April 30, 2024 Volume 70 Issue 32

April 26, 2024

To the Penn Community,

At Penn, we pursue our academic mission guided by fundamental commitments to upholding freedom of inquiry and open expression, while maintaining a safe, inclusive, and respectful campus community.  

Over the last 24 hours, we have closely monitored the protest that evolved into an encampment on College Green. We have vigilantly supported the rights of our community members to protest peacefully. Representatives from Open Expression, University Life, and faculty leadership have engaged with some of the protestors, with limited access to the broader group.

Unfortunately, blatant violations of University policies and credible reports of harassing and intimidating conduct compel us to protect the safety and security of our campus community.

The encampment itself violates the University’s facilities policies. The harassing and intimidating comments and actions by some of the protesters, which were reported and documented by many in our community, violate Penn’s open expression guidelines and state and federal law, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. All members of our community deserve to access our facilities without fear of harassment or being subjected to discriminatory comments or threats.

The vandalism of the statue in front of College Hall with antisemitic graffiti was especially reprehensible and will be investigated as a hate crime.

As we have repeatedly emphasized, we will uphold free speech and the productive exchange of ideas, but we will not allow any actions that harass, threaten, or intimidate others. We have also said that the safety of our community is paramount, and we will live up to our commitment.

I am deeply saddened and troubled that our many efforts to respectfully engage in discourse, support open expression, and create a community that is free of hate and inclusive for everyone have been ignored by those who choose to disrupt and intimidate.

We have notified the protestors of their legal and policy violations. Failure to disband the encampment immediately and to adhere to Penn’s policies will result in sanctions consistent with our due process procedures as they apply to students, faculty, and staff.

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

April 26, 2024

To our Penn Community,

Late yesterday afternoon, a group of individuals led a series of protests that began at Temple University and traveled to Philadelphia City Hall and to Drexel University. At approximately 4 p.m., these protestors arrived on Locust Walk, joining with members of our Penn community.  

Penn’s Division of Public Safety, in partnership with local law enforcement, was informed of these pending demonstrations and worked to initiate safety plans in anticipation of the protestors arriving on our campus.

Like many other colleges and universities across the country, Penn now has an encampment of protestors, with 10 tents currently on College Green. We are closely monitoring the encampment to ensure the safety of the Penn community and the protestors.

Penn has and will continue to support the rights of our community members to protest peacefully and in keeping with University policy. At Penn, we will stand up for free speech and the productive exchange of ideas, even when we disagree.

We will not stand by, however, if protected protest and speech deteriorate into words and actions that violate Penn’s policies, disrupt University business, or contribute to an intimidating or hostile environment on our campus. We are assessing the details of the protest through this lens and will take follow-up action as appropriate.

Safety is, and will continue to be, our top priority, and there will be consequences for actions that are not permitted by University policies or local, state, or federal law. We recognize that this encampment may cause fear and anxiety by the very fact of it being on our campus. Please don’t hesitate to access Penn’s safety and wellness resources, which can be found here.

When protestors arrived on our campus yesterday, I joined with members of the Penn community in a listening session during which speakers shared passionate views and painful experiences. I left inspired by the collective commitment to productive exchange, mutual respect, and care for one another, and was gratified to see it on full display. This event served as a reminder that as a University community, we can engage thoughtfully and respectfully on the hard issues and questions of this moment. These conversations are important and must continue, and you have my commitment that they will.

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April 25, 2024

To the Penn Community,

At the beginning of this semester, we convened a Muslim, Arab, Palestinian (MAP) student advisory group to seek input on ways Penn can foster a more inclusive and supportive campus environment. I know I speak for the leaders engaged with the MAP student advisory group – John Jackson, our Provost; Karu Kozuma, Vice Provost for University Life; and Chaz Howard, University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community—in commending these students for their open and thoughtful engagement as members of this group.

This advisory group is part of Penn’s ongoing work to build a more inclusive community, including the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community, which will soon share its final report with recommendations for addressing hate, including Islamophobia, on our campus.

A message we heard loud and clear from students on the MAP advisory group is how they often feel unacknowledged in Penn’s campus safety and anti-hate statements. Many have experienced Islamophobic slurs, witnessed trucks near campus with anti-Islamic imagery, and held back their views for fear of doxing or because they have indeed been already doxed. Stories in the media of Islamophobic violence, including right here in West Philadelphia during an Eid al-Fitr celebration earlier this month, have fueled fear and stress. The students also described how they are productively engaging across ideological differences with their fellow Penn students in ways not reflected in news and social media.

I want to make clear that all Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian members of our community are welcome and belong at Penn. It has been a painful and difficult time for many students, faculty, and staff. For some, the tragic loss of life in the Middle East has included family and friends. And the growing unrest in cities and on other college and university campuses across the country is deeply unsettling. Please know that Penn is here to support you. Information on safety and wellness resources can be found here.

We are a community of scholars, selected for our academic excellence, and dedicated to serving the world through knowledge. We are stronger and more impactful because of our commitment to welcoming different points of view, developed in part through a host of unique lived experiences that coexist together at Penn. Learning from one another is a cherished feature of the Penn experience.

There is much to celebrate at Penn in the coming weeks­—the Penn Relays, our nation’s oldest and largest track and field competition, kicks off tomorrow. Our juniors will make their way down Locust Walk for Hey Day as they embark on their final year at Penn. And our seniors and graduate and professional students will complete their Penn journey and participate in Commencement exercises—an extra special moment for those who missed out on their high school graduations and spent part of their time at Penn in a virtual environment. Let’s end this year strong and together as a community.

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April 22, 2024

To the Penn Community,

Like you, I am witnessing the turbulence and strife taking place on several university campuses across the country. Members of our community will have different reactions to what is happening, including feeling heightened anxiety and other strong emotions. That this unrest is happening at the start of Passover undoubtedly creates further stress.

Our foremost purpose is education, creating and sharing knowledge to make the world better through our scholarship and service. Penn is connected to and a part of the world around us – from our Philadelphia roots to around the globe. Our campus is deeply impacted by external events, as the past months have demonstrated all too clearly.

We are and must continue taking action that brings us together to meet the challenges of this time and to remain true to our educational purpose. We must also ensure that our campus stays safe, inclusive, and welcoming for everyone, regardless of background or ideology.

To this end, the University is taking the following steps to support our community:

1. Provost Jackson and I will host a Community Listening Session on Thursday, April 25, from 4-5 p.m. We recognize this is short notice and during Passover, which may make it difficult for some to attend. However, we invite students, faculty, and staff to share their thoughts on the impacts of the conflict in the Middle East on our campus. This event will require a PennCard to attend. Additional details on the location and format will be shared shortly.
2. I have asked the chair of the University Task Force on Antisemitism and the co-chairs of the Presidential Commission on Countering Hate and Building Community to extend the comment period on their work to ensure members of our campus community have additional time to share feedback that will inform the final reports and recommendations of these important groups. Community members can direct comments to: antisemitism-taskforce@upenn.edu or presidential-commission@upenn.edu.
3. Recognizing that additional resources may be needed to support our community, I have asked Penn Wellness and Penn Public Safety to bolster their services. Please do not hesitate to make use of the resources listed here.

I call on all of us to remember and cherish what brought us to Penn. Remember what we can learn from one another. Remember to care for and respect one another. And remember what we can do for the world.

—J. Larry Jameson
Interim President

The School of Arts & Sciences has announced the following recipients of its 2024 teaching awards. These honors will be presented on Thursday, May 2 at a reception that is open to the Penn community. The event will take place at 4 p.m. in room 200, College Hall.

Listed below are the School of Arts & Sciences’ recipients of its 2024 teaching awards:

Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching

This year’s recipients of SAS’s highest teaching honor are Charles Kane, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Physics, and Michael Weisberg, the Bess W. Heyman President’s Distinguished Professor and professor and chair of philosophy. The Ira H. Abrams Award was established in 1983 and recognizes teaching that is intellectually challenging and exceptionally coherent. The award honors faculty who embodies high standards of integrity and fairness, have a strong commitment to learning, and are open to new ideas.

Dr. Kane’s courses over the last fifteen years have included honors freshman physics courses, intermediate courses on electrodynamics, and graduate courses on quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and condensed matter physics. His colleagues repeatedly note that he is known for his true passion for the field of physics. Dr. Kane’s mastery of teaching is clear in his ability to “present the information in a compelling, rigorous, but understandable way.” Students praise his approachable learning environment in which he “never makes you feel like [you asked] a ‘stupid’ question.”

The ability to make students feel connected to the course material and open to new ideas is a trait shared by the other Abrams Award winner, Dr. Weisberg. He teaches four philosophy of biology/science courses for his department. Colleagues praise his teaching commitment of being “far more concerned about pursuing truth than breaking taboos, and he embodies this norm in the topics he exposes to his students.” Dr. Weisberg teaches a Penn Global seminar, Evolution’s Laboratory, in which he leads a trip to the Galapagos that connects students with the local community and transforms “students into true discoverer scientists,” as described by his colleagues.

Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching

Simon Richter, the Class of 1942 Endowed Term Professor of German, is the 2024 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 & Sciences dean Dennis M. DeTurck, recognizes exceptional creativity and innovation in instruction.

Colleagues describe Dr. Richter as an out-of-the-box thinker and innovative creator who has successfully shared his research on the critical global issues of climate change, water use, resilience, and sustainability by using animation projects. His popular Water Worlds class uses multidisciplinary methods to explore cultural responses to sea level rise and catastrophic flooding. Recently, he co-hosted a trip to the Netherlands with students to collaborate with local policy makers and artists on his Penn Climate Animation and Research Studio. Students said that in Dr. Richter’s classes, “learning felt like a process of collective discovery.”

Dean’s Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research

This year SAS honors Melissa Wilde, a professor of sociology and chair of the department, with the Dean’s Award for Mentorship of Undergraduate Research. The award is given to faculty members who have excelled in nurturing undergraduate students’ desires and abilities to conduct meaningful research. Colleagues describe Dr. Wilde’s mentorship of undergraduate research as “transformative” and “inspirational” for her students. She promotes hands-on research for her students, which trains them in archival and comparative historical methods, and engages them in statistical analyses of survey data. Additionally, Dr. Wilde is well known for inspiring honors students to conduct independent studies and for her willingness to provide insightful feedback. Students refer to her “unparalleled commitment” to fostering a welcoming learning environment that guides and develops their research skills.

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 Julia Alekseyeva, an assistant professor of English. Students highly praise her teaching and assert that she fed their passion, changed the trajectory of their interests, and pushed them to become better observers. Colleagues report that Dr. Alekseyeva’s teaching is “compassionate and practical” and that she has mastered her ability to teach highly rigorous classes without making students feel overwhelmed or intimidated.

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Affiliated Faculty

Jenine Maeyer, a senior lecturer in chemistry, and Michael Kane, a senior lecturer in neuroscience, are the recipients of this award, which recognizes contributions to undergraduate education made by the school’s non-standing faculty.

Jenine Maeyer has an enduring record of making important contributions to the chemistry department. Dr. Maeyer has led Penn’s chemistry laboratory program since 2009 and has been on the forefront of incorporating active learning techniques and introducing new assignment formats. She started a chemistry service-learning course that provides undergraduate students with opportunities to improve their scientific communication abilities and teaching skills. Dr. Maeyer is highly focused on providing a nurturing learning environment for her students. Students say she is “approachable and helpful” and “easy and fun to talk to and makes sure you clearly understand the content.”

Dr. Kane teaches a variety of courses, including two lecture courses, a lab course, and a senior seminar known for covering the latest findings in his field. His course Drugs, Brain and Mind is a highly sought-after course by incoming undergraduate students, who refer to his course as a “must-take” class at Penn. He makes a profound impact on his students as he challenges them to think about their research in a new way and routinely offers his guidance to build their confidence.

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

Virginia Millar, lead lecturer of four undergraduate courses in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS), including the Online Applied Positive Psychology Certificate, is the recipient of this award, which recognizes teaching in LPS’s undergraduate and post-baccalaureate programs. Dr. Millar is an instructor of positive education and applied positive psychology for undergraduate and graduate students. Her colleagues feel that she can “ignite students’ excitement for the subject matter,” which is a vital component of effective instruction. Students attest that “her discussions are thought-provoking” and that she has “unparalleled skill in explaining complex concepts in an accessible manner.”

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

Sarah Willig, a lecturer in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, is the recipient of this award, which recognizes teaching excellence in LPS graduate programs. She is honored for her teaching in the master of environmental studies program. Dr. Willig gives her students a higher appreciation for the environment by taking them on field trips and promoting independent projects. It is her passion for sharing her expertise with the next generation that earns her numerous accolades from her students.

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:

• Meredith Hacking, Germanic Languages & Literatures
• Matilda Hemming, English
• Tessa Huttenlocher, Sociology
• Ethan Plaue, English
• Daniel Shapiro, Political Science
• Derek Yang, Chemistry
• Youngbin Yoon, Philosophy

Rashida Ng, Michael C. Henry, and Jamaal Green have been honored with G. Holmes Perkins Distinguished Teaching Awards for Academic Year 2023-2024. The awards are presented annually to three members of the Weitzman faculty, based on nominations by students, and recognize distinguished teaching and innovation in the classroom, seminar, or studio.

Rashida Ng, MArch’01, is an architect, the Presidential Associate Professor of Architecture, and chair of undergraduate architecture. Her courses include Design, Race, and Climate Justice, which examines material, spatial, and ecological practices in architecture and design that perpetuate racial inequities and exacerbate climate injustices. According to one student who nominated her, “As a student of Rashida, I have learned how to use architecture as a tool for social justice and community engagement.”

Ms. Ng’s research lies at the intersection of social equity and environmental justice. Focused on housing insecurity, Ms. Ng examines historical and present-day design practices that perpetuate racial inequities and health disparities in Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color.

Michael C. Henry, GME’77, is an adjunct professor in the department of historic preservation who teaches courses focusing on the deterioration and pathologies of buildings and on diagnostic methodologies and monitoring of buildings. One of the students who nominated him said, “He’s very down to earth and is such a supportive professor, taking time to get to know us all on a personal level.”

Mr. Henry is principal engineer/architect and founding partner of Watson & Henry Associates, where he has practiced for over 30 years, consulting for institutions, cultural heritage stewards, and architects and engineers throughout the United States and in India, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, and Tunisia.

Jamaal Green is an assistant professor in the department of city & regional planning whose courses include Modeling Geographic Objects, an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS) for a variety of environmental science, planning, and management applications. Among the nominations for him, one student wrote, “While having no prior exposure to the platforms or coding was a significant undertaking, Jamaal’s belief in the class slowly but surely encouraged my own self-belief and confidence in the skills I would acquire by the end of the semester.”

Dr. Green is a planner and geographer who is interested in the ways that the organization of our built environments exacerbate or inhibit social inequality. His research interests include exploring the connections between land use and economic development planning, specifically concerning the role of industrial lands in urban labor markets and greater labor market restructuring, and the application of spatial analysis to policy problems.

The G. Holmes Perkins Distinguished Teaching Award is named in honor of the late G. Holmes Perkins, who served as dean of the Graduate School of Fine Arts, as the Weitzman School was then known, from 1951–1971.

One award given each year recognizes teaching at the undergraduate level, and two awards are given for teaching at the graduate level, for a member of the non-standing faculty and a member of the standing faculty.

Ms. Ng, Mr. Henry, and Dr. Green will be formally honored at the Weitzman Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 18, 2024.

Charles Danne Graham, an emeritus professor in the department of materials science and engineering, died on March 18, 2024. He was 94.

Dr. Graham received a bachelor’s in Metallurgical Engineering with distinction from Cornell University in 1952. He then went on to earn a PhD in physical and theoretical metallurgy as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Birmingham in England in 1954. Following his doctoral studies, he worked as a research metallurgist at the New York-based General Electric Research and Development Center, where he was named a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow in 1961.

After his time in industry, Dr. Graham first came to Penn as a visiting professor in 1969 and then joined the faculty in 1970 as a professor in the then-named department of metallurgy and materials science (now the department of materials science and engineering) in Penn Engineering. He served as chair of the department from 1979 until 1984. Dr. Graham retired and took emeritus status in 1997.

Dr. Graham’s research focused on magnetic materials and measurements, domain structure, amorphous alloys, and permanent magnets. He was a senior member of the IEEE Magnetics Society and a member of ASM International, formerly known as the American Society for Metals, and the Metallurgical Society. He also served as chair of the IEEE-APS Annual Conference on Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. Dr. Graham was a visiting scholar-researcher at several institutions, including Cardiff University, the University of Bath, and the University of Birmingham. He authored over 120 papers and book chapters and held several patents.

During his time at Penn, Dr. Graham was active in the Faculty Senate and served as chair of Almanac’s Advisory Board. Later in his career, he served as a senior design instructor in materials science and engineering and prioritized STEM-focused programs for visiting high school students.

Francesca S. Seidita, the former director of budget planning in the Office of Penn Budget Planning & Analysis, died on March 28 after a long illness. She was 68.

Ms. Seidita was born in Jackson Heights, New York, on July 4, 1955, to the late Vincent and Vita Seidita. She grew up in East Islip, New York, before attending Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania to obtain her bachelor’s degree.

Ms. Seidita came to Penn in 1981 as a programmer analyst in the School of Arts & Sciences, followed by multiple positions in university management information services (UMIS), encompassing pivotal work on the creation of the student records system (SRS). In 1990, Ms. Seidita joined the office of budget planning & analysis as manager of resource planning information systems. Over the years her role expanded, and in 2005, she was appointed the director of budget planning.

Among her many accomplishments, Ms. Seidita led the successful implementation of budgeting systems at Penn, including Hyperion’s Pillar software and Oracle’s General Ledger (1996), Hyperion Planning (2005), and Oracle’s Planning and Budgeting Cloud Service (2016). In addition to her financial analysis and reporting expertise, Ms. Seidita maintained an important role as a data steward. She retired from Penn in 2020.

Ms. Seidita is survived by her daughter, Jessica Walthew; son-in-law, Will Field; grandson, Benjy; brothers, Vinnie (Laura) and Jimmy (Gale); nephews and nieces, Gemma, Danny, Ella, Ruby, and Gio; and many friends and former colleagues.

Charitable contributions may be made in Ms. Seidita’s name to the CurePSP foundation, to support research into Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, 325 Hudson Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10013 or visit https://www.psp.org/.

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To Report A Death

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

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

Meetings of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania will be held on Thursday, May 16, 2024.

Agendas for the meetings will be available May 14, 2024 on the Office of the University Secretary website: https://secretary.upenn.edu/trustees-governance/open-trustee-meeting.

Thursday, May 16

• 10-11:15 a.m.—Budget & Finance Committee
• 2-2:15 p.m.—Executive Committee Meeting

Due to capacity constraints, in-person attendance is limited. Individuals not directly involved in the presentation are encouraged to use the dial-in option, which will be available on May 14, 2024. Information is available on the Office of the University Secretary website: https://secretary.upenn.edu/trustees-governance/open-trustee-meeting.

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

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Special Meeting
Monday, April 29, 2024

Meeting Announcement. Faculty Senate Chair Tulia Falleti announced a special meeting of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee by email on Saturday, April 27, 2024, to be held on Monday, April 29, for the purposes of information exchange and discussion of current events on campus.

Meeting Discussion. Dr. Falleti summarized the purpose of the meeting, which is to exchange information regarding the events surrounding the “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” that began on College Green on Thursday, April 25, and to consult. SEC members shared knowledge of recent events and how they might advise the University administration.

Provost John Jackson and Vice Provost for Faculty Laura Perna joined the meeting. He responded to questions and comments from committee members. 

Following the Provost’s and Vice Provost’s departures from the meeting, SEC members then continued their ongoing discussion.  Proposals for actions were discussed, but no action was adopted. While SEC members hold differing views about the encampment, SEC members present concurred that the main objective for University administration should be to de-escalate tensions and to find a negotiated resolution to this conflict without rushing to conclusions. SEC members suggested that faculty should promote academic spaces on campus that foster constructive debates and conversations on difficult or intractable topics and to encourage faculty to remain near the encampment to work toward de-escalation and to foster constructive dialogue. Caution was noted regarding suggestions to record names of participants as doing so could be seen as an act of intimidation. Individual SEC members volunteered to find creative ways to assist the administration in checking students IDs without recording names or ID numbers and without creating lists of protest participants. Administrators’ messages with encampment participants should be clear and unambiguous.  Every effort should be made to hold Commencement and other customary year-end activities, even if the locations of those activities must be moved.  SEC brainstormed specific measures that could be common ground for a negotiated resolution. 

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and publisher of the Science family of journals, has announced the 2023 class of AAAS Fellows, a distinguished lifetime honor within the scientific community. This latest class is comprised of 502 scientists, engineers, and innovators across 24 AAAS disciplinary Sections. The newly elected fellows overwhelmingly represent the fields of biological sciences, chemistry, medical sciences and engineering, followed by neuroscience and physics.

“As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the AAAS Fellows Program, AAAS is proud to recognize the newly elected individuals,” said Sudip S. Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “This year’s class embodies scientific excellence, fosters trust in science throughout the communities they serve, and leads the next generation of scientists while advancing scientific achievements.”

The list includes the following faculty members from the University of Pennsylvania:

• Noam Cohen, Perelman School of Medicine
• Michael Lampson, School of Arts & Sciences
• Shu Yang, School of Engineering & Applied Science
• Edward Stadtmauer, Perelman School of Medicine
• Dolores Albarracín, Annenberg School for Communication, Penn Nursing, and School of Arts & Sciences
• T. Tony Cai, Wharton School

Five faculty affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an honorary society and independent research center founded in 1780. They are Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) professor Dolores Albarracín and School of Arts & Sciences professors Charles L. Kane, Edward D. Mansfield, Virgil Percec, and Deborah A. Thomas, who are, respectively, being recognized for their contributions to psychological sciences, physics, political science, chemistry, and anthropology and archaeology. They are among the 250 new members elected in 2024.

“We honor these artists, scholars, scientists, and leaders in the public, non-profit, and private sectors for their accomplishments and for the curiosity, creativity, and courage required to reach new heights,” says David Oxtoby, president of the academy. “We invite these exceptional individuals to join in the academy’s work to address serious challenges and advance the common good.”

Dolores Albarracín is the Alexandra Heyman Nash University Professor; a PIK Professor with appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication, School of Arts & Sciences, School of Nursing, and Wharton School; and the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s communication science division. As a social psychologist who studies social cognition, attitudes, and behavioral change, Dr. Albarracín has published six books and nearly 200 journal articles. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, Society for Experimental Social Psychology, and American Academy of Political and Social Science and is the editor of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition. The Society for Personality and Social Psychology, of which Dr. Albarracín is past president, recognized her with the Award for Outstanding Scientific Contributions to Research on Attitudes and Social Influence in 2018 and the Diener Award in Social Psychology in 2020. She was recently elected a 2024 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow.

Charles Kane, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Physics in the School of Arts & Sciences, is a theoretical physicist whose groundbreaking work on topological insulators—materials with a special kind of electrical conduction on their surface—has initiated a new field in condensed matter physics and garnered external recognition at the highest levels. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and he has received numerous awards, including the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, Benjamin Franklin Medal of the Franklin Institute, Dirac Medal of the International Center for Theoretical Physics, Oliver Buckley Prize of the American Physical Society, and Physics Frontiers Prize of the Fundamental Physics Prize Foundation. In addition to his research, Dr. Kane has taught physics courses at all levels, ranging from topics in quantum condensed matter for advanced graduate students to introductory honors electromagnetism for freshmen, for which he received Penn’s Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. 

Edward D. Mansfield is the Hum Rosen Professor of Political Science and director of the Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics in the School of Arts & Sciences. His research focuses on international political economy, international institutions, and international security. He is the author of Power, Trade, and War; Electing to Fight: Why Emerging Democracies Go to War; Votes, Vetoes, and the Political Economy of International Trade Agreements; and The Political Economy of International Trade. A recipient of the 2000 Karl W. Deutsch Award in International Relations and Peace Research, Dr. Mansfield has served as a national fellow of the Hoover Institution, chair of the International Political Economy Society’s Steering Committee, vice president of the International Studies Association, and a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Mansfield is co-editor of the Cambridge University Press Elements Series in International Relations, and he has served as co-editor of the University of Michigan Press Series on International Political Economy and associate editor of the journal International Organization.

Virgil Percec, the P. Roy Vagelos Professor of Chemistry in the School of Arts & Sciences, is a chemist whose interests lie at the interface between organic, macromolecular, and supramolecular chemistry; catalysis; nanoscience; complex systems; and synthetic biology. He holds 80 American and European patents and has presented more than 1,296 endowed, plenary, and invited lectures in more than 30 countries. He also has more than 827 publications, including 20 books. He has received many honors, including honorary memberships in the Romanian, European, and Royal Swedish of Engineering Sciences Academies, the National Science Foundation Research Award for Creativity in Research (1990, 1995, 2000, 2016), and the ACS Inaugural Kavli Foundation Innovation in Chemistry Award and lecture (2011). He came to Penn in 1999 from Case Western Reserve University, where he held the Leonard Case Jr. Chair of Macromolecular Science and Engineering. 

Deborah A. Thomas is the R. Jean Brownlee Professor of Anthropology in the School of Arts & Sciences, where she is also core faculty in gender, sexuality and women’s studies with secondary appointments in the Graduate School of Education and the department of Africana studies. Her written work includes Political Life in the Wake of the Plantation: Sovereignty, Witnessing, Repair, for which she won the Gordon K. and Sybil Lewis Book Award from the Caribbean Studies Association and the Senior Book Prize from the American Ethnological Society. Dr. Thomas also co-directed and co-produced two films, Bad Friday: Rastafari After Coral Gardens and Four Days in May, both of which explore issues of culture, power, violence, and post-colonialism in Jamaica. Before her life in academia, Dr. Thomas was a professional dancer with the New York-based Urban Bush Women, a company committed to using art as a means of addressing issues of social justice and encouraging civic engagement.

Martha A.Q. Curley, a professor of nursing at Penn Nursing and the Ruth M. Colket Endowed Chair in Pediatric Nursing Science at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, will receive the 2024 Research Innovation and Translation Achievement Award from the American Thoracic Society (ATS).

This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement of respiratory research, focused on specific innovations to improve health by advancing practice, policy, and healthcare delivery. This includes, but is not limited to, drug/device discovery and development, implementation, and regulatory science, as well as basic, translational, clinical, public health and health services research. The awardee’s contributions demonstrate real-world innovation with tangible benefits to address unmet respiratory healthcare needs. The award also recognizes their accomplishments and role as leaders pursuing team science through collaborative approaches, both interdisciplinary and inter-institutional.

Dr. Curley will be presented with the award at ATS 2024 Conference on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the San Diego Convention Center.

Penn will honor the following graduate and professional student leaders on Friday, May 17 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the Graduate Student Center. The Penn community is invited to attend the awards ceremony; RSVP at www.gsc.upenn.edu/events.

President & Provost’s Honor for Developing New Initiatives in Graduate & Professional Student Life

• Mario Gallardo, Master of Science in Medical Physics, Perelman School of Medicine
• Maxwell (Max) Pisciotta, PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Kaixi (Alex) Yang, Master of Public Administration, School of Arts & Sciences

Dr. Andy Binns Impact Award for Outstanding Service to Graduate and Professional Student Life

• Natalie Delgado, Master of Social Work, School of Social Policy and Practice
• Emily Getzen, PhD in Biostatistics, Biomedical Graduate Studies, Perelman School of Medicine
• Michael Krone, JD/MBA, Penn Carey Law School and Wharton School
• Sparsh Maheshwari, Master of Science in Social Policy, School of Social Policy and Practice
• Gaurav Mangal, Master of Science in Engineering, Electrical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Gabrielle Newell, Master of Science in Education, Graduate School of Education
• Joe Rummaneethorn, PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Anusha Singhal, Master of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Applied Science
• Ananth Srinivas, PhD in Earth and Environmental Science, School of Arts & Sciences

Each of these honorees has volunteered their time to improve life at Penn for their fellow graduate students, and our campus is a better place for their efforts. More information about these students’ contributions and the awards can be found at www.gsc.upenn.edu/2024-graduate-leadership-awards.

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation has announced the recipients of its 2024 Student Grant Awards. This year’s applicant pool represents the largest to date, with a diverse array of proposals across disciplines and practices.

Alicia Riccio (Weitzman School of Design)

Hard Copy—a series of drawings that will culminate in a book. The work is based on the records of one day of sales at Giovanni’s Room circa 1977. Giovanni’s Room is the oldest LGBT bookstore in the United States, opening in Philadelphia in 1973.

Alyssa Chandler (College of Arts & Sciences)

Save Chinatown, Save Our City—a mural of celebration, resistance, and legacy in the heart of Chinatown, serving as a physical and artistic embodiment of Chinatown’s beauty, importance, and right to exist and of the past, present, and future fights against oppression.

Azsaneé Truss (Annenberg School for Communication)

Conspi(racism)—a short film exploring the culturally specific roots and logics of conspiracy theorizing amongst Black Americans via glimpses of an intimate conversation at a listening party and an exploration of the archives of the crack epidemic.

Bonnie Samantha Maldonado (School of Arts & Sciences)

Rematriación: Casa, Tierra, y Liberación (Rematriation: Home, Land, and Liberation)—a four-day retreat where participants engage in themes of freedom, return, and worldmaking through cooking, farming, and documenting their experiences in a cookbook titled “Casa Materna” (maternal home).

Catching On Thieves (Weitzman School)

Catching on The Nose, ep 01: what does a nose know?—a series of interviews with people’s noses about what it’s like to be a nose.

Cienna Davis (Annenberg School for Communication)

(Digit)al Dread—a collaborative assemblage that materializes afro-textured hair as a digital, touch-based network inviting viewers to engage in the possibilities of physical touch for negotiating the troubling demands of our digital society.

Gayoung Lee (Weitzman School)

Humming from Babel—a non-narrative video installation that explores the complex emotional pathways when one speaks in a language that is not one’s own with often-invisible ESL speakers in Philadelphia.

Irma Flóra Kiss (College of Arts & Sciences)

Phantom of a Fallen Queen—a multi-media installation that critiques the perennial historical challenge to women’s reproductive autonomy by resurrecting the figure of Anne Boleyn.

Jacob Weinberg (Weitzman School)

Clusters (Landfill)—a non-narrative video-based installation that explores how latent threats appear and are analyzed within an American post-industrial landscape.

Janice Kim (School of Engineering & Applied Science and College of Arts & Sciences)

Predictive Living—a speculative design installation with redesigned objects for the near-future consumer, exploring a dystopian future in which everyday products are getting smarter and inevitably monitor and manage our lives for us.

Melissa B. Skolnick-Noguera (Annenberg School for Communications and School of Social Policy & Practice)

Philadelphia Artists & Culture Keepers: A Digital Media Project—highlights the stories of Latine and Black artists who use their creative work to facilitate social change in the Philadelphia region.

Michael Martin Shea (School of Arts & Sciences)

Imaginary Bodies: The Early Poems of Liliana Ponce—a volume of poetry in translation that collects the award-winning yet out-of-print poems from Argentine poet Liliana Ponce’s first two books, making them available in English for the first time.

Neha Shetty (College of Arts & Sciences)

Illuminating Unhoused Patients’ Healthcare Experiences Through Photography—showcases the lived experiences of unsheltered communities in their journeys navigating healthcare systems through the medium of original photographs and writings produced by people experiencing homelessness.

Nina Hofkosh-Hulbert (School of Arts & Sciences)

Drawing Together: Medieval Today (Working Title)—an interdisciplinary engagement with an unusual land surveying manuscript (c. 1405), seeking to develop a wider audience with an understudied volume, collectively test the methods illustrated in the text, and craft a response in a new project.

Participatory Action Art Mentorship Program (Student Group in the College of Arts & Sciences and Wharton School of Business)

Participatory Action Art Mentorship Program (PAAM)—empowers West Philadelphia high school students to create impactful art and narratives through animation, architecture, and design, addressing inadequate art education, fostering artistic development, and making a global impact.

Penn Looks (Student Group in the Weitzman School of Design and Wharton School)

Penn Fashion Show 2024, Illustrated Perspectives: A Rogue Relaunch—support for the 2024 iteration of the Penn Fashion Show, a joint venture between Penn Looks and the Wharton Fashion Club, ongoing since 2015 (except for 2020 and 2021), as an opportunity for Weitzman School of Design students to showcase their work.

Yuanyi Cen (Weitzman School)

The BagasSeat: An Ode to the Southeast Asian Market—transforms local, organic, unavoidable waste from the Southeast Asian Market into a temporary, educational, and culturally engaging urban furniture system, contributing to a biomaterials revolution and challenging the permanence of the material world.

Penn Dental Medicine’s Eric Stoopler, a professor of oral medicine, has been recognized by the American Academy of Oral Medicine as this year’s recipient of its Craig S. Miller Diamond Pin Award. The award was presented as part of the academy’s annual meeting, held in Orlando, Florida, April 17-20.

The academy’s highest honor, the Craig S. Miller Diamond Pin Award is presented for exceptional and dedicated service to the academy.

Dr. Stoopler has been involved in the academy throughout his dental career. He became active in the academy in 2002 during his residency, going on to serve on several committees before being named to the Executive Committee.

He served as secretary from 2013-2015, as vice president from 2015-2017, and went on to lead the academy as president in 2018-2019.

The May AT PENN calendar is now available. Click here to read the calendar online, or click here to download a printable PDF of the calendar.

To submit an event for a future calendar or update, send the relevant details to almanac@upenn.edu.

Professional and Personal Development Programs

Conflict Resolution; 5/2; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; online; free. During this course, we will learn the different types of conflict, learn to use several tools to help us address conflict in healthy and productive ways, learn how to reap the benefits of conflict, and finally how to mitigate its risks. We’ll also practice using these tools together so that we can all become more confident in handling disagreements within our team and in our personal lives.

Depression, Anxiety, and Burnout: Moving Toward Hope and Health; 5/7; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; online; free. For some people, feelings of depression, anxiety, and burnout may seem insurmountable. Those experiencing these conditions are far from alone, but recognizing when we need extra support for our emotional and mental well-being is critical. This discussion defines each of these conditions, including the signs and symptoms and ways to seek help when needed.

Creating and Maintaining Your LinkedIn Profile; 5/10; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; online; free. This session will review tips on creating a great LinkedIn profile that will get you noticed by recruiters and industry professionals.

Virtual Workshop: Mindful Communication; 5/15; noon-1 p.m.; online; free. “Mindfulness is paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally.” —Jon Kabat-Zinn. Mindful communication shines awareness on our intentions in communication. We will learn how to be intentional, stay present, observe our thoughts, and manage our feelings while listening and being heard—rue communication. In this experiential workshop, you’ll enjoy how mindful communication can help us be more at home in our own skin, as well as be curious and communicate with intention both at home and in the workplace. No prior meditation or mindfulness experience necessary.

Health Advocate Presents: Mental Health and Me (10 a.m.); 5/16; 10-11 a.m. and 4-5 p.m.; online; free. 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. It is important to prioritize your own health before you can support and help others. 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.

Radical Resilience: Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance; 5/23; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; online; free. The term “anti-fragility,” coined by NYU professor Nassim Nicholas Taleb, takes the concept of resilience to the next level by asserting that there are conditions whereby we are not only able to bounce back, but we become even stronger as a result. This interactive workshop is part of our Ideas for Sustainable Life Balance series that provides tools for increasing your ability to be super-resilient. Based on the work of Harvard educator Tal Ben-Shahar, author of Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment.

Effectively Communicating in the Workplace; 5/28; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; online; free. With successful communication, organizations have increased morale, productivity and staff commitment. This brown-bag lunch program will help participants understand the importance of workplace communication, identify proper communication channels, identify barriers to communicating effectively, and how to overcome communication challenges.

Grow Where You are Planted: Making the Best of Situations; 5/30; noon-1 p.m.; online, free. In life, sometimes it’s time for a change, and other times it isn’t. How do we know when to accept things as they are, or when a change in perspective is needed? This seminar explores the typical flow of human reactions and responses and offers participants practical tips for enjoying and thriving in whatever stage they may be in. Proven strategies like gaining clarity, creative brainstorming, re-framing and parallel paths are also discussed.

Writing Emails that Get to the Point; 5/30; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; online; free. Because so many of your communications are via email, this is a great chance for you to spend a short time learning how to do it better. Email demands clear and efficient writing, but we’ve all seen how easily misunderstandings in email messages can compromise clear communication. Attend this helpful brown bag to get a fast-paced, hands-on lesson to strengthen your email writing skills. Through examples and exercises, you will learn how to target your audience, get to the point, and develop and maintain a professional email style.

Work-Life Workshops

Smart Money Moves with Metlife; 5/8; noon-1 p.m.; online; free. No matter your age or circumstances, you can follow these 10 key tips to help set you up for long-term financial success. In this workshop, you will learn about getting the most out of your company retirement plan, credit reports and scores, tax diversification strategies and asset allocation.

Virtual Workshop: Mid to Late-Career: Building on Your Solid Financial Foundation with PNC; 5/9; noon-1 p.m.; online; free. If you’re an experienced professional well into your career, you’re likely thinking about current and future life goals, and what it will take financially to achieve them. This workshop offers strategies to help you meet short-, middle- and long-term financial demands, from caring for children and aging parents to potentially starting your own business, and provides a five-step checklist to help you plan for a comfortable retirement.

Bright Horizons Family Webinar: You Really ARE Making a Difference; 5/15; 3-4 p.m.; online; free. Discover the incredible capacity of your child’s developing brain to think, feel, and act, and recognize the remarkable ways you are already nurturing your child’s potential and fostering a future filled with positivity and growth.

Penn Healthy You Workshops

30-Minute Guided Meditation; 5/3, 5/10, 5/17, 5/31; noon-12:30 p.m.; online; free. 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.

30-Minute Chair Yoga Plus Core; 5/6, 5/13; noon-12:30 p.m.; online; free. 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, both beginners and those who regularly exercise can learn what to do without leaving their desks.

Virtual Chair Yoga; 5/8, 5/22; noon-12:45 p.m.; online; free. 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 wellbeing. 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.

Deskercize; 5/15; noon-12:30 p.m.; online; free. 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.

Guided Mindful Meditation; 5/16; noon-1 p.m.; online; free. 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 yourself 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; 5/21; noon-12:45 p.m.; Pottruck Gym, Studio 306; free. 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. 

Monthly Wellness Walk: Mental Health Awareness Month; 5/29; noon-1 p.m.; College Hall; free. 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 to support Mental Health Awareness Month by wearing green.

Other

2024-2025 Open Enrollment Benefits Information Session Virtual; 5/7; 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; online; free. Human Resources’ Benefits Department will conduct a presentation on what’s new and what’s changing for 2024-2025.

—Division of Human Resources

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 April 15-21, 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 April 15-21, 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: 11 incidents were reported for April 15-21, 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.

Bill Ashmanskas

The pandemic motivated me to convert Physics for Architects into SAIL (Structured, Active, In-Class Learning) format. Our classroom now buzzes with activity, making physics as engaging for the 50 students as it is for me.

PHYS 0008 is a sector course tailored to visual learners, many eager to excel in a later Architectural Structures course. Most students have seldom used math since high-school calculus or physics.

We first follow an unconventional textbook by Eric Mazur, who is known for pedagogical innovation, then finish with a beautifully pencil-sketch-illustrated book by Onouye and Kane.

The pre-pandemic auditorium lectures were entertaining, packed with live demonstrations and think-pair-share exercises. I assigned graded homework problems each week, and in office hours, I happily compared notes with students who had tried each problem beforehand. Students answered open-ended questions about textbook chapters to prepare for class. I emphasized learning physics by doing it, so doing the homework and arriving for lecture prepared to participate were key.

Alas, wheeling a three-ring circus in and out of an auditorium booked for other courses before and after reduced the window to chat with students. Some course reviews complained of a few students’ copying homework. I had heard that cooperative problem-solving used classroom time more effectively than passively watching lectures. And I knew that discussing physics problems in office hours was the most fun part of teaching—much more rewarding than performing in an auditorium. Finally, students often asked to join in the fun I was having with demonstrations at the front of the room, e.g., colliding toy carts on low-friction tracks.

In the new format, illustrated in the highlights video linked from www.hep.upenn.edu/physics8, students spend most classroom time in small groups, solving pencil-and-paper problems that used to be weekly homework. The buzz of students’ voices illustrates just how active students are in the classroom. The video also shows the hands-on activities that SAIL coordinator Ryan Batkie devised to connect physics with students’ own tactile and visual experience.

I like that problem-solving, which is central to learning, now happens where I see it. When students are puzzled by a problem, they can turn to their classmates, me, or the TA, instead of searching the web.

This format depends critically on students’ preparing for class. Quoting Eric Mazur, “information transfer” happens at home, so precious classroom time is spent assimilating concepts and skills. To prepare, students choose between my video or a textbook chapter, though some topics require both. Most students prefer the videos: 40 hours of old lecture content became 33 hours of video.

To collect credit for preparing, students answer questions: “How do we now understand the beam-on-two-scales problem from the first day of class?” and “What are the three equations you can write for an object in equilibrium in a plane?” and “Tell me something you found interesting about my simplified model of an arch or how we analyzed it.” I always include, “What topic from today’s assignment did you find most difficult or confusing or interesting?”

I aim to respond to a quarter of students’ submissions.  I clarify misconceptions or mistakes. I praise students for engaging articulately. I answer students’ tangential questions, such as about anti-lock brakes or centrifugal pseudogravity. One student, after answering, added: “I just want to say how cool and interesting I think it is that we’re finally getting to the point in the curriculum where we can combine the various concepts from earlier in the semester (forces, friction, torque, tension, etc.) into an actual architecture-based application like designing an arch. It’s great to see everything come together.”

The video format varies. A transparent “lightboard” lets me face the camera and gesticulate as I write, so students follow my hands and eyes as I work examples. Video lets me mix board work and auditorium demonstration without a live lecture’s time pressure. Sometimes I project lecture slides onto half of the lightboard and annotate the slide while talking and writing out equations on the other half. Many slides ask students to pause to ponder multiple-choice questions. In some questions, students predict the outcome of a demonstration I splice in after we rule out all but one answer. So that lectures largely replace textbook reading, I use the lightboard for chalkboard-style introductions of concepts and derivations of key results, often in more detail than in a time-constrained live lecture. A clickable table of contents lets students skip such derivations, or find a given worked example.

Integrating demonstrations with board work is my favorite feature of the videos. In summer 2021, lecture demonstration coordinator Mary Marcopul and I filmed the dozens of demonstrations I used to do live. Many demonstration clips have since been reused in a colleague’s online LPS course.

Since students spend 40 classroom hours solving problems in groups, I took care in assigning workgroups. I formed stable groups of three, initially by year and major, adjusting until students worked well together. Each class, I randomly assigned three-person groups to six-person tables, so students met every classmate eventually. Whereas I had heard suggestions to group students heterogeneously, several students who liked to work methodically disliked feeling pressured by sitting with students who worked faster. So I grouped these more methodical students together, with the result that they seemed to enjoy every moment they spent doing physics cooperatively.

Another pandemic-inspired innovation replaces a written final exam with an oral chalkboard exam. I draw questions at random from a bank of problems distributed in advance, motivating students to practice every problem. Groups of three take turns at a whiteboard for two hours, without notes. The format takes time to administer but not to grade: the TA and I compare notes for each student after each group finishes. For ranking, this format is less incisive than a written exam, but the students’ interaction with me has pedagogical value. By hearing students’ reasoning, I gain empathy for and insight into the thinking of students who make the effort but work less quickly. And careless mistakes disappear when I catch missing minus signs in real time. Finally, spending two hours solving problems together is a more personal end to the semester than a written exam.

With students so engaged in class, I resist trading learning time for midterm exams. But one risk of eliminating midterms is to identify, too late, the students who would benefit from more instructor attention. I plan, next time, to visit groups frequently, asking students to think aloud as they work at the whiteboard—for constructive feedback on their learning and to identify students who need more coaching. I hope also to get students comfortable working at the board, well before the exam.

Though transforming Physics for Architects required weeks of videography, the result is a cooperative classroom format where learning physics by solving problems is fun for a wide range of Penn students. In students’ own words from evaluations: “This was honestly the most fun I’ve had in a course in a while. My partner being one of my best friends helped but it was a really good time and I learned a lot.” The course “made physics so much less intimidating than I expected it to be; I felt like I was able to learn for the sake of learning.” The course “made me actually enjoy and learn physics (even though I am a political science major).” “As an architecture major, I feel more confident in my skills.” “I believe this course is really going to help prepare me to take Structures I and II next year.”

Bill Ashmanskas is a senior lecturer in physics. He is a 2020 recipient of the Provost’s Award for Teaching Excellence by Non-Standing Faculty and a 2019 recipient of the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching by Affiliated Faculty.

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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.