January 16, 2024 Volume 70 Issue 18

December 12, 2023

Dear Members of the Penn Community,

I write to share that J. Larry Jameson has graciously agreed to serve as interim president of the University of Pennsylvania, effective immediately. Dr. Jameson has served as executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the health system and dean of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, which together comprise Penn Medicine, since 2011. Jonathan A. Epstein, executive vice dean and chief scientific officer of the Perelman School of Medicine and senior vice president and chief scientific officer of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, will step in as interim executive vice president for the health system and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine.

Penn is fortunate to have the benefit of Dr. Jameson’s experience and leadership during this time of transition. A consummate University citizen and the longest serving current dean, Dr. Jameson is a collaborative, innovative, and visionary leader with extensive engagement with each of Penn’s 12 schools. Among other activities, he chaired the review of the School of Arts and Sciences, as well as the consultative committees for the selection of the provost and the dean of the Wharton School, and served on the Presidential Selection Committee. Dr. Jameson has a deep appreciation for Penn’s values and world-class research, teaching, patient care, and service.

As EVP/dean, Dr. Jameson collaborated with health system leadership to spearhead the development and opening of the Penn Medicine Pavilion, a game-changing patient care facility that was the largest capital project in Penn’s history. In the past year, Dr. Jameson led the development of Serving a Changing World, which outlines the strategic vision and goals for Penn Medicine for the next five years. At Penn Medicine, Dr. Jameson has also championed initiatives that promote excellence on all levels, including faculty recruitment, student success, scholarship and discovery, philanthropic giving, and a culture of inclusion and collaboration. He has led during a time of unprecedented scientific breakthroughs, FDA approved medications, and transformative platform technologies such as CAR-T cell treatment and mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines.

Before joining Penn Medicine, Dr. Jameson served for four years as dean of the Feinberg School of Medicine and vice president of Medical Affairs at Northwestern University. He first joined Northwestern University Medical School in 1993, as chief of the division of endocrinology, metabolism, and molecular medicine. In 2000, he was named Irving S. Cutter Professor of Medicine and chair of the department of medicine there.

Dr. Jameson received his medical degree with honors and a doctoral degree in biochemistry from the University of North Carolina in 1981. He completed clinical training in internal medicine and endocrinology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Before leaving for Northwestern University, he rose through the ranks at Harvard Medical School to become an associate professor of medicine and chief of the thyroid unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.

An accomplished physician-scientist, Dr. Jameson has pioneered studies of the genetic basis of hormonal disorders, and he is the author of more than 350 scientific articles and chapters. He is an editor of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, the most widely used textbook of internal medicine. His work has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics, Science, and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. He has served as president of the Endocrine Society and the Association of American Physicians, and recently chaired the board of directors of the American Association of Medical Colleges. Dr. Jameson has received many distinguished awards, including the Van Meter Award from the American Thyroid Association, the Koch Award from The Endocrine Society, and the Sheen Award from the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Jameson is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Jameson for stepping into this role and for guiding Penn during this challenging time.

—Julie Beren Platt
Interim Chair, University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees

On January 4, 2023, Ramanan Raghavendran was elected chair of Penn's Board of Trustees, effective immediately. Mr. Raghavendran succeeds Scott L. Bok, who served as chair from July 2021 until he stepped down in December 2023. Julie Beren Platt, who had served as interim chair, returns to her role as vice chair.

Mr. Raghavendran, a Penn alumnus, is the managing partner and co-founder of Amasia, a global venture capital firm focused on climate and sustainability.

“Ramanan Raghavendran is an inspired and inspiring choice for Trustee board chair,” said Penn Interim President J. Larry Jameson. “With three Penn degrees, devoted University engagement in multiple leadership roles, and professional experience in a rapidly changing business environment, he is poised to partner with other distinguished trustees to support our University’s important and impactful missions. Ramanan has a history of bridging distance to make a lasting difference, whether between places and people or fields of knowledge.”

“I also thank Vice Chair Julie Beren Platt on behalf of Penn for her extraordinary service as interim board chair,” Interim President Jameson added.

“Having worked closely with Ramanan as a member of the Executive Committee, I have seen first-hand his passion for and commitment to Penn,” said Ms. Platt. “He is someone who listens with intention and invests deeply in relationships. I am delighted that he will serve as the next chair of Penn’s Board of Trustees, and I look forward to working alongside him as vice chair.”

“I believe great American universities, like the University of Pennsylvania, are the most important repositories of all that defines, and is good and laudable about, our modern civilization,” said Mr. Raghavendran. “I am honored to take on the role of chair of Penn’s Board of Trustees. I am humbled by the trust reposed in me by my fellow trustees. We are united in supporting the mission of this incredible institution.”

Mr. Raghavendran’s career in venture capital and growth equity spans more than 30 years. He has held investing roles at General Atlantic, Insight Partners, TH Lee Putnam Ventures, and Kubera Partners. He began his professional career at McKinsey & Company.

Mr. Raghavendran currently serves on the board of SF Goodwill. He also serves on the advisory council of the Natural Capital Project at Stanford University. He has been a seed funder and board member of several NGOs over the last three decades, and maintains a close affiliation with Magic Bus, which works with 500,000 at-risk children in South Asia.

Mr. Raghavendran became a Penn Trustee in 2014. He was appointed chair of the Local, National and Global Engagement Committee in 2020 and joined the Executive Committee in 2022. He has served on the School of Arts and Sciences’ Board of Advisors since 2012, becoming chair in 2022. Mr. Raghavendran is also a member of the advisory board of the Center for the Advanced Study of India and the Global Coordinator of the Penn Alumni Ambassador Program.

Mr. Raghavendran resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his family. He holds three Penn degrees, including a BSE in computer science and engineering from Penn Engineering, a BS in economics from the Wharton School, and a master of liberal arts from Penn Arts and Sciences. He is currently enrolled in Stanford University’s master of liberal arts program.

December 12, 2023

To the Penn Community,

I am honored that the Board of Trustees has asked me to serve as Penn’s Interim President. I accept this responsibility clear-eyed about the challenges facing our University.

Like you, I love Penn.

I have dedicated many years of my life to this amazing institution. I have been honored to serve as executive vice president of our health system and dean of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine for more than 12 years.

I know many of you but certainly not all. In the coming weeks and months, I look forward, with curiosity and an open mind, to learning from you and to sharing my own views with you. I am trained as a physician—healing is in my nature and skill set. I also trained as a scientist—hard-wired to ask challenging questions, pursue rigorous inquiry and debate, and ready to be proven wrong. I am a Penn parent, and I have had the pleasure of watching incredible students grow, explore their passions, and chart a path to make an impact on the world. My leadership role at Penn has exposed me to its unparalleled breadth of expertise and diversity of thought. It is humbling but invigorating to consider how I, and other leaders at Penn, can support each of you.

The last few weeks have been a profoundly painful chapter for our institution, for higher education, and for the world. I know these recent leadership transitions have been distressing and destabilizing. I feel it myself. There is pain, fear, and uncertainty in our community. I want to reiterate that every person at Penn should feel safe and be secure in the knowledge that hate has no home here. This is fundamental, but it is not enough. Together, we create and share values that make the University of Pennsylvania an institution where creativity flourishes, innovation creates new tools and medicines, civil debate poses and addresses challenging societal questions, and learning prepares us all to make the world a better place.

All of us—faculty, students, staff, alumni, caregivers, and the many friends of this University—can contribute to a new chapter in Penn’s nearly 300-year history.  I have experienced the strength and solidarity that defines this remarkable place. With respect for one another, support for one another, and adaption to our changing world, Penn can truly lead in this moment, and emerge better and stronger than before. I hope you will join me in this important work and come together to support one another and the University we love.

—J. Larry Jameson, Interim President, University of Pennsylvania

On December 20, 2023, the University of Pennsylvania announced an unrestricted $1 million gift from Stewart Colton, W’62, and Judy Colton, in support of the early work of Interim President J. Larry Jameson during a time of transition. The commitment signifies the Coltons’ strong belief in Interim President Jameson’s leadership and the University’s enduring strengths, and their hope that others will join them in coming together for Penn.

“When Larry was named Interim President, I was immediately focused on how we could support him, and in doing so, support Penn at a time when the University needs us,” said Stewart Colton. “As a physician, Larry is naturally oriented toward healing, and I see this as an important moment for us to come together. Throughout all the challenges the University has faced in recent months, we felt it was critical to stand by Penn and support the University. We feel this even more strongly today.”

It is rare for Penn to receive completely unrestricted gifts at this level, and Mr. Colton acknowledged that he trusts Interim President Jameson to determine the best use of these funds. “I believe in creating goodwill with our philanthropy, and I offered this gift hoping that it will serve as a catalyst for others to contribute in the months ahead.”

“I am grateful for Judy and Stewart’s generosity, and I am humbled by their support,” said Interim President Jameson. “This has been an enormously challenging time for Penn and, as we undertake the important work of this moment and look to a stronger future, a gift like this is impactful and encouraging to all who care about our University.”

This gift adds to the Coltons’ generous support of Penn. Their first gift established the Colton Center for Autoimmunity in 2021 (Almanac December 7, 2021), and a year later, an additional gift accelerated the center’s advancements for driving collaborative, innovative autoimmune disease research (Almanac October 4, 2022). With the Colton Center, Penn joined the Colton Consortium alongside New York University, Yale University, and Tel Aviv University, whose shared mission is to use the complementary strengths of each institution to elevate the field of autoimmunity. The Coltons are among the University of Pennsylvania’s most dedicated supporters; their lifetime giving to Penn exceeds $60 million.

Adapted from a Penn Today story by Ron Ozio, December 20, 2023.

The University of Pennsylvania has been awarded a $2 million grant from NASA to conduct groundbreaking research on lunar robotics. The TRUSSES Project (Temporarily, Robots Unite to Surmount Sandy Entrapments, then Separate), led by Cynthia Sung, the Gabel Family Term Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) at Penn Engineering, aims to develop innovative methods for teams of robots to overcome environmental hazards on the Moon.

Under the TRUSSES Project, the robots will attach to one another, forming larger and more stable structures to navigate treacherous terrains. Using their interactions with the ground, the robots will create a comprehensive map of the topography, enabling them to plan safe paths and avoid potential navigation failures.

“Future lunar exploration demands the ability to navigate challenging terrains, including steep slopes, loose regolith, and potentially ice,” said Dr. Sung. “Our research will focus on developing new algorithms that allow robots to estimate ground properties through locomotion, enabling them to autonomously assess traversal risk and recover from any navigation failures.”

The TRUSSES Project will be carried out by a team of researchers from Penn Engineering, based out of the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) Lab, as well as researchers at the University of Southern California (USC). This collaboration will use the expertise of various fields to tackle the complex challenges of lunar exploration.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to lead this groundbreaking research funded by NASA,” said Dr. Sung.

We are pleased to announce the launch of Penn & Philly, an initiative to catalogue and communicate the array of community partnerships generating social and economic impact in West Philadelphia and across the city. This initiative is an example of Penn’s role as an anchored university, described in our new strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, and of our institutional responsibility to serve as “an excellent Philadelphia neighbor and global citizen.” Penn & Philly is deeply rooted in Penn’s enduring commitment to community engagement and the mutual benefits flowing between and among our neighbors, faculty, students, and staff for more than 40 years. It is a new platform for telling these stories and testifying to the evolution of these longstanding partnerships.

After two years of interviews with neighbors and community partners, six areas emerged as the essence of Penn’s connections to Philadelphia:

1. Public Education (collaborations between Penn and the School District of Philadelphia)
2. Healthy Communities (how Penn advances Philadelphians’ overall health, safety, and well-being)
3. Knowledge in Action (how Penn’s research contributes to innovative, practical solutions to Philadelphia’s biggest challenges)
4. Arts, Culture, & Recreation (the city’s artistic and creative experiences)
5. Economic Opportunity (workforce and economic development programs, as well as employment opportunities)
6. Tomorrow’s Industries (how Penn encourages and advances knowledge in Philadelphia, a city where life sciences thrive)

The Penn and Philly website will be an active repository of curated, Philadelphia-forward content. You can also follow Penn & Philly on Instagram (@pennandphilly) and engage with the campaign by liking and sharing posts. We encourage you to learn more about Penn’s decades-long dedication to community engagement, socioeconomic advancement, and the belief that institutions of higher learning can and should be catalysts for positive change in our communities.

Please feel free to send questions, comments, and/or feedback to: pennandphilly@upenn.edu.

—J. Larry Jameson, Interim President
—John L. Jackson, Jr., Provost
—Craig Carnaroli, Senior Executive Vice President 

2022 marked ten years since the adoption of Penn’s first global strategic framework and the establishment of Penn Global. In the decade since 2012, the University has been transformed as a preeminent global institution. International student enrollment has increased by more than 50% to nearly 7,000 and an average of 2,500 students have studied abroad for credit each year. In addition, nearly 1,400 faculty have reported research, teaching, and other activities across all seven continents. We have also witnessed the strategic expansion of global programming opportunities, such as Penn Global Seminars and the Global Research and Internship Program, establishment of global hubs in Perry World House and the Penn Wharton China Center, and investment in the people, ideas, and partnerships of Penn through key initiatives like the Holman Africa Initiative and the China and India Research and Engagement Funds.

Our continued success as a leading global university depends on our deepening commitment to global engagement going forward. Our new strategic framework builds upon the achievements of the first ten years with an eye towards expanding existing signature initiatives and piloting new, innovative programs. The framework also commits to making global engagement more accessible and inclusive for our students, faculty, and scholars than ever before. Above all, this framework reinforces Penn Global’s mission of bringing the world to Penn and Penn to the world.

At its core are three pillars: (1) ensure every Penn student has a meaningful global experience; (2) produce research for global impact; and (3) advocate for global engagement, rebuilding and strengthening Penn’s global networks. Each pillar is discussed in more detail below.

Pillar 1: Ensure every Penn student has a meaningful global experience.

All Penn students, including graduate and professional students, will have global experiences, either in the United States or overseas, fostering a deeper understanding of diverse people, cultures, and ideas. Under this pillar, we will:

• Continue to grow our robust suite of study abroad opportunities, including semester study abroad, global research programs, and embedded global seminars.
• Augment study abroad opportunities for Penn students, particularly graduate and professional students and underrepresented, less-traveled students.
• Collaborate with our campus and international partners to strengthen existing or pilot new programs designed to meaningfully deepen students’ global engagement throughout their time at Penn. New programs will include but are not limited to: summer credit-bearing opportunities, summer policy institutes, a global studies program, and a gap-year initiative.

Pillar 2: Produce research for global impact.

Penn’s broad range of global insights are positioned to inform the most pressing challenges facing our world. Penn Global supported programs will strengthen links between research and policy to generate new knowledge and amplify impact. Under this pillar, we will:

• Expand the scope of Perry World House’s impact by cultivating a strong roster of visitors with an emphasis on diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds; piloting a professorship program in partnership with Penn schools to recruit faculty with global backgrounds; and developing new programs including a global human rights program or debate series.
• Promote research and engagement (including among graduate, professional and post-doctoral researchers) in key regions and on cross-border issues around the world through new and existing global funds.
• Develop initiatives to highlight and support graduate, professional, and postdoctoral research with global dimensions.
• Strengthen linkages and partnerships with our campus and international partners to support, leverage, and increase global engagement and research for impact.

Pillar 3: Advocate for global engagement, rebuilding and strengthening global networks.

There is an urgent need to reengage and reinvest in global partnerships and relationships. Advocacy for international student mobility and global research are critical to Penn’s continued preeminence and to ensuring inclusion and diversity. Under this pillar, we will:

• Support the global strategies of Penn schools, centers, and institutes, with an eye toward prioritizing diversity, inclusion, and access.
• Support Penn participation in multilateral dialogues related to pressing global challenges, such as climate, human rights, housing and development, etc.
• Establish a University strategy on immigration advocacy to proactively engage policies and processes that support international student and scholar mobility.
• Collaborate with campus partners to develop and expand the provision of online education opportunities, such as Penn’s new Global Learners Program, which serves displaced learners abroad through online offerings.

The Penn Artificial Intelligence and Technology Collaboratory for Healthy Aging (PennAITech)—made up of faculty members from Penn’s School of Nursing, the Perelman School of Medicine, and other departments across Penn—focuses on identifying developing, evaluating, commercializing, and disseminating innovative technology and artificial intelligence methods/software to support aging. This is year two for the collaboratory—made possible through a grant from the National Institute on Aging—and it is providing more than $2.3 million in funding to ten pilot projects.

This year’s awardees are:

• Advancing Diagnostic Excellence for Older Adults Through Collective Intelligence and Imitation Learning (Gary Weissman, University of Pennsylvania)
• GlucoCheck: A Non-Invasive & AI-Assisted Blood Glucose Monitoring Device for Older Adults (Maria Valero, Kennesaw State University)
• Real-Time Remote Monitoring of Confirmed Medication Adherence (Tony C. Carnes, etectRx)
• A Speech-Processing Algorithm for Automatic Screening of African American Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Early Dementia in Home Health Settings (Maryam Zolnoori, Columbia University Medical Center and VNS Health)
• A Device-Free Wifi Sensing System to Assess Daily Activities and Mobility in Low-Income Older Adults With and Without Cognitive Impairment (Jane Chung, Virginia Commonwealth University)
• Non-Intrusive, Fine-Grained In-Home Daily Activity Transcription for Alzheimer’s Monitoring (Xinyu Zhang, University of California San Diego)
• Fairness and Robust Interpretability of Prediction Approaches for Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease (Aidong Zhang, University of Virginia)
• Talking Tech with Dementia Care Dyads: Improving a Self-Administered Tool to Support Informed Decision (Clara Berridge, University of Washington)
• Prevention of Patch Poisoning in Elderly Alzheimer’s Patients (Sandeep Patil, Vaaji LLC)
• Health App Review Tool: Connecting those Affected by Alzheimer’s to Needed Technology Support (Julie Faieta, University of Pittsburgh)

The Collaboratory Pilot Core invites applications for pilot studies using technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize care management and health outcomes for all older Americans, including those with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) living independently, and those receiving clinical care or skilled home and community-based services.

The goals of this pilot program are to solicit, select and oversee pilot studies that design and test cutting-edge technology to support aging and to foster collaborations among affiliated Penn investigators and a network of scientists and clinicians in peer institutions, research centers, industry partners and home and community-based services nationally.

“We are excited to see the PennAITech pilot portfolio grow with awardees that foster cutting-edge solutions and innovation to make a difference for older adults and their families. Penn is uniquely poised to support them in this journey,” said George Demiris, a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with joint faculty appointments in Penn Nursing’s department of biobehavioral health sciences and the department of biostatistics, epidemiology, and informatics in Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and one of the principal investigators of PennAITech.

Jason Karlawish, a professor of medicine, medical ethics and health policy, and neurology; co-director of the Penn Memory Center and associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in the Perelman School of Medicine; and co-principal investigator of PennAITech, added, “We are looking forward to working with these Year 2 investigators to develop comprehensive and innovative solutions for aging that address not only technical but also clinical, ethical and policy implications.”

Luis Blasco, a pioneer in infertility treatment and a professor emeritus in the department of obstetrics and gynecology in the Perelman School of Medicine and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, died peacefully on October 23, 2023 from metastatic pancreatic cancer. He was 85. 

Dr. Blasco was born in Tarragona, Spain. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Colegio Maristas La Salle in Valencia, Spain, in 1956, and his medical degree from the University of Valencia in 1963. He then studied tropical diseases at the Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium. After completing his studies, Dr. Blasco was hired by Unilever to work in a hospital in what is now Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, developing an interest in pharmacology for tropical diseases. After finishing his tenure in Africa, Dr. Blasco immigrated to the U.S. in 1967 to resume his study of tropical diseases in Penn’s department of pharmacology and translational therapeutics, becoming an American citizen three years later.

At Penn, Dr. Blasco was a Ford Foundation Research Fellow in reproductive biology, working under Luigi Mastroianni and Celso-Ramon Garcia. After completing his residency in 1971, he was hired as a postdoctoral trainee in the School of Medicine’s department of obstetrics and gynecology. Three years later, he joined the department’s tenure track as an assistant professor. In 1986, he became a full professor, and in 1994 he became the Nancy and Richard Wolfson Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Almanac March 29, 1994). “Dr. Blasco is a superb clinician and educator, and most deserving of this munificent endowment,” said Michael T. Mennuti, then the chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology. “His expertise and contributions in andrology place Luis among a small group of reproductive endocrinologists who are nationally and internationally recognized as leaders in this field.”

Dr. Blasco conducted pivotal research at Penn, co-leading a NIH grant for Penn’s Reproductive Medicine Unit and serving on the Penn in vitro fertilization team that performed one of the earliest IVF pregnancies in the U.S. He was a member of the American Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society of Reproductive Surgeons, the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists, the American Fertility Society, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  He was also a part of the Spanish, Colombian, Chilean and Mexican societies of obstetrics and gynecology. He lectured internationally and wrote numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles. At Penn, Dr. Blasco was an involved faculty member, serving on the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. He retired from Penn in 2005 and took emeritus status. 

While living in the U.S., Dr. Blasco remained close with his extended family in Valencia, Spain, and, in addition to frequent trips there, he traveled throughout Europe, Central and South America, and Asia. He was an active tennis and soccer player and, during his retirement years, was active in Philadelphia’s Germantown Cricket Club. “To his friends and family alike, Luis was always highly active, intensely competitive, passionate, and always authentic,” said his family in a tribute. “He will be dearly missed.”

Dr. Blasco is survived by his sons Ian and Trevor, who he raised with his late wife, Marjeanne (Mimi) Collins Blasco, who was an emeritus associate professor of pediatrics at Penn (Almanac November 3, 2020), and his grandchildren Colin, Tate, Caroline, and Javier. He is also survived by his second wife Joann Fisher and her daughter Samantha.

James Loeb Dannenberg, D’48, a former professor of endodontics and pediatric dentistry at Penn Dental Medicine, died on December 17 from a perforated colon. He was 97. 

Dr. Dannenberg was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Center City. After graduating from Friends Central School, he completed an undergraduate degree at Pennsylvania State University, then earned his dental degree at Penn in 1948. He enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from Penn and served for two years as a military dentist during the Korean War. He later joined the faculty of his alma mater, where he taught children’s dentistry and focused on clinical instruction one day a week. He was promoted in 1971 to an associate professor of periodontics at Penn Dental Medicine and, seven years later, to a clinical professor. Dr. Dannenberg was also an associate dentist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and had a private practice in Center City. He retired from Penn in 1999.

Outside of his teaching and professional duties, Dr. Dannenberg was a renowned scholar, publishing peer-reviewed articles in the Journal of Dental Research and Dental Clinics of North America, among other publications. He was an elected member of the American Board of Endodontics, the American College of Dentists, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and the Omicron Kappa Upsilon honor society. He performed extensive volunteer service across the world, treating indigenous people in rural Mexico during the 1970s and mentoring students in agriculture at the W.B. Saul High School in Roxborough for 20 years. Dr. Dannenberg and his family endowed a support fund for the Virginia-based Student Conservation Association and were longtime supporters of the Wharton Esherick Museum in Malvern, Pennsylvania. 

Dr. Dannenberg loved to fish and hike in the Adirondack Mountains and along Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Creek. He was also interested in anthropology, history, gardening, jewelry making, and photography. He wrote letters to the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily Pennsylvanian advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion. His guiding principles were “to respect other people and their skills and attributes, and to treat them well and with courtesy and compassion,” said his son David in an online tribute. 

Dr. Dannenberg is survived by his wife, Dena; his children, Ann, Dara, and David; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and other relatives. Donations in his name may be made to the Student Conservation Association Dannenberg Family Fund, 1310 N. Courthouse Rd., Suite 110, Arlington, Virginia 22201.

Robert Louis Pfaltzgraff, WG’58 Gr’64, a former assistant professor of political science in the School of Arts & Sciences, died peacefully on November 17, 2023. He was 89. 

Dr. Pfaltzgraff graduated from Yeadon High School in Yeadon, Pennsylvania in 1952, then received his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College in 1956. He earned a doctorate in international relations in 1958 and an MBA in 1964, both from the Wharton School. After graduating, he joined Penn’s faculty as an assistant professor of political science. While at Penn, he served as an assistant editor of Orbis, the journal of Penn’s Foreign Policy Research Institute. In 1968, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to research political alliances of 19th-century Europe, and a year later, he was selected to serve on the Board of Selection of the U.S. Information Agency.

In 1971, Dr. Pfaltzgraff accepted a faculty position at the Fletcher School of Tufts University, where he taught for fifty years and eventually rose to become the Shelby Cullom Davis Professor of International Security Studies. “He was the visionary behind the establishment of Fletcher’s International Securities Program, laying the foundation for numerous graduates to embark on impactful careers in foreign service and security intelligence,” said Tufts University in a tribute to Dr. Pfaltzgraff. At Tufts, he also founded and was president of the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis, an organization that specialized in national security, foreign policy, and defense planning issues. Tufts University will establish an endowed chair in his honor in its international securities program. 

Outside of his academic affiliations, Dr. Pfaltzgraff led a decorated career. He advised government officials on military strategy, defense modernization, alliance relations, proliferation and counterproliferation, terrorism, homeland security, and national security policy. He worked with several U.S. presidential administrations and was a member of the Reagan Defense Advisory Team, formed before President Reagan’s election in 1980. After the fall of the Soviet Union, he briefed President George Herbert Walker Bush, Brent Scowcroft, and Condoleezza Rice on foreign policy planning. He was a member of the Independent Working Group of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and the International Churchill Society. He published numerous journal articles and books, including (as co-author) the influential Contending Theories of International Relations, which is still widely taught today. In November 2022, he was named an honorary professor at Panteion University in Athens, Greece.

Dr. Pfaltzgraff was predeceased by his wife Diane; he is survived by his children, Suzanne (Karl) Scheel and Robert L. Pfaltzgraff, III (James N. Black, V); his grandson, Dietrich K. Scheel; his brother, Richard Pfaltzgraff; and his partner of many years, Jacquelyn K. Davis.

The following agenda is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Any member of the standing faculty may attend SEC meetings and observe by contacting Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda

Wednesday, January 24, 2024
3–5 p.m. EDT

1. Finalize SEC meeting minutes of December 6, 2023
2. Tri-Chairs’ Report
3. Update from the Office of the Interim President
   Discussion with Interim President J. Larry Jameson
4. Resolution on Academic Freedom and Open Expression
5. Discussion of faculty letter to the Trustees and background materials
6. Proposals for SEC Actions
7. Communication with constituency members
8. New Business

TO:  Members of the Faculty Senate

FROM: The Faculty Senate Tri-Chairs

• Tulia G. Falleti, Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professor of Political Science, Chair of the Faculty Senate
• Eric A. Feldman, Heimbold Chair in International Law and Professor of Law, Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate
• Vivian L. Gadsden, William T. Carter Professor of Child Development and Education, Past Chair of the Faculty Senate

SUBJECT: Faculty Letter to Penn Trustees

The letter below was circulated by email to all standing faculty on December 14, 2023, with an invitation to co-sign and to share with other members of the faculty. It was forwarded to the Penn Trustees in care of Medha Narvekar, Vice President and University Secretary, on December 18, 2023, on behalf of the letter’s signatories, together with the list of 1,214 signatures received as of the time the letter was transmitted.

To the members of the Board of Trustees:

The undersigned faculty members of the University of Pennsylvania unambiguously reject the view that the Board of Trustees, the schools’ Boards of Advisors, alumni, or donors should determine Penn’s academic priorities or governance policies. The Faculty Handbook makes abundantly clear that the Board of Trustees delegates the management of the University to the President and the decision-making process to the shared governance of faculty, staff, and students (Section 1.A.). The current efforts of some members of the broader Penn community to reverse our longstanding governance structure threatens the freedom of the faculty to conduct independent and academically rigorous research and teaching. Penn’s academic excellence is built upon decades of shared governance in which the faculty play a central role in crafting policies around teaching, research, and all other aspects of our University’s academic mission, grounded in the principles of academic freedom and open expression. These principles and policies strengthen our process of knowledge creation and dissemination, while making our institution one of the foremost leaders in higher education in the U.S. and globally. We oppose all attempts by trustees, donors, and other external actors to interfere with our academic policies and to undermine academic freedom.

TO: Members of the Faculty Senate
FROM: Tulia G. Falleti, Chair
SUBJECT: Senate Nominating Committee 2024

1.  In accordance with the requirements of the Faculty Senate Rules, notice is given to the Senate Membership of the Senate Executive Committee’s nine-member slate of nominees for the 2024 Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee’s function is to nominate candidates for appointments to all committees and positions for which the Faculty Senate has responsibility in appointing. The Nominating Committee consists of nine members: the chair, chair-elect, and past chair, three incumbent members of the Senate Executive Committee, and three members of the Faculty Senate selected by the constituency representatives of the Senate Executive Committee. The nominees, all of whom have agreed to serve, are:

• Iwan Barankay (Associate Professor of Management and Business Economics & Public Policy; Senate Executive Committee Member)
• Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia (Professor of Basic and Translational Sciences)
• Tulia Falleti (Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professor of Political Science; Faculty Senate Chair)
• Eric Feldman (Heimbold Chair in International Law and Professor of Law; Faculty Senate Chair-Elect)
• Dalmacio Dennis Flores (Assistant Professor of Nursing; Senate Executive Committee Member)
• Vivian Gadsden (William T. Carter Professor of Child Development and Education; Faculty Senate Past Chair)
• Krithika Lingappan (Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Senate Executive Committee Member)
• Randall Mason (Professor of Historic Preservation and City & Regional Planning)
• Simon Richter (Class of 1942 Endowed Term Professor of German)

2.  Pursuant to the rules, additional nominations may be submitted by petition containing at least 25 signed names and the signed approval of the candidate. All such petitions must be received by Tuesday, January 30, 2024. If no additional nominations are received, the slate nominated by the Executive Committee will be declared elected. If additional nominations are received, an email ballot will be distributed to the Faculty Senate membership. Please forward any nominations-by-petition via email to the Faculty Senate office, senate@pobox.upenn.edu. Questions may be directed to Mr. Walsh by email to the address above or by telephone at (215) 898-6943.

Pamela Z. Cacchione, the Ralston House Term Chair in Gerontological Nursing and a professor of geropsychiatric nursing in the department of family and community health in Penn Nursing, and a nurse scientist at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, will be the 2024 recipient of Penn Nursing’s Norma M. Lang Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy. The award, given every two years to a Penn Nursing faculty member or a graduate from the school’s doctoral program who has made a distinguished contribution to nursing through scholarly practice, honors Norma M. Lang, a professor and dean emerita of Penn Nursing, for her world-renowned contributions to health policy and practice.

Dr. Cacchione, the academic practice partner liaison for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, has a prolific record of clinical practice, research, and scholarship that defines her as an expert with a national and international reputation and as an authority in gerontology, gerontological nursing, and geropsychiatric nursing. For the past six years, she has engaged in human-centered design, innovation research, and product development. She has partnered with robotics engineers interested in older adults and has participated in numerous research studies on robots. Dr. Cacchione’s invention–heart failure monitoring socks–has been honored with many accolades, including winning the inaugural Penn Nursing Innovator Accelerator pitch event in January 2020. 

Dr. Cacchione also has made an impact in policy development, dissemination, and application. She was previously a health and aging policy fellow and worked as a senior advisor with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the PACE Innovation Act and as a community catalyst along with the Pennsylvania Health Access Network. She is an exemplar for integrating evidence-based practice, multidisciplinary research, policy development, and clinically informed pedagogy. 

The eighth Norma M. Lang Lecture honoring Dr. Cacchione will take place on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, from 3:30 p.m. until 5 p.m., location to be determined.

In 2023, Penn Nursing received a $1 million grant from the Bedford Falls Foundation – DAF, a donor-advised fund established by philanthropists William (Bill) E. Conway Jr., co-founder and co-chairman of the Carlyle Group, and his wife, Joanne, to support a total of 40 high-merit students over a four-year period who are enrolled in a Penn degree program. Ten students will be selected every year to receive this support.

“The inaugural class of Conway Scholars is truly exemplary,” said Penn Nursing dean Antonia Villarruel. “These scholars build upon their degrees in other fields, which prepares them uniquely to advance health in whatever setting they choose to practice. I’m proud of the partnership between our school and the Bedford Falls Foundation to make a Penn Nursing education accessible— by reducing debt burden.”

“This nation desperately needs more nurses. Joanne and I feel blessed to be able to help reduce the financial burden for this cohort of nursing students at Penn Nursing so that they can achieve their dreams and, in doing so, help reduce the critical nursing shortage,” said Bill Conway.

The first cohort of Conway Scholars are:

• Connor Antrim (Philadelphia, PA)
• Amanda Ashley Harrison (Philadelphia, PA)
• Christian Knox (Upper Chichester, PA)
• Dena Rachelle Levenson (Agoura Hills, CA)
• Jada Lo (Cupertino, CA)
• Keanu Oneal (Colorado Springs, CO)
• Bernard Martin Rodgers III (Philadelphia, PA)
• Kelly Shi (Fremont, CA)
• Julie Francoise Szymaszek (Philadelphia, PA)
• Faith Abigail Victa (Cleona, PA)

Created with a $2 million gift to Penn Nursing by University of Pennsylvania President Emerita Amy Gutmann and her husband Michael Doyle, the Amy Gutmann Leadership Scholars program provides financial aid for exemplary undergraduate and graduate nursing students, supplementing their education with tailored learning to help shape nurse leaders who deliver exceptional evidence-based care, design research, inform policy, spark innovation, and advocate for social justice world-wide. The program will equip talented Penn Nursing students with leadership tools and tactics to complement their education. Scholars will develop personal and professional leadership skills and plans through a range of activities, including self-learning, cohort building, and purposeful engagement. 

The 2023 Amy Gutmann Leadership Scholars are: 

• Adenike Awotundun, MSN/Psychiatric Mental Health (Ogbomoso, Nigeria) 
• Alana Backstrom, MSN/Family NP (Philadelphia, PA) 
• Sabrina Deutsch, ABSN (Cherry Hill, NJ) 
• Meshara Galland, DNP Anesthesia (Puyallup, WA) 
• Jill Hannon, DNP Anesthesia (Jenkintown, PA) 
• Nicole Jakobowski, Adult Gerontology Primary Care NP (Philadelphia, PA) 
• Nelissah Carley Joseph, ABSN (North Easton, MA) 
• Lindsay Krott, MSN/Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP (Woolwich Township, NJ) 
• Brady Middlesworth, ABSN (Linwood, NJ)  
• Jennifer Smith, MSN/Family NP (Mountain Lakes, NJ)

“Penn Nursing is pleased to welcome our next cohort of Amy Gutmann Leadership Scholars—extraordinary students who are ready to lead improvements in health and health care,” said Penn Nursing dean Antonia Villarruel. “We remain grateful to Amy Gutmann and Michael Doyle for investing in the development of leaders in nursing.” 

The newly minted Amy Gutmann Leadership Scholars join a vast network with an ever-growing legacy of global impact. 

Yi Te (Edward) Lin, GD’ 24, a third-year periodontal resident and lab member at Penn Engineering and Applied Science’s electrical and systems engineering department, received the first-place Scientific Poster Award for Student Excellence at the prestigious Global Symposium on Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry, hosted by Harvard University’s School of Dental Medicine.

This event marked a convergence of the world’s leading clinical scholars, researchers, and dental technology experts, all focused on the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence (AI) in oral healthcare. Over 60 innovative posters from various global academic institutions shared their ideas and results.

Dr. Lin won first place with a project titled “UNet Deep Learning Model Application in Tooth Extraction and Ridge Preservation Analysis.” The advanced presentation, which combined custom Python-based computer vision algorithms into a deeper level of surgical analysis, also earned recognition from the committee. Dr. Lin’s research focuses on optimizing surgical evaluation for bone grafting procedures in dental implant patients through computational methodologies.

“As a periodontal resident, my clinical training fuels my exploration of dentistry,” said Dr. Lin. “Additionally, I’m fortunate to have the chance to develop my interests in programming into clinical applications. It’s always exciting to solve puzzles in uncovered fields with the best mentors and teammates. We will remain committed to advancing precise dentistry.”

Penn Nursing’s Alexandra Maye, a PhD student and NIH T32 pre-doctoral research fellow in the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR), has been selected to participate in one of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s leadership programs. These leadership programs connect changemakers across the country—from diverse professions and fields—to learn from and work with one another to create more just and thriving communities.

Ms. Maye was selected for the Health Policy Research Scholars (HPRS) program. HPRS helps students from all fields apply their work to policies that advance equity and health while building a diverse network of leaders who reflect our changing national demographics.

As a member of the program’s newest cohort, Ms. Maye will focus on safe nurse staffing, healthcare access, and care provided in safety net hospitals. Safety net hospitals, which primarily serve low-income, uninsured, underinsured, and/or Medicaid patients, play a crucial role in addressing gaps in health care coverage for groups who experience a disproportionate burden of health related to social needs. Guided by mentors Matthew McHugh and Margo Brooks Carthon, Ms. Maye aims to improve the nursing work environment, reduce disparities in health outcomes, and improve clinician well-being. 

Penn Center for Innovation (PCI), the University of Pennsylvania’s tech commercialization arm, wrapped up 2023 by reflecting on its successes and recognizing five outstanding members of its community at its eighth annual Celebration of Innovation on December 5, 2023. The honorees were:

• Holger Kissel, SVP of scientific relations and liaison, on behalf of BioNTech, Deal of the Year
• Shu Yang, Joseph Bordogna Professor, chemical and biomolecular engineering and materials science and engineering at Penn, Inventor of the Year award
• Steve Kelly, president and CEO, on behalf of Carisma Therapeutics, Startup of the Year
• Sean McCooe, president, on behalf of McCooe and Associates, Paul D. Sehnert Memorial Partner of the Year Award
• Firooz Alfatouni, associate professor of electrical and systems engineering at Penn, Emerging Inventor of the Year

“The strength of these commercialization activities is a leading indicator of the world-class innovation and exceptional science pursued by Penn’s faculty and research community,” said John S. Swartley, associate vice provost and managing director of PCI. “The positive translation of these scientific and technical breakthroughs into new products and services in collaboration with our many valued partners in the private sector is having a profound and positive impact on the global population.”

David Allman, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, and Dan Vogl, an associate professor of hematology-oncology and director of the Abramson Cancer Center Clinical Research Unit, have received an ASPIRE award from the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research for their project on survival pathways in multiple myeloma.

Anjan Chatterjee, a professor of neurology and director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, has received the Leader in Innovation Award from the Global Wellness Summit (GWS), at its annual conference in October. The GWS is the foremost gathering of international leaders in the global wellness economy. Dr. Chatterjee was honored for his work in neuroaesthetics, which investigates the neural systems that underlie aesthetic experiences, including how we experience beauty in the world around us.

Gregory Chen, a resident in clinical pathology, has been named to Forbes’ annual “30 Under 30” list for scientists for his work exploring CAR-T cell therapy. He was recognized for his role in the discovery that a single dose of CAR-T cells can hold cancer in remission for a decade or more.

Alice Chen-Plotkin, the Parker Family Professor of Neurology and director of the Molecular Integration in Neurological Diagnosis (MIND) Initiative, has received the Doris Duke Foundation Paragon Award for Research Excellence. The award is a one-time recognition that celebrates physician-scientists who have significantly advanced knowledge toward the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human disease, or who have, through their professional contributions, improved health outcomes of patients today. Dr. Chen-Plotkin was awarded for her research with the MIND initiative that seeks to better understand the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, in order to develop strategies to intervene in these disease processes, and slow their progression. Dr. Chen-Plotkin received a $10,000 grant to support further research.

Susan Mandel, chief of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism and the Sylvan H. Eisman Professor of Medicine II, has been elected secretary-elect of the International Society of Endocrinology. Dr. Mandel will serve as secretary-elect from 2024-2025, and then as secretary from 2025-2027. The International Society of Endocrinology, a federation of over 40 international endocrine societies, aims to promote endocrine care and education. Dr. Mandel, whose career spans over three decades, was a former president of the U.S.-based Endocrine Society.

Peg Rummel, an oncology nurse navigator in the Abramson Cancer Center, has been honored with the Lillie D. Shockney Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators in recognition of her outstanding contributions to cancer care and her leadership within the academy.

Upon infection or immunization, all jawed vertebrate species generate proteins called antibodies that bind and neutralize pathogens. Strong and long-lasting antibody responses in warm-blooded species such as mammals are produced in secondary lymphoid microstructures (SLMs) among which germinal centers (GCs) are the centerpiece. Despite the apparent absence of GCs or similar SLMs in cold-blooded vertebrates (e.g., fish), these species can mount significant antibody responses that can persist for several months. Thus, for decades, an outstanding question has remained as to how and where antibody responses are generated in species that lack GCs or analogous SLM structures.

A new study, featured on the cover of the journal Science Immunology reconsiders the understanding of immune responses in cold-blooded species. Investigators at Penn Vet have discovered, contrary to earlier belief, that induction of antibody responses in bony fish occurs in primordially organized SLMs that play roles similar to those of GCs from warm-blooded animals.

More specifically, the study identifies the formation in the spleen of large aggregates of highly proliferating B cells (the cells producing antibodies) and T cells (the cells helping B cells to produce antibodies) upon infection or immunization of fish. The newly induced B and T cell zones are formed nearby melanomacrophage centers (MMCs), which are tissue areas containing groups of dark-colored melanomacrophages where antigen is retained upon infection. These newly discovered MMC-associated lymphoid aggregates (M-LAs), contain numerous antigen-specific B cells, thus highlighting their key role in the immune response. Moreover, similar to what ensues in GCs, B cell clonal expansion and somatic hypermutation processes occur within M-LAs.

“Our findings challenge the former dogma that fish do not contain specific lymphoid microenvironments where immune responses are generated while revealing a previously unknown type of SLM in jawed vertebrates,” said J. Oriol Sunyer, corresponding author of the study and a professor of immunology at Penn Vet. “This discovery has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the immune system’s evolution and its potential applications in various fields, from fish vaccinology to human medicine.”

The research presents a new perspective on how immune responses can be induced in vertebrates, thus offering new opportunities to understand primordially conserved principles through which M-LAs and GCs function.

“For instance, fish M-LAs are highly polyclonal structures, thus resembling newly identified mammalian GCs that operate in polyclonal settings,” said Dr. Sunyer. “Therefore, the study of fish M-LAs is likely to shed light on the mechanisms by which both polyclonal GCs and M-LAs are formed.”

From an applied perspective, these findings are critical for the generation of more effective knowledge-based vaccines for fish. Disease and health management problems are one of the major hurdles for the developing aquaculture industry in the U.S. and worldwide. While vaccines delivered to fish have contributed greatly to the near eradication of several fish diseases, many vaccines for a number of old and emerging fish pathogens are inefficient due to our lack of knowledge on how immune responses are generated in these species.

“Now that we know where and how antibody responses are induced in fish, the study of M-LAs will identify correlates of immune activation and protection that will pave the road for the screening and development of more efficacious and safer vaccines and adjuvants for the aquaculture industry,” added Dr. Sunyer.

Adapted from a Penn Vet news release by Martin Hackett, December 1, 2023. 

Shu Yang, the Joseph Bordogna Professor and chair of materials science and engineering in Penn Engineering, looks at her research through the lens of biomimicry: life forms and natural shapes have inspired her unique engineering solutions that span agriculture, building cooling and heating and reversible adhesives. For Dr. Yang, who also holds an appointment in chemical and biomolecular engineering, each of her innovations start with changes on a fundamental level that can then grow into scalable and impactful products. Her creative approach, breadth of topics, and overwhelming number of applied inventions resulted in her being named the 2023 Penn Center for Innovation Inventor of the Year.

“I continually ask myself what kind of research and what kinds of new technologies will make the biggest societal impact?” says Dr. Yang. “I love examining products such as construction materials, windows and even adhesives, and asking my group members how they can be more effective and consume less energy. I look to nature over and over again to find the answers.”

Dr. Yang uses kirigami, the Asian art of cutting and folding materials that is similar to origami, to mimic nature’s link between structure and function in her own inventions. Just as the hexagonal shape of the cells in beehives keeps the entire structure cool without the need for an external energy source, one of Dr. Yang’s inventions, designed with kirigami techniques, pulls water from the air passively. 

“We created kirigami water collectors, sheets of plastic made up of unique, 3D pyramid structures,” says Dr. Yang. “The pyramid structures themselves trap air into vortices, like mini tornados. Moisture in the air in these tiny tornados is pulled onto the surface of the kirigami sheet with the help of a chemical coating that attracts water. The original device was made to provide fresh water from fog while dehumidifying large indoor and outdoor spaces, but it can be applied to a wide range of needs.”

As part of a $2.2 million, multi-university U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) project, Dr. Yang is redesigning these kirigami water collectors to be used in wood desiccation, a process required before wood can be burned to generate heat and power. The project will help the wood-drying industry to reach carbon-pollution-free electricity use by 2035. “The new design is a copper kirigami sheet coated with desiccant,” says Dr. Yang. “Recently, we needed to prepare 340 of these sheets. Once a sheet was made, it needed to be placed straight into the oven to keep it from sucking moisture from the air in the lab. That’s how immediately they work.”

Another iteration of the desiccant will be used to make food drying more efficient in a multi-million dollar DOE project that Dr. Yang and her colleagues were just awarded this past fall. “Food desiccation is important for food preservation, storage and transport,” says Dr. Yang. “The need to dry food efficiently will continue to grow as the population doubles and we face more severe food scarcity. We will need to keep food fresh for longer, transport it longer distances, and pack it into smaller spaces to conserve energy and resources.”

While kirigami has taken center stage in the Yang lab, she continues to find new techniques to mimic natural structures in engineering. Funded by a $4.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Eco Future Manufacturing Program (FMRG), Dr. Yang leads a team from Penn, Princeton University, Rowan  University, and Rutgers University to develop self-morphing building blocks that can be assembled into human-scale structures, maximizing strength and minimizing weight in the same way evolution has optimized biological organisms such as wood, chitin and bone at the cellular level. 

Additionally, funded by $2.4 million from the DOE, Dr. Yang is working with Masoud Akbarzadeh, an assistant professor of architecture in the Weitzman School of Design and director of the Polyhedral Structures Laboratory, to produce 3D-printed concrete with a porous design that allows for this building material itself to pull carbon dioxide out of the air.

“Cement is the third-largest industrial source of pollution,” says Dr. Yang. “Producing one ton of cement contributes over 1,300 pounds of carbon dioxide as well as the release of noxious gasses including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide into the air. Our porous cement slab design conserves up to 60% of the material needed to make the structure and every 10 pounds of printed concrete structure has the potential to pull 0.9 pounds of carbon dioxide from the environment.”

“We are very excited about these new building materials because they are not only applicable for commercial buildings, but could also be used in low-income housing and post-disaster relief shelters,” says Dr. Yang. 

Soon, Dr. Yang’s inventions will be tackling real-world problems from wood desiccation to sustainable building materials.

Adapted from a Penn Engineering news release by Melissa Pappas, December 20, 2023.

An open session of the WXPN Policy Board will meet on Wednesday, January 24, 2023, at 4 p.m. at WXPN. For more information, email abby@xpn.org or call (215) 898-0628 during business hours.

Children’s Activities

19        At-Home Anthro Live: Cartouches; students will learn to identify cartouches of ancient Egyptian pharaohs inscribed on several artifacts in the Penn Museum collection, then get the chance to design and show off their own cartouches; 1 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: http://tinyurl.com/anthro-live-jan-19 (Penn Museum).

23        K-12 Archaeology Talk with Dr. Steve: Is Archaeology Really Like Indiana Jones?; this presentation gives students exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to Dr. Phillips’ own work as a team member excavating Petra’s Temple of the Winged Lions; 11 a.m.; Penn Museum; tickets: $15/person; register: https://pennmuseum.wufoo.com/forms/znmtq2l1t1czci/ (Penn Museum).

Conferences

19        APS Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics; provides undergraduate women in physics  the opportunity to experience a professional conference, gather information about graduate school and professions in physics, and network with a diverse set of physicists of all ages, races and genders; full program and to register: https://web.sas.upenn.edu/cuwip-2024/ (Physics & Astronomy). Through January 21.

23        1924: Asian Exclusion and the Making of Immigrant America Symposium; Hardeep Dhillon and Eiichiro Azuma, history; will consist of two panels, "Asian American History and the Making of US Citizenship" and "Empire, Racial Formations, and 1920s Immigration Control”; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; location TBA; register: http://tinyurl.com/asam-conference-jan-23 (Asian American Studies).

Exhibits

Now   

            Time of Change: Civil Rights Photography of Bruce Davidson; see six important Civil Rights era photographs by renowned American photographer Bruce Davidson, who traveled from Montgomery, Alabama to Jackson, Mississippi in 1961 along with the Freedom Riders to document their experiences as they challenged segregation within the interstate bus routes in the South; East Elevator Bay, fifth floor Van Pelt Library. Through May 20.

Fitness & Learning

17        Masterclass: BODYTRAFFIC; 90-minute class in which intermediate to advanced dancers will learn selections from BODYTRAFFIC’s eclectic repertory; 6:30 p.m.; Annenberg Center; register: https://forms.gle/kftkkXGFw7uoW4UM7 (Penn Live Arts).

18        Master of Health Care Innovation Virtual Info Session; program managers will address how the MHCI has spurred career advancement for students and alumni and describe the basic components of the curriculum and the online learning experience; 4 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: herosenb@pennmedicine.upenn.edu (Perelman School of Medicine).

Graduate School of Education

Online webinars. Info and to register: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/events-calendar.

17        Urban Teaching Residency & Urban Education (Online) Virtual Information Session; 7 p.m.

18        Penn Chief Learning Officer Virtual Information Session; noon.

            Education, Culture and Society MSEd Spring Virtual Information Session; 4 p.m.

            Urban Teaching Apprenticeship Virtual Information Session; 7 p.m.

23        Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management Virtual Information Session; 4 p.m.

Penn Ice Rink

In-person events at Class of 1923 Ice Skating Rink. Info and to register: https://icerink.business-services.upenn.edu/calendar-page.

17        2023-2024 Wednesday Open Hockey - All Levels; 8:15-9:45 a.m.

            Weekday Public Skate; 12:30-2 p.m. Also January 19, 22.

            Freestyle - Monday and Wednesday; 2:15-3:15 p.m. Also January 22.

18        Freestyle - Tuesdays and Thursdays; 3:20-4:20 p.m. Also January 23.

19        2023-2024 Friday Open Hockey - All Levels; 7:30-9 a.m.

            2023-2024 Friday Open Hockey – Novice; 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

            2023-2024 Open Hockey - Stick and Puck; 2-3 p.m.

20        Public Skating Saturday; 6-7 p.m.

21        Learn to Skate - Sesson 3; noon-1 p.m.

Talks

16        Regulation of Lung Inflammation by Antibody Glycosylation; Taia Wang, Stanford University; 4 p.m.; Austrian Auditorium, CRB (Penn Institute for Immunology).

17        Community Assembly in Skin Microbiomes; Tami Lieberman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; noon; Austrian Auditorium, CRB (Microbiology).

            Trauma Informed Care: Lessons Learned and New Approaches; Olivia Sheridan, Penn Dental Medicine; 5:30 p.m.; online webinar; register: http://tinyurl.com/sheridan-talk-jan-17 (Penn Dental Medicine).

18        Innate Immune-Mediated Inflammation - From Anti-Bacterial Defense to Sepsis; Ling Wu, pulmonary, allergy, & critical care; noon; room 213, Stemmler Hall (Penn-CHOP Lung Biology Institute).

            Lessons Learned From a Citywide Abandoned Housing Experiment; John MacDonald, criminology and sociology; noon; 4^th floor library, McNeil Building; RSVP: breyanam@sas.upenn.edu (Criminology).

            Living in the Moment – Or Not? Past and Future Experience in Graeco-Roman Thought; Peter N. Singer, Einstein Center Chronoi, Berlin; 4:45 p.m.; room 402, Cohen Hall (Classical Studies).

19        Penn Alumni Water Forum Webinar; Nathan Sell, American Cleaning Institute; Martin Wolf, Seventh Generation, Inc.; Mark Hughes, Church & Dwight, Co.; noon; Zoom webinar; register: http://tinyurl.com/water-center-talk-jan-19 (Water Center at Penn).

            Fires, Ferns and Squirrels: Controls on Nonlocal Hillslope Sediment Transport; Danica Roth, Colorado School of Mines; 3 p.m.; room 358, Hayden Hall (Earth & Environmental Studies).

22        Adversity & HIV Risk in Adolescents: Longitudinal findings from Malawi and South Africa; Rachel Kidman, Stony Brook Medicine; noon; room 403, McNeil Building (Population Studies Center).

            The Kidney and the Cane: Planetary Health and the Limits of Life Support in Nicaragua’s Sugarcane Zone; Alex Nading, Cornell University; noon; room 345, Penn Museum (Anthropology).

            High Energy Theory: Amplitudes & CFT Meet Cosmology; Hayden Lee, University of Chicago; 2 p.m.; room 3W2, DRL (Physics & Astronomy).

            Beyond the Classroom: Unraveling the Interplay of Mother's Education, Academic Achievement, and Private Supplementary Education in Educational Inequalities; Abby Lim, sociology; 4 p.m.; room 367, McNeil Building (Sociology).

            Walt Whitman’s Inferno, Bryn Mawr College, and the American Civil War; David Wallace, English; 5:15 p.m.; Class of 1978 Pavilion, Van Pelt Library (Workshop in the History of Material Texts).

23        Protein Self-Assembly at the Right Place and Time; Margaret Johnson, Johns Hopkins University; noon; room TBA, Chemistry Complex (Chemistry).

            Impact of Inflammation on Steady State and Clonal Hematopoiesis; Katherine King, Baylor University; 4 p.m.; Austrian Auditorium, CRB (Penn Institute for Immunology).

Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies

Unless noted, online webinars. Info and to register: https://katz.sas.upenn.edu/events.

23        On Antisemitism and Education; Dara Horn, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History; 7 p.m.; Shotel Dubin Auditorium, Penn Hillel

Biology

In-person events at room 109, Leidy Lab. Info: https://www.bio.upenn.edu/events.

17        The Continuum of Gene Regulation at Single-Cell Resolution, from Drosophila to Human Complex Traits; Diego Calderon, University of Washington; 10:30 a.m.

22        Social Strategies and Social Resilience in Changing Environments; Madeleine Ostwald, University of California, Santa Barbara; 10:30 a.m.

Economics

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

19        Causal Inference Under Interference Through Designed Markets; Evan Munro, Stanford University; 4 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

22        An Identification and Dimensionality Robust Test for Linear IV Models; Manu Navjeevan, University of California, Los Angeles; 4 p.m.; room 202, PCPSE.

23        Bounding the Child Penalty; Julius Ilciukas, economics; noon; room 100, PCPSE.

            Minimum Wages and Automation Responses by Heterogeneous Firms; Jordan Peeples, economics; 12:30 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

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

Division of Public Safety

University of Pennsylvania Police Department Crime Report

About the Crime Report: Below are the Crimes Against Persons and/or Crimes Against Property from the campus report for January 1-7, 2024. The Crime Reports are available at: https://almanac.upenn.edu/sections/crimes. Prior weeks’ reports are also online. –Eds.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety (DPS) and contains all criminal incidents reported and made known to the Penn Police, including those reported to the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) that occurred within our patrol zone, for the dates of January 1-7, 2024. The Penn Police actively patrol from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from 30^th Street to 43^rd Street 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 DPS at (215) 898-7297. You may view the daily crime log on the DPS website.

Penn Police Patrol Zone

Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from 30^th Street to 43^rd Street

Philadelphia Police 18th District

Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 5 incidents with 1 arrest (3 robberies, 1 aggravated assault, 1 homicide) were reported for January 1-7, 2024 by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

The Division of Public Safety offers resources and support to the Penn community. DPS developed a few helpful risk reduction strategies outlined below. Know that it is never the fault of the person impacted (victim/survivor) by crime.

• See something concerning? Connect with Penn Public Safety 24/7 at (215) 573-3333.
• Worried about a friend's or colleague’s mental or physical health? Get 24/7 connection to appropriate resources at (215) -898-HELP (4357).
• Seeking support after experiencing a crime? Call Special Services - Support and Advocacy resources at (215) 898-4481 or email an advocate at specialservices@publicsafety.upenn.edu
• Use the Walking Escort and Riding services available to you free of charge.
• Take a moment to update your cellphone information for the UPennAlert Emergency Notification System
• Download the Penn Guardian App which can help Police better find your location when you call in an emergency.
• Access free self-empowerment and defense courses through Penn DPS.
• Stay alert and reduce distractions; using cellphones, ear buds, etc. may limit your awareness.
• Orient yourself to your surroundings. (Identify your location, nearby exits, etc.)
• Keep your valuables out of sight and only carry necessary documents.

As an institution dedicated to addressing the world’s most intractable problems, Penn has established the Projects for Progress fund in the office of Social Equity and Community intended to encourage students, staff, and faculty to design and implement pilot projects based on innovative research that will advance the aim of a more inclusive society. It seeks to fund impactful projects, grounded in outstanding Penn research, that will offer new ideas to enhance the quality of life for members of our Philadelphia community now and in the future. Project proposals from diverse teams—broadly conceived—will receive priority consideration.

The application period is from January 19-28. Project proposals should be focused on making progress towards one or more of the following goals:

• Eradicating systemic racism
• Achieving educational equity
• Advancing environmental justice & sustainability
• Eliminating health disparities based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and/or social determinants of health

Each winning team will receive up to $100,000 to implement their proposed initiative. For more information, visit sec.upenn.edu/p4p.

There are many things to consider when you’re approaching retirement or enjoying your retirement, from medical benefits to retirement plan distributions. Penn has updated its Retirement Planning Guide to give you the information you need to make your transition to life after Penn as smooth as possible. The guide is available online.

The Retirement Planning Guide is a comprehensive resource for staff and faculty that includes information about medical benefits, vision, dental, life insurance, and retirement savings plans. The guide also provides 2024 rates for Penn medical plans, prescription drug coverage contributions, and many other details about Penn’s retiree offerings.

For more information about retiree benefits, visit the Retiree Benefits webpage.

The Office of the Provost requests nominations for the sixteenth cohort of Penn Fellows and the fourth cohort of Mellon Fellows.

Penn Fellows Program

The Penn Fellows program provides select mid-career faculty (newly tenured to early full professors) with opportunities to develop their leadership skills, think strategically, interact with campus leaders, and build cross-university networks of support. Previous Penn Fellows have subsequently served as deans, department chairs, and vice provosts.

Mellon Fellows Program

The Mellon Fellows program seeks to support mid-career faculty (newly tenured to full professors) from core humanities and arts disciplines and from departments that are strongly inflected by the humanities and/or scholars whose work is strongly based in cultural/historical analysis. The program is intended to orient arts and humanities faculty to the fundamentals of leadership roles, encourage collaboration and community across departments and disciplines, and build the next generation of higher education leaders imbued with humanistic culture and values.

Expectations

Participants are expected to participate in the leadership development sessions created for these programs, which will be scheduled over the course of the 2024-2025 academic year. Participants will also be invited to participate in the Provost’s Leadership Academy.

Qualifications

Candidates for both programs should be mid-career faculty (newly tenured to full professors) with a demonstrated record of academic excellence, administrative leadership potential, and interest in higher education leadership. Of particular interest are faculty who have not yet held senior higher education leadership positions, faculty from groups that are historically underrepresented in higher education leadership, and faculty who can further contribute to the excellence and diversity of our campus leadership.

The Mellon Fellows Program is limited to faculty in core humanities and arts disciplines, from departments that are strongly inflected by the humanities, and/or whose work is strongly based in cultural/historical analysis.

Request for Nominations

Nominations should be submitted to provost-fac@upenn.edu by February 15, 2024. Nominations should identify the preferred program and include a letter of support from the dean or department chair and the candidate’s curriculum vitae. Previously nominated candidates may be re-nominated.

Please direct questions to Laura Perna at lperna@upenn.edu.

Purpose and Research Focus

The purpose of Penn’s Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases (CMSDLD) is to unite investigators with interests in digestive and liver physiology and disease and to stimulate others in the biomedical community to enter this area of research. One of the most important parts of this effort is the funding of pilot and feasibility projects.

The proposed pilot and feasibility project should be related to the focus of the center, which encompasses molecular studies on the biology or disease of the alimentary tract, pancreas, and liver. Relevant investigations include those in developmental biology, nutrition, regulation of gene expression, growth, differentiation, the biology of stem cells, molecular genetics, bioengineering approaches to digestive diseases, gene therapy, and immunology, including growth factors and cytokines. Preference is given to junior investigators and to proposals studying areas other than cancer. Pilot project awards are for $40,000 for 1 year with a second year possible through a competitive renewal. Candidates will be notified by May 15, 2024. The funding start date is June 1, 2024.

Eligibility

All faculty members of the Penn scientific community (at the rank of instructor and above* who meet the eligibility requirements below are invited to submit proposals. Applicants must be U.S.citizens or hold permanent resident visas. There are three categories of applications:

1. New investigators who have never held extramural support at the level of a NIH R01.
2. Established investigators in other areas of biomedical research who wish to apply their expertise to a problem in digestive and liver diseases.
3. Established digestive and liver investigators who wish to study an area that represents a significant departure from currently funded work.

Proposal Preparation

1. Submit documents either through the online form located at the bottom of the pilot and feasibility grant program webpage, here, or by sending the documents outlined below to the center address below. Complete proposals are due by Monday, February 26, 2024.
2. Format (Submit as a single PDF, in this order)
   • Cover page: must include an abstract of up to 250 words and a list of approved or pending IACUC/IRB protocols. If embryonic cell lines will be used, they must be from the NIH Embryonic Stem Cell Registry, and you must provide a list within your cover page. Finally, if your pilot grant will include human subject research, involving more than minimal risk, that will need to be included in the letter as well. NIH has to approve these studies in advance of an award.
     • *If you are not currently a faculty member but will be by the project start date of June 1, 2024, please state that explicitly in the cover letter.
   • NIH Biosketch
   • NIH Other Support
   • Budget and justification: one year, $40,000, one page only. No PI salary allowed.
   • Background, preliminary results, estimated core usage, research plan including statistical analyses, and future directions; up to three pages total
   • Senior investigators should indicate how this project represents a new direction in their research
   • References: one page only
   • Appendix: tables or high-resolution images pertaining to preliminary data that is already reported in the research section only, no reprints

Please note: The top applicants will be asked to present a 5-minute summary of their proposal to the center’s External Advisory Board (EAB) on Thursday, April 26, 2024. Applications from top candidates identified by the EAB will be reviewed further by center leadership and members of the center Community Advisory Board.

For additional information, please contact the Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases. Telephone: (215) 573-4264; Fax: (215) 898-0573; email: kimmeyer@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

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

Last year, the world saw a steep rise in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across disciplines, particularly with the advent of Open AI’s ChatGPT. Although the potential benefits of AI are considerable, it is still important to understand and weigh some of the risks that are inherent in using AI platforms.

In response to the rise in AI, the University of Pennsylvania began developing AI guidance, seeking input from stakeholders across campus to outline some of these possible risks. The resulting guidance is hosted by the Office of information Security (OIS) at https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/AI-guidance.  

Additionally, OIS has provided detailed guidance on Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT: https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/LLM-guide.

If you plan to use AI-driven solutions, carefully consider in advance the data you are entering or sharing with that solution. To protect University data, individuals should never supply personal data or Penn proprietary data into AI platforms, especially if there is no University agreement in place for the service.

• Questions about University privacy should be addressed to privacy@upenn.edu.
• An extensive list of information security policies, procedures, guidelines, and best practices can be found at https://www.isc.upenn.edu/information-security-policies-procedures.

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

Almanac publishes a supplement early each year featuring the camps and programs taking place at Penn over the summer. Offerings listed are camps for children, teens, and young adults for an array of activities from academic enrichment—including anthropology, business, law, veterinary medicine, and music—to numerous recreation and sports camps. To submit information about a camp, email almanac@upenn.edu with the following information:

• Name of camp
• Dates held (if multiple sessions, indicate dates for each)
• Age range for participants
• Short summary of the program
• Cost (note any scholarships, financial aid, or discounts)
• URL for enrollment/application forms
• Deadline to apply/enroll (if applicable)
• An email, link, and/or phone number to obtain more information.

If possible, please submit information by Monday, January 22, 2024. If additional time is needed to gather submission details, please email almanac@upenn.edu.