October 10, 2023 Volume 70 Issue 9

The University of Pennsylvania has announced a $13 million grant to support further growth of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Paideia Program from the program’s namesake. Since its inception in 2019, SNF Paideia has experienced high student demand and exponential growth of its program centered on individual and community wellness, service, and citizenship. 

The new grant, spanning 2024-2029, enables SNF Paideia to continue equipping undergraduates with the knowledge and experiences to foster robust, informed, and respectful dialogue across difference. 

“A thriving society requires broadly-educated and service-minded leaders who express their views openly, listen to others respectfully, and disagree productively,” said President Liz Magill. “We are deeply grateful for the ongoing support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which strengthens opportunities for Penn students to hone and practice these essential skills.” 

The program’s design provides a cohort of students with a structured and immersive experience, while also providing an increasingly larger number of students, faculty, and the wider community with myriad opportunities to practice civic engagement and civil discourse in a variety of settings. 

“We tend to think of education primarily as a means of personal development, but SNF Paideia offers a model for how, by building habits of civic engagement and civil discourse, it can lay a foundation for thriving communities, healthy democracies, and civil societies at large,” said SNF co-president Andreas Dracopoulos, W’86. “The strong interest young people have shown in this vision of engaged citizenship is cause for optimism in our shared future, and we congratulate the SNF Paideia team on the incredible growth that has made the program’s resources accessible to ever more members of the Penn community.” 

Named after the Greek word, “Paideia,” which loosely translates to “the education of the whole person,” SNF Paideia is designed to integrate the development of students’ civic identities into their personal and professional ones.  

“Ancient Greek thought emphasized the importance of civic engagement as a fundamental duty of citizens to actively participate in the governance, well-being, and cultural life of their city-states,” said Sigal Ben-Porath, faculty director of the SNF Paideia Program at Penn. “We seek to bring forward a 21st century version of those ideals, to help students understand how their individual wellbeing is inseparable from the wellbeing of their communities. Thanks to the wonderful generosity of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Penn can continue and grow important programming that teaches students how to be better citizens, and in turn, support improved civic health and wellness across the globe.” 

The program offers four core components that navigate divergent viewpoints on pressing issues confronting the nation and the global community: courses; an undergraduate fellowship; co-curricular forums and events; and cross-campus collaborations. An average of 30 courses per academic year includes classes like Democracy and Disagreement; Political Empathy and Deliberative Democracy in America; and Good Talk: The Purpose, Practice, and Representation of Dialogue across Difference. A combined total of nearly 3,000 students have enrolled in at least one SNF Paideia course since the program’s inception. 

“In our first five years, we have seen remarkable outcomes, with students embracing dialogue across difference,” said Leah Anderson, executive director of the SNF Paideia Program. “The funding extension from SNF will enable us to expand our reach and offer more immersive experiences to an even wider circle of students, faculty, and the larger Penn community.” 

Four cohorts of SNF Paideia Fellows total close to 80 students thus far. Undergraduates apply to become fellows in the spring of their first year at Penn, and if selected, begin the fellowship in the fall of their sophomore year. Thanks to SNF support, fellows are able to complete a wide variety of projects that incorporate aspects of civic engagement and civil discourse, including internships with the National Institutes of Health and UN Watch, and research on topics ranging from civil rights in the American South to land governance conflict mediation in Uganda.   

During the 2022-2023 academic year, the program sponsored or cosponsored more than 70 events, drawing nearly 2,500 attendees. Workshops, community of practice roundtables, and other events featured conversations with figures working across difference, such as former intelligence officer and U.S. Republican congressman Will Hurd; New York Times columnist Ross Douthat and New York Times correspondent Jamelle Bouie; and internationally-sought-after mindfulness teacher and speaker Rhonda V. Magee. 

Since 2019, SNF has provided just over $20 million in grant support to the SNF Paideia Program at Penn. 

Through a gift to the School of Arts & Sciences, the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation has established the Goldhirsh-Yellin Program Fund for the Study of Jewish History and Culture in Israel and the Goldhirsh-Yellin Program Fund for the Study of Antisemitism in the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies.

“With this generous support, the Katz Center will be able to develop important new initiatives to support research and advance public understanding in two central domains of Jewish experience,” said Steven Weitzman, the Ella Darivoff Director of the Katz Center of Advanced Judaic Studies and the Abraham M. Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literature in the department of religious studies. “This is a really impactful gift.”

The newly established Fund for the Study of Jewish History and Culture in Israel will provide support for Katz Center projects and collaborations related to the study of Jewish life in the land of Israel in all periods. With the Fund for the Study of Antisemitism, the center will be able to do much more to support new research into the history, causes and impact of antisemitism and anti-Judaism, and to serve as a resource for those seeking to overcome them.

The mission of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies is to deepen and broaden understanding of Jewish history, texts, culture, ideas, and experience. It offers an intellectual space for leading scholars of all backgrounds, and from all over the world, to come together and collaborate, and it aims to share the insights of new scholarship with the broader public.

The Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania has launched its new open-enrollment program Executive Influence: Increasing Your Impact with Persuasion and Power. Drawing on data-driven insights from Wharton’s People Lab, this four-day on-campus program, scheduled to run its first cohort from February 5–8, 2024, will greatly expand executives’ range of power and influence capabilities, helping them deploy these skills with confidence and integrity.

“The last mile in getting something done is convincing others to go along with you,” said academic director Cade Massey, a practice professor of operations, information, and decisions in the Wharton School. “If we adopt influence skills into our professional and personal lives—build them into our repertoire, get comfortable with using them—it’s going to increase the probability that we’ll accomplish our goals.”

The program breaks down influence into three essential areas: persuasion, networks, and coalitions. Participants will discover a broad array of methods and techniques, plus specific ways to apply them. Assessments are a key feature of the course: they help participants identify areas for personal improvement and to recognize and gain confidence with the influence tools they already possess. The goal is to enhance executive presence so that individuals can sway others to their point of view, regardless of the formal reporting structure.

Program sessions include Increasing Your Impact; Influence and Power; Good Politics: Ethics and Influence; Power for the Underrepresented; Persuasion, Presence, Technology; and Networks. The sessions will be led by prominent faculty from Wharton, including Cade Massey, Marissa King, Samir Nurmohamed, Stefano Puntoni, and Amy Wrzesniewski.

The program is designed for mid- to senior-career executives across a wide variety of fields such as marketing and analytics, research and development, healthcare, accounting and finance, supply chain and logistics, manufacturing and engineering, human resources, and information technology. It is particularly suited for executives who have more job responsibility than an official authority or who are transitioning from being an individual contributor to a broader role as a manager. The special challenges that may be faced by executives from underrepresented groups will also be addressed.

“It’s one thing to run performance evaluations; it’s another to actually exercise influence,” Dr. Massey said. “As we get more ambitious and take on bigger responsibilities, we need a broader persuasion toolbox. In this program, we put the full toolbox out on the table to help people understand what they’re currently using and what they’re neglecting…and we prioritize that people will have the capabilities they need to actually live differently when they get back to their workplace.”

Executive Influence: Increasing Your Impact with Persuasion and Power will run its first cohort on Wharton’s Philadelphia campus from February 5–8, 2024 and is accepting applications. Prospective participants can learn more and apply at executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu.

Penn Global, in partnership with the Office of the Vice Provost for Education, announced the launch of the Penn Global Dissertation Grants program, with its inaugural call for proposals running through December 1, 2023. This program is intended to harness the power of Penn’s graduate student community to enhance the University’s global engagement, serving Penn Global’s strategic framework and its goals to 1) provide every Penn student with a meaningful global experience and 2) to produce research with global impact.

The program will offer funding of up to $8,000 to selected PhD students who will either:

A)    Use this program’s resources to explore and engage global components for their early-stage dissertation research, or

B)    Use this program’s resources to broaden and deepen their late-stage dissertation research, ideally leveraging their dissertation towards future career opportunities in global leadership.

Following their funded research, awardees will, in consultation with Penn Global, identify ways to use their work to enhance Penn’s global engagement.

Currently-enrolled Penn PhD students from all Penn schools and disciplines, including the humanities, social science, and STEM fields, are welcome to apply. If selected, awardees will be able to begin their funded international research as early as summer 2024.

Eligible PhD students interested in submitting an application are invited to review the Penn Global Dissertation Grants website for information about applications, including a link to the application portal, and to contact Penn Global at global@upenn.edu with any questions.

Penn Global Research Institutes (PGRI) support faculty global research projects that address pressing global challenges and include an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to conduct immersive, collaborative, and robust research projects abroad. Institutes promote long-term, community-based global engagement through highly collaborative, responsive, and ethical research engagement in a host community abroad. In addition, they emphasize experiential learning and faculty mentorship to cultivate future research scholars.

Penn Global Research Institutes are funded on three-year renewable terms. Funding can be used to support student travel and research, faculty and staff travel, and other direct research costs.

Penn Global is accepting proposals for institutes to start in 2024. Proposals are due by November 30, 2023. Faculty will be notified whether their proposed institute has been selected for development in January 2024. Penn Global welcomes proposals across all disciplines and regions.

Faculty interested in submitting a proposal should visit the PGRI website to read more about the program and access proposal materials. Faculty are also encouraged to discuss their ideas with Penn Abroad staff before submitting a proposal.

For questions about the PGRI program or the proposal process, please contact Laurie Jensen at lauriej@upenn.edu.

For more information, visit: https://global.upenn.edu/pennabroad/faculty.

Cynthia (Cindi) Buoni, a longtime administrator at Penn who most recently served as Registrar of the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), died on September 22. She was 67. 

Ms. Buoni joined Penn’s staff in 1974 in the Wharton School’s department of management. Nine years later, she moved to SEAS as a coordinator before being promoted to the school’s dean’s office in 1988. In 1992, she became manager of SEAS undergraduate education, and in 2016 she was promoted to registrar of SEAS. She retired from Penn in June 2023.

Ms. Buoni’s contributions to SEAS include the implementation of many of the systems and processes that are relied upon today for the success of students, faculty and staff in the school. Most recently, she was instrumental in the pivot to online instruction and subsequent hybrid environments during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she worked to ensure that SEAS was part of the development and launch of Pennant and other academic affairs tools used by the entire campus community. 

In 2021, Ms. Buoni was selected as the recipient of the Penn Engineering Staff Recognition Award, the highest award presented to staff in the school. During her many years at Penn, Ms. Buoni possessed unparalleled institutional knowledge and was a kind and compassionate advisor, providing a listening ear to thousands of students during her decades in the school.

Ms. Buoni is survived by her sister, Cathie; her aunt, Audrey; and her uncle, Bob; her cousins, Jackie (Allen), Tina (Jack), Peg, Mike (Annemarie), Joe (Kathy), Linda, Betsy, and Theresa (Jimmy). Visitation and interment were held on September 28. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Cindi Buoni to the Brandywine SPCA or Cerebral Palsy Foundation.
 

Eugenio (Gene) Calabi, the Thomas A. Scott Professor Emeritus of Mathematics in the School of Arts and Sciences, died on September 25. He was 100.

Born in 1923 in Milan, Italy, Dr. Calabi moved to the United States with his family at an early age. As an undergraduate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1946, Dr. Calabi earned a Putnam Fellowship. In 1950, he received his PhD in mathematics from Princeton University after completing a doctoral dissertation, “Isometric Complex Analytic Imbedding of Kähler Manifolds,” under the supervision of Salomon Bochner. After serving as a professor at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Calabi joined Penn’s faculty as a professor of mathematics in 1964. Three years later, he was named the Thomas A. Scott Professor of Mathematics, a distinction he held until his retirement in 1994, when he became emeritus. 

Dr. Calabi was a seminal researcher who made crucial contributions to differential geometry. His colleague, Tony Pantev, noted that Dr. Calabi, “was one of the giants of current mathematical thinking and will be sorely missed not only by us but by the whole mathematical community.” He specialized in differential geometry, partial differential equations and their applications, presenting the incomplete Calabi conjecture in 1954, which was finally proven, to much fanfare, in the 1970s. In 1982, he introduced a geometric flow, now called the Calabi flow, as a proposal for finding Kähler metrics of constant scalar curvature. He also found the Laplacian comparison theorem in Riemannian geometry and, with Beno Eckmann, discovered the Calabi–Eckmann manifold. While Dr. Calabi authored fewer than 50 peer-reviewed articles, these became key pieces of mathematical literature and were anthologized in book form in 2021. 

Dr. Calabi was widely awarded for his work. In 1982, he was elected into the National Academy of Sciences. He won the Leroy P. Steele Prize from the American Mathematical Society (AMS) in 1991 for his work in differential geometry. “His pioneering work in the complex of Monge-Ampere equation and Kahler Einstein metrics, followed by later work of Aubin and Yau, led to the resolution of a number of problems in algebraic geometry beyond the reach of other methods,” read the citation for the Steele Prize. 

In 2013, Dr. Calabi became a fellow of the American Mathematical Society, and nine years later, he was named Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. In 2008, Penn established a Calabi Assistant Professorship of Mathematics in his honor, which was first given to Joachim Krieger (Almanac October 21, 2008). 

On the occasion of Dr. Calabi’s 100th birthday in May 2023, many of his colleagues shared their reminiscences of him, which can be read here. 

He is survived by his wife, his son, his daughter, and their families. A memorial service was held on September 27, and Penn’s department of mathematics plans to hold a memorial for Dr. Calabi this fall. 

University Council Agenda

Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Houston Hall, Hall of Flags
4–6 p.m.

I. Welcome.
II. Approval of the minutes of September 13, 2023.
III. Follow up comments or questions on Status Reports.
IV. Response to the New Business topic raised at the September 13, 2023 University Council meeting.
V. State of the University, Reports of the President and Provost. 
VI. Focus Issue: An Update from Public Safety. 
VII. Announcement of Open Forum dates, November 29, 2023 and February 21, 2024. 
VIII. New Business. 
IX. Adjournment. 

To read and download the latest version of the Patent and Tangible Research Property Policies and Procedures of the University of Pennsylvania, click here.

The recipient of the University of Pennsylvania’s 2023 Green Purchasing Award recipient, presented by Penn Procurement Services and Penn Sustainability, was recently announced. Now in its 8th year, the award honors outstanding contributions made to sustainable purchasing at Penn. Michael Bernhardt, director of Penn Transit, is this year’s honoree for his work in introducing the first electric vehicles to the campus transportation fleet.  

As electric vehicle technology and its infrastructure continue to evolve, electric vehicles are currently more expensive than gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles and fully electric passenger vans are not yet widely available for purchase. Upon further investigation and a comprehensive analysis conducted by Dr. Bernhardt, Penn Transit elected to look elsewhere to determine available options and learned that retrofitting electric-powered cargo vans was a better alternative. Not only was it less expensive, but it also meant that the department could accelerate its plan to begin supporting Penn’s carbon-neutral commitment.  

Dr. Bernhardt and the department represent the first Penn office to purchase electric vehicles intended for use as passenger shuttles and is among the leaders in most purchases of low emissions vehicles used around campus. The first four electric vehicles went into service in October 2022 and another two shuttles were added to the fleet in August 2023. The necessary infrastructure to accommodate these electric vehicles has been installed to meet the demands associated with operating an electric-powered fleet. 

Since the debut of the new shuttles last fall, over 30,000 passengers have been transported on the new vehicles. Using U.S. Department of Energy calculations of the annual benefits realized from running an electric vehicle, it is estimated that there has been a reduction of 52.8 metric tons of CO2 emissions in University City since the new shuttles went into service.   

Director of Penn Sustainability Nina Morris noted that these achievements support the University in meeting its carbon neutrality and Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 commitments.  “Michael Bernhardt’s contributions serve as an opportunity for teaching and learning, offering a successful example to other schools and centers of how to transition to more sustainable vehicle options.”  

In April 2023, Dr. Bernhardt was named as the point person for Penn Transit’s fleet electrification initiatives. He has since been named as one of the leaders of Penn’s Electric Vehicle Transition Working Group, serving in this role alongside Chief Procurement Officer Mark Mills and Nina Morris.

“We are very excited about the addition of electric vehicles being the latest sustainable transportation initiative from Penn Transit, and it’s gratifying to see Michael Bernhardt recognized for this honor,” said Division of Business Services Vice President Marie Witt. “Building on the success of purchasing six shuttles for our fleet, we are actively pursuing sources of state and federal government grant funding to support expanding our fleet.”    

Gordion, Turkey, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. C. Brian Rose, the James B. Pritchard Professor of Archaeology in the department of classical studies in the School of Arts and Sciences and curator-in-charge of the Mediterranean section at the Penn Museum, has been co-director of the Gordion Project since 2006.

“The new UNESCO designation will enable us to accelerate the protection of the archaeological site and its monuments, while increasing the number of visitors who come to Gordion,” Dr. Rose said. “I want to acknowledge the overwhelming support that we received from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, from Ankara’s Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, and from the municipality of Polatlı.”

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded grants to three researchers from the University of Pennsylvania through the NIH Common Fund’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research program. The research of Kevin B. Johnson, Jina Ko, and Sheila Shanmugan will be supported through the program, which funds “highly innovative and broadly impactful” biomedical or behavioral research by exceptionally creative scientists.

The High-Risk, High-Reward Research program catalyzes scientific discovery by supporting highly innovative research proposals that, due to their inherent risk, may struggle in the traditional peer-review process despite their transformative potential. Program applicants are encouraged to think “outside the box” and pursue trailblazing ideas in any area of research relevant to the NIH’s mission to advance knowledge and enhance health.

Drs. Johnson, Ko, and Shanmugan are among 85 recipients for 2023.

Dr. Johnson, the David L. Cohen University Professor of Pediatrics, is a Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor who holds appointments in the department of computer and information science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and in the department of biostatistics, epidemiology, and informatics in the Perelman School of Medicine. He is widely known for his work with e-prescribing and computer-based documentation and, more recently, work communicating science to lay audiences, which includes a documentary about health-information exchange. Dr. Johnson has authored more than 150 publications and has been elected to the American College of Medical Informatics, the Academic Pediatric Society, the National Academy of Medicine, the International Association of Health Science Informatics, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.

Dr. Ko is an assistant professor in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine and in the department of bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. She focuses on developing single molecule detection from single extracellular vesicles and multiplexed molecular profiling to better diagnose diseases and monitor treatment efficacy. Dr. Ko earned her PhD in bioengineering at Penn in 2018, during which time she developed machine learning-based microchip diagnostics that can detect blood-based biomarkers to diagnose pancreatic cancer and traumatic brain injury. For her postdoctoral training, she worked at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University as a Schmidt Science Fellow and a NIH K99/R00 award recipient. Dr. Ko developed new methods to profile single cells and single extracellular vesicles with high throughput and multiplexing.

Dr. Shanmugan is a reproductive psychiatrist at the Penn Center for Women’s Behavioral Wellness, with both her medical training and a PhD in neuroscience completed at Penn. Her undergraduate and doctoral research focused on evaluating the neuromodulatory effects of various substances on brain activation and neurochemistry. Dr. Shanmugan’s postdoctoral work delved into examining the mechanisms underlying sex differences in psychopathology using innovative analysis techniques. Currently, Dr. Shanmugan’s lab employs multi-modal neuroimaging and advanced computational methods to explore the contributions of sex as a biological variable to psychopathology development and to discern neuroendocrinologic markers that differentiate risk and resilience for psychiatric disorders.

Penn Procurement Services has announced that Karoline Prosperi, procurement manager in the Division of Facilities & Real Estate Services (FRES), is the recipient of the Penn Supplier Diversity Impact Award.  Now in its third year, this award honors faculty and staff who have made outstanding contributions in advancing Penn’s goals in the areas of supplier diversity and inclusion.

Ms. Prosperi focuses on expanding diversity spend with minority- and women-owned enterprises (MWBE). In FY 2022 and FY 2023 (year-to-date), she served in the lead procurement role in directly awarding over $400,000 in diversity spend across several initiatives. Among the contract recipients were two woman-owned companies, including one that was based locally in Philadelphia; a local, Asian American owned business; and an African American owned company.  The agreements ranged from $15,000 to $175,000.

Among her other accomplishments, Ms. Prosperi teamed up with her FRES colleagues in design and construction to host monthly Meet & Greet sessions with newer, small MWBEs. As a result of this engagement, various opportunities for diverse suppliers came to fruition with contracts.  Included among these were a construction opportunity involving a partnership with a large, majority-owned business; a significant painting opportunity; and mechanical preventative maintenance work for fan coil units and HVAC equipment.

An Honorable Mention Award was bestowed this year to Yoosun Park, an associate professor in the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2). As part of Dr. Park’s work, she significantly revamped one of the school’s foundation social work classes, “History and Philosophy of Social Work and Social Welfare.” On the evenings that the new class was held, participating students gathered before class to enjoy a meal together. Dr. Park took the initiative to seek out minority caterers who offered a range of menu items, including vegan options. Her initiative allowed SP2 to support community members who follow a vegan diet while also sustaining, local, minority-owned businesses. Dr. Park plans to propose more diverse caterers for Penn Marketplace. Penn Marketplace is a portal that houses information about Penn suppliers and which opens the door for them to participate in Catering@ Penn—Penn Procurement Services’ database of preferred suppliers that allows faculty and staff to search by diversity status as well as other criteria such as cuisine type, service offerings, sustainability and geographic location.

As Marie Witt, vice president of the division of Business Services, said, “This year’s Supplier Diversity Impact Award honorees have collaborated with their colleagues to take the University’s inclusion priority to a place where we are driving substantive impact at a critical time. Their intentional business practices are something that can be emulated by all of us to help fuel business growth among local and diverse suppliers.”

An experimental mRNA vaccine provides protection in preclinical animal models against infection from Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Results from these preclinical animal models suggest that the vaccine prevents the development of Lyme disease and may represent a powerful tool in reducing the number of Lyme disease cases.

The bacteria that causes Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks, and can cause fever, headache, fatigue, and a skin rash. If left untreated, infection can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated successfully with a few weeks of antibiotics, but some individuals develop post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), which can cause long-lasting symptoms like severe joint pain and neurocognitive issues. There is not currently a vaccine approved for routine use in humans.

“Bacteria are more complex organisms than viruses, and therefore it can be more challenging to develop effective vaccines against them,” said senior author Norbert Pardi, an assistant professor of microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine. “Here we were able to identify a target for a mRNA vaccine that shows promising results for preventing B. burgdorferi infection in animal models.”

The vaccine, described recently in Cell Press, uses the same mRNA technology employed in the Pfizer and Moderna SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, which was pioneered at Penn. Along with mRNA vaccine pioneer Drew Weissman, the Roberts Family Professor in Vaccine Research and director of vaccine research at Penn Medicine, Dr. Pardi and his laboratory identified one of the proteins in B. burgdorferi that elicit a potent immune response, called outer surface protein A (OspA). OspA is a conserved protein in the multiple strains of B. burgdorferi, making it an ideal target for preventing an initial B. burgdorferi infection from progressing to Lyme disease.

Tests in animal models showed that the mRNA vaccine targeting OspA induced a strong antigen-specific antibody and T-cell response after a single vaccination that could protect from infection of B. burgdorferi. Even more stunningly, the vaccine elicited a strong memory B cell response, which can be activated much later to help prevent infection by B. burgdorferi long after the vaccine is administered.

“Cases of Lyme disease have been rising sharply in the United States, underscoring the need for a vaccine to protect individuals from infection,” said Dr. Pardi. “The mRNA technology shows great promise for use in developing a vaccine that may prevent Lyme disease and subsequent development of the debilitating symptoms of PTLDS.”

Adapted from a Penn Medicine news release, September 19, 2023. 

While immunotherapies have shown great promise in treating blood cancers, most clinical trials aimed at treating solid tumors such as pancreatic or lung cancer have failed. Researchers have long thought that solid tumors’ resistance to treatment is due to the tumor microenvironment—the cells and matrix that surround solid tumors—but the exact mechanisms behind this blockade were unclear until now.

In a new study, Penn Vet researchers reveal how the tumor microenvironment prevents T cells from attacking tumors. Using mouse models, they showed that cancer-associated fibroblasts along with extracellular matrix within the tumor microenvironment create a physical barrier to T cell entry, and these cells also actively suppress T cell function. When the researchers used CAR T cells to target and remove these fibroblasts, rather than targeting the tumor cells themselves, T cells were able to infiltrate and attack the tumor.

“The physical barrier and immunosuppressive environment derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts limits or traps T cells and prevents them from entering into the tumor,” said first author Zebin Xiao, a physician and postdoctoral researcher at Penn Vet. “We showed that targeting those fibroblasts can disrupt that barrier and has a very great tumor inhibition effect.”

The study, which was a collaboration between researchers in the School of Veterinary Medicine, the Perelman School of Medicine, and the School of Arts & Sciences, was published in the journal Nature Communications.

The researchers say that using a dual approach—by first targeting cancer-associated fibroblasts and then sending in tumor-targeting CAR T cells—could be a therapeutic breakthrough for treatment-resistant solid tumors. “It’s sort of like sending in a lead team to blow up things in the way,” said senior author Ellen Puré.

Solid tumors are surrounded by a matrix of cells and fibrous connective tissue called “stroma.” Previous studies have shown that stroma plays a role in preventing T cells from attacking solid tumors, but it was unclear how. The importance of stroma also seems to vary between cancer types, and is particularly striking in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, a type of pancreatic cancer in which stroma can represent more than 90% of the tumor volume.

Understanding the stroma’s role in blocking anti-tumor immune function is an essential step towards overcoming this hurdle. To try to pinpoint the mechanisms involved, the team engineered CAR T cells to zero in and remove cancer-associated fibroblasts, cells within stroma that produce the connective tissue matrix. Specifically, they focused on a subset of cancer-associated fibroblasts that produce an enzyme—fibroblast activation protein (FAP)—that regulates fibroblast growth. Then, they used live imaging to observe interactions between the CAR T cells, the stroma, and the tumor cells within a mouse model of pancreatic cancer.

The imaging technique that was perfected by Dr. Xiao was crucial in enabling the researchers to identify mechanisms behind stroma’s barrier function.

The team found that removing these cancer-associated fibroblasts effectively broke down the physical barrier surrounding the pancreatic cancer cells so that T cells could infiltrate the tumor. The treatment also disrupted the immunosuppressive environment so that, once they had infiltrated, T cells and other immune cells could effectively attack the tumor cells.

“This is the first proof that these stromal cells play a critical role both in forming a physical barrier so that T cells can’t get in, and also in creating that immunosuppressive environment,” Dr. Puré said, “And we could just reverse all of that.”

Though the study’s main focus was pancreatic cancer, the researchers also successfully tested the method on several other types of solid tumor including lung cancer and mesothelioma. “It probably has implications for a fairly broad range of solid tumors,” Dr. Puré said. However, the strongest effects so far were seen for pancreatic cancer. “Disrupting the stroma had the greatest impact in pancreatic cancer, because the more stroma, the more the tumor is dependent on it, and so the more it’s susceptible to this treatment.” 

Now, the team is working towards translating this method into both human and veterinary clinics. “We’re inching towards the clinic,” Dr. Puré said. “It’s a broad program involving quite a few people here at Penn.”

Adapted from a Penn Today news release by Liana Wait, September 15, 2023. 

The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s annual, nationally representative survey finds that when U.S. adults are asked to name the specific rights guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution, only one right is recalled by most of the respondents: Freedom of speech, which 77% named.

The civics knowledge survey, released annually to celebrate Constitution Day (September 17), also finds that although two-thirds of Americans (66%) can name all three branches of government, 10% can name two, 7% can name only one, and 17% cannot name any.

As in the recent past, the Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey was conducted in a year of high-profile events that propelled the workings of government into the daily news cycle. This year saw four criminal indictments of former President Donald Trump and numerous trials for those charged in the 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Led by a conservative supermajority, the U.S. Supreme Court sidelined race-conscious college admissions programs and the Biden administration’s student-loan forgiveness plan. Several of the associate justices were dogged by allegations of unethical conduct. A plea deal to resolve a gun charge and tax offenses by President Joe Biden’s son Hunter collapsed. In Congress, Republican Representatives discussed whether to open impeachment proceedings against President Biden.

“It is worrisome that one in six U.S. adults cannot name any of the branches of government and that only 1 in 20 can name all five freedoms protected by the First Amendment,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and director of the survey. “One is unlikely to cherish or work to protect freedoms one does not know one has and will have trouble holding elected and unelected leaders accountable if one does not understand the nature and prerogatives of each branch and the ways in which the power of each is kept in check.”

The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey is a nationally representative survey conducted annually in advance of Constitution Day by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. 

Adapted from an Annenberg School news release, September 14, 2023.

Join us for the 2023 Employee Resource Fair hosted by the Penn Professional Staff Assembly (PPSA). This free event is open to all Penn staff and faculty and is set to take place on Tuesday, October 24, 2023, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Pottruck Health & Fitness Center, located at 3701 Walnut Street.

The Employee Resource Fair is designed to offer easy access to a wealth of campus resources and services available to our valued staff and faculty members. We’re excited to announce that during the fair, guided tours of Pottruck will be available for those interested.

For the most up-to-date information and details about the event, please visit our website at https://ppsa.upenn.edu/. If your department/center would like to showcase your services/offerings by getting a table, you can use the vendor pre-registration link to secure your spot.

We look forward to your participation in this enriching event.

—Tonya Bennett 
PPSA Chair-Elect, Director of Educational Technology, PennVet 

—Natalie Dury Green 
PPSA Chair, Director of Operations, Master in Law Program, 
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School 

—J. Patrick Walsh 
PPSA Past Chair, Executive Assistant, Faculty Senate  

Films

12     Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania; filmmaker Jonas Mekas creates an elegiac diary of a trip to his home country of Lithuania; 7 p.m.; rooftop lounge, Harnwell College House (Cinema & Media Studies).

Fitness & Learning

10     Graduate School Application Workshop; come learn application tips from CURF and workshop drafts of your application materials with peers; 3:30 p.m.; room 202, 3539 Locust Walk (Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships).

13     K-12 Virtual Open House; a free monthly online introduction to the Penn Museum’s educational programs; 3 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/museum-workshop-oct-13 (Penn Museum).

14     Celebration of Writing and Literacy: Creating Brave Spaces in Schools and Communities; a day of learning, reflection, and joy as we share promising practices and resources for supporting writing and literacy among young people; 8:15 a.m.-4 p.m.; Penn Museum; tickets: $25; register: https://brave.philwp.org (Penn Museum).

16     Breakfast Workshop: How To Thrive As Scholars at Minority Serving Institutions; Gretta Blackwell, PhD '16, and Derek Blackwell, PhD '14, will share their experiences as professors at Prairie View A&M, one of the 107 historically Black colleges in the U.S.; 10 a.m.; room 223, Annenberg School; register: https://tinyurl.com/annenberg-workshop-oct-16 (Annenberg School).

         Writing a Diversity Statement; workshop geared towards graduate students in the Francophone, Italian, & Germanic Studies departments; 5 p.m.; room 543, Williams Hall; register: https://ctl.upenn.edu/event/writing-a-diversity-statement-2/ (Center for Teaching & Learning).

17     Inclusive and Equitable Teaching; workshop geared towards graduate students in the Francophone, Italian, & Germanic Studies departments; 2:30 p.m.; room 543, Williams Hall; register: https://ctl.upenn.edu/event/inclusive-and-equitable-teaching-2/ (Center for Teaching & Learning).

Graduate School of Education

Online webinars. Info and to register: https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/events-calendar?date=2023-10.

10     Penn GSE Virtual Information Session for City Year Alumni; 6 p.m.

17     Executive Doctorate in Higher Education Management Virtual Information Session; noon.

Morris Arboretum & Gardens

Unless noted, in-person events at Morris Arboretum. Info and to register: https://experience.morrisarboretum.org/Info.aspx?Event.

13     Spooky Jack-O-Lantern Crafts; make crafty paper jack-o-lanterns without the mess of carving a real pumpkin; 11 a.m.

14     Native Trees Tour; tour showcasing fall foliage; 11 a.m.

Readings & Signings

17     Artist-in-Residence Live; Jennifer Egan, author; 3:30 p.m.; room 135, Fisher-Bennett Hall (English).

         Book Launch: Gego; Mónica Amor, Maryland Institute College of Art; 6 p.m.; Institute of Contemporary Art; register: https://tinyurl.com/amor-book-launch-oct-17 (Institute of Contemporary Art). 

Special Events

10     Chili Cook-Off; revival of the annual Kelly Writers House Chili Cook-Off; anyone can enter the competition and compete to win the title of best chili maker; to participate, please make a big batch of your best chili and bring it to the KWH ready to eat for a community tasting; 5:30 p.m.; Kelly Writers House; register: https://tinyurl.com/kwh-chili-oct-10 (Kelly Writers House).

Talks

10     New Actinide Molecules and Materials; John Arnold, University of Berkeley; noon; Carolyn Hoff Lynch Lecture Hall, Chemistry Complex (Chemistry).

         Bridging Research & Action in Education Development – Insights from Pakistan & Beyond; Robert Jenkins, UNICEF; Qaiser Rashid, secretary of school education in Punjab, Pakistan; Ahmad Iqbal, Dehleez; Brad Olsen, Brookings Institute; Raja Jawad, Education Reforms; 2:30 p.m.; World Forum, Perry World House; register: https://forms.gle/c4d3PqS3GcTFVM5x5 (Graduate School of Education).

         An Alternative View on AI: Collaborative Learning, Incentives, and Social Welfare; Michael I. Jordan, University of California, Berkeley; 3:30 p.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (Computer & Information Science).

11      Towards Code-Aware Code Models; Baishakhi Ray, Columbia University; noon; room 307, Levine Hall (ASSET).

         Unraveling Some Modern Mysteries About Illegal Drug Supply: Can Evolutionary Economic Theory Help? Peter Reuter, University of Maryland; 1:30 p.m.; room 403, McNeil Building (Criminology).

         Morphological Computation – Building Smart Bodies for Smart Robots; Helmut Hauser, University of Bristol; 3 p.m.; room 307, Levine Hall and Zoom webinar; register: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/99611740636 (GRASP Lab).

12     New Designs for Early Literacy: Play and the Everyday; Leah Durán, University of Arizona; 10 a.m.; 2^nd floor forum, PCPSE (Graduate School of Education).

Do Dollars Make Sense? How Russian Savers Responded to Sanctions; Daniel McDowell, Syracuse University; David A. Steinberg, Johns Hopkins University; noon; 2^nd floor forum, PCPSE (Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics).

16     Daughters of Japan: Women and the Household Registration System; Genevieve Tan, GSWS; Can Protozoa Die? On Heredity and Reproductive Futurity in Late Nineteenth-Century German Biology; Yingchen Kwok, history and sociology of science; noon; room 345, Fisher-Bennett Hall (Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies).

Spatial Ethnoarchaeology of Change in Mobile Pastoralist and Marsh-Dwelling Communities; Emily Hammer, near eastern languages & civilizations; noon; room 345, Penn Museum (Anthropology).

17     A Symbiotic Philosophy for Bio-Inspired Robotics; Talia Y. Moore, University of Michigan; 10 a.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

A Framework for Assessing the Value of Expanding First-Line Treatment Choices; Boshen Jiao, Harvard University; noon; auditorium, Colonial Penn Center; register: https://tinyurl.com/jiao-talk-oct-17 (Leonard Davis Institute).

Why “Tough on Crime” Is Neither Christian Nor Conservative; Matthew Martens, WilmerHale; 4:30 p.m.; room 2, Gittis Hall; register: https://tinyurl.com/martens-talk-oct-17 (Penn Christian Legal Society).

Economics

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

11      Neighbors, A Network Approach for Intergenerational Mobility; Rodrigo Morales Mendoza, economics; noon; room 101, PCPSE.

         Mortgage Choice; German Sanchez Sanchez, economics; 4 p.m.; room 101, PCPSE.

16     Estimating the Effects of a New Technology Using a Duration Model for Staggered Adoption; Sida Peng, Microsoft Research; 4:30 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

17     The Welfare Implications of Hurricane Risks on Capital; Ji Hwan Kim, economics; noon; room 100, PCPSE.

Mathematics

Info: https://www.math.upenn.edu/events.

10     Semistable Non Abelian Hodge Theorem in Positive Characteristic; Andres Fernandez Herrero, Columbia University; 5:15 p.m.; room 3C8, DRL.

12     Genus-Zero R-Spin Invariants; Tyler Kelly, University of Birmingham; 5:15 p.m.; room 3C8, DRL.

13     Intro to Hodge Theory; Vivek Chakrabhavi, mathematics; 10 a.m.; room 3N6, DRL.

17     Sample Duality; Adrián González-Casanova, University of California, Berkeley; 3:30 p.m.; room 4C8, DRL.

This is an update to the October AT PENN calendar, which is online now. The November AT PENN calendar will be published on October 31. Submit items for the November AT PENN calendar to almanac@upenn.edu by October 16.

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 September 25-October 1, 2023. 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 September 25-October 1, 2023. 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: 3 incidents were reported for September 25-October 1, 2023 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.

Visit https://pennsway.upenn.edu for more information. Online participation must be completed by midnight on Sunday for inclusion in a given week’s drawing that Monday morning. Note: list subject to change.

Week One—Drawing October 9

• Philadelphia Orchestra: Two tickets for December 15 Performance, $100 value: Jake Schneider, Wharton School
• Philadelphia Eagles: Autographed Eagles player photo (Landon Dickerson), $50 value: Mike Popko, Procurement Services
• Standard Group: Amazon gift card, $50 value: Bria Hughes, PennCard Center
• Keen Compressed Gas: University of Delaware football—4 tickets and parking pass, $100 value: Stephanie Fenhagen, Development & Alumni Relations
• Philadelphia Catering Company: Large dessert tray, $82 value: Gina Litzner, Penn Medicine CPUP
• Neta Scientific: Amazon Gift Card, $25 value: Rebecca Marucci, Presbyterian Medical Center
• EMSCO: Barnes & Noble gift card, $25 value: Andrea Pogozelski, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Week Two–Drawing October 16

• Neta Scientific: Amazon gift card, $25 value
• EMSCO: Barnes & Noble gift card, $25 value
• Cintas Corporation: Penn-branded Carhartt lunch bag, $30 value
• McKesson: Dunkin Donuts gift card, $25 value
• Penn Museum: Admission passes (two), $36 value
• Neuman’s Kitchen: “Horn O Plenty” grocery basket, $100 value

All members of the Penn community now can initiate a meal between students (undergraduates & graduates) and mentors (i.e. current or past professors, teaching assistants, advisors, RAs, PHINS, Peer Advisors, and members of Penn’s professional staff). The Penn Mentor Meals Program encourages students (undergraduate & graduate) and their mentors to engage in intellectual or casual conversation outside of the classroom and simultaneously provide them with the opportunity to do so free of charge over lunch or dinner.

The program options range from one-on-one experiences to large meals organized for classes and groups of up to 100 students. Lunch is served at University Club at the Inn at Penn. Reservations are only accepted from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch Mondays through Thursdays. Dinners at dining cafes across campus are available by request only. Please contact Ray Franckewitz at rayf@upenn.edu to do so.

The Penn Mentor Meals Program is now open for booking. To make a reservation, visit https://nso.upenn.edu/programs/penn-mentor-meals-program/.

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

Sorry, Wrong Number

One of the scams we see surging in popularity is the “wrong number scam.” Don’t let it catch you.

Here’s how it works: You get a text message from a number you don’t recognize. They try asking a question or making a request to prompt you to respond.

“Hey, can you watch the dog this weekend?”

“I’m interested in taking your yoga class, can I sign up?”

Naturally, you respond by telling them they have the wrong number. Unfortunately, things don’t stop there. Playing on people’s kindness and good manners, they continue the conversation. Depending on the nature of the scam, they may go directly to talking about money, cryptocurrency, or investing. Stop. Don’t supply any personal or financial information and disconnect right away.

Another variation of this scam works more slowly. They still try and engage you in a conversation, but instead of trying to persuade you to talk about finances right away, they offer the possibility of friendship. They may share photos or confidences to make you think you are creating a relationship. These kinds of “wrong number” scams are most difficult to deal with because they give the illusion of an actual budding relationship. The warnings are the same: don’t give any personal or financial information and end the conversation right away. 

Here are some tips to help you protect yourself:

1. Don’t respond to texts from unknown numbers. 
2. If you think you are engaging with a scammer via text, you should report and block the scammer while following the instructions from your phone provider.
3. Don’t supply any personal or financial information in response to a text message. 
4. Don’t click on links in unsolicited text messages.

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.