February 21, 2023 Volume 69 Issue 24

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) has awarded over $5 million in grants to three community violence prevention and intervention programs across Penn Medicine. The Penn Medicine programs not only aim to reduce and prevent community violence, but also address the lasting impacts of violence on victims, such as treating their mental health and helping them use social service agencies.

Record levels of violent crime in Philadelphia for the past three years have served as a call to action for many groups across the state to reduce violence and heal the communities impacted most by it. There were 1,791 non-fatal shootings in Philadelphia in 2022, on par with 1,831 in 2021 and 1,812 in 2020. The PCCD grants were part of a $100 million investment in 127 projects across the state to address this crisis.

At Penn Medicine, Bernadette Hohl, a senior research investigator at the Penn Injury Science Center (PISC), and Sara Solomon, deputy director of the center, will use grant funds to expand and enhance the School District of Philadelphia’s Safe Path to School Program. The goal of this program is to increase community safety by providing a positive, trusted adult presence for students as they travel to and from school and connecting this network of adults with existing violence intervention efforts. Through this grant, PISC will partner with local community organizations to expand to more area schools and provide training for trauma-informed care and violence prevention, access to referral programs, and conduct regular meetings with local violence intervention programs.

In an effort to provide lasting support for victims of violent crime, the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program (PTVRP), led by Elinore Kaufman, an assistant professor of trauma surgery, will use the grant to hire three additional violence intervention specialists, who will provide emotional support to survivors of violent injuries after they are discharged from the hospital and serve as a bridge to the community and social services agencies throughout the city. Since its launch in 2021 with a single violence intervention specialist, the PTVRP has met 233 patients for bedside counseling, enrolled 69 patients in the program, and made 102 referrals to community services and resources. The grant will also help provide dedicated mental health care providers for patients, both before and after hospital discharge, which has been a major hurdle for patients, as providers often have long wait times.

Sandra Capaldi and Lily Brown, both assistant professors of psychology in the department of psychiatry, will also address the lasting impacts of community violence, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and related depression, anxiety, and anger, through the creation of the Prolonged Exposure to Address Community Violence (PEACE) Project. Prolonged exposure is a highly efficacious treatment for chronic PTSD that can result from exposure to violence. Prolonged exposure has also been proven to instill confidence in patients, improve aspects of daily functioning, increase the patient’s ability to cope with courage when facing stress, and improve their ability to discriminate safe and unsafe situations. The PEACE Project will be a coalition of 60 providers at community health centers across Philadelphia who are trained to respond to the mental health needs of individuals who experience community violence.

For more information on Penn Medicine’s community violence intervention efforts, visit: www.penninjuryscience.org/outreach/community-violence-intervention-hub/.

Penn President Liz Magill and Wharton dean Erika James are pleased to announce the appointment of Marissa King as the inaugural Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professor at the Wharton School, which was effective January 1, 2023.

Marissa King joins the Wharton School from Yale University’s School of Management, where she was a professor of organizational behavior. She specializes in the research of social networks, social influence, and team dynamics. At Yale, her most recent work included examining the role social networks play in the prescription drug abuse epidemic. Dr. King is also interested in how to effectively use social networks to treat opioid use disorders and address the increasingly problematic effects of loneliness in society. Dr. King joins Wharton as a professor in healthcare management.

“Marissa King is a nationally recognized leader who studies the influence of social networks on human behavior,” said President Magill. “Her work has implications for understanding individual and group behavior in many contexts. We are thrilled to have her join the Penn faculty as the Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professor, and we are grateful for Alice Hung’s thoughtful philanthropy in creating this endowed professorship to support such important work.”

“I am filled with gratitude for Alice Hung’s longstanding dedication to Wharton, including her generosity in creating this faculty chair, which has allowed Penn to offer Professor King a place amongst the University’s exceptional faculty,” said Dean James. “Professor King’s research touches on some of the most pressing and salient issues facing not only the profession of healthcare, but of society at large—topics that are particularly relevant to Philadelphia and our surrounding global community. I am delighted to be able to welcome her to the Wharton School and grateful to Alice for her leadership and impactful support, which will bear lasting outcomes in student learning and research applications.”

The Alice Y. Hung President’s Distinguished Professorship was endowed in 2015 with a generous gift from Alice Yin Hung, C’90, W’90. The professorship provides instrumental support to the University in recruiting and retaining eminent faculty at the Wharton School.

Ms. Hung said, “I believe that the path to success is through investing in people and I am honored to be able to support the research and career of Professor King. I appreciate Professor King’s research in the intersection of business and healthcare, which is an area that I am passionate about. I look forward to seeing the new paths that Wharton’s health care management program will forge with Professor King as part of the team.”

Alice Yin Hung is the founder and CEO of Universal (Hong Kong) Technology Co. Ltd., a leading scientific and analytical instruments sales and distribution company in Asia; and the founder of CFR Engines Group of Companies, a leading testing instrument manufacturer for petroleum-related products. Ms. Hung is also a keen entrepreneur and innovator who has an interest in the full gamut of business innovations, from biotech to data security. Ms. Hung currently serves as chair of Wharton’s Executive Board for Asia and has been a board member since 2014. She has been in service to Wharton and Penn in numerous capacities over the years. In 2019, Ms. Hung was named China Entrepreneur of the Year at the Wharton Global Forum in Shanghai. In addition to her support of Penn faculty, Ms. Hung has contributed to the Penn Wharton China Center, and recently created an endowed scholarship to support international undergraduate student financial aid at Penn.

From racial policy to competition to mining lithium to aging virtuously, get the latest knowledge from Penn Arts & Science’s outstanding graduate students at the seventh annual Penn Grad Talks on Friday, February 24, in sessions starting at noon.

Penn Grad Talks are a series of TED Talk-style presentations by Penn Arts & Sciences graduate students representing the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and professional master’s programs. Up to five finalists in each category have been selected to speak at the 2023 edition. Judges will select winners in each category to receive a $500 cash prize.

This is the first time Penn Grad Talks will be held in-person since 2019. It will also be live-streamed, and both in-person and virtual audience members can vote for the overall Audience Choice Winner, who will also receive $500. Winners will be announced at an award ceremony and reception at 4:30 p.m. on Friday.  This event is open to the Penn community and the general public. The venue is ADA accessible. Refreshments, including vegan and vegetarian options, will be served throughout the day.

Event Information

Date: Friday, February 24, 2023
Location: Widener Lecture Hall, Penn Museum (3260 South Street, Philadelphia)

12 p.m.: Professional Master’s Presentations
1 p.m.: Social Sciences Presentations
2 p.m.: Natural Sciences Presentations
3 p.m.: Humanities Presentations

The award ceremony and reception will be held in the Sphinx Lobby, Penn Museum from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. For more information about the presentations and speakers, click here.

Ronald E. Miller, an emeritus professor of regional science in the School of Arts and Sciences, died on January 26. He was 89. 

Born in Seattle, Washington, in 1934, Dr. Miller studied economics at Harvard University, where he received his BA in 1955. After a term as a Fulbright scholar at the Universities of Heidelberg and Munich in 1956, he received an MA in economics from the University of Washington in 1957 and a PhD in economics at Princeton University in 1961. His dissertation was an early application of linear programming to improve airline scheduling efficiency, which was published in book form by the MIT Press in 1963. Throughout his career, he applied mathematical models to the social sciences, especially economics. 

Dr. Miller joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in 1962, one of the earliest appointments to the newly-formed regional science department, and spent his entire professional career at Penn. He became a leading researcher and educator as the department matured in the 1960s and 1970s, serving terms as department chairman and as chairman of the graduate group overseeing the graduate degree programs in the 1980s.  He retired and became a professor emeritus in 1995, but remained active in research and publishing until his death.

He was instrumental in teaching and institutional development in the field of regional science. Throughout his career, Dr. Miller was well-known as a scholar, collaborating with numerous research colleagues from all over the world, and as a consummate teacher, advising scores of PhD and master’s students. He received Penn’s Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1988 (Almanac April 19, 1988).

Dr. Miller’s research focused on the application of mathematical methods to economics and regional science, especially in exploring extensions of input-output economic models. His early-career research on interregional feedback effects in multiregional input-output models is still widely cited today. His long and productive research career was recognized with the North American Regional Science Council’s David Boyce Award for Service to Regional Science in 1995 and its Walter Isard Award for Scholarly Achievement in 2006. Dr. Miller was elected a fellow of the North American Regional Science Association and of the International Input-Output Association.

Dr. Miller served as managing editor of the flagship journal of the field of regional science, the Journal of Regional Science, for over three decades. Throughout his career, he authored, co-authored, and co-edited many journal articles and eight books focused on mathematical applications to the social sciences, including the 1985 textbook, Input-Output Analysis: Foundations and Extensions, co-authored with long-time research colleague Peter Blair, which entered its 3rd edition in 2021 and continues to serve as the most widely-used graduate text and research desk reference in the field of input-output analysis.

Harold (“Hal”) Schiffman, an emeritus professor of Dravidian linguistics and culture and South Asia studies in the department of linguistics in the School of Arts and Sciences at Penn, died on December 14, 2022, at his home in Haddonfield, New Jersey. He was 84.

Dr. Schiffman was born in Buffalo, New York. He earned his BA in German and French from Antioch College and his MA in Slavic and Dravidian linguistics and PhD in Dravidian linguistics from the University of Chicago, where his teachers included A. K. Ramanujan and James McCawley.

After a brief stint at U.C. Davis, Dr. Schiffman taught in the department of Asian languages and literature at the University of Washington from 1967 to 1995, and then moved to the University of Pennsylvania in 1995, where he remained until his retirement in 2007. At Penn, Dr. Schiffman was the Henry R. Luce Professor of Language Learning in what was then the department of South Asia regional studies from 1995 to 2000. He was also the director of the Penn Language Center. From 2002 to 2005, he served as director of the Pedagogical Materials Project of the South Asia Language Resource Center of the University of Chicago.

As a professor of Tamil at the University of Washington from 1967 to 1995, Dr. Schiffman taught a variety of courses in Tamil language, linguistics, and culture and served as chair of the department of Asian languages and literature from 1982 to 1987. He was also an adjunct faculty member in linguistics and anthropology, and director of the UW Language Center.

Dr. Schiffman was an internationally renowned scholar of Dravidian linguistics, language policy, and language maintenance. He wrote grammars, reference materials, and linguistic studies of Tamil, Kannada, and the Dravidian language family. He was an early theorist in as situated approaches to language policy, which draw upon discourse analysis and ethnography to understand how language policy relates to lived experiences. He published widely on the sociolinguistics of South Asia. His studies of Tamil diglossia were well-known and respected, and his book, Linguistic Culture and Language Policy (1996), remains a major and widely recognized contribution to the field of language politics.

Dr. Schiffman is survived by his wife, Marilyn; and son, Tim. Donations in his name can be made to Haddonfield United Methodist Church, 29 Warwick Road, Haddonfield, New Jersey 08033, with Hal Schiffman Moscow Seminary Scholarship in the memo line, or at https://www.haddonfieldumc.org/give.

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

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Report from the Senate Tri-Chairs. Faculty Senate Past Chair Bill Braham reported that Scott Bok, chair of the Penn Board of Trustees, would join SEC at its March 2023 meeting. He also reported that the Vice Provost for Education will be issuing a survey to all University instructors asking for their feedback on the Policy on Class Meeting Times in use since September 2021 and on the availability and state of classroom space on campus. The survey is expected to take approximately five minutes, will include an opportunity to provide open-ended feedback, and will be accepting responses during the first half of March 2023.

Faculty Senate chair Vivian Gadsden reported on the upcoming roundtable event “Taking a Stand for Local Engagement: Public Education, Public Schools, and the Role of Universities in Supporting Them,” which will be held at the Kleinman Center Energy Forum of the Fisher Fine Arts Library on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, from 4-6 p.m. Featured guests will be Tony Watlington, superintendent of the School District of Philadelphia, and Pam Grossman, dean of the Penn Graduate School of Education. All faculty are invited to attend, and the event will be simulcast on YouTube. SEC members were offered a list of potential discussion questions for the panelists and asked to offer additional questions.

Update from the Office of the President. President Liz Magill discussed recently concluded and ongoing searches for leadership positions at Penn, including the role of Provost (which John L. Jackson, Jr. will assume on June 1 following ratification from the Board of Trustees), Deans of the Annenberg School for Communication, the Penn Carey Law School, and the Graduate School of Education, all of which are ongoing, and the Vice Provost for University Life and Vice President for University Communications. President Magill also expressed her deep gratitude and appreciation for Beth Winkelstein’s leadership and service as Interim Provost. Interim Provost Winkelstein will return to the role of Deputy Provost on June 1. President Magill discussed her experiences as part of the ongoing Penn Forward tour and the progress being made on the Tomorrow, Together initiative. The remainder of the time was used to discuss the impact of ChatGPT on higher education, both present and future.

Proposal from School of Nursing to Increase Size of Practice Faculty. Faculty Senate past chair Bill Braham introduced a motion on behalf of the Senate Committee on Faculty and the Academic Mission (“SCOF”) to approve a proposal from the School of Nursing that would increase the cap on the size of practice faculty in that school from 20% of the standing faculty to 30% of the standing faculty. SCOF members had unanimously voted to approve the proposal at its most recent meeting after a brief discussion on the size of practice faculty tracks in other schools. SEC members discussed the proposal, following a second, about the potential impact the increase would have on the standing faculty. SEC members who were present at the meeting and who are faculty in the School of Nursing replied to the concerns, stating that the increase in practice faculty size would aid the school’s growing teaching mission. SEC members then voted unanimously to approve the proposal as presented.

ChatGPT and Its Implications for Your Teaching. Executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) Bruce Lenthall led a discussion about ChatGPT, continuing the conversation from the previous hour with President Magill. CTL has developed extensive guidance for use by instructors at Penn and offered that CTL staff are willing to meet with instructors to discuss specific issues and also with departments or programs directly.

The following topics have been submitted for the open forum at the University Council meeting, which will be held from 4-6 p.m. on February 22, 2023 in the Hall of Flags, Houston Hall.

1. Affording a Penn Education (Prahith Chakka, L’24, WG’25)
2. The University’s Vaccine Mandate (George Borg, Visiting Scholar, department of philosophy)
3. Financial Aid and Outside Scholarship Policy (Christopher Gonzalez, W’23)
4. Penn’s Response to Student Protestors (Katherine Francis, C’24)
5. International Postdoctoral Trainee Policies (Galit Agmon, Postdoctoral Fellow, Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, PSOM)
6. Penn Dining (Leo Solga, C’26)
7. Compensation for Postdoctoral Trainees (Ronan Lordan, Postdoctoral Researcher, FitzGerald Laboratory, PSOM)
8. Benefits for Postdoctoral Trainees (Andrea Joseph, Postdoctoral Scholar, Elovitz Lab, PSOM)
9. University’s Storm Water Infrastructure in West Philadelphia (David McCabe, C’23)
10. The University’s Legacy (Emma Glasser, C’23, ENG’23)
11. PILOTS and Mitigating Gentrification (Omar Elsakhawy, C’26)
12. Penn’s Commitment to Climate Justice (Tammy Nguyen, ENG’26)
13. Promoting Diversity at Penn Engineering (Shriya Karam, ENG’23)
14. Penn’s Developments in West Philadelphia (Gigi Varlotta, C’23)

On Thursday and Friday, March 2-3, 2023, there will be meetings of the Trustees. 

Thursday, March 2

8:30-10 a.m.—Local, National, & Global Engagement Committee
10:15-11:45 a.m.—Facilities & Campus Planning Committee
1:45-3:15 p.m.—Student Life Committee
3:30-5 p.m.—Academic Policy Committee and Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity (joint meeting)
3:45-5 p.m.—Budget & Finance Committee

Friday, March 3

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.—Stated Meeting of the Trustees

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

Mark Allen, the Alfred Fitler Moore Professor in electrical and systems engineering and in mechanical engineering and applied mechanics in Penn Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for “contributions to the technology and commercialization of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) for healthcare.” Dr. Allen joins a group of 106 new members and 18 international members that comprise the NAE Class of 2023.

Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer, and puts Dr. Allen in rare company; this class brings the total U.S. membership to 2,420 and the number of international members to 319.

Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.”

The areas impacted by Dr. Allen’s research include the development and the application of new micro- and nanofabrication technologies, as well as MEMS. Dr. Allen is the scientific director of the Singh Center for Nanotechnology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Members of the newly elected class will be formally inducted during the NAE’s annual meeting scheduled for October 1, 2023.

The University of Pennsylvania’s Edgar Dobriban, Robyn E. Sanderson, and Ben Scholl have been selected to receive a 2023 Sloan Research Fellowship, which recognizes early-career scientists in North America. They are among 126 fellows, researchers chosen from more than 1,000 nominees. Each winner receives a two-year, $75,000 research fellowship.

Edgar Dobriban is an assistant professor in the department of statistics and data science at the Wharton School, with a secondary appointment in computer and information science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. His research interests include the statistical analysis of large datasets and the foundations of machine learning. Specifically, his research spans uncertainty quantification for machine learning, invariance, fairness, and large-scale multivariate analysis, scalable inference via random projections, both using random matrix theory. Dr. Dobriban’s work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, and the Simons Foundation. He is also the recipient of the Bernoulli Society New Researcher Award 2023, a junior research award from the International Chinese Statistical Association in 2022, and an NSF CAREER award in 2021.

Robyn E. Sanderson is an assistant professor in the department of physics & astronomy in the School of Arts & Sciences. Her research is concerned with methods to infer the distribution of dark matter in galaxies. Through the study of how stars and gas orbit in galaxies under the laws of gravity, especially in the outskirts of galaxies where dark matter produces most of the gravitational force, her lab is able to test theories of dark matter and galaxy formation. Dr. Sanderson’s group maintains several public datasets that provide astronomers with tools for directly comparing real surveys of the Milky Way’s stars to simulations of similar galaxies emerging from the cosmic web. Dr. Sanderson also is an affiliate scientist in the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute.

Benjamin Scholl is an assistant professor in the department of neuroscience at the Perelman School of Medicine. His research focuses on the synaptic connections between neurons, studying the development and dysfunction of this functional connectivity in multiple animal models. Dr. Scholl’s work has consistently challenged commonly held principles in neuroscience, paving the way for new ideas. Dr. Scholl has authored or co-authored more than 30 journal articles and received several awards for his science.

Awarded this year to 126 early-career scientists across the United States and Canada, the Sloan Research Fellowships are among the most competitive awards available to researchers. Since the first Sloan Research Fellowships were awarded in 1955, 129 faculty from Penn have received them.

Open to scholars in chemistry, computer science, Earth system science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, and physics, the Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded in coordination with the scientific community. Candidates must be nominated by fellow scientists, and winners are selected by independent panels of senior scholars based on a candidate’s research accomplishments, creativity, and potential to become leaders in their fields.

The Outrider Foundation, a nonprofit that supports multimedia storytelling about nuclear issues and climate change, recently announced that Michael Mann, Presidential Distinguished Professor in the department of Earth and environmental science of Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed to its first advisory board. The board includes climate and nuclear specialists, academics, bestselling authors, media strategists, and a diverse brain trust of security and policy experts.

“The Outrider Foundation does critically important work to ensure that key societal threats, be they environmental or security-related, don’t fly under the radar screen of our media,” said Dr. Mann. “I couldn’t be more honored to serve on their board.”

Dr. Mann’s research focuses on climate science and climate change. He was selected by Scientific American as one of the 50 leading visionaries in science and technology and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2020. He co-founded RealClimate.org and has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications, numerous op-eds and commentaries, and five books, including Dire Predictions, The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars, The Madhouse Effect, The Tantrum that Saved the World, and The New Climate War. Dr. Mann is also director of the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media (PCSSM).

“It’s an exciting time at Outrider, and I couldn’t be more grateful to this talented group of people,” said Robert K. Elder, president and CEO of the Outrider Foundation. “They will be essential in helping to evolve the organization and shape its future and the impact we will make in the world.”

On February 2, Barbie Zelizer, Raymond Williams Professor of Communication and director of the Center for Media at Risk in the Annenberg School for Communication, was awarded with a Doctor Honoris Causa from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon.

The ceremony honoring Dr. Zelizer was presided over by D. Manuel Clemente, Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon and Chancellor of Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
A former journalist, Dr. Zelizer is known for her work on journalism, culture, memory, and images, particularly in times of crisis. She has authored or edited fifteen books, including the award-winning About To Die: How News Images Move the Public and Remembering to Forget: Holocaust Memory Through the Camera’s Eye, and over 150 articles, book chapters, and essays.

In 2020, Dr. Zelizer was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and she is also a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship; a Freedom Forum Center Research Fellowship; a fellowship from Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy; a fellowship from the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies; a Fulbright Senior Scholar; a fellowship from Stanford University’s Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences; and an ACLS Fellowship.

Join Penn Career Services March 13-17 for a week of professional and career development programs that will support and enhance a first generation graduate student experience at Penn. The programming is supported by GAPSA and is presented in collaboration with a variety of student-focused offices across Penn’s campus.

A first-generation (first-gen) graduate student is someone who is the first in their immediate family to attend graduate school and pursue a graduate degree. This can include master’s or doctoral programs in a variety of fields such as business, law, medicine, or the sciences. First-gen graduate students can face unique challenges as they navigate the graduate school experience without the guidance or support of family members who have gone through the process. A first-generation graduate student can also refer to international students who are the first in their immediate family to study for a graduate degree in the United States. These students may face additional challenges, such as cultural and language barriers, as well as the added stress of being away from home and family. They also may not have the same level of support and guidance from their family as they navigate the unfamiliar education system and cultural landscape of the United States.

While focused primarily on the experiences and perspectives of first gen graduate students, this week of programs is open to all graduate students, and all are encouraged to take advantage of the sessions that will help them gain more confidence in their professional and career development. Some of these sessions will be recorded so they can be accessed after they are presented. Visit https://careerservices.upenn.edu/2023-first-gen-graduate-student-week/ for more details, including the schedule of events.

Join the Penn Museum in celebrating women artists from around the world. Honor the power and diversity of feminine creativity with a day of activities the whole family can enjoy on Saturday, March 11, 2023.

Watch live performances and storytelling, visit an artist marketplace, participate in hands-on workshops, and explore symbols of feminine power on display in the galleries.

This daylong festival features art and performances from some of our region’s best women artists and creatives.

To buy tickets, visit https://www.penn.museum/calendar/1365/celebrate-women-artists-and-creatives.

See below for the event schedule.

Films

22        Dollars and Sense: The ABCs of Financial Caregiving; discusses the financial aspects of caregiving and how to improve the bottom line for caregivers; noon; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/nursing-workshop-feb-22 (Nursing).

            Best Practices for Professional and Leadership Development, Promotion, and Advancement of Diverse Legal Professionals; virtual conversations about best practices in DEI, featuring Penn Carey Law alumni who are actively engaged in DEI efforts around the country; noon; online webinar; register: https://pennlaw.cvent.com/d/9lq4yg (Carey Law School).

            As Far as They Can Run; a fascinating look at those in rural Pakistan who are struggling to find acceptance and worth in a society that has relegated them to the margins; 5:30 p.m.; room 401, Fisher-Bennett Hall (Cinema & Media Studies, Middle East Center).

24        Master in Law Information Session for Penn Faculty, Staff, and Students; Penn faculty and staff who wish to incorporate a legal perspective on the issues that intersect with their professional fields and academic interests are invited to learn more about the benefits of pursuing a master in law; noon; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/carey-workshop-feb-24 (Carey Law School).

28        Connecting Conversations: Strengthening LGBTQ+ Families; hear from experts from research, policy, and startups about how we can strengthen LGBTQ+ family formation through community, healthcare, and policy; 3:30 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/nursing-workshop-feb-28 (Nursing).

Fitness & Learning

24        Recruiting and Supporting Underrepresented Minority PhD Students; discussion on challenges and strategies in the recruitment of URM PhD students and supporting them in graduate study; 1:30 p.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall, and Zoom webinar; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/98620440148 (Center for Engineering MechanoBiology).

Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships

Unless noted, online events. Info: https://curf.upenn.edu/events.

22        Grant-Writing Workshop; 4 p.m.; room 242, Van Pelt Library.

On Stage

Penn Live Arts

In-person events. Info: https://pennlivearts.org/events/.

23        Wharton Follies: 21 Walnut Street; an original musical comedy parodying (and celebrating) the MBA experience, entirely written, produced and performed by students; 8 p.m.; Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center. Also February 24, 8 p.m.

Readings & Signings

28        Nation’s Metropolis; Royce Hanson and Harold Wolman, George Washington University; noon; online livestream; register: https://tinyurl.com/hanson-wolman-feb-28 (Penn Institute of Urban Research).

Special Events

28        Black History Celebration Closing Dinner; celebration with food that honors the African diaspora; 5 p.m.; room 108, ARCH (Makuu: The Black Cultural Center).

Talks

21        Structural Determinants of (Unequal) Exposure to Injury and Violence; Sara Jacoby, Nursing; noon; room 1402, Blockley Hall, and Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/jacoby-talk-feb-21 (Medical Ethics & Health Policy).

            In Pursuit of Entanglement: XXZ Interactions for Spin-Squeezing in Atomic and Solid-State Spin Ensembles; Emily Davis, University of California Berkeley; 12:30 p.m.; room 225, Towne Building (Electrical & Systems Engineering).

22        Model-Robust and Efficient Covariate Adjustment for Cluster-Randomized Trials; Bingkai Wang, Wharton; 11 a.m.; Brian L. Strom Conference Room, Blockley Hall; (Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics).

            Agile Regulation: Governance in a Changing World; panel of speakers; noon; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/ppr-talk-feb-22 (Penn Program on Regulation).

            Ethical Approaches to Documentary Filmmaking; Olena Lysenko, Ukrainian documentary filmmaker; 12:15 p.m.; room 300, Annenberg School (Center for Media at Risk).

            Seeing 3D with Polarized Light; Jinwei Ye, George Mason University; room 307, Levine Hall, and Zoom webinar; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/98723817934 (GRASP Lab).

            Developing Strategies for Polymer Redesign and Recycling Using Reaction Pathway Analysis; Linda Broadbelt, Northwestern University; 3:30 p.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering).

            Stability of Planar Fronts of the Bidomain Allen-Cahn Equation; Yoichiro Mori, mathematics; 3:45 p.m.; room A2, DRL (Mathematics).

            Negotiating Passions: On Film, Literature, and Perlocutionary Responsibility; Daniele Lorenzini, philosophy; 5:15 p.m.; room 543, Williams Hall (French & Francophone Studies).  

23        Mechanics for Energy Sustainability: From Fatigue of 2D Materials to Dendrites in Solid-state Batteries; Teng Cui, Stanford University; 10 a.m.; Glandt Forum, Singh Center for Nanotechnology (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

            The Arta Polyandrion: Recreating Memory in the Landscape; Jeremy McInerney, classical studies; noon; Zoom webinar; register: https://webapps.unitn.it/form/it/Web/Application/convegni/spacezoom (Classical Studies).

            Good News and Bad News: International Law, Public Opinion, and Human Security; Charli Carpenter, University of Massachusetts Amherst; noon; forum, PCPSE (Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics).

            Shamanic Chant and Contemporary Korean Elegy: Kim Hyesoon's "Autobiography of Death;" Ivanna Sang Een Yi, Cornell University; noon; room 623, Williams Hall (Korean Studies).

            Engineering Tissues and Transducers for Future Bionics; Subramanian Sundaram, Boston University and Harvard University; 12:30 p.m.; room 225, Towne Building (Bioengineering; Electrical & Systems Engineering).

            Mechanisms of Injury Response in Distal Lung Epithelium; Jaymin Kathiriya, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai; 4 p.m.; room 11-146, Smilow Center (Penn-CHOP Lung Biology Institute).

            Regulation and Evolution of Phenotypic Plasticity: Insights from Horned Beetles and Predatory Nematodes; Sofia Casasa, Boston University; 4 p.m.; Tedori Family Auditorium, Levin Building, and Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/casasa-talk-feb-23  (Biology).

            Transitions from Jail/Prison to the Community; Carrie Langley, University of Arizona; John Pace, Sentencing Project; 6 p.m.; Zoom webinar; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/92015121264 (Nursing).

24        Robots that Learn and Adapt; Jitendra Malik, University of California Berkeley; 10:30 a.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (GRASP Lab).

            Message Fatigue and Uptake of COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters in the U.S.; Xiaoquan Zhao, George Mason University; noon; room 500, Annenberg School, and Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/zhao-talk-feb-24 (Annenberg School Elihu Katz Colloquium).

            A Bad Commute: Does Travel Time to Work Predict Teacher and Leader Turnover and Other Workplace Outcomes? Jason Grissom, Vanderbilt University; 12:30 p.m.; Spady Room, Fox-Fels Hall, and Zoom webinar; info: bbowden@upenn.edu (Graduate School of Education).

            The Vulgairty of Caste: Dalits, Sexuality, and Humanity in Modern India; Shailaja Paik, University of Cincinnati; 4 p.m.; Meyerson Conference Room, Van Pelt Library (South Asia Center).

27        Intergenerational Inequality: Biocultural Pathways in Infancy; Elizabeth Holdsworth, Washington State University; noon; room 345, Penn Museum (Anthropology).

            The Unequal Battle Against Infertility: Theory and Evidence from IVF Success and Drop-Out Rates; Raul Santaeulalia-Llopis, economics; noon; room 150, McNeil Building (Population Studies Center).

            From Congress to the Vatican: The Promotion of Maternal-Fetal Surgery & Perinatal Palliative Care as Alternatives to Abortion Care; Abigail Wilpers, Nursing; 3 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/wilpers-talk-feb-27 (Nursing; Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies).

            Who Hears Hear? Black Music; Guy Ramsey, music; 6 p.m.; room 108/109, ARCH (Makuu: The Black Cultural Center).

28        Solid Interfaces in Electrochemical Devices; Victor Venturi, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 10 a.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

            Rules Toward Molecular Cavity Polaritonics; Aaron Rury, Wayne State University; noon; Carol Lynch Lecture Hall, Chemistry Complex (Chemistry).

            An Architect’s Perspective on Quantum Computer Scaling: Why, What, and How? Kaitlin Smith, super.tech; 12:30 p.m.; room 225, Towne Building (Electrical & Systems Engineering).

            Proposals for Peace on the Korean Peninsula (한반도 평화를 위한 제안); Lee Nakyon, former Prime Minister of South Korea; 3 p.m.; auditorium, PCPSE (Korean Studies).

Computer & Information Science

Unless noted, in-person events in Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall. Info: https://www.cis.upenn.edu/events/.

23        Cryptography, Security, and Law; Sunoo Park, Columbia University; 3:30 p.m.

28        Privacy-Preserving Accountability Online; Nirvan Tyagi, Cornell University; 3:30 p.m.

Economics

Unless noted, in-person events at room 101, PCPSE. Info: https://economics.sas.upenn.edu/events.

27        Competing Narratives in Action: Belief Cycles Throughout the Pandemic; Ricardo Serrano-Padial, Drexel University; noon; room 203, PCPSE.

28        Returns to Pre-College Investments: The Case of Advanced Placement; Cung Truong Hoang, economics; 12:30 p.m.

Sociology

Unless noted, in-person events at room 367, McNeil Building. Info: https://sociology.sas.upenn.edu/events.

22        The Nonlinear and Heterogeneous Effects of Parental Income on Children's Educational Attainment; Ian Lundberg, Cornell University; noon; room 150, McNeil Building.

27        The Effects of Repeated Exposure to Climate Disasters on Child Health: Evidence from Indonesia; Jaclyn Yap, Population Studies Center; 10 a.m.

            Polynomial Regression with Response Surface Analysis; Kuo Zhao, Renmin University of China; 2 p.m.

28        Anti-Asian Discrimination Two Years into The Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Survey Experiments; Yao Lu, Columbia University; noon; Zoom webinar.

This is an update to the February AT PENN calendar, which is online now. Submit events for future AT PENN calendars and weekly updates to almanac@upenn.edu. The March AT PENN calendar will be published next Tuesday, February 28.

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 February 6-12, 2023. 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 February 6-12, 2023. 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: 3 incidents (3 robberies) with 1 arrest were reported for February 6-12, 2023 by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue.

Dear Penn Community,

Thank you for your continued generosity. It is especially notable during the holiday season, but evident at all times. There are no words to adequately describe your generosity. Many continue to benefit from your willingness to give. Thank you to President Magill for sponsoring the toy donation drive held during her holiday party. These toys, along with many others, were donated to local agencies and families in the surrounding community. 
Thank you to the following departments; they brought joy to families during the holidays by “adopting” them:

• African American Resource Center, coordinated by Valerie Allen and Colleen Winn
• Business Services, sponsored by Tracy L. Hawkins
• Career Services, coordinated by Jamie Grant
• Center for Teaching and Learning and Online Learning Initiative, coordinated by Jessica E. Morris
• Chris Connor Family, coordinated by Chris Connor
• Consortium for Policy Research in Education, coordinated by Katarina Suwak
• DAR Marketing and Communications, coordinated by Julia Laczin
• Department of Psychiatry, coordinated by Megan Himes 
• Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics, Women of DRIA Group, coordinated by Emily Christiansen
• Facilities and Real Estate Services, coordinated by Cheryl Smith, Chloe Cerwinka, and Alice Cheng
• Fels Institute of Government, coordinated by Ambika Singh
• General Counsel, coordinated by Krystyna Dereszowska and Denene Wambach
• Institutional Research and Analysis, coordinated by Patricia Diehm
• Mark Sellmeyer family, coordinated by Mark Sellmyer
• Netter Center for Community Partnerships, coordinated by Ciara Robinson
• Office of the Comptroller, coordinated by Celestine Silverman
• Office of Gift Planning, coordinated by Lorleen Finor-Maxwell and Christina Reichert
• Office of the Provost, coordinated by Carolyn Rasp
• Paula Pritchett Family, coordinated by Paula Pritchett
• Penn Champions Club 
• Penn Athletics Development, coordinated by Emily Robley
• Penn Communications, coordinated by Lauren Summers
• Penn Fund, coordinated by Joshua Nay
• Penn Human Resources Employee Solution Center, coordinated by Amma Napier
• Penn Museum, coordinated by Karen Klaverkamp
• Perelman School of Medicine, coordinated by Rachel McGarrigle, Francia Portacio, and Anne Levy
• Research Services, coordinated by Tina Nemetz and Evelyn Ford
• Residential and Hospitality Services, coordinated by Linda M. Kromer
• SAS Human Resources, coordinated by Paula Pritchett
• SAS Office of Advancement, coordinated by  Rhonda Moyer
• Training and Development HR, coordinated by Holly Morrone
• University Laboratory Animal Resources (ULAR), coordinated by ULAR Wellness Committee
• Wharton MBA Career Management, coordinated by Rebecca Alig
• Wharton Customer Analytics, coordinated by Rachel L. Dutcher
• Wharton Development and Alumni Communications, coordinated by Eleni Rengepis
• Wharton Executive Education, coordinated by Anne Corcoran-Petela
• Wharton External Affairs, coordinated by Eleni Rengepis and Courtney Ridley
• Wharton Global Youth Program, coordinated by Kara Dunn
• Wharton Communication Program, coordinated by Sara Mangat
• Wharton School Dean’s Office, coordinated Jennifer O’Keefe

Several departments adopted multiple families. Additional families were adopted because of generous gift card donations.

A special thank you to the Dropsite Committee volunteers without whose dedication holiday donations would not be possible: Brenda Gonzalez, Chris Hyson, Eric Stewart, Rachelle Nelson, Illene Rubin, Jennifer O’Keefe, Evelyn Ford, Tina Nemetz, Gretchen Ekeland, Maryanne Nuzzo, Celestine Silverman, Landy Georges, Kerri Strike-Stahller, Linda Kromer, Kathy Ritchie, Chambrel Jones, Michelle Last, and Stacy Ritchey.

The efforts of this special group collected all the toys/gifts. They made it possible for us to respond to request for donations from our neighbors listed below:

• People’s Emergency Center
• Parents Against Drugs
• Baring House
• Christ Lutheran Community Center
• Salvation Army
• Mill Creek Coalition
• Millennium Baptist Church Holiday Drive
• Potter’s Mission House
• Church of New Hope and Faith
• Recovery Kings Sanctuary
• Penn WorkPlace Mentoring Program
• Local families

A very special thanks to the department of physics and astronomy, coordinated by Michell Last, for providing supermarket gift cards that helped to feed many families; Franklin Building group, Human Resources, Engineering and more for the generous sneaker donations and gift cards to benefit the homeless; Carisma Therapeutics, coordinated by Kara Collins, who generously participated in the program; Interius BioTherapeutics, Inc., coordinated by Kari Smitherman and the Operations Team for their generosity and participation in the holiday program; Mary Kinney, for the beautiful hand-made scarves, sweaters, hats, and gloves for deserving community members; and to the entire University community for donating over 700 gifts and toys.

Additionally, the following benefitted from the University’s Annual Food Drive:

• Mastery Charter Harrity School Campus Food Drive
• Potter’s Mission House
• West Philadelphia Salvation Army
• West Philadelphia High School
• People’s Emergency Center
• Provisions for the Poor Pantry
• MLK Associates for Nonviolence Food Pantry
• Baring House Crisis Nursery
• Bethesda Project
• Families needing emergency food supplies

Special thanks to the Aresty Institute for providing gifts to a special group of children whose parents were unable to provide them—in addition to the families they adopted; the department of finance team for their generous donation of gift cards; Ruth Kelley and the SAS Facilities Planning and Operations Crew, for collecting toys and for their assistance with delivering toys to the families; Wharton Undergraduate Community Values Task Force for their help with the annual food drive; and all the special people, both named and unnamed, for their remarkable generosity.

Change Drive: March 6–20. This change drive will benefit a graduating high school students accepted at an accredited college or university. This is a non-tuition scholarship donation given to graduating high school students accepted at an accredited college or university. The program has been in existence for over 20 years and has made a difference in many students’ lives. The program name was changed to the Marie K. Bogle Scholarship in 2017. Students have been able to use the funds to buy books and the many other items needed to make a home away from home. 

Please feel free to contact the most convenient location listed below to make your donation:

Share your expertise with West Philadelphia student-athletes. Want to share something with West Philadelphia student-athletes in grades 4-8? Young Quakers want to hear from you! A variety of topics are welcome: sports medicine, sports-related careers, athlete mental health and self-care, to name a few. Contact Young Quakers Community Athletics director Sara Kelly at sdkelly@sas.upenn.edu. Contact Isabel Mapp at (215) 898-2020 or send an email sammapp@pobox.upenn.edu for additional information and /or to volunteer for this program.

Tutoring Class Volunteers. The Chew and Belfield Neighbors Club, Inc. is recruiting volunteers for their free tutoring classes. These classes will be held on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. at the Wissahickon Charter School 815 E. Washington Lane. (near Chew Avenue). Classes started Saturday, January 28, 2023 and will end Saturday, May 6, 2023. Volunteers are needed for classes from first grade through the first year of college. Subjects include math, reading, spelling, writing, foreign languages, and sign language. All volunteers must have and present their Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certification and Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record check documents. All parents/guardians are required to stay with their child during each tutoring session. For information, contact the Rev. Chester H. Williams at Chew& Belfield Neighbors Club 501C(3) by calling (215) 849-8021.

Momentum Education is also looking for volunteer tutors who can meet on Zoom once a week for 30-40 minutes. If you are interested, please email your resume to Raj at raj@momentumedu.org. 

Join Penn VIPS Dropsite Committee. Penn volunteers provide a drop off location to collect the many donated items we receive during our annual drives.

A variety of drives are conducted during the course of the year to partner with and help support local schools, families, and agencies. Dropsite volunteers  are located throughout campus. Volunteers post the events, set up collection sites and help select the recipients for the donations. They also participate in an annual thank you luncheon.

Drives are held during the following times:
School Supplies Drive: August
Food Drive: November
Gift/Toy Drive: December
Change Drive: March

Reorganizing? Do you have furniture no longer needed by your department? Local nonprofits are in need of your items! Do you have any computers to donate? Had a conference? Do you have left-over bags, t-shirts, tchotchkes? Need to empty out your storage space? Please donate them to Penn VIPS. We will put them to great use by donating them to community members, students with whom we work, and use them to thank our many volunteers.

UACS Nights. Teach adult learners and share your expertise. Teach resume writing, interviewing skills, computing, employment prep, dance, cooking, or a subject you are passionate about. Teach once a week for a one- or two-hour period for four to six weeks. We also welcome classes that can be taught in one session. Classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at West Philadelphia High School.

Create your own volunteer activity for your department. Would you and your colleagues or friends like to participate in a volunteer activity?  Penn VIPS is happy to connect you to an activity or help you develop one of your own.

Contact Isabel Sampson-Mapp at sammapp@pobox.upenn.edu or (215) 898-2020 for additional info or to volunteer.

—Isabel Sampson-Mapp, Associate Director, Netter Center for Community Partnerships

Penn Sustainability would like to encourage participation in the 2023 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge. This is a free competition, organized by My Green Lab with the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL). 

Laboratory fridges and freezers are essential for scientific discovery and the betterment of human health—but your ultra low-temperature freezer could be consuming the same amount of energy each day as a small house! We encourage you to join this free competition, which has saved more than 24 million kWh energy over six years (equivalent to the electricity used by 3,300 homes for a year). Through the Freezer Challenge, your lab’s cold storage can be optimized for better sample access, sample integrity, reduced costs, and energy savings. Join the 2023 International Laboratory Freezer Challenge, and over six months, implement tried-and-true best practices for your refrigerators and freezers. Learn more & sign up at www.freezerchallenge.org.

You can learn more about the challenge in this short video or this flyer.  

—Penn Sustainability & Green Labs Executive Committee