May 24, 2022 Volume 68 Issue 35

Penn Dental Medicine has chosen faculty members to be honored for excellence in teaching by the Class of 2022. Each academic year, the graduating class recognizes members of the faculty who have had a significant impact of their educational experience; this year’s recipients were honored as part of the Senior Farewell celebration held on May 10. 

The Basic Science Award 

This award is presented for excellence in teaching within the basic sciences. This year’s recipient is Elliot Hersh, a professor in the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery/pharmacology. This marks a record 21 times that Dr. Hersh has been presented with this award. A highly respected researcher in non-addicting strategies to manage acute postoperative dental pain, Dr. Hersh has been part of the Penn Dental Medicine faculty since 1988. He currently serves as course director of the second-year Introduction to Pharmacology course and the Neuropharmacology course and lectures in the first-year Biological Systems Foundation Sciences III course and in the second-year Oral and Maxillofacial Complex III, Biological Systems V and Biological Systems VI courses. He also directs and lectures in the Postdoctoral Pharmacology and Therapeutics course and has created online video/audio material for senior dental students in preparation for National Boards. Dr. Hersh is a past recipient of the University of Pennsylvania’s Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching and the IADR Distinguished Scientist Award in Pharmacology, Therapeutics and Toxicology, and is a co-recipient of Penn’s One Health Award. 

The Robert E. DeRevere Award 

This award is presented for excellence in preclinical teaching by a part-time faculty member. The award is named in honor of Dr. DeRevere, a member of the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 1945, who served on the school’s faculty. This year’s recipient is Frank Smithgall, a clinical associate professor of restorative dentistry, who has been a member of the school’s part-time faculty since 1984.

Dr. Smithgall lectures in preclinical courses, and for the past seven years, he has been course director of Partial Removable Dental Prosthesis. This is the eighth time Dr. Smithgall has been honored with this award.

The Joseph L. T. Appleton Award 

This award is presented to a part-time faculty member for excellence in clinical teaching. This year’s honoree is David Nepa, a clinical associate in the department of preventive and restorative sciences. Dr. Nepa has been part of the school’s clinical faculty since 2017, teaching DMD students general restorative dentistry within the clinic. This is the second time Dr. Nepa has been recognized with this award.

The Appleton Award is named in honor of Joseph Appleton, a 1914 alumnus of Penn Dental Medicine who served as dean of the school from 1941 to 1951. The award was founded in 1979 by Abram Cohen, a member of the Class of 1923 and father of Dean Emeritus D. Walter Cohen, Class of 1950.

The Earle Bank Hoyt Award 

This award is presented for excellence in teaching to a faculty member who is a Penn Dental Medicine graduate. The award was established by a grateful patient in honor of Dr. Hoyt, a distinguished clinician and educator and member of the Class of 1918. This year’s recipient is Roopali Kulkarni, an instructor in the department of oral medicine, who earned her DMD with a master of public health at Penn Dental Medicine and completed postdoctoral training in oral medicine at Penn Dental as well. Since joining the faculty in 2021, Dr. Kulkarni has taught predoctoral and postdoctoral students clinically in the Oral Medicine and Personalized Care Suite, and didactically, she lectures on a wide range of subjects relating to oral medicine and interdisciplinary care. Her scholarly work focuses on both oral medicine and public health.

The Senior Outstanding Teaching Award 

This award is presented to a faculty or staff member who goes beyond the scope of their responsibilities to significantly impact the class’s education at Penn Dental Medicine. This year’s recipient is Artur Kofman, CDT Director of Laboratory Affairs and the Office of Laboratory Affairs Supervisor for the clinical labs at the school; this is the sixth year in a row that he has been recognized with this award. Mr. Kofman has shared his knowledge and expertise in dental lab work with students as a member of the school’s staff for the past 21 years. Among his responsibilities, he coordinates students’ lab work from the school to commercial laboratories and vice versa, guides dental students in lab-related technical issues, and provides hands-on assistance as needed for minor adjustments to dental appliances at a chair-side setting. In addition, he operates the 3D printing lab for fabricating 3D models, occlusal guards, and surgical guides and is involved in the newly designed curriculum for CAD/CAM and printing of digital dentures for the dental students.

Interim President Wendell Pritchett and Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein have announced the appointment of Dirk Trauner as the University of Pennsylvania’s thirtieth Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor, beginning July 1, 2022.

Dr. Trauner, one of the world’s most innovative interdisciplinary chemists, will be the George A. Weiss University Professor, with joint appointments in the department of chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences and the department of systems pharmacology and translational therapeutics in the Perelman School of Medicine. 

“Dirk Trauner’s cutting-edge work in chemistry, physiology, and neuroscience epitomizes our Penn Integrates Knowledge initiative, which fosters collaboration and path-breaking scholarship across schools and disciplines,” said Interim President Wendell Pritchett. “Dr. Trauner’s highly interdisciplinary research in chemical synthesis and its application to the fields of neuroscience and cell biology have yielded not only novel discoveries, but holds promise for life-changing medical applications as well. We could not be more pleased to have him join our distinguished faculty.”

Dr. Trauner, currently the Janice Cutler Professor of Chemistry and an adjunct professor of neuroscience and physiology at New York University, is a global leader in synthetic chemistry and physiology. His pioneering research in photopharmacology focuses on the use of light to control biological pathways, including the possibilities of restoring vision to blind people, targeting the delivery of drug therapies, and developing new directions in precision medicine. This work brings together synthetic chemistry with biology and neuroscience to innovate not only new scientific methods but also new therapies that can tangibly improve people’s lives around the world. Along similar lines, his lab employs advanced techniques of chemical synthesis to learn more about the origin, structure, and biological meaning of natural products. 

Born in Austria, Dr. Trauner began his career in the U.S. as a postdoctoral fellow at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and taught at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Munich before joining NYU in 2017. He was elected as a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2017 and has received numerous international honors. He has been a visiting professor and has delivered honorary lectures at prestigious universities around the world. He earned a PhD in chemistry from the University of Vienna and an undergraduate degree in chemistry from the Free University of Berlin. 

“Dirk Trauner will be a tremendous role model across our campus,” said Interim Provost Winkelstein. “His deeply cross-disciplinary work exemplifies the creativity and innovation of the most dynamic contemporary research. At the same time, it demonstrates Penn’s strong commitment to bring research innovations directly to practical applications, which continue to transform global health and medicine.” 

The Penn Integrates Knowledge program was launched by Penn President emerita Amy Gutmann in 2005 as a University-wide initiative to recruit exceptional faculty members whose research and teaching exemplify the integration of knowledge across disciplines and who are appointed in at least two Schools at Penn.

The George A. Weiss University Professorship is a gift of George A. Weiss, a 1965 graduate of the Wharton School. Mr. Weiss is an emeritus University trustee and an emeritus member of the Penn Medicine Board and the Athletics Board of Advisors. He is Chief Executive Officer of Weiss Multi-Strategy Advisers LLC, a global asset management firm with a history of more than 40 years.

On May 13, the University of Pennsylvania announced that the Stuart Weitzman School of Design will renovate the historic Morgan Building on 34th Street and add a new wing on its south side, naming the building after Stuart Weitzman, W’63, the award-winning designer and footwear icon. 

“Stuart Weitzman’s participation in this project reflects his belief in the power of design to improve lives and spark creativity,” said Interim Penn President Wendell Pritchett. “The Weitzman School has a pressing need for centrally located, state-of-the-art facilities, and the Morgan Building offers the ideal solution. We are exceedingly grateful that Stuart will help make that vision a reality. Naming the building for Stuart honors his enduring commitment to the success of Penn students and his extraordinary ongoing support of the school.” 

Renovating and expanding the Morgan Building to create Stuart Weitzman Hall will create an optimal environment for art and design education and research. Penn has retained the internationally acclaimed architecture firm KieranTimberlake, whose founding partners are Weitzman alumni, Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake, and who are former faculty members at the school. Stuart Weitzman Hall will therefore also serve as a tangible example of the school’s enduring capacity to nurture exceptional talent in the fields of historic preservation and innovative architecture. 

Completed in 1892, the existing Morgan building sits at the intersection of 34th Street and Smith Walk, directly across 34th Street from three other Weitzman facilities: Fisher Fine Arts Library, Meyerson Hall, and the newly renovated Stuart Weitzman Plaza. Originally constructed as an orphanage, the building was acquired by Penn in 1899 and subsequently named the Randal Morgan Laboratory of Physics after Randal Morgan, a member of the Class of 1873 and a Penn Trustee. ​The building then housed the physics department for more than 50 years. The Morgan name will continue to be memorialized in the interior of the building. 

After its transformation into Stuart Weitzman Hall, the building will retain historic architectural elements of the original structure, especially on the façade, including the porch and balcony above the 34th Street entrance. A completely re-imagined interior will serve students and faculty across the school and house fine arts and design studios, student maker spaces, research facilities, classrooms, faculty offices, and meeting and exhibition spaces. 

Stuart Weitzman is one of the most recognizable names in luxury designer footwear. He founded his eponymous company in 1986. In the ensuing decades, he built Stuart Weitzman into one of the world’s most renowned fashion footwear brands. In 2015, he orchestrated the sale of Stuart Weitzman, LLC to Coach (renamed Tapestry in October 2017). He stayed on as a shoe designer and creative director of the company through May 2017 and remained the chairman emeritus through 2018. 

“My Penn education served me very well during my long and enjoyable career in design,” Mr. Weitzman said. “So, it is personally gratifying to have become even more closely affiliated with the Penn community in recent years. Now I am excited to bring new life to a remarkable 19th century building in the heart of campus.” 

Since stepping down from an active role in business, Mr. Weitzman has pursued myriad interests. He is a sought-after lecturer at universities around the world, and he also mentors the many students who seek his counsel on starting their own businesses. He is currently supporting the development of a museum in Madrid, Spain, dedicated to Spanish-Jewish history, and he has also endowed the Stuart Weitzman Scholar Athlete Program through New York Junior Tennis and Learning. This program provides opportunities for youth from low-income families to have access to resources such as guidance for the college admissions process and academic support and developing critical life skills. He has joined others in producing the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations. As a member of the board of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Foundation, he also contributes to the success of aspiring Olympic athletes, and has represented the United States in table tennis at the Maccabiah Olympic Games. 

“All the stars have aligned for this project, so generously supported by Stuart Weitzman,” said Frederick Steiner, Dean and Paley Professor at the Weitzman School. “The existing structure, designed by the renowned Philadelphia firm Cope & Stewardson in 1892, is truly a diamond in the rough. It will be adapted to provide contemporary, flexible facilities to match the caliber of the school’s academic endeavor. 

“Notably, this is the most significant building expansion project for the school in 55 years,” he added. “Stuart is seizing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a difference in the daily lives of students and faculty right now, and to enable the school to grow and adapt in the future.”

The updated Three-Year Academic Calendar for 2022-2023 through 2024-2025 is now available.

Graduate and professional programs may follow their own calendars; check the website for each School or program.

The University’s Three-Year Academic Calendar is subject to change. In the event that changes are made, the latest, most up-to-date version will be posted to Almanac’s website, almanac.upenn.edu/penn-academic-calendar. On that page, you can also download the academic calendar to your personal calendar.

Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Election Day in November, the first two days of Passover and Good Friday are holidays that affect large numbers of University community members and that fall during the academic year. To view the University’s policy regarding these and other holidays, please visit https://catalog.upenn.edu/pennbook/secular-religious-holidays/.

Penn Transportation and Parking would like to thank the members of the University community for using our services over the course of the last year.  Despite the challenges of the pandemic, resources were invested to ensure the availability of a comprehensive parking and transportation system and to make significant improvements to safety, facility repairs and renovations, and aesthetic features.

Looking ahead to the new fiscal year, the department has worked diligently to minimize permit rates while meeting its commitment to continually invest in the parking facilities. To that end, the 2022-2023 parking rates reflect an increase of 3 percent. 

The following options offer faculty and staff a degree of flexibility in accommodating the needs of their work schedule:

Individuals Parking on Campus One or Two Days/Week

A Commuter Parking Card, available from Health Equity/Wage Works, offers pre-tax savings when ordered through payroll deduction. The daily 2022-2023 campus rate remains unchanged at $17.

Individuals Parking on Campus Three or More Days/Week

Anyone parking three or more days a week at University lots and garages will find that a monthly permit is a better choice to meet their needs as it is the best option.

Penn’s Occasional Parking Program

For those instances when Penn faculty and staff need to irregularly drive and park on campus, sustainable transit program participants who receive monthly payroll deductions can receive 10 daily parking permits per year at a significant discount. Passes may be used at the Walnut 40 garage on an “as available” basis. 

The above 2022–2023 parking rate chart reflects the changes, which will be implemented in the July payroll. 

Penn Transportation and Parking encourages faculty and staff to monitor www.upenn.edu/commuting/updates. This website offers a robust information portal where you will find important commuter updates, information about campus parking and carpool programs, discounted public transit and bike commuter options, how Penn Transit can serve commuters who reside near campus, and other valuable resources. 

—Penn Transportation and Parking

Max Mintz, a professor emeritus of computer and information science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, passed away on April 18, following an illness. He was 79.

Dr. Mintz received undergraduate and graduate degrees from Cornell University, then taught at Yale University from 1968 to 1972 and at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from 1972 to 1974. In 1974, Dr. Mintz joined Penn’s faculty as an assistant professor of systems engineering, now part of Penn Engineering’s department of electrical and systems engineering. Dr. Mintz was promoted to associate professor in 1976; ten years later, he changed his department affiliation to computer and information science. At that time, he was named the Alfred G. and Meta A. Ennis Associate Professor of Computer and Information Science. Dr. Mintz became a full professor in 1998 and served the department as undergraduate curriculum chair and a member of graduate groups (including the General Robotics and Sensory Perception [GRASP] team). 

Dr. Mintz was well-known as an excellent and engaging teacher and advisor. He twice won Penn Engineering’s S. Reid Warren, Jr. Award for Distinguished Teaching (Almanac December 18, 1990). In 2000, he won Penn’s Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching; in his award citation (Almanac April 18, 2000), a student described him as “funny, animated, exciting, clear, passionate, and dedicated.” A parent of a student weighed in: “It was Max’s concern and caring for my son that made me look at Penn in a way that drew me to support the school in many ways. He genuinely cares for students and will do anything necessary to help them succeed.” Dr. Mintz also mentored students, and in 2000, he received the Ford Motor Company Award for Distinguished Advising (Almanac May 30, 2000). Students “raved” about Dr. Mintz in this award’s nomination forms: “A strong relationship with a knowledgeable advisor is key for a successful academic career.”

Despite his advancing age, Dr. Mintz never retired. In the early 2000s, he served on multiple University Council and Faculty Senate committees and was the associate chair of Penn’s University Scholars program, which provides research funding to motivated undergraduates. During a recent stay in the hospital, he was working on his textbook for his Freshman Seminar course, CIS 181: The Quantum and the Computer, which he was planning to publish as a book for the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. In the professional sphere, Dr. Mintz won fellowships from NSF and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and held a senior resident associateship from the National Research Council. He worked on developing a better understanding of the nature of good algorithms for decision-making under uncertainty, with applications to machine perception and robotics. He published this research widely, writing over 100 papers. 

“He was a friend, colleague and mentor to so many of us in Penn Engineering,” wrote the school in an online tribute. “We all recognized Max from a block away. He’d be wearing his trademark yellow windbreaker, and he was ever ready with a smile, whether you were a colleague, a student in his class, or a staff member he’d known for years. We will all miss him.”

Dr. Mintz is survived by his wife, Caroline Mintz. Information about memorial services is forthcoming. 

Stephen J. Kobrin, the William H. Wurster Emeritus Professor of Multinational Management at the Wharton School, passed away on May 6. He was 83. 

Dr. Kobrin earned a BMgtE from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1960 and an MBA from Wharton the next year. From 1965 to 1971, he served as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble, then received a PhD from the University of Michigan in 1975. After graduating, he held academic appointments at New York University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1987, he joined the faculty of the Wharton School as the Anheuser-Busch Term Professor of Management. He quickly rose to eminence in the department, taking a position as its chair in 1989. In 1992, Dr. Kobrin was named the William H. Wurster Professor of Multinational Management (Almanac May 26, 1992). “Professor Kobrin is a distinguished scholar and teacher,” said then-Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity. “I am pleased, thanks to the generosity of Bill Wurster, that we can recognize his outstanding work.” As part of his professorship, Dr. Kobrin served as director of the William H. Wurster Center for International Management Studies from 1992 to 1994. He also served on several University Council committees and, in 1998, on the committee for the selection of a new dean of the Wharton School. 

In 1994, Dr. Kobrin was named co-director (with G. John Ikenberry) of the Lauder Institute, a dual-degree program between Wharton and the School of Arts and Sciences that had been formed from the organizational framework of the Wurster Center (Almanac May 10, 1994). This appointment recognized Dr. Kobrin’s expertise in the international business sphere, which included Congressional testimony on issues of international economic policy and trade and service on the editorial boards of the Journal of International Business Studies; International Organization; Academy of Management Journal; and International Political Economy Yearbook. A prominent scholar of global integration, globalization, and the international political economy, Dr. Kobrin authored numerous books and journal articles, with his most recent article, “Is a Networked World Economy Sustainable?” appearing in Progress in International Business Research in 2021. Dr. Kobrin served as director of the Lauder Institute until 2000, then again as its interim director from 2006 to 2007. In 2008, he launched Wharton School Press; he was also a Wharton Group Speaker from 2000 until 2014. 

In 2014, Dr. Kobrin retired and took emeritus status. “Steve Kobrin was an esteemed scholar of multinational management, a valued colleague, and an institutional leader who contributed to Lauder, Wharton, and Penn in multiple ways,” said Martine Haas, current director of the Lauder Institute. “He will be much missed.” Read more remembrances of Dr. Kobrin from former colleagues here. 

Dr. Kobrin is survived by his wife, Carol Fixman; children, Tom (Lisa) Kobrin, Katherine King and Jennifer Kobrin (Steven Bullard); brother, David Kobrin (Diane Berreth); three grandchildren; nieces; nephews; cousins; and many good friends and colleagues.

The Board of Trustees held virtual meetings of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Executive Committee on May 12, 2022.

During the Executive Committee meeting, as part of the President’s Report, Interim President Wendell Pritchett presented a resolution to appoint Michael Citro as Vice President and Chief of Staff, effective July 1, 2022. Mr. Citro will join Penn from the University of Virginia. The resolution was approved. During the Academic Report, Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein presented a resolution on faculty appointments and promotions, which was approved.

Craig Carnaroli, Senior Executive Vice President, gave the Financial Report for the nine months that ended March 31, 2022. For the consolidated University, the total net assets were $28.8 billion, an increase of $5.9 billion, or 25.9 percent, over March 31, 2021 and 3.5 percent above budget. For the academic component, the change in net assets from operations for the University reflected a $1.0 billion increase versus an $8 million decrease in the prior year and a budgeted increase of $15 million.

For the health system, the change in net assets from operations reflected an increase of $137 million through March 31, 2022. Excluding HHS funding, the operating income was $120 million, or 1.8 percent, $43 million lower than budgeted and $136 million lower than the prior year. Operating revenue increased by $392 million, or 6.1 percent, from $6.4 billion as of March 31, 2021 to $6.8 billion as of March 31, 2022. Expenses increased $712 million, or 11.9 percent, from $6.0 billion as of March 31, 2021 to $6.7 billion as of March 31, 2022.

Three additional resolutions were approved:

• Resolution to authorize certain costs related to the addition of seven floors to the existing building at 3600 Civic Center Boulevard for the Perelman School of Medicine in the amount of $24,715,000.
• Resolution to authorize sanitary stack lining for Harrison and Rodin College Houses in the amount of $9,145,000.
• Resolution to authorize upgrades to Meiklejohn Stadium in the amount of $5,063,000.

The next Board of Trustees meetings will be held on June 9 and 10, 2022, at the Inn at Penn.

To read the May 16, 2022 Commencement supplement, which features the text of speeches given at Penn's Commencement and Baccalaureate ceremonies held for the Class of 2022, click here. 

The Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays guides instructors and students in those circumstances when significant observances occur during the period that classes are in session. Anyone with further questions or concerns is encouraged to contact the Office of the Chaplain, which serves as an important resource for all members of the Penn community and can help if any student’s observance seems to conflict with academic expectations.

The policy has been updated to include Election Day in November as a day when no examinations may be given and no assigned work may be required. 

As a reminder, Jewish holidays begin at sunset. This year, Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on Sunday, September 25 and ends in the evening on Tuesday, September 27. Yom Kippur begins at sunset on Tuesday, October 4 and ends in the evening on Wednesday, October 5.

—Beth A. Winkelstein, Interim Provost

Policy on Secular and Religious Holidays

Updated May 24, 2022

1. The University recognizes/observes the following secular holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Thanksgiving and the day after, Labor Day, and New Year’s Day.

2. The University also recognizes that there are several secular and religious holidays that affect large numbers of University community members, including Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Election Day in November, the first two days of Passover, and Good Friday. In consideration of their significance for many students, no examinations may be given and no assigned work may be required on these days. Students who observe these holidays will be given an opportunity to make up missed work in both laboratories and lecture courses. If an examination is given on the first class day after one of these holidays, it must not cover material introduced in class on that holiday.

Faculty should realize that Jewish holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the published date of the holiday. Late afternoon exams should be avoided on these days. Also, no examinations may be held on Saturdays or Sundays in the undergraduate schools unless they are also available on other days. Nor should seminars or other regular classes be scheduled on Saturdays or Sundays unless they are also available at other times.

3. The University recognizes that there are other holidays, both religious and secular, which are of importance to some individuals and groups on campus. Such occasions include, but are not limited to, Sukkot, the last two days of Passover, Shavuot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, Chinese New Year, the Muslim New Year, Diwali, Navaratri, Rama Navami, Paryushan, and the Islamic holidays Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Students who wish to observe such holidays must inform their instructors within the first two weeks of each semester of their intent to observe the holiday even when the exact date of the holiday will not be known until later so that alternative arrangements convenient to both students and faculty can be made at the earliest opportunity. Students who make such arrangements will not be required to attend classes or take examinations on the designated days, and faculty must provide reasonable opportunities for such students to make up missed work and examinations. For this reason it is desirable that faculty inform students of all examination dates at the start of each semester. Exceptions to the requirement of a make-up examination must be approved in advance by the undergraduate dean of the school in which the course is offered.

Editor’s Note: For a list of Secular and Religious Holidays, visit https://chaplain.upenn.edu/worship/holidays/.

Each year, Penn Engineering’s seniors present their senior design projects, year-long efforts that challenge them to test and develop solutions to real-world problems, to their individual departments. The top three projects from each department go on to compete in the annual Senior Design Competition, sponsored by the Engineering Alumni Society, which involves pitching projects to a panel of judges who evaluate their potential in the market.

This year’s panel included 42 judges, 21 in-person and 21 online, who weighed in on 18 projects. Each winning team received a $2,000 prize generously sponsored by Penn Engineering alumnus Kerry Wisnosky.

Technology & Innovation Award

This award recognized the team whose project represents the highest and best use of technology and innovation to leverage engineering principles.

Winner: Team Modulo Prosthetics
Department: Bioengineering
Team Members: Alisha Agarwal, Michelle Kwon, Gary Lin, Ian Ong, Zachary Spalding
Mentor: Michael Hast
Instructors: Sevile Mannickarottu, David Meaney, Michael Siedlik
Abstract: Modulo Prosthetic is an adjustable, low-cost, thumb prosthetic with integrated haptic feedback that attaches to the metacarpophalangeal joint of partial hand amputees and assists in activities of daily living.

Judges’ Choice Award

This award recognizes the group whose all-around presentation captures the best of the senior design program’s different facets:  ideation, scope of project, team problem-solving, execution, and presentation.

Winner: Team Pillbot
Department: Electrical and Systems Engineering
Team Members: Krishna Suresh, Nikhil Maheshwari, Yash Lahoti, Jonathan Mairena, Uday Tripathi
Mentor: James Won
Instructors: Sid Deliwala, Jan Van Der Spiegel
Abstract: PillBot is a smart dispenser to prevent addiction to medication by not only making it easy for patients to adhere to their prescriptions, but also providing doctors with the ability to track patient adherence and intervene when necessary.

Social Impact Award

This award recognizes the team whose project represents the greatest potential benefit for society by creatively solving an issue in a socially relevant field, such as health, sustainability or energy.

Winner: Team CO2+CH4 to Liquids Plasma
Department: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Team Members: Nathaniel Hess, Caitlyn McCloskey, Brandon Burghardt
Mentor: Aleksandra Vojvodic
Abstract: CO2+CH4 to Liquids Plasma is a novel technology for the production of high-value chemicals from two greenhouse gases.

Leadership Award

This award recognizes the team that most professionally and persuasively presents their group project to incorporate a full analysis of their project’s scope, advantages and challenges, as well as addresses the research’s future potential and prospects for commercialization.

Winner: Team ReiniSpec
Department: Bioengineering
Team Members: Caitlin Frazee, Caroline Kavanagh, Ifeoluwa Popoola, Alexa Rybicki, Michelle White
Mentor: Jeong Inn Park
Instructors: Sevile Mannickarottu, David Meaney, Michael Siedlik
Abstract: ReiniSpec is a redesigned speculum to improve the gynecological exam experience, increasing patient comfort with a silicone shell and using motorized arm adjustments to make it easily adjustable for each patient, while also incorporating a camera, lights, and machine learning to aid in better diagnosis by gynecologists.

In recognition of his work in health care transformation, David A. Asch, executive director of the Center for Health Care Innovation and a professor of medical ethics and health policy, has been honored with this year’s Ken Shine Award. The award is given to “leaders who make significant advancements in health” by the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, and was awarded to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in 2021. All honorees give a lecture upon their awarding, which Dr. Asch used to focus on the balance between automation and humanity in health care innovation. “As we introduce technology and different payment systems into health care, we should keep the emotional content resonant, because that’s where the strongest ties are felt,” Dr. Asch said.

Angela DeMichele, the Alan and Jill Miller Professor in Breast Cancer Excellence, co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program, and co-director of 2-PREVENT Breast Cancer Translational Center of Excellence, is one of ten breast cancer researchers who have been appointed a Komen Scholar. Dr. DeMichele will help guide the work and mission of the breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen, serve as a member of the Komen Advocates in Science Steering Committee, and help to focus on the urgent issues impacting patients.

César de la Fuente, a Presidential Assistant Professor in psychiatry, microbiology, chemical and biomolecular engineering, and bioengineering, has received a 2022 Young Investigator Award from the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry for his pioneering research efforts to combine the power of machines and biology to help prevent, detect, and treat infectious diseases.

Virginia A. LiVolsi, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and otorhinolaryngology, has received the 2022 President’s Award of the Arthur Purdy Stout Society (APSS) of Surgical Pathologists in recognition of her substantial contributions to the field of surgical pathology. APSS is composed of pathologists dedicated to excellence in teaching, research and practice of surgical pathology. Dr. LiVolsi specializes in endocrine cancers, thyroid, parathyroid pathology, and gynecological pathology.

M. Celeste Simon, the Arthur H. Rubenstein, MBBCh Professor in the department of cell and developmental biology and scientific director of the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, is one of three recipients of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Excellence in Science Lifetime Achievement Award for demonstrating excellence and innovation in research, and exemplary leadership and mentorship.

Dr. Simon was recognized for her contributions to the study of cancer cell metabolism, primary tumor metastasis, and the link between chronic inflammation and cancer predisposition. The award also recognizes her devotion to mentoring the undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and clinical fellows who have conducted research in her laboratory for more than 25 years.

Armenta Washington, senior research coordinator at the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC), has been recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities as a National Outreach Network (NON) Community Health Educator (CME). She was selected for her outreach in underserved communities, such as driving access to health screenings like the Drive By Flu-FIT for colorectal cancer prevention, and facilitating the first class of ACC Clinical Trial Ambassadors to speak with their communities about the value of joining clinical trials. She spoke about these efforts and her experience, including best practices and lessons, during the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Education & Services Team meeting at the end of 2021.

Interim Provost Beth A. Winkelstein and Vice Provost for Faculty Laura Perna have announced the second cohort of Mellon Fellows. 

The Mellon Fellows Program seeks to support mid-career faculty from core humanities and arts disciplines whose work is strongly based on cultural/historical analysis. The program is intended to orient arts and humanities faculty to the fundamentals of leadership roles, encourage collaboration and community across departments and disciplines, and build the next generation of higher education leaders inflected with humanistic culture and values.

Nikhil Anand, an associate professor of anthropology in the School of Arts and Sciences, focuses his research on cities, infrastructure, state power, and climate change by studying the political ecology of cities, read through the different lives of water. 

Vance Byrd, the Presidential Associate Professor of German in the School of Arts and Sciences, is a scholar of late-eighteenth- and nineteenth-century German literature who investigates how literary and print culture intersect with the history of visual media. 

Huey Copeland, the BFC Presidential Associate Professor of History of Art in the School of Arts and Sciences, explores African diasporic, American, and European art from the late eighteenth century to the present, with an emphasis on articulations of Blackness in the western visual field. 

Eva Del Soldato, an associate professor of romance languages in the School of Arts and Sciences, studies Renaissance thought and culture, with special attention to the reception of the Aristotelian and Platonic traditions in the early modern period. 

Huda Fakhreddine, an associate professor of Arabic literature in the School of Arts and Sciences, focuses her research on modernist movements or trends in Arabic poetry and their relationship to the Arabic literary tradition. 

Jared Farmer, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History in the School of Arts and Sciences, studies the histories of built and unbuilt environments, with temporal expertise in the long nineteenth century and regional expertise in the North American West.

Glenda Goodman, an associate professor of music in the School of Arts and Sciences, specializes in American music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, including the material culture of music and book history, amateur music-making and gender, and soundscapes of colonialism.

David Hartt, an associate professor of fine arts in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, creates work that unpacks the social, cultural, and economic complexities of his various subjects, exploring how historic ideas and ideals persist or transform over time.

Lisa Mitchell, an associate professor of south Asia studies in the School of Arts and Sciences, researches the Telugu-speaking regions of southern India through such topics as the genealogies of democracy in India, public space and political protest in Indian democracy, and the street and the railway station as public space. 

Projit Bihari Mukharji, an associate professor of history and sociology of science in the School of Arts and Sciences, studies issues of marginality and marginalization both within and through science, most recently human difference and race in 20th century South Asia.

Zita Cristina Nunes, an associate professor of English in the School of Arts and Sciences, studies comparative African American/African Diaspora literature, literatures of the Americas, and literary theory.

Anna Papafragou, a professor of linguistics in the School of Arts and Sciences, studies the nature and growth of human language (especially linguistic meaning) across different communities and learners.

Avishag (Abby) Reisman, an associate professor in the teaching, learning, and leadership division of the Graduate School of Education, researches the challenges of teaching document-based historical inquiry, including the design and implementation of curriculum materials, assessments of student learning, teacher education, and professional development.

Lauren Ristvet, an associate professor of anthropology in the School of Arts and Sciences, specializes in ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern history and archaeology, with an emphasis on the formation and collapse of archaic states, landscape archaeology, human response to environmental disaster, and ancient imperialism. 

Jolyon Baraka Thomas, an associate professor of religious studies in the School of Arts and Sciences, researches religion in Japan and the United States, including studies of manga, anime, and religion in contemporary Japan and of religious freedom in American-occupied Japan. 

Interim Provost Beth A. Winkelstein and Vice Provost for Faculty Laura Perna are pleased to announce the appointment of the fourteenth cohort of Penn Fellows.

The Penn Fellows Program provides leadership development to select Penn faculty in mid-career. Launched in 2009, it includes opportunities to build alliances across the university, meet distinguished academic leaders, think strategically about university governance, and consult with Penn’s senior administrators.

Wale Adebanwi, the Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies in the School of Arts and Sciences, studies social mobilization of power and interests in Africa as manifested through ethnicity, nationalism, racial and urban formations, elites, state and civil society, media intellectual history, and social theory.

Tobias Baumgart, a professor of chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences, researches the physical chemistry of amphiphile membranes with lateral heterogeneity resulting from non-ideal mixing, including characterization of biologically relevant membranes such as lipids and proteins.

Rhonda Boyd, an associate professor of psychology in psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine, researches depression among youth and perinatal women, including maternal depression, especially postpartum depression, among women of color and their children.

Xu Cheng, an associate professor of economics in the School of Arts and Sciences, studies econometric theory and applied econometrics.

Norma Coe, an associate professor of medical ethics and health policy in the Perelman School of Medicine, researches causal effects of policies that directly and indirectly impact health, human behavior, health care access, and health care use.

Lance Freeman, the James W. Effron University Professor in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design and the School of Arts and Sciences, studies how neighborhoods change and evolve over time, the role neighborhoods play in people’s lives, and how social media and other new technologies can be used as tools to study neighborhoods.

Roberto Gonzales (deferred), the Richard Perry University Professor of sociology and educationin the School of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School of Education, researches factors that shape and reduce economic, legal, and social inequalities among vulnerable and hard-to-reach youth populations as they transition to adulthood. 

Eleni Katifori, an associate professor of physics and astronomy in the School of Arts and Sciences, researches the physics behind the morphological and functional attributes of living organisms, focusing on questions inspired by and related to biological transport networks and the elasticity and geometry of thin sheets.

Michele Margolis, an associate professor of political science in the School of Arts and Sciences, studies American politics, with a focus on public opinion, political psychology, experimental methods, and religion and politics. 

Mary-Hunter McDonnell, an associate professor of management in the Wharton School, draws on organizational theory and political sociology to study organizational behavior within challenging institutional contexts, such as contentious social environments and uncertain regulatory environments.

Nova Panebianco, an associate professor of emergency medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine, focuses on clinical ultrasound, with expertise in emergency, bedside, critical care, point-of-care ultrasound, and ultrasound-guided peripheral intravenous catheter placement.

Hyunjoon Park, the Korea Foundation Professor of Sociology in the School of Arts and Sciences, researches how schools and families affect children’s education, especially social stratification, family, and social demography in a cross-national comparative perspective, with a focus on Korea and other East Asian countries. 

Dipti Pitta, an associate professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine, focuses on ruminant nutrition, including nutrient uptake and utilization, feed additives, feed supplements, and microbial diversity in the rumen in response to diet and dietary shifts.

Andrew Saunders, an associate professor of architecture in the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, researches computational geometry as it relates to aesthetics, emerging technology, fabrication, and performance.

Aleksandra Vojvodic, the Rosenbluth Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, studies theoretical and computational-driven materials design, with a focus on the exploration of new catalysts for chemical transformations and energy conversion.

Li-San Wang, professor of pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine, researches the genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease and related forms of dementia, as well as computational methods for big data in genomics research.

Yu Zhang, a professor in the School of Dental Medicine, focuses his research on developing functionally graded and nanostructured materials for dental and biomedical devices and elucidating competing damage modes in all-ceramic restorations under mastication.

Penn faculty and staff families with high school student dependents (rising 9th-11th graders, especially) are invited to attend an afternoon college admissions workshop hosted by members of the Penn Admissions Office staff on Thursday, June 23 from 2:15-5:15 p.m. at the Undergraduate Admissions Visitor Center, Claudia Cohen Hall Ground Floor/East Entrance.

The program will include three interactive workshops for students, covering topics including academic planning, extracurricular involvement and college exploration. The afternoon will also include a session on financial aid and Penn tuition benefits especially for parents. We hope you and your students will join us!

Agenda

• 2:15–2:30 p.m.–Arrival and check-in
• 2:30–2:40 p.m.–Welcome from Whitney Soule, Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions
• 2:40–3:20 p.m.–Session 1: Academic Planning and Curriculum Preparation
• 3:30–4:10 p.m.–Session 2: Who You Are Outside the Classroom
• 4:20–5 p.m.–Session 3: Learning About Colleges in 2022
• 4–5 p.m.–For parents: Financial Aid and Penn Tuition Benefits
• 5–5:15 p.m.–Wrap Up & Next Steps

To register, visit: https://key.admissions.upenn.edu/register/?id=56c5b7ed-5430-4ca5-9895-8eb165150401.

—Office of Undergraduate Admissions

Children’s Activities

Penn Museum
Online events. Info: https://www.penn.museum/calendar.

24        At-Home Anthro Live: The Art of Kalighat Paintings; 1 p.m.

Exhibits

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

27        Virtual Global Guide Tour: Middle East Galleries; 2:30 p.m.

28        Asia Galleries Tour; 11 a.m.

            Global Guide Tour: Africa Galleries; 2:30 p.m.

29        Middle East Galleries Tour; 11 a.m.

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

Talks

27        Possibilities, Politics, and Priorities: Transforming Long-Term Care; panel of speakers including Bob Casey, U.S. Senator; 9 a.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/ldi-talk-may-27 (Leonard Davis Institute).

30        From Homotopy Theory to Higher Categories; Simona Paoli, University of Aberdeen; 2 p.m.; Zoom webinar; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/s/93725935963 (Mathematics).

31        Developing Integrated Single-Cell Epigenome and Transcriptome Sequencing Technologies to Study Early Mammalian Development; Siddharth Dey, University of California, Santa Barbara; noon; Zoom webinar; info: manu@seas.upenn.edu (Physical Sciences Oncology Center).

            Insights on Developments in Asian Law; Matthew Erie, Oxford University; noon; online webinar; info: international@law.upenn.edu (Penn Law).

Medical Ethics & Health Policy
Zoom webinars. Info: https://medicalethicshealthpolicy.med.upenn.edu/events.

26        A Contextual Approach to the Psychological Study of Stigma; Mark Hatzenbuehler, Harvard University; noon.

Penn Vet
Online webinars. Info: https://www.vet.upenn.edu/about/penn-vet-events-calendar.

26        Cancer Cell Adaptation to an Inflamed Microenvironment: Leptomeningeal Metastases; Adrienne Boire, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; 4 p.m.; room 130, Hill Pavilion.

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 May 9-15, 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 May 9-15, 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: 10 incidents (3 robberies, 2 assaults, 1 aggravated assault, 1 assault, 1 indecent assault, 1 purse snatch, and 1 rape) were reported for May 9-15, 2022, by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue.

For the past year, staff from across the Penn Libraries have been working to bring patrons a new, easy-to-navigate website. Along with making it easier for the Penn community to use the library while they are away from campus, the new website will improve the experience of in-person library visitors by ensuring that they can quickly and easily find collections and study space, borrow equipment, and consult an array of experts.

Penn students, faculty, and staff can be involved in this final stage of the project by participating in a virtual user research session. Participants will get a sneak peek at aspects of the new website and will have a chance to offer feedback that will be integrated into the site’s final design and organization. 

Anyone who uses the library may sign up now for a time slot to virtually test the Penn Libraries website. Sessions are available 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday-Friday between May 20 and June 10. 

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

Make sure you avoid scams this summer. Over the past year we have given tips on how to avoid various scams. Keep these phrases in mind to keep safe.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

• Too-steeply discounted items (like used cars or game consoles) sold by private individuals via services like Facebook Marketplace may be swindles. Always carefully consider a private seller’s previous history when purchasing online. 
• When buying something from eBay, Etsy, or other online services, never take the transaction off the platform you are using. Offers to use Zelle or PayPal as “Friends and Family” provide zero protection if the transaction does not go as planned, if the item is not as expected, or if the item never arrives.

There is no such thing as “free” money—you do not get something for nothing.

• Social media messages offering cryptocurrency investment assistance are scams. Investment advisors do not use unsolicited social media messages to work with clients.
• Offers to pay your bills in exchange for “chatting” are scams. The money and the person offering it are not who they appear to be. 

Be careful with strangers.

• “Wrong number” frauds are on the rise. Contacts initiated by strangers (usually via text or social media accounts) which then transform into offers to be “friends” or other types of relationships are often a way to trick you out of your money or financial information.
• “Romance scams” are also on the rise. These are often longer-term confidence schemes lasting weeks, or even months. They play on your emotions with the goal of obtaining your savings or financial information. 

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