Race and Memory? Nicole Maurantonio, University of Richmond; noon; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/maurantonio-talk-jan-28 (Annenberg School).

            Prospering through Prospera: Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Impacts on Educational Attainment and Achievement in Mexico; Jere Behrman, economics; 12:30 p.m.; Zoom webinar; info: mbahti@upenn.edu (Graduate School of Education).

            Taking a Layman’s Perspective to Turbulence Modeling; Xiang Yang, Penn State; 2 p.m.; room 534, 3401 Walnut Street (Penn Institute for Computational Science).

            Massey Products for Curves; Frauke Bleher, University of Iowa; 3:30 p.m.; Zoom webinar; info: https://www.math.upenn.edu/events/massey-products-curves (Mathematics).

            Reckoning with Racism in Nursing: Acknowledgment, Recognition, and Admission; Roberta Waite, Dean of Georgetown School of Nursing; 4 p.m.; BlueJeans webinar; register: https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/cfygqjff (Nursing).

31        Toric Topology of Simple Polytopes with Small Chromatic Number; Djordje Baralic, Serbian Academy of Sciences; 2 p.m.; Zoom webinar; info: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/96850916585 (Mathematics).

            The Behavioral Code: The Hidden Ways the Law Makes Us Better… Or Worse; Benjamin van Rooij, UCI Law; Adam Fine, Arizona State; 4:30 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/van-rooji-fine-jan-31 (Carey Law School).

Penn Dental

Unless noted, online webinars. Info: https://www.dental.upenn.edu/news-events/events/.

27        Artificial Intelligence for the Detection of Periapical Lesions; Frank Setzer, endodontics; noon.

Economics

Online webinars. Info: https://economics.sas.upenn.edu/events.

26        The Global Race for Talent: Brain Drain, Knowledge Transfer and Growth; Marta Prato, University of Chicago; noon.

27        Quality Disclosure and Regulation: Scoring Design in Medicare Advantage; Benjamin Vatter, Northwestern University; noon.

28        Bidding for Talent: Equilibrium Wage Dispersion on a High-Wage Online Job Board; Benjamin Scuderi, UC Berkeley; noon.

31        Identifying Prediction Mistakes in Observational Data; Ashesh Rambachan, Harvard; noon.

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AT PENN Information

This issue includes the February AT PENN Calendar. To submit an event for a future AT PENN calendar or weekly update, email us the salient details at almanac@upenn.edu. A listing in Almanac boosts visibility and is free.

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 January 10-16, 2022. 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 January 10-16, 2022. 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.

18th District

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 5 incidents (2 assaults, 2 robberies, and 1 aggravated assault) with 1 arrest were reported for January 10-16, 2022 by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue.

The Trustees’ Council of Penn Women (TCPW) is accepting applications for its Annual Grants Program and encourages members of the University community to apply.
Grants ranging between $1,000-$3,000 will be available to individuals or organizations which promote:

• women’s issues
• the quality of undergraduate and graduate life for women
• the advancement of women
• the physical, emotional, and psychological well-being of women

Favorable consideration will be given to projects that:

• affect a broad segment of the University population
• foster a greater awareness of women’s issues
• provide seed money for pilot programs that have the potential to become ongoing self-supporting programs

To apply, visit the TCPW Grant web page. Applications must be submitted no later than February 20, 2022. Awards will be announced in the spring of 2022 and funds will be distributed in July/August 2022 for projects in the 2022-2023 academic year. For more information, contact Terri Welsh at welsh@upenn.edu.

The Center on Digital Culture and Society (CDCS) at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania invites applications for two postdoctoral fellowships. To receive full consideration, applications should be submitted by March 1, 2022.

CDCS postdoctoral fellows work on their own research projects and present a colloquium. Fellows are provided a stipend of $55,000, a research fund of $3,000, health insurance, a work space and a computer, and library access. In addition, the CDCS will cover up to $1,000 in domestic relocation expenses and up to $2,000 if moving internationally. There are some opportunities for solo-teaching within the Annenberg undergraduate program. Applicants interested in teaching should signal this in their cover letter. Postdoctoral fellows who are selected to teach during their tenure will be paid an additional stipend.

This is a one-year residential fellowship. CDCS strives to be an inclusive community of scholars driven by intellectual curiosity and exchange, and rooted in the life of the Annenberg School, the University of Pennsylvania, and the city of Philadelphia. To foster mentoring and collaboration at all levels, fellows are expected to be fully engaged in the life of the center. The final determination of the residency requirement for the 2022-2023 academic year will be made in the coming months based on university policy related to COVID-19.

Eligibility

Applications are welcome from scholars with PhDs awarded between May 1, 2020 and August 1, 2022 are welcomed. The appointment typically starts on August 15.

How to Apply

To apply, please send a cover letter, a C.V., a research proposal, a writing sample, and three letters of recommendation. The research proposal, including the bibliography, should not exceed 2,000 words. All application materials except reference letters must be sent as a single PDF document to cdcs@asc.upenn.edu by March 1, 2022. Applicants should arrange for their letters of recommendation to be sent to the same email by the same date.

Questions about these fellowships should be directed to cdcs@asc.upenn.edu. For more information, visit https://www.asc.upenn.edu/news-events/news/call-applications-post-doctoral-fellowships-digital-narratives-covid-19-pandemic.

University of Pennsylvania Vice President of Information Technology & University Chief Information Officer, Tom Murphy, approved a consolidation of IT Networking related policies into an IT Network Policy and IT Network Standard.  Effective immediately, the new policy and standard replace the following policies:

• Policy on Computer Disconnection from PennNet
• Policy on Deployment, Operation, and Registration Requirements for Wireless Access Points on PennNet
• Policy on Management of University Telephone Numbers
• Policy on Routing Devices Connected to PennNet
• Policy on the Duration of PennNames
• Policy on the Installation and Maintenance of Network Wiring
• Policy on the Operation of DHCP and BOOTP Servers on PennNet
• Policy on the Operation of Private Remote Access Services Connecting to PennNet
• Policy on the use of @upenn.edu address space
• Policy on the use of PennNet IP address space
• Policy on the use of upenn.edu domain name space
• Policy on Troubleshooting Charges for PennNet
• Policy on Unused PennNet Wallplates
• Policy on Use of Ethernet Switches at PennNet wallplates

The consolidation, while not introducing any substantial new requirements, modernizes and clarifies requirements for managing and securing Penn information technology infrastructure.
The IT Network Policy and IT Network Standard may be accessed at:

• https://www.isc.upenn.edu/ITPC/networkStandards
• https://www.isc.upenn.edu/ITPC/networkPolicy 

Questions regarding the IT Network Policy and IT Network Standard may be addressed to: Paul Herrmann, IT Policy Committee Chair, paulherr@upenn.edu.

Almanac publishes a supplement each year featuring the camps and programs taking place at Penn over the summer. It features camps for children, teens, and young adults for an array of activities, from academics, enrichment and recreation—including anthropology, business, law, veterinary medicine and music—to numerous sports camps. To submit information about a camp, email almanac@upenn.edu with the following information: name of camp; dates held (if multiple sessions, indicate dates for each); age range for participants; summary of the program that is 35 words or less; cost (note any discounts); URL for enrollment/application forms; deadline to apply/enroll (if applicable); and an email, link, and/or phone number to obtain more information.

Dalmacio Dennis Flores

An undergraduate student in one of my social determinants of health class that I typically teach wrote in her course evaluation “more than expecting for us to be great students, I appreciate that he just really wants us to be good humans.” This was from a student who prefaced her comment with an admission of disengagement with online classes in general. And thus, with a sense of satisfaction, I concluded my online case study class with 18 students in spring 2021 and looked forward to the summer. Unlike many students prior to the pandemic who rarely let on that they were struggling in their classes, I found many more were letting their guards down during the last year and a half and being willing to share their struggles due to the stress they have been under. However, as we get back to in-person classes, surely, we can get our students to be comfortable and to authentically engage with us, right? I believe we can help students bring their authentic selves if we are intentional about making space for those selves by creating a more inclusive class.

Inclusivity, for me, means making students feel a sense of belonging in the class where they can feel safe and know that feeling overwhelmed is understandable. Despite the bravado of students’ Penn face pre-pandemic, creating an inclusive classroom is an important way to signal to students that being overwhelmed is OK. With 13% of Penn’s Class of 2024 being the first in their families to go to college and 54% self-identifying as students of color, the topics we covered in the fall of 2021 semester may not be abstract issues for students but ones they may be wrestling with on campus or ones that their families contend with back home. From discussions about social determinants of health to navigating tricky issues about human sexuality and health, Penn students’ day-to-day experiences are often not very far removed from the contents of my syllabus. Thus, going forward, inclusivity means encouraging students’ personal reflections or insights about a phenomenon and exploring factors that determine their engagement with the material. Inclusivity, in its very essence, means appreciating students’ intersecting identities and creating an environment where they can come to class as their full selves—to the extent they choose to—and not a sanitized version deemed palatable for Ivy League consumption. Inclusive strategies in our pedagogy frees up student energy needlessly expended when they hold on to their insecurities and allows them to redirect their focus on the college experience and all the intellectual stimulation it offers. 

So how have I tried to foster inclusivity in my seminar class of 20 students or large lectures for 80 undergraduates? Inclusivity in our pedagogy, I have learned, starts with intentionality. Inclusivity essentially begins when the class content is being planned out before a semester begins. This involves examining the syllabus and incorporating works on the reading list authored by individuals from a variety of backgrounds in the hopes of broadening and deepening student interest. A rule of thumb: one can never have too many readings by women, scholars of color, or LGBTQ individuals. Inclusivity can also occur in the verbalization of perspectives that are unaccounted for in the assigned readings. Inclusivity involves inviting guest lecturers who don’t share my same background but ones who can provide alternative worldviews. Inclusivity is modelling to students how the T.A. is treated not as a glorified assistant but one who is deputized to actively contribute and enrich class proceedings. 

Inclusivity also requires figuring out how class objectives can be made plainly salient to students in the context of their current lives and future careers. Inclusivity is centering students’ past, present, and future storylines. At the beginning of each semester or the first few minutes of a lecture, I solicit personal details or opinions from students and later loop those details in to underscore key points. If the class I teach is a required one for their degree, I query students on how they think it will be useful in their future professional life. If they signed up for an elective, I ask them why they chose to do so and incorporate their reasons as best as I can throughout the semester. For example, during the two-day lecture on emergency preparedness, students are asked about where their dream jobs out of Penn might be only to be quizzed later about the common types of disasters they should expect to respond to in e.g., Phoenix, AZ or in Miami, FL (wildfires and hurricanes, respectively). When I refer to students by name later and use those tidbits of personal details, they appreciate the way their seemingly random life factoid was heard, and more importantly, incorporated in an educational concept. 

Inclusivity also means going back to basics and motivating students to come to class prepared to engage. This means keeping tabs on students’ performance across the semester and providing opportunities for engagement. Since it is not uncommon for one’s class to respond to a random question with silence, on say, how Legionnaire’s disease was discovered, it is therefore perfectly OK to pick on one of the disengaged students to come back next week to answer the question and therefore bravely save the class’ honor. Making it look like you’re enlisting a co-conspirator or calling for reinforcements minimizes the stakes while serving students a subtle notice about expectations around active participation. From my experience, spontaneity works even if it’s rehearsed on the part of the faculty. To illustrate, in our community immersion class, I’ll deviate from the assigned readings and compel students to instead examine breaking local news, such as the health impact of the oil refinery explosion in South Philadelphia and its subsequent closure in 2019 or the impossibility of social distancing in multigenerational homes in North Philadelphia, as more apt contexts for a given week’s discussion. 

As we shift from remote to in-person this spring, I will remind myself that inclusivity can also be a (semi) contact sport. This will include elbow bumps and eye contact with students who are trudging in half-awake for those 8:30 a.m. classes. It will involve a series of air high-fives with students who utter profound statements relating to the material or a dramatically raised hand to silence the class after a particularly cogent argument has been made. Student buy-in can be encouraged with an approving wink to a group of juniors whose members are keen on elevating the class discussion into the realm of graduate-level colloquia. Inclusivity also means verbal praise that specifies the student’s class contribution. I will make a big deal out of someone’s stellar discussion post on Canvas by spotlighting it during the in-person class or publicly asking a student if I may use their paper in a future class as an exemplar. Because inclusivity and engagement go hand in hand, I will also provide unsolicited feedback on how well they’re progressing in class. I will also not make course problem notices the first time a possible concern emerges.

Whether in-person or online, when students see our consistent efforts at inclusivity, they will be primed to participate. Ultimately, inclusivity models for students the many ways that they themselves can connect with others beyond the four walls of the classroom or the nebulous boundaries of the online university. Beyond the course content covered with them by their professors at Penn, inclusivity is an ingredient in the university experience that might just support them in becoming decent humans.

Dalmacio Dennis Flores, PhD, ACRN, is an assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Health at Penn Nursing. He received the Department Award for Exemplary Teaching in May 2021 and received the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women Award for Undergraduate Advising in fall 2021.

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This essay continues the series that began in the fall of 1994 as the joint creation of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Lindback Society for Distinguished Teaching. 

See https://almanac.upenn.edu/talk-about-teaching-and-learning-archive for previous essays.