April 25, 2023 Volume 69 Issue 32

Penn Global has provided $1.7 million in research and engagement awards to support 19 new projects involving faculty from all of Penn’s 12 schools.

This year’s cohort engages countries and regions around the world including India, China, Africa, and Latin America, with multiple projects concurrently engaging numerous regions. Projects span a wide range of disciplines, exploring topics like approaches to climate resilience, educational capacity-building for improved health outcomes, and early childhood interventions serving refugees, among others.

All 19 projects selected for funding this year will engage one or more of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 and adopted by all U.N Member States, the goals are “a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.” As the United Nations approaches the midpoint to the achievement of these SDGs by 2030, Penn Global solicited proposals that sought to reassess the progress of these goals and promote initiatives that would advance their attainment. The latest cohort will engage nearly all 17 SDGs, with many focusing on good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10).

“Positioning Penn research for global impact is central to our mission of bringing the world to Penn and Penn to the world, and a primary goal of our grant program,” said Penn’s vice provost for global initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel. “By supporting projects like the 19 selected this year, we are able to leverage the deep expertise of Penn faculty to generate new knowledge, tackle cross-border challenges, and amplify impact.”

The Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant Program prioritizes projects that bring together leading scholars and practitioners across the University community and around the world to develop new insight on significant global issues, a core pillar of Penn’s global strategic framework. The grant program consists of the Global Engagement Fund, the China and India Research and Engagement Funds, and the Holman Africa Research and Engagement Fund.

This year’s grant recipients will introduce their projects at Penn Global’s upcoming annual launch symposium on April 27 at Perry World House.

2023 Awards

Projects Engaging Multiple Regions

• Evaluating Europe’s Flagship Carbon Policies—Arthur van Benthem,  Wharton School
• Cost-Effectiveness Studies of Early Childhood Interventions Serving Refugees—Brooks Bowden, Graduate School of Education
• Residential Location Choice, Affordability, and High-Capacity Transit Lines in Bogota—Erick Guerra, Weitzman School of Design
• PBL for Global Climate Justice—Zachary Herrmann, Graduate School of Education
• Blue Planetary Boundaries for Climate Resilience & Sustainable Development—Irina Marinov, School of Arts and Sciences
• Kidney CEUS in Latin America, Multinational Education and Research Program—Hansel Otero, Perelman School of Medicine
• Designing a Just and Climate Resilient Transboundary Region—Simon Richter, School of Arts and Sciences
• Living Learning Environments: Early Education for Sustainable Futures—Laia Mogas-Soldevila, Weitzman School of Design
• Income, Family Structure, and CCT Effects on Child Maltreatment in Mexico—Petra Todd, School of Arts and Sciences
• Impact of Tech-based Teaching on Learning in India: Towards UN SDG4—Daniel Wagner, Graduate School of Education

Projects Engaging Africa

• Resilient Ecosystem and Sustainable Transformation of Rural Economies—Heather Huntington, School of Arts and Sciences
• To Improve Stroke Care in Africa—Renyu Liu, Perelman School of Medicine
• Resuscitation Education and Acute Care Help (REACH)-Sub-Saharan Africa—Vinay Nadkarni & Vanessa Denny, Perelman School of Medicine
• Botswana Education and Research Development—Megan Rybarczyk, Perelman School of Medicine
• The Impacts of Income Volatility and Risk on Economic Outcomes in Ghana—Heather Schofield,  Wharton School and Perelman School of Medicine

Projects Engaging India

• Stories of Climate Action: Negotiating Planning in Mumbai’s Wetscapes—Nikhil Anand, School of Arts and Sciences
• Clinical Multimodal Integration for Stratification of Glioblastoma Patients—Spyridon Bakas, Perelman School of Medicine  and Sharath Chandra Guntuku, School of Engineering & Applied Science
• Synergy to Solve SDGs (S3): Targeting Physical and Mental Health in India—Jere Behrman, School of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Education

Projects Engaging China

• Knowledge Building Innovation Network in Greater China: Educating Towards a Sustainable Future—Bodong Chen, Graduate School of Education

The School of Arts and Sciences announces the following recipients of its 2023 teaching awards:

Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching

This year’s recipients of SAS’s highest teaching honor are Coren Apicella, associate professor of psychology, and Timothy Rommen, Davidson Kennedy Professor in the College and professor of music and Africana Studies. The Ira H. Abrams Award was established in 1983 and recognizes teaching that is intellectually challenging and exceptionally coherent. The award honors faculty who embody high standards of integrity and fairness, have a strong commitment to learning, and are open to new ideas.

Dr. Apicella’s courses, including Social Psychology, are among the most in-demand in her department. She is known for her “high enthusiasm and passion for the subject matter, which clearly rubs off on her students.” Whether in a lecture course with hundreds of students or a small group honors course, she provides an engaging and approachable learning environment in which “students learn how to evaluate facts and discover truths on their own by mastering the scientific method.”

The ability to make students feel at home is a trait shared by the other Abrams Award winner, Timothy Rommen. Colleagues praise his courses on world music, ethnomusicology, and the music of the Caribbean for “his ability to combine scholarship with music-making—and in doing so to ground and humanize the study of music in ways that invite people in.” He is a devoted mentor who has worked with a wide range of students and sponsored scores of independent studies.

Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching    

Tobias Baumgart, professor of chemistry, is the 2023 recipient of the Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching. This award, which is named after Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor and former College of Arts and Sciences dean Dennis DeTurck, recognizes exceptional creativity and innovation in instruction.

Dr. Baumgart has been reimagining curricula since his arrival at Penn in 2005. He was the creator of the honors track in chemistry, which has become a “cornerstone” of the department’s curricula. Physical chemistry is the most recent class to benefit from his adventurous approach to pedagogy. Widely considered one of the most difficult classes in the department, Dr. Baumgart presents the difficult subject matter with an energy and enthusiasm. Students now describe the class as “stimulating and fun.”

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Affiliated Faculty

Maria Alley, senior lecturer in Russian and East European Studies, and Anthony Cirri, lecturer in chemistry, are the recipients of this award, which recognizes contributions to undergraduate education made by the school’s non-standing faculty.

Dr. Alley teaches Russian language and culture courses. Her colleagues call her a “pedagogical phenomenon.” She takes the dread out of language acquisition by creating an environment that is “warm and comfortable.” Her discussion-based classes, personalization of lessons and seemingly endless availability for her students have made her an educator with a profound impact both inside and outside the classroom.

Since he began teaching at Penn in 2020, Anthony Cirri has made important contributions to the Chemistry department in a short period of time. Dr. Cirri transformed introduction to general chemistry, centering the course on molecular orbital theory, making the course work more approachable, and preparing students well for the second course in the sequence. Students also praise his “challenging yet thought-provoking recitation problem sets.”

Dean’s Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research

This year SAS honors Rebecca Waller, assistant professor of psychology, with the Dean’s Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research. The award is given in recognition of faculty members who have excelled in nurturing undergraduate students’ desires and abilities to conduct meaningful research. Dr. Waller teaches the mentored research course and supervises the independent studies for the psychology honors program. With a focus on socioemotional development and child psychopathology, her lab is described as a “home base” where she strongly encourages students to develop their own research ideas. Her “rigorous and innovative research practice” has helped her students win the department’s Morris Vitales Award for Excellence in Psychological Research award for three consecutive years. Many of her students have gone on to attain research associate positions at outstanding universities.

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by an Assistant Professor

This award recognizes a member of the junior faculty who demonstrates unusual promise as an educator. This year SAS honors Sarah Gronningsater, assistant professor of history. Her renowned course, history of American law to 1877, is routinely over-enrolled and many students describe it as their favorite class offered by the department. “Professor G,” as she is affectionately called by her undergraduates, makes her students feel “seen and acknowledged,” even in a class of 80.

Liberal and Professional Studies Award for Distinguished Teaching in Undergraduate and Post-Baccalaureate Programs

Megan Ruth Elliot, a lecturer in two programs in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, is the recipient of this award which recognizes teaching in LPS’s undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programs. Known for teaching biochemistry, she has “indefatigable enthusiasm for teaching” which is contagious. A student reflects, “Of all the professors I have had in the program, she is by far the one that has left the biggest impact on my education.”

Liberal and Professional Studies Award for Distinguished Teaching in Professional Graduate Programs

Martin Seligman, Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology, is the recipient of this award, which recognizes teaching excellence in LPS graduate programs. He is honored for his teaching in the Master of Positive Psychology program. A colleague reflected, “his class provides a unique balance between foundational perspectives and research in positive psychology and cutting-edge work that he and others are leading.” One student said, “I’ve never felt more valued as a student in any course.”

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Graduate Students

This award recognizes graduate students for teaching that is intellectually rigorous and has a considerable impact on undergraduate students. This year’s awardees are:

• Connor Cassady, Mathematics
• Lourdes Contreras, French and Francophone, Italian, and Germanic Studies
• Cheryl Hagan, History and Sociology of Science
• Jesse Hamilton, Philosophy
• Oualid Merzouga, Mathematics
• Clancy Murray, Political Science
• Keith (KC) O’Hara, History
• Peter Satterthwaite, Ancient History
• Cassandra Vu, Chemistry
• Jacqueline Wallis, Philosophy

As part of its goal to strengthen opportunities for the Penn community to engage with policymaking bodies at the international and national levels, Penn Global announced that the University of Pennsylvania has been granted special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and membership in the U.S. Department of State’s DiplomacyLab partnership.

ECOSOC special consultative status provides Penn affiliates with opportunities to engage ECOSOC, its many subsidiary bodies, the various human rights mechanisms of the United Nations, ad-hoc processes on small arms, and special events organized by the president of the General Assembly. Penn’s status allows members to attend events, submit oral and written statements to United Nations proceedings, and request consultations with United Nations bodies. It also allows the University to nominate Penn affiliates for grounds passes to access United Nations facilities in New York, Geneva, and Vienna.

Penn affiliates who wish to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by this status are encouraged to visit Penn Global’s website.

In addition, Penn has become a member of the U.S. Department of State’s DiplomacyLab partnership. The partnership offers U.S. colleges and universities the opportunity to engage in foreign policy-related research projects and questions posed by State Department bureaus, offices, and diplomatic missions. On a regular basis, the State Department releases a list of topics, questions, and projects on a regular basis for which colleges and universities are invited to bid.

Penn affiliates are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities working with policymaking bodies at the international and national levels. Contact Penn Global by email at global@upenn.edu with questions.

On April 21, Penn President Liz Magill announced the recipients of the 2023 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes. Awarded annually, the prizes empower Penn students to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world. Each prize-winning project will receive $100,000, as well as a $50,000 living stipend per team member. The prizes are the largest of their kind in higher education. All prize recipients collaborate with a Penn faculty mentor.

Two seniors and one December 2022 graduate were named recipients of the 2023 President’s Engagement Prize. They are Seungwon (Lucy) Lee for Communities for Childbirth, and Kenneth Pham and Catherine Chang for Act First. Gabriella Daltoso, Sophie Ishiwari, Gabriela Cano, Caroline Amanda Magro, and Tifara Eliana Boyce have received the President’s Innovation Prize for their project, Sonura.

“This year’s President’s Engagement and Innovation Prize recipients are fueled by a desire to make a difference—in their community, across the country, and around the world,” said President Magill. “Communities for Childbirth, Act First, and Sonura embody an inspiring blend of passion and purpose. They are addressing consequential challenges with compelling solutions, and their dedication and smarts are exemplary. I congratulate them and wish them success as they launch and grow their ventures.”

The 2023 prize recipients—selected from an applicant pool of 76—will spend the next year implementing the following projects:

Seungwon (Lucy) Lee for Communities for Childbirth: Ms. Lee, a neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences, is CEO and co-founder of Communities for Childbirth, an international organization that empowers maternal and child health in Jinja, Uganda. With the support of the President’s Engagement Prize, Ms. Lee will create a community-based referral system that provides efficient transportation to health facilities and patient-hospital communication during obstetric emergencies. Ms. Lee is mentored by Lisa D. Levine, the Michael T. Mennuti Associate Professor in Reproductive Health in the Perelman School of Medicine.

Kenneth Pham and Catherine Chang for Act First: Mr. Pham, a chemistry major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and Ms. Chang, a December 2022 CAS graduate, will expand on an idea started through Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) to provide critical first-aid training to high school students in Philadelphia, including opioid reversal, CPR, and bleeding prevention. Mr. Pham is a former MERT administrative director and Ms. Chang is a former MERT general board member. They are mentored by Joshua Glick, an assistant professor of emergency medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine.

Gabriella Daltoso, Sophie Ishiwari, Gabriela Cano, Caroline Amanda Magro, and Tifara Eliana Boyce for Sonura: Ms. Daltoso, Ms. Ishiwari, Ms. Cano, Ms. Magro, and Ms. Boyce are bioengineering majors in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Their startup, Sonura, is developing a beanie that promotes the cognitive and socioemotional development of newborns in the NICU by protecting them from the auditory hazards of their environments while fostering parental connection. The Sonura beanie is composed of a frequency-dependent filter and a mobile application. The Sonura team is mentored by Brian Halak, a lecturer in the engineering entrepreneurship program.

“We are very proud of the wide-ranging curiosity and passionate commitment to improving the world that characterize our great Penn students” said Interim Provost Beth A. Winkelstein. “These three exciting projects provide creative, innovative solutions that will shape the future of areas from cognitive development of newborns to childbirth in Africa to first-aid training here in Philadelphia. We are deeply grateful to the committees that worked tirelessly to review this year’s exceptional applicants, as well as to the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and the outstanding faculty advisors who worked closely with these students to develop their visionary ideas.”

The prizes are supported by Trustee Emerita Judith Bollinger and William G. Bollinger, in honor of Ed Resovsky; Trustee Emerita Lee Spelman Doty and George E. Doty, Jr.; Trustee Emeritus James S. Riepe and Gail Petty Riepe; Trustee David Ertel and Beth Seidenberg Ertel; Trustee Ramanan Raghavendran; Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation; and an anonymous donor.

Penn President Liz Magill opened the April 19 University Council meeting by congratulating five members of the Penn faculty who were newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lizann Boyle Rode, associate vice president in the Office of the University Secretary, addressed topics that had been raised during the open forum portion of the March Council meeting, including a petition for resident and graduate resident assistants to unionize and a settlement that had been reached that day between the city, owners, and displaced residents of the University City Townhomes.

Faculty Senate chair Vivian Gadsden, the William T. Carter Professor of Child Development and Education in GSE, discussed photos taken of students participating in the Fossil Free Penn encampment on College Green in September 2022, stating that they were taken to address a security concern. They have since been destroyed. Dr. Gadsden reminded Council members about the upcoming Forum on Open Expression, which will be held on April 26 to review the proposed Interpretative Guidelines on Open Expression.

The chairs (or their representatives) of University Council’s standing committees presented their year-end reports. The full versions of the year-end reports are available in this week’s Almanac supplement.

Fariha Nawar, vice chair of political affairs of the Penn Asian Pacific Student Coalition, pre- sented on the proposed relocation of the Philadelphia 76ers arena to Center City near the Chinatown neighborhood. Ms. Nawar urged Penn to use its position as an eminent Philadelphia presence and elite academic institution to oppose the arena’s construction. Ms. Nawar asserted that the arena would alter the bustling cultural hub of Chinatown, draw untenable amounts of traf- fic, and generate air, water, and light pollution. She said that Chinatown is a key cultural center for Penn’s Asian students (who make up a siz- able percentage of Penn’s population) and that the onus falls partly on Penn to advocate for the neighborhood’s preservation.

Joelle Eliza Lingat and Kerone Wint of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA) gave a presentation on graduate students’ financial insecurity at Penn. According to a GAPSA survey, 50% of Penn graduate students have loan debt, 7.5% provide for one or more family members, and 18% skip meals occasionally because of financial concerns. They commended Penn’s administration for recently implementing an increase in PhD student stipends, and hoped that this spirit of collaboration would continue. They also summarized GAPSA’s efforts to increase graduate students’ financial security, including providing dining hall/retail vouchers, working with University Life to make free menstrual products widely available, and working with SEPTA to grant students discounts on public transit.

During the new business portion of the meet- ing, Council members urged Penn to increase its symbolic investment in the humanities; request- ed that postdoctoral trainees have free access to Penn fitness facilities and to retirement plan op- tions; called for Penn to help negotiate a more beneficial settlement for displaced residents of the University City Townhomes, and called for Penn to hire more disabled faculty and staff members.

Nominations are open to all monthly-paid, full-time Penn staff for election to positions on PPSA’s Executive Board as well as for potential appointment as PPSA representatives to University Council committees.   

PPSA is a volunteer organization operated by and for all monthly-paid, overtime-exempt, University staff members. PPSA’s mission is to support and focus staff engagement and collaboration within the University of Pennsylvania community. Involvement with PPSA activities allows you to network with your colleagues through numerous workshops and events that enhance your professional development and work life at Penn.  

PPSA:

1. Provides a forum through which staff can engage in dialogue about issues facing the University and higher education
2. Participates and collaborates in University governance through University Council and other committees and task forces
3. Serves as an informational network to promote seminars and programs that enrich the quality of experience and work life for professional staff
4. Provides a supportive network to assist the University in achieving its goals and objectives  

Executive Board members assist with program development and coordination. The board meets monthly. University Council committee members meet monthly and are expected to report to the Executive Board twice a year. Service through PPSA is a rewarding and enjoyable experience that requires only a couple of hours per month. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet colleagues from across the University who will help to enrich your work life at Penn.

Executive Committee Nominations

The following positions are open for nomination:

• PPSA Chair-Elect (1 position, three-year term of service): The chair is the principal executive officer who calls for and presides over meetings, prepares agendas, and provides leadership and representation of PPSA at University Council and University-level bodies. After one year, the chair-elect automatically succeeds to the office of chairperson.
• Members At-Large (4 positions, two-year term of service): The members at-large participate in Executive Board meetings, manage PPSA projects and events, and serve on other University committees as needed.

All monthly-paid, full-time University staff members are encouraged to self-nominate or nominate colleagues for consideration using the form below by no later than May 12, 2023.  

All nominees will be asked to complete a brief candidate bio and written personal statement. The final list of candidates will be announced via PPSA’s mailing list before the election.

The 2023-2024 election for officers will occur following PPSA’s annual meeting, to be held on Tuesday, May 23 at noon in the Hall of Flags, Houston Hall. We will be joined by Michael Baime, director of the Penn Program for Mindfulness.

All full-time, monthly-paid University staff members are welcomed and encouraged to attend the meeting as guests of PPSA. A registration form will be sent via email to members of the PPSA listserv. You may register for the listserv by visiting http://ppsa.upenn.edu.    

University Council Committee Nominations

PPSA invites you to nominate yourself or others for service on the 2023-2024 University Council Committees. The seven Council committees, which also include faculty and students, serve as advisory bodies and play important roles in shaping academic and administrative policy across the campus. Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity to learn about the administrative structure of the University and have input into its decision-making.  

For more information on the work of the seven University Council committees, visit https://secretary.upenn.edu/univ-council/committees.

University Council Committee members will be appointed by the PPSA tri-chairs from among all applicants following the election.  

Questions on the nomination and election process can be directed to ppsa@lists.upenn.edu. The elections process is governed by the PPSA Bylaws, available on the PPSA website at http://ppsa.upenn.edu.

To nominate yourself or someone else, please fill out the form here: https://upenn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0H5Lg95wTgA3ZTo.

—Penn Professional Staff Assembly (PPSA)

Read the University Council 2022-2023 Year-End Reports supplement.

The Rules Governing Final Examinations govern final examinations at the University of Pennsylvania. These rules are published each semester as a reminder to the academic community.

Information about spring 2023 final examinations can be found at https://srfs.upenn.edu/registration-catalog-calendar/final-exams.

1. No instructor may hold a final examination nor require the submission of a take-home final exam except during the period in which final examinations are scheduled; when necessary, exceptions to this policy may be granted for postponed examinations (see 3 and 4 below). No final examinations may be scheduled during the last week of classes or on reading days.

2. No student may be required to take more than two final examinations on any calendar day during the period in which final examinations are scheduled. If more than two are scheduled, the student may postpone the middle exam. If a take-home final exam is due on a day when two final examinations are scheduled, the take-home exam shall be postponed by one day.

3. Examinations that are postponed because of conflicts with other examinations, or because more than two examinations are scheduled on the same day, may be taken at another time during the final examinations period if the faculty member and student can agree on that time. Otherwise, they must be taken during the official period for postponed examinations.

4. Examinations that are postponed because of illness, a death in the family, for religious observance or some other unusual event may be taken only during the official periods: the first week of the spring and fall semesters. Students must obtain permission from their dean’s office to take a postponed exam. Instructors in all courses must be willing to offer a make-up examination to all students who are excused from the final examination.

5. No instructor may change the time or date of a final exam without permission from the appropriate dean.

6. No instructor may increase the time allowed for a final exam beyond the scheduled two hours without permission from the appropriate dean.

7. No classes or required class activities may be held during the reading period.

8. The first examination of the day begins at 9 a.m. and the last examination concludes by 8 p.m. There will be one hour between exam time blocks.

9. All students must be allowed to see their final examination. Exams should be available as soon as possible after being graded with access ensured for a period of at least one regular semester after the exam has been given. To help protect student privacy, a student should have access only to their own exam and not the exams of other students. Therefore, for example, it is not permissible to leave student exams (or grades or papers) in publicly accessible areas.

10. Students may not be asked for their social security numbers. Instructors may not publicly display a student’s Penn ID or any portion of the social security number, nor use names, initials or any personally identifiable information to post grades. Even when an identifier is masked or absent, grades may not be posted in alphabetical order, to protect student privacy.

11. Final exams for College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) courses must be given on the regular class meeting night during the week of final examinations. No change in scheduling is permitted without unanimous consent of all students in the class and the director of LPS. LPS final exams may not be administered during the last week of class or on a reading day.

In all matters relating to final exams, students with questions should first consult with their dean’s office. Faculty wishing to seek exceptions to the rules also should consult with their dean’s office.

—Beth A. Winkelstein, Interim Provost

Five faculty affiliated with Penn have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. They are Mirjam Cvetič of the School of Arts and Sciences; Nader Engheta of the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Arts and Sciences; Vivian L. Gads- den of the Graduate School of Education and School of Arts and Sciences; Petra Todd of the School of Arts and Sciences; and E. John Wherry of the Perelman School of Medicine. They join nearly 270 new members honored in 2023, rec- ognized for their excellence, innovation, leader- ship, and broad array of accomplishments.

Mirjam Cvetič is the Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics and Mathematics in the School of Arts and Sciences. She is part of the high energy theory group at Penn, which studies the fundamental forces of nature, early universe cosmology and mathematical physics. Dr. Cvetič is an expert on issues relating to string theory and its consequences for particle physics. Her research spans broad thrusts in fundamental theory, ranging from gravitational physics and work at the interface with differential and algebraic geometry to leading efforts in constructions of string theory solutions and the study of their physics implications. She won the University of Maryland Physics Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007, and is received the Friedrich von Siemens Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in 2020.

Nader Engheta is the H. Nedwill Ramsey Professor, with affiliations in the departments of electrical and systems engineering (primary appointment), bioengineering (secondary appointment) and materials science and engineering (secondary appointment) in the School of Engineering and Applied Science; and physics and astronomy (secondary appointment) in the School of Arts and Sciences. His current research activities span a broad range of areas including optics, photonics, metamaterials, electrodynamics, microwaves, nano-optics, graphene photonics, imaging and sensing inspired by eyes of animal species, microwave and optical antennas, and physics and engineering of fields and waves. He has received numerous awards for his research, including the 2023 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering, the 2020 Isaac Newton Medal and Prize from the Institute of Physics (U.K.), the 2020 Max Born Award from OPTICA (formerly OSA), induction to the Canadian Academy of Engineering as an International Fellow (2019), induction to the U.S. National Academy of Inventors (2015), and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the Ellis Island Honors Society (2019).

Vivian L. Gadsden is the William T. Carter Professor of Child Development and professor of education in the Graduate School of Education; a faculty member in Africana studies and in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies in the School of Arts and Sciences; and the faculty director of the Penn Child Research Center. Her research and interests focus on learning and literacies across the life-course and addresses issues of culture, equity, and access for young children and families in historically marginalized communities. Her collaborative research projects examine early childhood development, parenting, and families; father engagement in urban settings; social factors affecting health and education; children of incarcerated parents; and intergenerational learning. Dr. Gadsden serves or has served on numerous foundation boards, congressionally mandated committees, and White House initiatives. A past president of the American Educational Research Association, she has held leadership roles in the Society for Research in Child Development and editorship of several publications, including Educational Researcher and the Review of Research in Education.

Petra Todd is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Economics in the School of Arts and Sciences. She is also a research associate at Penn’s Population Studies Center. Her main fields of research are social program evaluation, labor economics, and microeconometrics. She is on the editorial board of the International Economic Review and the Econometrics Journal. She is a fellow of the Econometrics Society and of the Society of Labor Economists. She has published papers on econometric methods for evaluating the effects of program/policy interventions, the determinants of cognitive achievement, testing for discrimination in motor vehicle searches, sources of racial and gender labor market disparities, pension program design, and on conditional cash transfer programs. She is currently working on projects analyzing the effects of personality traits on gender labor market disparities, evaluating the effects of grade retention in Portugal, analyzing the effects of local minimum wage policies in the United States, and analyzing the effects of a nationwide preschool reform in Mexico.

E. John Wherry is the Barbara and Richard Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor and chair of the department of systems pharmacology and translational therapeutics in the Perelman School of Medicine and director of the Penn Institute for Immunology. Dr. Wherry has received numerous honors, including the Distinguished Alumni award from Thomas Jefferson University and the Cancer Research Institute’s Frederick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology. Dr. Wherry helped pioneer the field of T cell exhaustion, the mechanisms by which T cell responses are attenuated during chronic infections and cancer. He helped identify the role of the “checkpoint” molecule PD-1 and others for reinvigoration of exhausted T cells in cancer. Dr. Wherry’s work has defined the underlying molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of exhausted T cells. In 2020-21, his laboratory focused on the immunology of COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination including establishing a new immune health project to interrogate and use immune features to identify novel treatment opportunities.

The Penn Prize for Excellence in Teaching by Graduate Students recognizes the profound impact of graduate students on education at Penn. Nominations come directly from undergraduate and graduate students. Ten prizes have been awarded annually since 2000, when then-President Judith Rodin established the award.

This year’s recipients were recently honored at a reception in the Graduate Student Center:

• Lucy Anderson, Nursing
• Adiwid “Boom” Devahastin Na Ayudhya, Data Science
• Kai Feng, Demography
• Latrice Ferguson, Education
• Puneeth Guruprasad, Bioengineering
• Ann Ho, English
• Ritesh Isuri, Chemistry
• Arianna Qianru James, English
• Oualid Merzouga, Mathematics
• Derek Yang, Chemistry

Four distinguished researchers from the Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania received 2023 Scientific Achievement Awards from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the world’s oldest and largest cancer research organization. The awards were presented during the AACR Annual Meeting 2023, from April 14-19 in Orlando, Florida.

“We are thrilled to see so many researchers from Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center recognized by AACR for the incredible impacts that they’ve made across the spectrum of basic, translational and clinical cancer research,” said Katherine L. Nathanson, the Pearl Basser Professor for BRCA-Related Research, deputy director of the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC), and head of the ACC Awards Committee. “Carl, Celeste, Katy, and John have spent decades pushing boundaries to change our understanding of cancer, and their dedication has led to life-changing discoveries for patients and their families. Their awards are a testament to the caliber of cancer research taking place every day at Penn Medicine.”

Carl H. June: Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

The AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research was established in 2004 to honor individuals who have made significant fundamental contributions to cancer research, had a lasting impact on the field, and demonstrated a lifetime commitment to progress against cancer. Dr. June is a CAR T cell therapy pioneer, whose groundbreaking work to create the first gene-edited cell therapy for cancer led to the first approved CAR T cell therapy in 2017, bringing hope and an effective new treatment to many patients who had run out of options. His team demonstrated that T cell therapy can induce long-lasting remissions, and even cures, with some of the earliest patients treated surviving 10 years or more. A total of six CAR T cell therapies are now approved to treat five different blood cancers, and research in the field has grown exponentially, with hundreds of CART T cell clinical trials in progress worldwide. As the director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies (CCI) and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, Dr. June continues to drive innovation in personalized cell- and gene-based therapies for patients with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

M. Celeste Simon: Clowes Award for Outstanding Basic Cancer Research

The AACR-G.H.A. Clowes Award for Outstanding Basic Cancer Research was established in 1961 to honor George H. A. Clowes, a founding member of the AACR. This award recognizes an individual who has made outstanding recent accomplishments in basic cancer research. Dr. Simon is honored for her groundbreaking work and recent discoveries on oxygen biology and cancer metabolism. Her research focuses on cancer hypoxia, or how cells sense and respond to the lack of oxygen and nutrients, caused by a tumor rapidly outgrowing its blood supply. Her recent research includes a novel approach to treat liver cancer by targeting “senescent” cells that no longer divide in the tumor microenvironment, finding new renal cancer targets based on tumor metabolism, and discovering a method to turn on key metabolic processes in soft-tissue sarcomas that could leave them susceptible to treatment. Dr. Simon’s work also contributed to the scientific rationale for what would become the HIF-2alpha inhibitor belzutifan, which was approved in 2021 for certain types von Hippel Lindau (VHL) disease-associated tumors. She is the scientific director of the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and associate director of shared resources for the ACC.

Kathryn E. Wellen: Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Cancer Research

The AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Cancer Research honors an early-career investigator for meritorious achievements in basic cancer research. A member of the ACC Cancer Therapeutics research program, Dr. Wellen is recognized for establishing new approaches to the understanding of cancer cell metabolism. The chemical reactions that change food into energy function very differently in cancer cells compared to healthy cells, and these metabolic processes are a driving force behind cancer growth. Dr. Wellen’s work has shed light on how cancer cell metabolism works at a molecular level and has shown how cellular metabolism is connected to gene regulation. Many of her discoveries have opened new fields of study involving the mechanisms of crosstalk between metabolic pathways, signaling networks, and the epigenome. Building on recent findings, Dr. Wellen’s lab is also investigating how diet and nutrition impact tumor growth.

E. John Wherry: Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology

The AACR-Cancer Research Institute Lloyd J. Old Award in Cancer Immunology honors an active scientist whose outstanding and innovative research has had a major impact on the field and has the potential to stimulate new directions in cancer immunology. Dr. Wherry is the co-leader of the ACC’s immunobiology program and is internally recognized for his groundbreaking achievements in basic, translational, and clinical immunology that have influenced and changed the field’s understanding of cancer immunobiology and immunotherapy. His work defined the concept of T cell exhaustion, a hallmark of the biology of cancer and chronic infections, and found that exhausted T cells are a key target of PD-1 checkpoint blockade in cancer. These discoveries have provided insight into which patients will most likely respond to cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Wherry is the director of the Penn Institute for Immunology and founding director of the Immune Health project at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, where he leads efforts to define and monitor individual “immune health” fingerprints that can provide insight for interception, diagnosis, and treatment for cancer and other diseases. These efforts were recently applied to COVID-19 patients, including those with cancer, revealing distinct patient immunotypes that are related to outcomes and therapeutic opportunities.

The City of Philadelphia Department of Commerce presented Michael Fichman, a lecturer in the department of city & regional planning and a research associate with PennPraxis in the Weitzman School of Design, with the Citizens Award during the inaugural Forum for the Creative Economy and Arts in Education Month event on March 31. Over 150 community members attended the event, held to celebrate exemplary work toward promoting the arts and culture of Philadelphia.

In addition to his extensive contributions to the master of urban spatial analytics program and the planning department at Weitzman, Mr. Fichman is a DJ, producer, chair of nightlife of the Arts and Culture Task Force, and the founder of 24HrPHL.

“As artists, we can lead the way because we are not boxed in by conventional thinking. It is really important for the city to recognize the contributions of artists, because we are people who define the soul of Philadelphia,” said Mr. Fichman at the forum. “It’s great to see so many of us be recognized during the inaugural Forum for the Creative Economy and Arts in Education Month event.”

The May AT PENN 2023 calendar is online. To view a web version of the calendar, click here. To download a printable PDF of the calendar, click here. 

The April AT PENN PENN 2023 calendar can still be viewed at https://almanac.upenn.edu/at-penn-calendar/april-at-penn-2023. 

To register for these and other programs, visit https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/learn-grow/trainings-courses-and-webinars/onsite-programs.

Professional and Personal Development Programs

Creating and Maintaining Your LinkedIn Profile; 5/5; 12:30 p.m.–1:30 p.m.; online. This session will review tips on creating a robust LinkedIn profile that will get you noticed by recruiters and industry professionals.

Health Advocate Presents: Mental Health and Me; 5/9; 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.; 5/18; 10:15 a.m.-11:15 a.m. and 4:15-5:15 p.m.; online. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an opportunity to take time to reflect, understand, and explore how to care for your own mental and emotional well-being. Join us for this webinar to explore strategies to manage our mental/emotional health as well as use available resources to help. We will also take a look at early warning signs to seek help and techniques to maintain positive mental health and wellness.

Virtual Restorative Practices at Penn 101; 5/10; noon–1 p.m.; online. What does living restoratively mean? Join Pablo Cerdera, associate director of restorative practices at Penn, for an introductory session on what restorative practices are and how we use them–in our personal relationships, parenting, friend circles, community groups, with students, and in the workplace.

Mindfulness and Anxiety: Turn Your Anxiety Into Your Superpower; 5/11; noon–1 p.m.; online. Learn three simple ways to turn anxiety into courage. We will practice mindfulness meditation, journal, and set intentions for focus, and create a growth mindset.    

Finding Balance in Busy Lives; 5/23; 12:30–1:30 p.m.; online. Finding balance between our personal and professional lives is something many people strive for. However, consistently striving to achieve total balance can lead to feelings of guilt. By setting and working towards attainable goals at work and home, we can find ways to reduce guilt and feel more balanced. This webinar offers daily tips and long-term strategies to find the work/life balance that works for you, minimizing stress in the process.

Virtual Workshop: Investing 201 with MetLife; 5/24; noon–1 p.m.; online. Build upon your investment knowledge and experience; and go beyond the basics. In this workshop, you will learn about tax implications of equity and fixed income investing performance metrics, what they mean to your investment choices, and identifying and managing different types of investments and their risks.

Self-Kindness for Resilience; 5/25; noon–12:45 p.m.; online. May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so there’s no better time to attend this workshop. There are three practices in mindfulness meditation: single-pointed concentration, open attention, and loving-kindness. Learn and experience loving-kindness and learn how self-kindness can be the stepping stone towards loving kindness of others. You will learn a technique that you can practice daily.

Time and Energy Management: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance; 5/31; 12:30–1:30 p.m.; online. As part of our Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance series, this interactive workshop defines energy management in terms of its relationship to work-life balance, asserting that time is finite but energy is not. Several traditional tools are presented, but the focus is largely on the need for sustainable practices of working and living in the midst of a pandemic. Individuals will complete a personal energy assessment and to consider a new habit that will help energize them.

Self-Defense and Self-Empowerment Workshop; 5/31; 5:30–7:30 p.m.; Pottruck Health and Fitness Center. We’re excited to host a special workshop in collaboration with the Division of Public Safety (DPS). Tracey Cardella, a victim advocate with Special Services, has been teaching self-defense and self-empowering classes with Penn for 14 years. She is also the founder and lead instructor of Fight4U, LLC. Build your confidence with situational awareness while you learn a few basic self-defense moves. The goal is to raise awareness in vulnerable situations, utilizing realistic scenarios. No weapon defense is taught in this class. Please join us for a session that will raise awareness and empowerment–a reminder of how strong you are! If there are no spots left and you’d like to join the waitlist, please email ericah@upenn.edu.

Work-Life Workshops

Bright Horizons Care Benefit–A Marketplace for Discounted Family Supports; 5/10; noon–12:30 p.m.; online. Through the Bright Horizons Marketplace, you have access to resources and discounts for ongoing family needs. Join our webinar to learn more about your options for primary childcare, family care and household support, elder care planning, tutoring and test prep, enrichments, camps, and more.

Bright Horizons Care Benefit-Quality Care for Your Family; 5/16; noon–12:30 pm; online. When caregivers cancel, school goes on break, mom or dad need an extra hand, or you’re in between care arrangements, do you have a plan for family care? Your Bright Horizons Back-Up Care benefit can help. Join our webinar to learn about the support available to you.

Bright Horizons Care Benefit-Tutoring for All Ages; 5/17; noon–12:30 p.m.; online. Whether you’re trying to figure out your kids’ homework, helping them study for a test, supporting your college student with their classes, managing your own schoolwork, or all of the above, your tutoring benefit through Bright Horizons Back-Up Care can make life easier. Join us to learn more about your available options and how to access affordable tutoring.

Bright Horizons Care Benefit-Quality Care for Adult and Elder Loved Ones; 5/18; 2– 2:40 pm; online. Whether you’re caring for an elderly parent or adult relative or preparing for when that need might arise, you have support through your Bright Horizons Elder Care and Bright Horizons Back-Up Care benefits. Plus, you have additional discounted options through our Bright Horizons Marketplace with Sittercity. Join our webinar to learn more about how your benefits can support you and your adult or elder relatives throughout the caregiving journey. You don’t have to tackle it alone.

Your Career At Penn; 5/19; 12:30–1:30 p.m.; online. This webinar has been developed to assist staff in building their careers at Penn by helping to connect your skills and abilities with career opportunities. The session will be facilitated by Penn HR. Topics include increasing your marketability at Penn and internal job strategies.

Penn Healthy You Workshops

Virtual 30-Minute Chair Yoga Plus Core; 5/1, 5/8 and 5/22; noon–12:30 pm; online. The Chair Yoga + Core program consists of moves you can do to tone your abdominals, lengthen your spine, and strengthen your entire torso region. Many activities depend on a strong core, from the simple act of bending to put on shoes to the most athletic endeavors. Chair yoga for the core helps you learn to engage your abdominals correctly. With the abdominals engaged, you’ll find a natural lift and length without having to force anything. In just 30 minutes, beginners and those who regularly exercise can learn what to do without leaving their desks.

Virtual Chair Yoga; 5/3 and 5/17; noon–1 p.m.; online. Plenty of people turn to yoga for exercise, but striking a pose isn’t for everyone. If you’ve been tempted to try it but don’t know where to start, it’s time to try chair yoga. Chair yoga is a more moderate form of yoga that’s done while sitting in a chair or using a chair for support. You get the same benefits of a regular yoga workout (like increased strength, flexibility, and balance) but don’t have to master complex poses. Chair yoga can even better your breathing and teach you how to relax your mind and improve your well-being. Ready to give it a try? Join us for a free chair yoga workshop. And don’t worry about your experience or flexibility–chair yoga can be modified for all levels.

Deskercise; 5/4; noon–12:30 p.m.; online. This class will take you through a variety of movements that you can do right at your desk.Be prepared to work through a 30-minute low impact strength and flexibility workout.

Virtual 30-Minute Guided Meditation; 5/5, 5/12 and 5/19; noon–12:30 p.m.; online. Meditation, quite simply, is training your attention. In an age of distraction, this becomes a very important skill if we are to maintain focus and mental acuity and develop emotional intelligence and fitness. This meditation is guided to encourage spaciousness and stability in your life. It may be the most worthwhile 30 minutes of your day

Monthly Wellness Walk: Mental Health Awareness Month; 5/17; meet at noon; College Hall. Meet the team at noon on Woodland Walk, by College Hall and the Ben Franklin statue. The Penn Public Health team will lead you on a two-mile walk on/near campus to help you increase physical activity and steps, plus build community with participating Penn staff and faculty. Be sure to wear sneakers or comfortable shoes, bring water, and invite a colleague to join the celebration! For May, please join us in supporting Mental Health Awareness Month by wearing green.

Virtual Guided Mindful Meditation; 5/18; noon–1 p.m.; online. This workshop is for participants to practice present moment awareness with kindness and compassion. Our practice will include guided meditation focusing on the breath, body awareness, mindful movement, and other practices to cultivate well-being for self and others. The workshop is appropriate for people new to mindfulness practice as well as more experienced practitioners. No experience is necessary. All are warmly welcome.

Spin Class; 5/25; noon–12:45 p.m.; Pottruck. Free HR-sponsored spin class, in partnership with Campus Recreation: Pedal your way to a fantastic workout indoors. With the use of stationary cycles, each class is led on a virtual outdoor road, complete with a variety of exercises. This class will give you an energizing, calorie-burning, fun workout and it is great for all fitness levels because you can always ride at a self-directed pace.

—Division of Human Resources

An open hearing for the proposed Interpretative Guidelines on Open Expression is scheduled for Wednesday, April 26, 2023 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. The Committee on Open Expression was established as a standing committee of the University Council to ensure openness and effectiveness of channels of communication among members of the University community on questions of common interest. Among its responsibilities is the interpretation of the Guidelines on Open Expression.

The committee has been deeply engaged in interpreting the current guidelines in a manner that provides an operational framework for the University community. A draft of that interpretation is linked here: https://upenn.box.com/s/we501s4lzpiuediwnjjlh798ohgckv5s.

As per the Guidelines on Open Expression (IV.B.1), an open hearing must be held on any proposed interpretation of the existing language to receive views of individuals or groups. The committee plans to hold an open hearing on Wednesday, April 26 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. to create a forum for listening prior to finalizing the interpretation of the Guidelines on Open Expression.

Persons requesting to speak will be limited to five minutes. Comments in writing, limited to 500 words, will also be accepted by email to senate@pobox.upenn.edu through Wednesday, April 26, at 4:30 p.m.

How to join:

In-Person: Williams Hall, Room 205

Via Zoom: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/93654162555?pwd=b2xnMFpVYXRUQnlRYnZaWEF2WDlnUT09

Via Phone: (646) 558 8656, Meeting ID: 936 5416 2555, Passcode: 979722

Conferences

26        Living Law in Jewish Studies; will explore the many ways that Jews live and have lived law in the modern era, asking how Jewish actors have experienced legal pluralism, actively shaped different legal regimes, and understood the role of law in constructing state and non-state forms of sovereignty; 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Benjamin Franklin Room, Houston Hall; register: dajana@upenn.edu (Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies). Also April 27, 9 am.-5 p.m.

27        Abstraction in Language and Systems: A Symposium in Honor of Barbara Liskov; laureate symposium honoring Barbara Liskov, recipient of the 2023 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science; 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; Berger Auditorium, Skirkanich Hall; info: mitch@cis.upenn.edu (Computer & Information Science; Franklin Institute).

            Nuclear Issues in the Middle East and North Africa; will examine nuclear energy alongside nuclear weapons, and investigates the conceptual and material processes that enforce this divide; 1:15-7:15 p.m.; room 150, McNeil Building and PCPSE; register: https://mec.sas.upenn.edu/node/19733 (Middle East Center). Also April 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; April 29, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

28        Nature, Technology, and Things: New Materialism in Korean Studies; first annual Humanities Korea Conference; 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; room G16, Irvine Auditorium (Korean Studies).

Fitness & Learning

Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships

Unless noted, Zoom webinars. Info and to register: https://curf.upenn.edu/events.

28        Introduction to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program; 2 p.m.

On Stage

26        An Evening of Pantomime; a 70-minute presentation of skits from CIMS/ENGL 0596, inspired by Charlie Chaplin's pantomime, followed by a reception with food and drinks; 6:30 p.m.; Orrery Pavilion, Van Pelt Library (English).

Penn Live Arts

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

27        UArts School of Dance: Spring Dance Series; two distinct programs of choreographic works created by an incredible roster of guest artists and faculty members; 7 p.m.; Zellerbach Theater, Annenberg Center. Also April 28, 7 p.m.; April 29, 1 and 5 p.m.

Readings & Signings

Kelly Writers House

Unless noted, hybrid events at Arts Café, Kelly Writers House, and YouTube livestream. Info: https://writing.upenn.edu/wh/calendar/0423.php.

26        KWH Zine Fest; 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Special Events

27        Memorial Service for Barbara E. Grandstaff; share fond memories of Dr. Grandstaff, an esteemed member of the Penn Vet family and organizer of the Gross Anatomy course for more than 20 years; service: 4 p.m., room 130, Hill Pavilion; reception: 5-6 p.m., lobby, Hill Pavilion; RSVP: shivani2@vet.upenn.edu (Penn Vet).

Talks

25        Biomechanical & Energetic Factors Associated with Physical Activity Limitations in Osteoarthritis; Kharma Foucher, University of Illinois at Chicago; 1:30 p.m.; Austrian Auditorium, CRB (Penn Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders).

            Points and Distances - What Do We Really Know About Them? Malabika Pramanik, University of British Columbia; 3:45 p.m.; room 218, Fagin Hall (Mathematics).

            Statistical Learning of Biophysical Factors Controlling Signaling Molecule Localization in Primary Cilium; Sohyeon Park, University of California Irvine; 4 p.m.; room 3C8, DRL, and Zoom webinar; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/99792332298 (Mathematics).

            Lineages of Indian Environmentalism; Ramachandra Guha, Krea University; 4:30 p.m.; world forum, Perry World House; register: https://tinyurl.com/guha-talk-apr-25 (Center for the Advanced Study of India).

            Artifacts Without Context: Islamic Gravestones of Ottoman Crete; Antonis Anastasopoulos, University of Crete; 6:30 p.m.; room 203, PCPSE (Middle East Center).

26        Big Data and Policing; Greg Ridgeway, criminology; noon; Benjamin Franklin statue in front of College Hall (60 Second Lectures).

            Points in the Projective Plane; Izzet Coskun, University of Illinois at Chicago; 3:45 p.m.; room A2, DRL (Mathematics).

            Grad Students and LGBTQ+ Innovation; Ed Brockenbrough, GSE; Dalmacio Dennis Flores, Nursing; Dovie Watson, PSOM; 4:30 p.m.; Quorum, Science Center, 3675 Market Street; RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/nursing-talk-apr-26 (Nursing).

27        Special Briefing: America’s Hottest States & Cities: Managing Growth; panel of speakers; 11 a.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/iur-briefing-apr-27 (Penn Institute for Urban Research).

            Using the Nuclear Piston to Power 3D Cell Migration; Ryan Petrie, Drexel University; noon; Zoom webinar; info: https://www.dental.upenn.edu/news-events/events/ (Penn Dental).

            Development of a Multivalent mRNA Influenza Vaccine to Replace Original Antigenic Sin With Initial Blessings of Induced Immunity; Scott Hensley, Penn Institute for Immunology; 3 p.m.; Law Auditorium, Jordan Medical Education Center (Perelman School of Medicine).  

            Tropical Medicine Catalyzing Equity in the Vaccine Sciences; Maria Elena Bottazzi, Baylor College of Medicine; 5 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/bottazzi-talk-april-27 (Wistar Institute).

28         Barbed End Depolymerization and Pointed End Polymerization: Turning Treadmilling on its Head; Shashank Shekhar, Emory University; 10 a.m.; room 252, BRB (Pennsylvania Muscle Institute).

             Multivariate Distribution-Free Testing Using Optimal Transport; Bodhisattva Sen, Columbia University; 1:45 p.m.; room A4, DRL (Mathematics).

Economics

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

25        Policy Diffusion: A Broader View; Javiera Garcia, economics; 12:30 p.m.; room 101, PCPSE.

26        The Macroeconomic Consequences of Exchange Rate Depreciations; Emi Nakamura, University of California, Berkeley; 4 p.m.; room 101, PCPSE.

27        Safety Reviews on Airbnb: An Information Tale; Ginger Zhe Jin, University of Maryland, College Park; 3:30 p.m.; room 101, PCPSE.

This is an update to the April AT PENN calendar, which is online now. To submit an event for a future AT PENN calendar or weekly update, email almanac@upenn.edu.

University of Pennsylvania Police Department Crime Report

Below are the Crimes Against Persons, Crimes Against Society and Crimes Against Property from the campus report for April 10-16, 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 April 10-16, 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: 5 incidents (3 assaults, 1 indecent assault, and 1 robbery) with 1 arrest were reported for April 10-16, 2023 by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue.

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research, in consultation with the Provost’s Council on Research, is responsible for setting minimum stipend levels for postdoctoral trainees across the University. The levels are informed by federal agency guidance, foundation requirements, and national trends. This annual process facilitates equal treatment of postdoctoral compensation across the University.

The minimum stipend levels starting July 1, 2023 (FY2024) are listed below.

Stipends should receive a one-time adjustment starting July 1, 2023, to bring postdoctoral trainees in line with the new FY24 minimum stipends. More details on the July 1, 2023 one-time adjustment can be found here: https://research.upenn.edu/fy24-changes-to-postdoctoral-trainees-pdts-benefits-and-stipend-levels/

Stipends should again be adjusted upwards on the reappointment date following July 1, 2023, to account for the additional year of experience.

Penn investigators are expected to comply with any postdoctoral stipend guidelines promulgated by their sponsors if sponsor-specified guidelines exceed the Penn minimum stipend levels.

—Dawn Bonnell, Senior Vice Provost for Research

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

In celebration of Take Our Children to Work Day and Benjamin Franklin’s innovative spirit, the Office of Information Security invites you and your family to Kite Day on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at Houston Hall, Penn Commons, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event raises awareness about key information security concepts while providing enjoyable kite coloring and flying activities with your children, colleagues, and family.

Children aged 4-15 can learn about Ben Franklin’s electricity experiment with conductive rods to attract lightning. Children will tie a toy key to their kite string, representing an information security concept.

Raise your child’s awareness while coloring their kite by discussing the following topics:

Set a strong password or PIN when accessing a mobile device.

Don’t share their password or phone PIN with anyone. Their information is a treasure that must be kept in a locked vault and kept hidden from pirates looking to steal their information.

Don’t respond to solicitation calls, pretending to be from a bank, school, or government office asking to verify address, birthdate, social security number, school address, or ask if parents are home.

Teach your child to hang up or not answer the phone if they don’t recognize the number.

Avoid posting pictures while on vacation or away from home. It could give malicious individuals a clue the family is out of town.

Download apps from a trusted app store. Some apps carry viruses. Your child should learn about the app’s benefits with you or from a teacher before downloading it.

Be cautious playing with individuals they don’t know personally in a multiplayer game. Malicious individuals may pretend to be children or teenagers to gain children’s trust, luring them to share information or meet secretly.

For information security awareness topics visit https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/aware.

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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.

Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher

Why do we grade students? Is it to collect evidence that learning has occurred? Is it to convey information about student achievement? And the real question is: are grades the best way to convey this information? Certainly, grades are convenient—they quickly signal something to students, but mounting evidence shows that they actually reduce rather than contribute to learning. 

The idea that grades do not necessarily reflect learning unsettles most of the colleagues with whom I’ve shared my thoughts on the futility of grades—in fact, it unsettles my students as well. So what do I use instead of numerical feedback or letter grades? The answer is simple: written (and sometimes verbal) feedback. How is this any different from grading? When feedback comes with a grade attached, students tend to ignore the feedback and go straight to the grade. Even if they do read the feedback, they’re focused on the grade. If it’s an A, they feel like there’s nothing more they need to do to improve; if it’s anything less than that, then they sometimes feel defeated. When there is no grading scale, just like in life, they have to interpret the feedback to make sense of it. 

My shift away from grades is an outcome of my teaching at the graduate level over the last 15 years. I have found that no matter how much I scaffold instruction or explicitly state my expectations, students often seem very stressed and more worried about getting an A than actually learning from the assignment. For example, in one of my courses in the International Educational Development Program, one of the first assignments students must complete is writing a concept note that outlines a project in response to a request for proposals. Most of my incoming students have never heard of the term concept note, let alone written one. Despite providing step by step guidance, students often do poorly the first time around. When I used to attach grades, many were quite disheartened with the “low grade” they received (they mostly received Bs but in an era of grade inflation, a B often feels like a D). Most were writing a concept note for the very first time and found writing complex ideas concisely to be a daunting challenge. It felt unfair to grade students on something they were still in the throes of learning. So I removed grades from the equation. I now tell students that for this assignment, all they need to do is try their best and to submit a complete assignment as per the given parameters. If they do that, they will get full credit (assignments are still assigned traditional values that add up to the final typical grading scales for the course where 90s = A range; 80s = B range; etc). 

In removing actual grades from the assignment, the change in attitudes and quality is astounding. Instead of a fear of not getting it and doing poorly, students are able to focus more on actually completing the assignment successfully. In other words, the shift in my own grading behavior shifted something in my students. While I thought I was just being a caring teacher, I soon learned that in fact, there is an entire movement in education that removes grades as the main form of assessment. It’s called ungrading. 

In a nutshell, ungrading decenters grades. Students will still get a grade at the end of the course and that grade appears on their transcript, but instead of focusing on grades throughout the semester on individual assignments, the focus is on learning, reflection, and growth.

There are many ways to decenter grades and to be quite frank, I’m still figuring it out. I start the first day of class with a conversation about how the students will be assessed. I explain that they will not receive letter or numerical grades on their assignments; instead, their work will be assessed on a complete/incomplete basis (an option within Canvas, the course management system most of us use at Penn). If work is complete, they receive full credit. For example, a mid-term might account for 25% of the final course grade. In addition to getting a complete checkmark, students are given written feedback that explains the strengths and weaknesses of their assignment.  

Providing feedback—written or verbal—is essential. This allows students to self-assess as to “how they did,” and it allows them to learn more from the process. Not surprisingly, every year, students tell me that once they have gotten over the initial shock of not receiving a grade, they felt liberated; they’ve taken more risks in my class and worked harder because they feel supported to learn rather than to earn a particular grade. I once had a student take the harder option between two essay choices. She didn’t do a very good job on her essay but she learned from my feedback where she went wrong and understood how to get better at writing such an essay in the future. Because she knew she would get full credit as long as the work was complete, she was willing to take the risk—even though she in some sense “failed” the assignment. Again, my point is, she learned more because she felt that taking a risk would not have a penalty. If anything, it was a rewarding experience. This can best be expressed by her own words:

Being in an ungraded class was unsettling in the beginning but I am glad it is! I took so many risks and failed! This is the first time in my life I am learning what I want to rather than what is expected of me or what my parents want. Thank you for making the class a safe space to learn.

This perhaps is my reason for being a passionate advocate of ungrading: Through risk taking (and sometimes failing) students actually learn more. Part of it is because they are less stressed about grades and can focus more on what they should take away from the assignment rather than how they will be valued or compared to peers. But part of it is also that we are primed to learn through failure. Allowing students to fail without penalizing them results in better learning. 

Not only does this change the focus from grades to learning, it also levels the playing field for students with different educational histories and backgrounds. Since the focus is on “completion” rather than an individual’s views on what constitutes an A assignment, it removes a great deal of stress for all students and quite frankly, from faculty too. Stress is further reduced with optional deadlines—with a caveat. Students can submit work past the suggested deadline with no grade penalty but they do not receive written feedback. Students quickly learn the importance of feedback and so the vast majority do submit on time. 

I do acknowledge that ungrading may look different in different subjects; at the same time, I believe that within every subject, there are elements where ungrading can be used, especially for assignments where learning is at the nascent stages and we cannot expect mastery on the first go.

Higher education is the most diverse and interesting it’s ever been—but with such a diverse set of students, we need to rethink how we assess our students’ learning to ensure that everyone is getting what they need from their education. Ungrading helps my students focus on feedback and learning—which is the heart of what assessment is about. 

Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher is a senior lecturer in the literacy, culture, and international education division and the Director of the International Educational Development Program in the Graduate School of Education.

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

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