October 12, 2021 Volume 68 Issue 9

On Friday, October 1, 2021, the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new data science building and unveiled the building’s official name, Amy Gutmann Hall, honoring Penn’s President. Amy Gutmann is the eighth and longest-serving President in Penn’s history, leading the University since 2004; her term will conclude at the end of this academic year.

Harlan M. Stone, C’80, PAR’13, University Trustee and Penn Engineering Advisor, made a $25 million commitment in 2019—the largest gift in Penn Engineering’s history—to support the construction of the building during the school’s The Power of Penn Engineering: Inventing the Future campaign. Mr. Stone, in consultation with the University, chose to name the building in honor of Dr. Gutmann’s extraordinary vision and leadership.

“Penn has been part of my family since my father, Norman, first arrived on campus in the fall of 1948, and it continues to be an important part of our family today,” Mr. Stone said. “Even more important to all of us is the broader impact Penn has had on Philadelphia, the nation, and the world. We have witnessed a transformation under Amy Gutmann that is truly astonishing, as her vision and leadership has created so much opportunity for so many. This building is all about realizing and seizing opportunities. We are now able to properly honor Amy’s remarkable work by naming this building Amy Gutmann Hall. May the new discoveries and innovation achieved within these halls echo for all to hear of Amy’s courageous leadership.”

“I am incredibly humbled by Harlan Stone’s decision to name this remarkable new building in my honor,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “This leading-edge facility will have such a monumental impact on the future of data science at Penn. I look forward to the innovative and revolutionary research that will be conducted in this space, and ultimately benefit society.  Harlan’s altruism is extraordinary, and I will be eternally grateful for this tremendous honor.”

Amy Gutmann Hall will serve as a hub for cross-disciplinary collaborations that harness expertise, research, and data across Penn’s 12 schools and numerous academic centers. Upon completion, it will centralize resources that will advance the work of scholars across a wide variety of fields while making the tools and concepts of data analysis more accessible to the entire Penn community.

“I am thrilled Penn Engineering’s new data science building will honor Dr. Gutmann’s remarkable legacy at Penn,” said Vijay Kumar, the Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering. “Her Penn Compact and the principles of inclusion, innovation, and impact influenced the school’s strategic priorities from which the plan for a data science building emerged. This revolutionary new facility will create a centralized home for data science research and provide collaborative and accessible space for our faculty and students, as well as the Philadelphia community.”

The 116,000-square-foot, six-floor building will be located at the northeast corner of 34th and Chestnut Streets. Planned academic features include a data science hub, the translational and outreach arm of Penn Engineering in the area of data science and artificial intelligence; research centers for new socially aware data science methodologies and novel, bio-inspired paradigms for computing; and laboratories that will develop data-driven, innovative approaches for safer and more cost-effective health care. 

The impressive building is the design of executive architects Lake/Flato, with KSS Architects serving as associate architects. The building’s architecture will signify the future and the dynamic shift from the traditional to the digital. The facility is planned to be the first mass timber building in Philadelphia and will be designed sustainably.

Construction will begin in spring 2022 and is slated for completion in 2024.

The Center for Architectural Conservation (CAC) at the Weitzman School of Design has received a $1.3 million grant from Getty to develop a conservation and management plan and professional training program for Wupatki National Monument in Arizona.

Wupatki National Monument and its sister monuments, Walnut Canyon and Sunset Crater Volcano, are unique in North America for their exceptionally well-preserved archeological record, their geographical diversity, and their ancestral significance to northern Arizona American Indian communities. All three monuments are units of the National Park Service (NPS), a longtime partner of Weitzman’s Center for Architectural Conservation.

“Reflective of contemporary concerns that address climate threat and cultural appropriation, this project will develop a framework for integrated site stewardship based on an understanding of sustainability as both a physical and cultural necessity,” said Frank Matero, CAC’s director and professor and chair in the graduate program in historic preservation. “Identifying the vulnerabilities of sites like Wupatki is perhaps the most critical challenge currently facing all cultural and natural resource managers today. Mitigation, resilience, and adaptation in the form of renewed cultural partnerships with affiliated tribal communities will move the conservation needs front and center in this model project.”

Once home to the ancestors of the Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Yavapai, Havasupai, Hualapai, and several bands of Apache and Paiute, the Wupatki landscape holds a precious record of migration, trade, and other practices dating back to the 11th century. In addition, many northern Arizona American Indian communities view the Wupatki village as continuously inhabited by their ancestors.

“Wupatki tells a long and irreplaceable story of human experience on the land through time,” said Ian Hough, archaeologist and Flagstaff Area National Monuments cultural resources program manager.

Wupatki National Monument’s cultural heart is the impressive 900-year-old Wupatki Pueblo, a traditional multi-room stone masonry complex that housed as many as 100 residents and today draws more than 200,000 visitors annually. The Pueblo has undergone various preservation campaigns and ongoing maintenance over the past century, and as such is an example of preservation attitudes and techniques in the American southwest for over a century. However, extreme weather events stemming from global warming have accelerated deterioration and damage to the structures and their surrounding cultural landscape. The site is also at risk from seismic instability, flooding and debris slides. Aging repairs and an incomplete understanding of the complexities of how sites like Wupatki deteriorate, especially in a changing climate, require adaptive strategies for the preservation and better management of all built heritage, especially archaeological sites.

As part of its engagement at Wupatki, the Penn team and partners will also expand professional training, cultural heritage education, and career discovery opportunities for Native youth focused on the conservation of American Indian ancestral sites, including a 12-week summer program in partnership with Conservation Legacy’s Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps. The program will incorporate fieldwork, job shadowing, and mentoring by cultural resources advisors from northern Arizona tribes and a 10-week summer internship program for Native degree-seeking students through Northern Arizona University.

In carrying out its work at Wupatki, the Penn team draws on engagements currently underway at other climate-vulnerable cultural heritage sites throughout the American southwest, among them Fort Union National Monument and Pecos National Historic Park, New Mexico, and Tumacacori National Historic Park and Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona. As public health guidelines allow, work will begin this fall with a final report in 2024.

All members of the University community are reminded that the use of the Penn logo, shield and University’s name is subject to approval. The following policy outlines permitted uses as well as the approval process.

The University Brand Guidelines were updated in 2019 and apply to all schools, departments, divisions, initiatives, and units within the University. All units within the University must follow the branding guidelines for any logo/graphic used to represent the unit either internally or public facing. If you have any questions, please consult the University brand standards and style guide which can be found here: https://branding.web-resources.upenn.edu or visit https://www.upenn.edu/secretary/nameuse.html.

—Medha Narvekar, Vice President and University Secretary, Office of the University Secretary

Use of University Name Policy

On September 30, 1791, an act confirmed an agreement which united the University of the State of Pennsylvania with the College, Academy, and Charitable School and provided that the name of the institution would be “The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.”1 To facilitate communication both internally and externally, the institution’s name is commonly simplified as the “University of Pennsylvania,” or, more recently, “Penn.”

The University regulates use of its name, the names of its schools and programs, its shield and related insignia, trademarks and logos (“insignia”) to ensure that such use is related to the University’s educational, service, and research missions and promotes its objectives. Responsibility for overseeing use of the University’s names and insignia lies with the Secretary of the University.

Official Use

When representing the University in an official capacity, all units of the University and members of the faculty and administration must use “University of Pennsylvania” in their publications and documents. Approved University stationery must be used for official correspondence. Approved uses can be found in the style guide at https://branding.web-resources.upenn.edu/. 

University names and insignia that adhere to the style guide may be used in connection with any academic University program provided that the program has been approved in advance by the responsible department chair and dean or director, and Provost, as appropriate. University units, faculty, staff and student organizations that wish to use University names or insignia in connection with any non-academic University program, activity, service or product must obtain the approval of the Secretary of the University before proceeding. Requests to use University names or insignia must first be presented to the appropriate department chair and dean, director, or, in the case of student organizations, to the Vice Provost for University Life or designee, for review. If approved by the dean, director, or Vice Provost, a request with supporting information must be submitted to the Secretary for review. The Secretary will review the proposed use and determine, in consultation with appropriate colleagues, whether it is properly related to the University’s missions and whether the benefits of the proposed use outweighs any risks associated with the use. The Secretary may approve the proposed use, with or without conditions, or disapprove the proposed use.

Permitted Uses by Outside Entities

University names or insignia may be used on manufactured products or in connection with services or products offered by outside entities only under license from the University. Requests for such licenses are processed jointly through the Office of the Vice President for Business Services (“Business Services”) and the Penn Center for Innovation (“PCI”), and with guidance from the Office of the University Secretary.

Non-University businesses and organizations (e.g. sponsors of University programs or activities, vendors, and similar entities) often seek to use University names or insignia in promotional or advertising materials. In such instances when permission is granted, recognition must not suggest University endorsement of these organizations’ activities or products. Therefore, University names or insignia may not be used in connection with any non-University organization’s name or logo without prior approval of the Secretary of the University. In general, the Secretary will approve uses which recognize or acknowledge the outside entity’s contribution to the University program or activity. Uses which, in the Secretary’s judgment, may suggest University endorsement or approval of the goods or services will not be permitted.

Private Use

University faculty, staff and students may refer to their affiliation or status with the University in connection with personal activities, including consulting, provided that the affiliation or status is accurately represented and any title or position is accurately identified, and provided that such use does not imply University endorsement of the activity. In some cases, a disclaimer of University endorsement may be required. (See, for example, Handbook for Faculty and Academic Administrators, section II.E.10.) Use of University insignia in connection with personal activities is prohibited. The University’s name must not be used in any announcement, advertising matter, publication, correspondence, or report in connection with personal or non-University activities if such use in any way could be construed as implying University endorsement of or responsibility for any project, product, or service. 

Related Policies

All faculty, staff and students are reminded that University equipment, stationery, campus mail service, and electronic media are to be used solely for University business by authorized University personnel and by officially recognized campus organizations. See Human Resources Policy No. 003. Additional information on faculty and staff involvement in extramural activities and organizations can be found in the Conflict of Interest Policy for Faculty Members, and Human Resources Policy Nos. 005 and 006.

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1 Statutes of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, p. 1.

Teri Windisch has been named the new executive director of the Penn Children’s Center.

A department in the University’s division of Business Services, the center serves over 160 children aged 3 months to 5 years and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). As executive director, Ms. Windisch will manage all aspects of the center’s operations, including a staff of 40 teachers who carry out the center’s innovative curriculum and ensure that its early education and individually-based programming aligns with the Penn Children’s Center philosophy of “learning through play.”

Ms. Windisch received her bachelor of arts from the University of Delaware and attained her master of education in higher education administration and college student personnel from the University of Maryland College Park. She also earned the Pennsylvania Director’s Credential in early childhood education from Shippensburg University. 

More information on Penn Children’s Center can be found at www.upenn.edu/childcare.

The Wharton School and the University of Pennsylvania have announced the expansion of the Penn Media Accountability Project (PennMAP), an interdisciplinary, nonpartisan research project dedicated to enhancing media transparency and accountability. Its growth is made possible by a new leadership gift from Richard Jay Mack, W’89. 

“Our goal at PennMAP is to detect and expose biased, misleading, and otherwise problematic content in media from across the political spectrum and spanning television, radio, social media, and the broader web,” said Duncan Watts, the Stevens University Professor, a Wharton professor of operations, information and decisions, and the director of PennMAP. Dr. Watts also holds faculty appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication and in the department of computer and information science of the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is a faculty fellow of Analytics at Wharton, the preeminent and first business school center focused on research, teaching, and corporate partnerships around analytics and their application in business, non-profits, and society.

“Clearly this is an ambitious goal that requires a substantial investment in research infrastructure as well as building collaborations with a diverse set of partners,” said Dr. Watts. “Richard Mack’s generous gift will allow us to significantly accelerate our efforts and increase our impact both in terms of research and the public conversation on these important issues. We are tremendously grateful for his support.”

PennMAP is a product of Penn’s Computational Social Science Lab (CSSLab), a joint venture of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Annenberg School for Communication, and the Wharton School. CSSLab seeks novel, replicable insights into societally relevant problems by applying computational methods to large-scale data. 

“This gift will further the incredible work at PennMAP and is testament to the shared belief of proud Wharton alumni, like Richard, in the critical nature of this timely, groundbreaking research and applied insight,” said Wharton Dean Erika James. “Richard’s commitment to the entire Wharton community is evident in his decision to reinvest back into an environment that promotes continuous learning and challenges traditional thinking.”

PennMAP is building a network of partners across industry, academia, and government to develop shared research infrastructure and communicate findings. Mr. Mack’s generous support enhances the means for CSSLab to gather, process, and analyze content and more extensively and closely coordinate data resources, researchers, and relationships.

“I cannot think of a more critical time to support the important work being undertaken by PennMAP,” said Mr. Mack. “Wharton has always encouraged its students to drive change; leveraging evidence-based research to gain a deeper understanding of the media’s effects on our own judgements—promoting more objective and fair news coverage—will do just that. I am pleased to lend my support to the cause.” 

Richard Mack is the CEO and co-founder of Mack Real Estate Group, an integrated developer, operator, investor and lender with offices and affiliates across major markets of the United States. He serves on the Wharton Board of Advisors, and previously served on Wharton’s Undergraduate Executive Board.

What happens to websites when their owners stop using them? Absent an institutional archivist, most will silently disappear, either with the push of a button or the obsolescence of their technology.

When writer and activist Amy Siskind decided to wrap up five years of work on www.theweeklylist.org, chronicling the erosion of democratic norms and institutions following the 2016 election, friends urged her to find a university to archive it for future scholars seeking to understand these unprecedented events. While the site had been accepted into the Library of Congress, Ms. Siskind worried a government archive could become politicized. She wanted to ensure that her effort to document the period in a straightforward, factual way would exist unaltered by any efforts to rewrite the history of this era.

In fall 2020, Ms. Siskind approached Annenberg professor Barbie Zelizer, director of the Center for Media at Risk, about the possibility of donating her content curation, The Weekly List, to the University of Pennsylvania, where it can be made available for future researchers.

“I reached out to Barbie and she immediately got the importance of the collection and its place in history,” said Ms. Siskind. “So often we understand the importance of historical artifacts after they’re gone. She understood the importance of preserving the lists and podcasts with their context, almost as a ‘first draft of history,’ so that a hundred years from now, people can have a detailed sense of what it was like to live in the era.”

The Annenberg School for Communication is a scholarly home for students and researchers of communication theory, history, and practice. Ms. Siskind’s lists, personal writing, podcasts, and artifacts over a politically tumultuous five-year snapshot in American history are a valuable contribution and resource worthy of preservation and accessibility to scholars in this area in years to come.

The Weekly List materials are among the first gifts to Penn containing significant digital and web-based components. As such, the collection presented a number of novel technical and legal challenges. A team from the Penn Libraries, the Annenberg School, and Development and Alumni Relations worked closely together with Ms. Siskind and her team for many months.

“Our combined efforts have resulted not only in a valuable addition to Annenberg’s holdings but also a better understanding of what the requirements of a University-wide digital-archives program might look like moving forward,” says Jordan Mitchell, archivist and digital data specialist at the Annenberg School Library.

The Weekly List began in November 2016 as a list of nine examples of American norms broken, meant to be shared with Ms. Siskind’s friends and social media followers. The list went viral—by week nine, it had two million views. By 2020, the  week’s list might top 300 items. Lists from the first year were released as a book called The List, described by the Washington Post book critic as the most helpful book of 2018.

The collection will include a weekly podcast that Ms. Siskind began in 2018 to accompany the lists as well as videos and personal memorabilia she collected along the way, like letters and gifts from readers. She also gave the school one of several keyboards that she used so frequently that the letters wore off. Content from the site will also be available to library visitors on a special terminal.

“I am proud and ecstatic that Amy has chosen the Annenberg School and Penn as the home for her valuable and irreplaceable materials,” said Dr. Zelizer. “They constitute an important repository that will guide everyone wanting to know more about what transpired over five complicated years in the nation’s history.”

Annenberg Dean John L. Jackson, Jr. agreed. “We are excited about accepting the archived site, bibliography, podcasts, and analog materials that, together, represent Amy’s incredible journalistic contributions during a pivotal moment in our country’s history,” said Dean Jackson. “I know that students and researchers will benefit from the tremendous insights contained within the materials, and the Annenberg School considers itself lucky to be the recipient of this timely and important gift.”

As of September 7, 2021, Penn’s international travel guidance has been revised to allow faculty, staff and postdocs to travel to any location, domestic or international, without a petition. Faculty and staff on Penn-affiliated travel are required to follow existing internal approval processes in their departments, schools/centers, or business offices. Students and Penn travelers in a group of 5 or more are still required to petition for international travel to countries rated by the CDC as Level 3 or Level 4. 

In addition, all Penn-affiliated international travel must be registered in MyTrips. Registration in MyTrips provides immediate access to Penn’s comprehensive travel assistance program, including 24/7 medical and security advice, travel medical insurance, evacuation and repatriation insurance and more. Travelers are asked to set up a one-time profile in MyTrips before registering Penn-affiliated trips and accessing these important benefits. 

For more information, please review Penn’s International Travel Guidance or contact travelsafety@pobox.upenn.edu.

Elizabeth (Betty) Stiles Deane, a former administrator in Penn’s Graduate School of Education (GSE), passed away on August 2 after suffering a medical emergency. She was 74.

Born in Philadelphia, Ms. Deane began working in 1966 as an administrator at GSE. For many years, she assisted Harris Sokoloff, certification officer and director of the Center for School Study Councils, with teacher certification. In 2006, Ms. Deane was promoted to faculty affairs coordinator. “In this role, she offered invaluable support with numerous faculty appointments, reappointments, and promotions,” said GSE dean Pam Grossman in a statement to the GSE community. “She also continued to support teacher certification and assisted in the editorial review and submission of countless dissertations. Many in our community have had rich and meaningful relationships with Betty. She was a dedicated employee, a tireless worker, and a great colleague. She will be missed.” 

Ms. Deane is survived by her husband, Raymond Deane; stepson, Robert (Margaret) Deane; granddaughter, Sophia Deane; sister, Pamela Camarda; nephews and nieces, Robert Stiles, Christopher Camarda, Leslie Valenteen, Denise Stiles-Kaufman and Michael Stiles; and many great-nephews and nieces.

A reception was held on August 9. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Ms. Deane’s memory to the Montgomery County SPCA, 19 E. Ridge Pike, Conshohocken, PA 19428. 

Adrian R. Morrison, Gr’64, an emeritus professor in Penn Vet’s department of animal biology and an internationally renowned researcher in sleep research, passed away on August 4. He was 85. 

Dr. Morrison received an undergraduate degree at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, in 1957, then received a veterinary degree from Cornell University (1960), an MS, also from Cornell (1962), and a PhD in anatomy at Penn (1964). Afterwards, he completed postdoctoral training in sleep research at the University of Pisa, Italy. While working toward his PhD, he accepted a part-time position at the Media Veterinary Hospital in Media, PA, but in 1966, he joined the faculty of Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine as an associate professor of anatomy in the department of veterinary biology. In 1974, he was promoted to professor in the same department. Dr. Morrison also had a secondary academic appointment in the School of Arts and Sciences’ department of psychiatry.

In the mid-1980s, Dr. Morrison and a group of Penn faculty got together to plan for development of sleep research at Penn. The group obtained NIH funding to establish a specialized center of research in obstructive sleep apnea. Then, in 1991, he spearheaded this center’s expansion into the Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology, the first academic center dedicated to sleep research. Today, the center has generated an offshoot center, the Chronobiology and Sleep Institute, where an annual Adrian Morrison Lecture honors Dr. Morrison’s foundational role in launching the field of sleep studies at Penn. Outside of his academic positions at Penn, Dr. Morrison was heavily involved in the University community, serving on several Faculty Senate committees (including the Senate Executive Committee) and on a 2000 committee for the selection of a new dean of Penn Vet. 

Dr. Morrison conducted pioneering research into the neurobiological mechanisms controlling sleep. He co-founded the Sleep Research Society and in 1995, he served as its president; he also served as president of the World Federation of Sleep Research Societies from 2001 to 2003. He wrote over 130 peer-reviewed articles and over 30 editorials on sleep science and ethical use of animals in research, as well as editing seven major books on the neuroscience of sleep. In 2002, Dr. Morrison received the Sleep Research Society Distinguished Scientist Award for his service to the field. Dr. Morrison started his early neurobiological studies of sleep when there were very few investigators worldwide engaged in this area of research. He researched REM sleep extensively and argued in favor of important forebrain mechanisms modulating sleep at the time when the prevailing thought was that sleep was principally controlled by the brainstem. His later work focused on the limbic system, specifically the modulation by the amygdala of brainstem sleep circuitry. Most of Dr. Morrison’s early work was conducted using the cat as a model, the dominant animal model for sleep research at the time.

While working with cats, Dr. Morrison drew on his credentials as a veterinarian to champion ethical treatment of animals in sleep studies, attracting protests and break-ins to his office at Penn (Almanac February 6, 1990 and February 13, 1990). Still, he never shrank from the challenge of advocating for the importance of animals in biomedical research; he founded the National Animal Interest Alliance and served as president of the Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research and on the board of Incurably Ill for Animal Research and Americans for Medical Progress. He organized the neuroscience community around this issue and engaged in major efforts at the level of the National Institute of Mental Health to promote and support ethical animal research. In recognition of these efforts, he received numerous awards, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award. Dr. Morrison also served on governmental task forces on ethical animal research in the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Institutes of Health. In 2009, Dr. Morrison published a book, An Odyssey with Animals: A Veterinarian’s Reflections on the Animal Rights & Welfare Debate, in which he argued in support of the humane treatment of animals in biomedical research. In 2013, he also published Brandywine Boy, a memoir that expressed his love for his rural home along the Brandywine Creek. 

He will be missed by a wide community of colleagues, all of whom held him in the highest regard.

Bert Edwin Stromberg, a former assistant professor in Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, passed away on August 11 after a long battle with multiple system atrophy (MSA). He was 77. 

Born in Trenton, New Jersey, and raised in Morrisville, Pennsylvania, Dr. Stromberg earned a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He earned a master’s degree in zoology from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts and a PhD in parasitology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1973, then became an assistant professor at Penn Vet. In 1979, he joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, where he became a full professor in 1986 and the chair of the department of veterinary and biomedical sciences in 1989. 

In 2000 Dr. Stromberg was named associate dean for research and graduate programs at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine, a position he held untl 2007 and that reflected his experience in the field. His research was published extensively by numerous technical journals and he consulted for many major animal health companies. He was honored for his work, being elected an honorary diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists. He also held leadership roles in professional organizations, serving as president of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists and of the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases. 

Dr. Stromberg is survived by his wife, JoAnn Earling Stromberg; sister, Marilyn Fesko (David); son, B. Erik Stromberg (Elle); daughter, Kristin Nafstad (Adam); a nephew; and four grandchildren. A celebration of Dr. Stromberg’s life was held on August 27. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Struthers Parkinson’s Center, 6701 Country Club Drive, Golden Valley, MN 55427.

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To Report A Death

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

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

Penn Nursing’s Julie Fairman, Nightingale Professor in Honor of Nursing Veterans, professor of nursing, and director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Future of Nursing Scholars Program, has been selected for the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency Program, a month-long residency in Bellagio, Italy. Her residency will take place in 2022.

The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency Program offers academics, artists, policymakers, and practitioners a setting for focused, goal-oriented work, and the unparalleled opportunity to establish new connections with residents from a wide array of backgrounds, disciplines, and geographies. The program has a track record of supporting important new knowledge addressing some of the most complex challenges facing our world and innovative works of art that enhance our understanding of pressing global and social issues and encourage positive action.

Dr. Fairman was selected for the Academic Writing residency program for an interdisciplinary history project that explores health as a civil right through its engagement with citizenship, human rights, and social justice. The research will include the development of a book proposal and revision of two existing manuscripts, about nurses as civil rights activists from 1960 to 1970 and as participants in liberation strategy in the Caribbean from 1920 to 1940. Her collaborating partner in this project is Karen Flynn from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

The Academic Writing residency is for university and think tank-based academics, researchers, professors, and scientists working in any discipline. Those selected for this program have demonstrated decades of significant professional contributions to their field or show evidence of being on a strong upward trajectory if earlier in their careers. The Bellagio Center has a strong interest in proposals that align with the Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts to promote the well-being of humanity, particularly through issues that have a direct impact on the lives of poor and vulnerable populations around the world. These issues include but are not limited to health, economic opportunity, urban resilience, food and agriculture.

The Aspen Institute Business & Society Program has announced the eight winners of its 2021 Ideas Worth Teaching Awards, including Wharton professor Kevin Werbach.

The Aspen Institute’s Business & Society Program recognizes the power of business school teaching to influence the culture embedded within capitalism and, as a result, has been honoring innovative faculty since 1999. In a sign of the rising interest in social impact in business, this year’s nominations for the awards rose by 40%.

The eight winning finalists were chosen from a pool of nominations representing 90 schools from 19 countries from every continent except Antarctica. But beyond the numbers, it is the content of the courses that reflects the historic nature of this moment, said Jaime Bettcher, program manager of the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program and overseer of the awards selection process.

With this history in mind, Ms. Bettcher sees great potential in the example set by this year’s winning courses. “There is immense power in business practice – the collective and normalized decision-making across corporations and global markets – to affect health, economic and environmental inequities; to affect how governments function and how public goods are protected and sustained.

“History teaches us that these efforts in a moment of crisis would in time lay the foundations for prosperity and social progress in the decades that follow. We believe that the courses recognized among this year’s winners point the way for a world on stronger and more just foundations in the future.”

Kevin Werbach, the Liem Sioe Liong/First Pacific Company Professor in legal studies and business ethics, as well as the chair of the department of legal studies and business ethics in the Wharton School, won one of the eight awards for his course Big Data, Big Responsibilities: The Laws and Ethics of Business Analytics.

On October 2, 2021, the China Times Cultural Foundation announced the 10 recipients of this year’s Young Scholar Award.

Center on Digital Culture and Society (CDCS) doctoral fellow and PhD candidate in sociology Mengyang (Zoe) Zhao won the top award in recognition of her dissertation research on platform game work in China.

Established in 1986, the China Times Cultural Foundation is committed to supporting and promoting academic research that centers Chinese culture and related studies. The Young Scholar Award is granted annually to doctoral candidates in North America whose dissertation research focuses on the study of Chinese cultures in the humanities and the social sciences. This year’s award committee comprises seven prominent China scholars, including David Der-wei Wang of Harvard University and Wen-hsin Yeh of the University of California Berkeley.

As a recipient of the Young Scholar Award, Ms. Zhao will receive a scholarship of $10,000 to support her dissertation research.

Ms. Zhao’s research has been published in Critical Sociology and Social Science Quarterly. She is a frequent commentator on contemporary social issues for media outlets such as the U.S.-based Protocol and the Singapore-based Initium Media. As a CDCS doctoral fellow, she helps to lead a CDCS working group on platform studies and digital labor.

The Penn Libraries has transformed its former Biomedical Library into a dynamic space with a new name: the Biotech Commons.

“The Biotech Commons is a true 21st century library facility,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann. “We have created a space for unparalleled collaboration, creation, and discovery where visitors can take advantage of a vast array of scientific and scholarly resources, as well as cutting-edge technologies for studying the health sciences.”

The $11.5 million renovation was designed by Voith and Mactavish Architects and funded through a combination of private donations and contributions from the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the Provost’s Office. Renovations began in December 2020, and the facility opened its doors to the Penn community on September 20, 2021.

Collaboration and partnerships are at the core of this paradigm-shifting new facility, which was planned with vital input from library users, researchers, partners in the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Nursing, facilities experts, and the Penn Libraries’ own library staff and subject specialists.

“No place is as interdisciplinary as a library space—and the reimagined Biotech Commons takes this to the next level,” said Constantia Constantinou, H. Carton Rogers III Vice Provost and Director of the Penn Libraries. “The Penn Libraries’ Biotech Commons will enhance the intellectual vitality of Penn as a whole by providing an extraordinary user experience for all.”

When the Biomedical Library was built in the late 1960s, the southern portion of Penn’s campus ended at Hamilton Walk. Since then, communities of research and clinically focused buildings have transformed and expanded the south side of Penn’s campus. Situated at the heart of this biomedical activity, the Biotech Commons will facilitate new relationships among the many interdisciplinary groups that surround it, including graduate and undergraduate students, clinicians, faculty, and researchers.

“Collaborative learning is key to the future of science and medical education,” said J. Larry Jameson, Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine. “The Biotech Commons will become a crossroads where anyone interested in the acquisition of biomedical knowledge can form partnerships and experience chance encounters that advance their scholarship and research.”

The Biotech Commons will foster innovative thinking by offering a range of spaces and services that better support the many ways its constituents learn and work. “This state-of-the-art space inspires state-of-the-art thinking,” said Antonia M. Villarruel, professor and Margaret Bond Simon Dean of Penn Nursing, who celebrated the facility’s added consultation and small-group study spaces. “We infuse innovation into everything we do at Penn Nursing, and the staff at the Biotech Commons play an integral role in fostering creativity and collaboration among our faculty and students.”

To serve the diverse needs of these populations, the renovated facility includes the Wendy and Wayne Holman Reading Room, which doubles as a multipurpose event space with movable furniture to accommodate a variety of activities such as lecture-style events, and open-space gatherings; a Design Thinking Studio furnished with wall-mounted whiteboards, supplies, and movable, writable tables; and a Mixed Reality Lab where faculty and students can experiment with virtual and augmented reality. An Anatomage Table, the first of its kind available for use by all members of the Penn community, will allow for the virtual dissection and review of life-size virtual cadavers outside of clinical lab coursework.

A warm and inviting conference room will showcase the library’s historic collections, while the flexibly-furnished Gershwind & Bennett Family Collaboration Classroom can be used for seminars or lecture-style presentations as well as active learning and flipped-classroom style instruction.

Newly expanded 3D printing and poster printing services will be available to patrons in the Judith and William Bollinger Digital Fabrication Lab, which will house nine high-end 3D printers and two 3D scanners, a laser cutter, and plotters for scientific poster printing.

The renovation also offers enhancements to ensure the Biotech Commons will serve as a key study destination for students: a spacious, natural light-filled reading room supplies a welcoming and attractive location for individual study, various seating options will encourage discussion and collaboration, and twenty Group Study Rooms will accommodate up to eight individuals each.

Like any library, this one encompasses more than its physical space, observed Hannah Rutledge, inaugural director of the Biotech Commons. “With this renovation, we have a facility that is as advanced and as impressive as our staff and their expertise,” Dr. Rutledge said. “Our librarians are here to help students and researchers along their journey of discovery at Penn, and we are confident this updated, inspiring space will aid in their success.”

An upcoming presentation and panel discussion for all members of the Penn community will be held virtually on October 19 at 4 p.m., featuring three members of the Penn faculty and the Committee of 100, a non-profit, non-partisan, leadership organization comprised of Chinese American leaders in business, government, academia, and the arts. 

For over 30 years, the Committee of 100 has served as a leading organization committed to the dual missions of promoting the full participation of Chinese Americans in all aspects of American life and constructive relations between the United States and Greater China.

This virtual event will feature Zhengyu Huang, President of Committee of 100, James Gee (PSOM), Andrea Liu (SAS) and Shu Yang (SEAS). 

Mr. Huang will present the findings from the Committee of 100’s commissioned research with the Economist Intelligence Unit, called From Foundations to Frontiers: Chinese American Contributions to the Fabric of America. 

Built on unique data development, analysis and economic modeling, expert interviews and literature reviews conducted last year, the report examines the multi-faceted Chinese American contributions for and challenges across U.S. society historically and presently.  

The presentation will be followed by an open Q&A panel discussion featuring Zhengyu Huang, James Gee and Shu Yang, moderated by Andrea Liu.

Thursday, October 21, 2021, 9-11:30 a.m.
Via Zoom; RSVP Online by October 18, 2020
Participation is free

Join the Bridging the Gaps (BTG) network and keynote speaker Ala Stanford, founder and CEO of the Black Doctors COVID Consortium, for an information-packed morning of discussion with individuals promoting health and well-being in urban communities.

Alarmed by the disproportionate number of African Americans becoming sick and dying from the novel coronavirus, Dr. Stanford identified and went to the Philadelphia zip codes with the highest incidences of infection and death due to the coronavirus, establishing the Black Doctors COVID Consortium (BDCC) to provide education and barrier-free testing and vaccinations in the city’s at-risk minority communities. 

A practicing physician and pediatric surgeon, Dr. Stanford also serves on the Philadelphia COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee and as a medical correspondent for local and national news outlets. Among many other honors for her advocacy, Dr. Stanford was named a CNN Hero in 2021 and will receive the 2021 Philadelphia Award.

Join fellow runners on Saturday, October 16 for a scenic run through Penn Park that will finish on the track of historic Franklin Field. Runners of all levels are welcome, as the event will feature a 5K, a One-Mile Fun Run, and a Virtual Run for those who cannot participate in person. Click here to sign up as an individual or a team.

Penn Relays 5K
Pre-registration: $30
In-person registration: $35. 
All runners will receive a Penn Relays 5K t-shirt and medal.

One-Mile Fun Run
Pre-registration: $10
In-person registration: $15. 
All runners will receive a Penn Relays 5K t-shirt.

Virtual 5K Run
Registration: $20. 
All runners will receive a Penn Relays 5K t-shirt.

Exhibits

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

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

16        Asia Galleries Tour; 11 a.m.

            Global Guide Tour: Africa Galleries; 2:30 p.m. Also October 17, 2:30 p.m.

17        Middle East Galleries Tour; 11 a.m.

Films

15        76 Days; Hao Wu’s latest documentary film about the COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan, China; 7 p.m.; online screening; info: https://tinyurl.com/lgbt-center-calendar (LGBT Center).

Fitness & Learning

13        Advanced Esthetics Week 2021; 3-day program with lectures by renowned speakers on ceramics, soft tissue integration, chairside CAD/CAM dentistry workflows, and other issues in esthetic treatment planning; 1-7:30 p.m.; online event; info: https://tinyurl.com/dental-esthetics-week-2021 (Penn Dental). Also October 14 and 15, 1-7 p.m.

Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships (CURF)
Online events. Info: https://www.curf.upenn.edu/curf-events.

12        Grant Writing Workshop; 6 p.m.

15        President's Engagement and Innovation Prizes Joint Info Session; 3 p.m.

Graduate School of Education (GSE)
Online events. Info: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/events-calendar?date=2021-10.

15        Friday Virtual Chats With Admissions; 9 a.m.

            IES Production Seminar; Jennifer Steele, American University; 12:30 p.m.

19        Health Professions Education Certificate Program Info Session; 8 p.m.

LGBT Center
In-person and online events. Info: https://tinyurl.com/lgbt-center-calendar.

19        Cooking Demo with Chef Liz Alpern; noon; LGBT Center.

Talks

12        David vs. Goliath: The Art of Leaderboarding in the Era of Extreme-Scale Neural Models; Yejin Choi, University of Washington; 3:30 p.m.; Zoom meeting; join: https://tinyurl.com/choi-talk-oct-12 (Computer and Information Science).

            Data and Technology Ecosystems for Social Good; Aaron Bean, Asemio; 8 p.m.; online event; register: https://tinyurl.com/bean-talk-oct-12 (Penn IUR).

13        Enhanced Matrix Stress Relaxation Promotes Cell Migration; Kolade Abebowale, Harvard; 11 a.m.; Zoom meeting; info: annjeong@seas.upenn.edu (PSOM).

            The Refinery of Today, Tomorrow and the Future: A Separations Perspective; Ryan Lively; Georgia Tech; 3:30 p.m.; Wu and Chen Auditorium (room 101), Levine Hall (Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering).

14        The Second Amendment in the Supreme Court; Clark Neily, Cato Institute; noon; room 100, Golkin Hall (Penn Law).

            Paul Robeson: A West Philadelphia Legend; Janice Sykes-Ross, West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance; 5:30 p.m.; Facebook livestream; info: https://www.penn.museum/calendar/965/living-room-lecture (Penn Museum).

15        Amazonian Communities: Shaping the Ethics of Cosmocentrism; Stefano Varese, UC Davis; 6 p.m.; Zoom meeting; info: mervic@sas.upenn.edu, jpcvw@sas.upenn.edu (Hispanic & Portuguese Studies).

18        The “Discovery” of Salvia Divinorum: Narrative Hangovers and Psychedelic Fetishism (Or, This is Your Mind On Pollan); Paja Faudree, Brown; noon; room 345, Penn Museum (Anthropology).

            The NIH Approach to Inclusive Excellence; Marie Bernard, NIH; 2 p.m.; online event; register: https://www.med.upenn.edu/aging/eventreg.html (Institute on Aging).

            Beyond the Tool: Integrating Social Work Thinking, Qualitative Methods, and Artificial Intelligence for Gun Violence Prevention; Desmond Upton Patton, Columbia; 3 p.m.; Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl.com/patton-talk-oct-18 (Annenberg School).

            Russia’s Mediterranean Moment, 1770-1829; Julia Leikin, Higher School of Economics; 6 p.m.; room 209, College Hall (History).

19        Computational Mechanics for Landing on Mars; Charbel Farhat, Stanford; 10 a.m.; Zoom meeting; info: peterlit@seas.upenn.edu (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

            Climate Change Consequences for Plants, Whose Lives Depend on the Sun; Brenda Casper, biology and Earth & environmental science; Brent Helliker, biology; noon; Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl.com/casper-helliker-oct-19 (Penn Science Café).

            Masculinity Redefinition Among Pharmacists as “Men of Science” in Eurasia, Europe, and East Asia; Elizabeth Frierson, University of Cincinnati; noon; room 209, College Hall and Zoom; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/99541882317 (History).

            PennSIVE Virtual Seminar Series; Yi Zhao, Indiana University; 12:30 p.m.; Zoom meeting; join: https://tinyurl.com/zhao-talk-oct-19 (CCEB).  

            Sound Art Revisited; Alan Licht, Bard College; Julie Beth Napolin, The New School Lang; 12:30 p.m.; ICA and Zoom; register: https://tinyurl.com/licht-napolin-oct-19 (ICA).

            The Many Facets of Moral Distress Across Healthcare Settings; Nancy Berlinger, Hastings Center; Christine Grady, NIH; Margit Krellwitz, Greenhurst Nursing Center; 1 p.m.; Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl.com/moral-distress-oct-19 (Nursing).

            Causal Inference for Time-Varying Treatments and Binary Outcomes, with Application to Mobile Health; Tianchen Qian, UC Irvine; 3:30 p.m.; BlueJeans meeting; join; https://bluejeans.com/812676289/1348 (CCEB).

            From Foundations to Frontiers–A Look at Contributions of Chinese Americans Over 175 Years; Zhengyu Huang, Committee of 100; James Gee, PSOM; Andrea Liu, biology; Shu Yang, materials science & engineering; 4 p.m.; Zoom meeting; join: https://tinyurl.com/committee-100-oct-19 (Center for East Asian Studies).

            Blood and Chocolate: Cacao and Human Sacrifice in Pacific Guatemala; Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos, Yale; 6 p.m.; online event; tickets: $5; register: https://tinyurl.com/mazariegos-talk-oct-19 (Penn Museum).

Penn Dental
In-person and online events. Info: https://www.dental.upenn.edu/news-events/events/.

12        Smile Design The Next Generation – Limitations of the Past, Technological Solutions for the Future; Ralph Georg, SmileFy; 6 p.m.; online.

14        Bioinstructive Materials Regulate Cell Behavior in Inflammation and Regeneration; Kyle Holmberg Vining, Harvard; noon; room B-13, Levy Building.

Economics
In-person events. Info: https://economics.sas.upenn.edu/events.

12        Physician Spatial Allocation and Moving Costs; Kathleen Hui, economics; noon; room 101, PCPSE.

13        Primary Dealers and the Demand for Government Debt; Jakub Kastl, Princeton; 3:30 p.m.; room F45, Huntsman Hall.

            Optimal Progressive Income Taxation and Endogenous Marriage and Divorce; Akihisa Kato, economics; 4 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

14        American Dream Delayed: Shifting Determinants of Homeownership; Bob Miller, Carnegie-Mellon; 4 p.m.; room 250, PCPSE.

18        On the Aggregation of Probability Assessments: Regularized Mixtures of Predictive Densities; Frank Diebold, economics; noon; room 101, PCPSE.

            Macroeconomic Forecasting and Variable Ordering in Multivariate Stochastic Volatility Models; Minchul Shin, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; 4:30 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

19        Recall Over the Life Cycle; Justin Franco Lam, economics; 12:30 p.m.; room 101, PCPSE.

Mathematics
In-person and online events. Info: https://www.math.upenn.edu/events.

12        The Local Limit Theorem on Nilpotent Groups; Robert Hough, Stony Brook University; 3:30 p.m.; room A1, DRL.

19        Moduli of Sheaves via Affine Grassmannians; Andres Fernandez Herrero, Cornell; 3:30 p.m.; room 4C4, DRL.

--
October AT PENN Calendar

To submit an event for an update to the monthly October AT PENN calendar, email almanac@upenn.edu. Deadlines are Monday for the following week’s issue.

The Penn Professional Staff Assembly (PPSA) invites all Penn staff and faculty to visit the 2021 Virtual Employee Resource Fair, which will be held all day on Thursday, October 14, and Friday, October 15, 2021. The fair aims to provide easy access to information on the vast and varied campus resources and services available to staff and faculty. Each organization, including those from within Penn and from the community, will provide descriptions of the goods and services they offer to Penn staff and faculty, and several will host “live” sessions in which attendees can speak directly with representatives. A full schedule will soon be available at https://www.upenn.edu/erf/. In addition, all faculty and staff visitors can enter a drawing for valuable “door prizes.”

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 September 27-October 3, 2021. View prior weeks’ reports. —Ed.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety and includes all criminal incidents reported and made known to the University Police Department for the dates of September 27-October 3, 2021. The University Police actively patrol from Market St to Baltimore and from the Schuylkill River to 43rd St in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police. In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call the Division of Public Safety at (215) 898-4482.

18th District

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 12 incidents (6 assaults, 3 robberies, 1 aggravated assault, 1 indecent assault, and 1 rape) with 2 arrests were reported for September 27-October 3, 2021 by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue.

Visit https://pennsway.upenn.edu for more information. Paper forms must be submitted by noon on Friday, and online participation must be completed by midnight on Sunday for inclusion in a given week’s drawing that Monday morning. Note: list subject to change.

Week One drawing–October 11

Kronco: Maple Ridge Farms “Tower of Luxury” ($100 value): Jessica Bolton, Wharton

Benco Dental: Barnes & Noble gift card ($50 value): Jon Pomeroy, UPHS

Business Services: Palestra 5x7 frame ($100 value): Edward Faichtyger, UPHS

Shake Shack: Gift card ($50 value): Lauren Brown, UPHS

The Chambers Group: Gift card to Target ($50 value): Lan Ding, UPHS

The Philadelphia Eagles: Dallas Goedert autographed photo ($100 value): Andrew Cruz, UPHS

SoulCycle: Two one-day passes ($68 value): Megan Ivey, Perelman School of Medicine

Week Two drawing–October 18

Business Services: Palestra 5x7 frame ($100 value)

Graphic Arts: Barnes & Noble gift card ($50 value)

Shake Shack: Gift card ($50 value)

Howard Roe Gifts: Amazon gift card ($100 value)

BDJ Ventures, LLC: Gift card to Maggiano’s ($100 value)

USA Scientific: Gift card to New Deck ($50 value)

SoulCycle: Two one-day passes ($68 value)

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

Two-Step Verification provides an added layer of protection for your data when you visit PennKey-protected websites. Duo Push makes it faster and easier than ever to activate that extra protection with just the tap of a button on your mobile phone—without the need to type out a texted SMS code, or to step through a klunky voice call. Since SMS code delivery can sometimes be delayed by your phone carrier’s network, Duo Push also serves as a swift and reliable method to bypass an extended wait for an SMS text code.

Setting up Duo Push notification is easy. Using a desktop computer or a laptop, sign into your Two-Step Verification profile at https://upenn.edu/twostep, then:

• Click the “Manage Settings” button to go to your Two-Step Verification settings. (You may be prompted to log in with your PennKey)
• Click the “Enroll in Duo Push” button under the Quick Links, then follow the onscreen instructions to enroll in Duo Push. 

As a part of the setup and configuration, a push notification will be sent to your mobile device. Please be sure to accept this inaugural push by selecting “Approve” in the Duo Mobile application, which will complete your configuration of the Duo Mobile app. 

Then enjoy the ease of push notifications!

Pro tip: Only accept pushes that you initiate. If you receive a Duo Push that you didn’t initiate, this indicates that your PennKey password has likely been compromised. Change your PennKey password immediately and contact your local computing support for additional assistance.

For more information on Two-Step verification view these web pages: 

• https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/two-step-verification-getting-started
• https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/two-step-verification-detailed-instructions
• https://www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/two-step-verification-configuring-replacement-phone

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.