May 13, 2025 Volume 71 Issue 35

President J. Larry Jameson and Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. announce the formation of an ad hoc consultative review committee to advise them on the reappointment of Sara S. Bachman as dean of the School of Social Policy & Practice. Dean Bachman’s initial term as dean will end on June 30, 2026. University policy requires that a consultative review committee be established to advise the President and the Provost whenever the reappointment of a dean is contemplated. In addition, each member of the standing faculty of the dean’s school is given the opportunity to give confidential advice and views directly to the President and the Provost.

The members of the Consultative Review Committee are:

Chair

• Sarah Banet-Weiser, Walter H. Annenberg Dean and Lauren Berlant Professor of Communication, Annenberg School for Communication

Faculty

• Hydar Ali, Professor and Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Mentorship, School of Dental Medicine
• Joretha Bourjolly, Associate Professor and Associate Dean for Community Cultivation & Engagement, School of Social Policy & Practice
• Ronald Collman, Professor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine
• Dennis Culhane, Professor and Dana and Andrew Stone Chair in Social Policy, School of Social Policy & Practice
• Malitta Engstrom, Associate Professor and Director of Master of Social Work Program, School of Social Policy & Practice
• Roberto Gonzales, Richard Perry University Professor of Sociology and Education, School of Arts & Sciences and Graduate School of Education
• Chao Guo, Professor of Nonprofit Management and Faculty Director of MS in Nonprofit Leadership Program, School of Social Policy & Practice

Students

• Mira Philips, PhD candidate, School of Social Policy & Practice
• Yibo Zhou, master’s candidate, School of Social Policy & Practice

Alumnus

• Brian D. Schwartz, W’89, Chair, School of Social Policy & Practice Board of Advisors

Ex Officio

• Joann Mitchell, Senior Vice President for Institutional Affairs

Staff to the Committee

• Pierce Buller, Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the President
• Eugene Vaynberg, Director of Special Projects, Office of the President

The consultative review committee welcomes and encourages input from all members of the Penn community. Communications may be directed by June 6, 2025 to SP2deanreview@upenn.edu. 

Marisa C. Kozlowski, the Ponzy Lu Endowed Professor of Chemistry, will become associate dean for the natural sciences in the School of Arts & Sciences, effective June 1, 2025.

In this role, Dr. Kozlowski will oversee the biology, chemistry, Earth and environmental science, linguistics, mathematics, physics and astronomy, and psychology departments in SAS, along with a number of research centers. She will succeed Mark Trodden, who is transitioning to the role of dean of the School of Arts & Sciences on June 1.

Dr. Kozlowski’s research focuses on the rational design of new methods and catalysts for use in organic synthesis.

Her lab employs high-throughput screening, as well as several novel computational tools, for the discovery and optimization of new reagents and catalysts.

Dr. Kozlowski, who joined the Penn faculty in 1997, has been recognized with many awards and honors during her distinguished career. She was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012 and a fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in 2013.

She has also been recognized as an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow and received the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award and the Leete Award from the ACS. She has served in several leadership roles for the organic division of the ACS and is currently editor-in-chief of Organic Letters.

Her teaching has been recognized with the school’s Dennis DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching and the Provost Award for PhD Teaching and Mentoring.

“Marisa has a distinguished track record as a laboratory scientist, a teacher, and mentor, and has long played a vital role in advancing the work of her department and the school,” said interim dean Jeffrey Kallberg, in announcing her appointment. “I have consistently admired the depth of her thought and wisdom in important faculty discussions in all the committees where she has served.”

“I couldn’t imagine a better choice to take over this role at this time,” added Dr. Trodden, the Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics. “Marisa’s expertise in laboratory science and deep understanding of the federal funding sphere will make her an exceptional resource at this critical moment for the sciences at Penn.”

Benjamin Nathans, the Alan Charles Kors Endowed Term Professor of History in the School of Arts & Sciences, has won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction for his book To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement. The narrative tells the story of the men and women who, beginning in the 1960s, demanded that the Kremlin obey its own laws.

In describing the reason for selecting Dr. Nathans’ book as this year’s winner, the committee called it “a prodigiously researched and revealing history of Soviet dissent, how it was repeatedly put down and came to life again, populated by a sprawling cast of courageous people dedicated to fighting for threatened freedoms and hard-earned rights.” Dr. Nathans joins only six others from Penn who have earned Pulitzers, including, most recently, Tyshawn Sorey, the Presidential Assistant Professor of Music, in 2024 (Almanac May 14, 2024).

Before writing To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause, Dr. Nathans authored Beyond the Pale: The Jewish Encounter with Late Imperial Russia, which won the Koret Prize in Jewish History; the Vucinich Prize in Russian, Eurasian and East European Studies; and the Lincoln Prize in Russian History, and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in History. He also co-edited Culture Front: Representing Jews in Eastern Europe and From Europe’s East to the Middle East: Israel’s Russian and Polish Lineages.

Dr. Nathans has been at Penn since 1998, teaching and writing about Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, modern European Jewish history, and the history of human rights. He earned his PhD and master’s degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, and his bachelor’s degree from Yale.

To the Penn Community,

Penn’s Commencement is a wonderful opportunity to gather and recognize the impressive accomplishments of our students. On behalf of the Trustees, officers, and the deans and their faculties, we invite all members of the Penn community to attend the University’s 269^th Commencement on Monday, May 19, 2025.

The academic procession will depart at 9:05 a.m. from Rockwell Gym in the Tse Sports Center and proceed to Franklin Field. Guests will be able to cheer the academic, alumni, and graduate processions from a viewing area on Shoemaker Green. The ceremony will begin at 10:15 a.m.

Please be aware that no bags are permitted inside Franklin Field; only small hand-held items (including cell phones, wallets, and small clutches) may be carried into the stadium. A good rule of thumb: if an item does not fit in your pocket, please do not bring it with you. The event will take place rain or shine, but only small collapsible umbrellas will be permitted (no golf umbrellas). A full list of prohibited items can be found on the Commencement website.

If you plan to attend, please seek your supervisor’s approval to ensure that your department’s needs are met. You can also watch a live webcast of the ceremony, beginning at 9 a.m., which can be found on the Commencement homepage. Whether you attend virtually or in-person (tickets are not necessary), we very much hope that you will join us in this University-wide celebration of the academic year.

—J. Larry Jameson, President
—John L. Jackson, Jr., Provost
—Medha Narvekar, Vice President and University Secretary

On April 28, Penn Medicine celebrated the groundbreaking of the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in University City, which is expected to open for patient care in late 2027. The state-of-the-art, $224 million center will be Penn Medicine’s fourth proton therapy location, bolstering the organization’s system-wide approach to comprehensive cancer care. Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that is used to treat many types of cancer by targeting tumors with pinpoint precision, which protects surrounding, healthy tissue, limiting side effects and preserving quality of life.

The new center is intended to expand the cancer care capabilities of Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center and to build capacity in preparation for a planned update of the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, the largest and busiest center in the world for proton therapy, where nearly 11,000 adult and pediatric patients have been treated since 2010.

“Penn Medicine is an international leader in proton therapy treatment, research, and education, and this new proton therapy center will help ensure seamless patient care as we proactively plan for upgrading our flagship center at the Perelman Center,” said James Metz, chair of radiation oncology in the Perelman School of Medicine. Upgrades to the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at the Perelman Center will begin several months after the center at Penn Presbyterian opens.

The new center will include two state-of-the-art Proteus ONE proton therapy systems and involve a 43,000-square-foot expansion, extending the footprint of Penn Presbyterian toward 38th Street. Medical Drive is currently closed while construction is ongoing; patients and visitors should use Filbert Street to access Penn Presbyterian’s parking garage and main entrance in the Cupp Building. Updates to construction impacts on wayfinding will be posted on the Presbyterian webpage for patient and visitor information.

In addition to the two proton therapy systems, the project will add another treatment room for photon therapy, which uses high-energy X-ray beams, and is the most frequent form of radiotherapy in cancer treatment. The TrueBeam photon therapy system will be up and running by fall 2025, doubling the capacity for photon therapy at Penn Presbyterian.

“We create a personalized radiation therapy plan for every patient, based on their specific cancer type and tumor location,” said John Plastaras, chief of radiation oncology and proton therapy at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. “This new center will allow us to fully serve patients with the most advanced radiation therapy treatment options in both proton and photon therapy.”   

Through a partnership with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), specialty-trained pediatric radiation oncologists treat children at the Roberts Proton Therapy Center in the Perelman Center, and this partnership will extend to the new location at Penn Presbyterian as well.

While there are fewer than 50 proton therapy centers in the United States, patients in and around the Delaware Valley benefit from convenient access to expert proton therapy care. In addition to the Roberts Proton Therapy Center at the Perelman Center, proton therapy is also available at the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute and the Penn Medicine/Virtua Health Proton Therapy Center in South Jersey.

Penn Medicine uses a hub-and-spoke model where centralized experts—highly trained and experienced physicists and dosimetrists at the Perelman Center—create treatment plans for every patient receiving proton therapy and send those plans to the radiation oncologists administering treatment. This model has allowed Penn’s proton therapy centers in Lancaster and South Jersey to get up and running quickly and will be implemented at Penn Presbyterian as well.

The new center will also allow Penn Medicine to expand proton therapy research activity and educational offerings. Penn Medicine proton therapy experts have trained staff from 27 proton therapy centers across the world over the last 15 years and led groundbreaking research to deliver proton therapy even more safely and precisely.

Penn Medicine experts continue to lead large-scale clinical trials aimed at determining whether proton therapy offers better outcomes than conventional photon therapy for different types of cancer.

Michael Paul Cancro, a professor and the vice chair for faculty development and academic affairs in the department of pathology & laboratory medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM), died on February 7. He was 75.

Born in Washington, D.C., Dr. Cancro completed his undergraduate studies (1973) and PhD (1976), both in zoology, at the University of Maryland. He then joined the department of pathology & laboratory medicine at Penn’s School of Medicine as a postdoctoral fellow, and was recruited as a lecturer the next year. In 1978, Dr. Cancro joined the tenure track as an assistant professor, becoming an associate professor in 1984 and a full professor in 1999. Dr. Cancro also lectured in Penn’s College of General Studies (precursor to today’s College of Liberal & Professional Studies, in which Dr. Cancro also taught). He served as an assistant dean in PSOM and later as vice chair for faculty development and academic affairs in his department.

Dr. Cancro’s teaching was widely praised by his students and colleagues. In 1984, he won the Leonard Berwick Memorial Teaching Award of Penn’s School of Medicine. Two years later, he won a Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching; his citation noted that “his immunology classes get first-place ratings and standing ovations, and his office a steady parade where he is said to offer ‘help to the confused’ and ‘research opportunities to the enthusiastic’” (Almanac April 15, 1986). In 1989, he won Penn’s Distinguished Educator Award, recognizing high-quality teaching (Almanac May 9, 1989). He was active in Penn’s governance, serving on numerous University Council and other committees.

During his time at Penn, Dr. Cancro researched B lymphocyte development, selection, and homeostasis, and the immunobiology of aging. His lab defined the transitional B cell subset, a developmental stage spanning immature B cell formation in the bone marrow and final maturation in the periphery, and made key conceptual and mechanistic contributions toward understanding how the cytokine BLyS and its receptors control peripheral B cell selection and numbers. In 2013, Dr. Cancro received the Lady Barbara Colyton Autoimmune Research Award from PSOM for this work (Almanac February 19, 2013); PSOM noted in giving him the award that his work made him a leader in the field and contributed to the first new FDA-approved therapeutic drug for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus in 50 years. Outside of Penn, Dr. Cancro was widely recognized for his innovation; he was elected a fellow of the Henry Kunkel Society, the John Morgan Society, and the American Association of Immunologists.

He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Jamie (Robinson) Cancro; his daughters, Robin Cancro-Morrone (Jason Morrone) and Polly Cancro (Dan Boscov-Ellen); and his sister, Theresa Cancro (Dominic Chan). In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Distance Learning Center, the Union of Concerned Scientists, or Doctors Without Borders.  

Virginia (Ginny) Greene, G’68, a former senior conservator and director of the conservation lab at the Penn Museum, died on January 23. She was 82.

Born in Brooklyn, Ms. Greene received her undergraduate degree from Barnard College, then came to Penn’s department of archaeology to earn her master of arts in 1968. While at Penn, Ms. Greene joined the Penn Museum’s staff as a secretary, and in 1967, became a conservator at the museum. She soon became involved in the museum’s Tikal Project, a long-running archaeological study of a Mayan city in the Guatemalan rainforest that was the largest excavation project in the world up to that point. From 1969 to 1971, she studied at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in London, and after graduating, returned to the Penn Museum to head its recently-established conservation lab. Under Ms. Greene’s leadership, the lab became a world-renowned resource for conservation practice and training; many of Ms. Greene’s interns have since gone on to become leaders in the field.

As director of the lab, Ms. Greene managed the transformation of its collection storerooms from disorganized spaces scattered throughout the Penn Museum building to state-of-the-art facilities. Over her long career, Ms. Greene (called “Conservator Extraordinaire” by the museum’s Expedition Magazine) lectured, presented technical papers, served as an advisor and consultant, and taught a course on conservation at the University of Delaware. In 2001, she received the American Institute for Conservation’s Sheldon and Caroline Keck Award for excellence in the education and training of conservation professionals. After retiring from the Penn Museum in 2008, Ms. Greene continued to work on her monograph, The Pottery Figurines of Tikal, which was published in 2024.

Ms. Greene is survived by her brother, Al Greene, and her nephews, Russell Greene and Jason Greene. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Ms. Greene’s memory may be made to the Rabbi Ezekiel Nissim Musleah Torah Fund of Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at https://templebethzionbethisrael.shulcloud.com/form/tributes-and-memorials-donation.html.

Richard Wernick, an emeritus professor of music in the School of Arts & Sciences, died on April 25 from age-associated decline. He was 91.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Mr. Wernick attended Brandeis University, where he studied composition with Irving Fine, Harold Shapero, and Arthur Berger. He then went on to study composition with Leon Kirchner at Mills College and conducting with Leonard Bernstein at the Tanglewood Music Center. After graduating from Mills College, Mr. Wernick taught at SUNY Buffalo and the University of Chicago before joining Penn’s faculty in 1968 as an associate professor of music. He became a full professor in 1977, and eventually chaired the music department for four years, working indefatigably to enhance Penn’s programs in  both musical composition and musical scholarship. Graduate students in musical composition remember Mr. Wernick as a teacher who feigned austerity and severity, but who adored his students, sparing no effort in sharing with them his abiding commitment to the craft of composition. At various times during his tenure at Penn, Mr. Wernick served as the Magnin Professor of Humanities and the Irvine Fine Professor of Music before retiring in 1996.

Mr. Wernick’s music was extensively recorded and widely renowned; during his career, Mr. Wernick earned awards and commissions from the Ford, Guggenheim, and Naumburg Foundations, among many others. In 1977, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Visions of Terror and Wonder, a powerful work for mezzo-soprano and orchestra set to texts from the Old and New Testaments and the Quran, all of which contain appeals for peace. His Violin Concerto tied for first place in the 1986 Kennedy Center’s Friedheim Award for New American Music, and in 1991, his String Quartet No. 4 made him the first two-time winner of the Friedham Award. He was named the 2006 Composer of the Year by the Classical Recording Foundation. His work has been performed at the Academy of Music, Curtis Institute, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Ravenna Festival in Italy, the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, and elsewhere around the world.

Mr. Wernick developed an eclectic style that emphasized formal and harmonic complexity, while offering at the same time an extraordinary measure of accessibility. In addition to his composing, Mr. Wernick conducted extensively. He served as music director of the Winnipeg Ballet and as conductor of a new music ensemble at SUNY Buffalo. In 1979, he led the Philadelphia Orchestra in performing George Crumb’s orchestral work Star Child. During Riccardo Muti’s tenure as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, beginning in 1983, Mr. Wernick served as his advisor on the selection of new works to be performed by the orchestra. At Penn, Mr. Wernick led the Penn Contemporary Players for many years.

His life as a composer is documented in the autographs, scores, recordings, letters, and photographs that comprise the Wernick Papers in the Kislak Center for Special Collections at Penn.

Mr. Wernick is survived by his wife of sixty-eight years, Bea; and his two sons, Lewis and Adam. Services will be private; donations in his name may be made to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Box 781352, Philadelphia, PA 19178.

Dolores Albarracín, a Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor with appointments in the School of Arts & Sciences and the Annenberg School for Communication, is among five recipients of the 2024 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Social Sciences. The honor recognizes Dr. Albarracín and her fellow recipients as “revolutionizing the way we understand and measure attitudes” through their research.

The BBVA Foundation established the Frontiers of Knowledge Awards in 2008, and today, the awards are presented through a partnership between the financial services group BBVA and the Spanish National Research Council, a leading public research institution in Spain. In its announcement, the foundation said Dr. Albarracín’s work “has increased our understanding of how attitudes can be changed, particularly with regard to persuasive messages,” and pointed to her close scrutiny of strategies dealing with disinformation and conspiracy theories.

The Social Sciences Award is one of eight awards in different categories. Along with the distinction, recipients are allotted a €400,000 prize (more than $450,000), which they split equally. Dr. Albarracín’s fellow social sciences awardees include Icek Ajzen of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard University, Anthony Greenwald of the University of Washington, and Richard Petty of Ohio State University.

Dr. Albarracín, who also serves as the director of the communication science division of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, most recently began teaching at Penn in 2021. She has received numerous awards and accolades for her research into communication and behavior patterns, and has authored multiple books, including Prediction and Change of Health Behavior: Applying the Theory of Reasoned Action Approach and The Handbook of Attitudes.

Rameen Iftikhar, who completed a master’s degree in international education development at Penn’s Graduate School of Education in January 2025, has been awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a PhD in education at the University of Cambridge in England.

Ms. Iftikhar, from Pakistan, is one of 95 new Gates Cambridge Scholars selected worldwide. The scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge for as long as four years, as well as additional discretionary funding.

Drawing from her background in economics, politics, and international development, Ms. Iftikhar’s doctoral research explores the potential of communities to expand girls’ education and life paths. Her work investigates whether the knowledge, skills, and resources that young girls gain from education translate into capabilities that allow them to pursue alternative life paths and envisions communities as key levers of change in these relationships.

Ms. Iftikhar received the President Gutmann Leadership Award in 2024, recognizing original research contributions and providing funding for conference travel in Europe. She was a graduate research assistant for the course Teaching Beyond September 11 and a course assistant for Education in Developing Countries, both taught by GSE’s Ameena Ghaffar-Kucher.

A team including Mathew Madhavacheril, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy in the School of Arts & Sciences, is among the first-ever recipients of funding from a new initiative supporting an ambitious 10-year project. The undertaking aims to answer pressing questions about dark energy, dark matter, and supermassive black holes, among other space phenomena.

Dr. Madhavacheril’s team, which includes colleagues from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Utah, will receive $60,000 in direct costs to support its ongoing research into relativistic transients, or energetic explosions in the broader universe. The award is one of 21 equal allotments that will support 20 scientists from various Canadian and U.S. universities and institutions, part of a broader push to ensure the success of the decade-long Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST).

LSST involves taking hundreds of images of the southern sky at the Vera Rubin Observatory on the El Peñon peak of Cerro Pachón, located in northern Chile, on a nightly basis. It produces approximately 20 terabytes of data at a time to help astronomers crack open the mysteries beyond our planet. To jump-start the survey, the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) is funneling seed money into Scialog: Early Science with the LSST, an initiative empowering cross-disciplinary connections between early-career scientists, including Dr. Madhavacheril and his co-researchers.

Scialog itself is a three-year initiative, taking its name from a portmanteau of “science” and “dialog.” RCSA hopes that the undertaking will help break down disciplinary silos and serve as a catalyst for major scientific breakthroughs. Dr. Madhavacheril said the Rubin Observatory has made some simulated data available, with real sky data currently scheduled for July 2025.

Tariq Thachil, the Madan Lal Sobti Chair for the Study of Contemporary India in the School of Arts & Sciences, has been awarded the Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy Prize from the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) alongside Adam Auerbach, a professor at Johns Hopkins University who researches South Asia and climate issues. They are being honored for their book, Migrants and Machine Politics: How India’s Urban Poor Seek Representation and Responsiveness, published in 2023 by Princeton University Press.

AAS announced the winners of several prizes during its annual conference in Columbus, OH. Also receiving the prize is the University of Virginia’s Neeti Nair, for her book Hurt Sentiments: Secularism and Belonging in South Asia.

Named for Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, a Ceylonese metaphysician and historian, the award “honors a distinguished work of scholarship in South Asian Studies that promises to define or redefine the understanding of whole subject areas.” Specifically, it recognizes works from authors who have already been published and acknowledged in their fields. To determine honorees, AAS seeks nominations of works with “innovative approaches that may concern any topic in any discipline or may cross disciplinary lines.”

Drs. Thachil and Auerbach have received several additional awards and distinctions for Migrants and Machine Politics, including two from the American Political Science Association—the Giovanni Sartori Book Award and the Best Book Award.

Four faculty members from the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The new honorees are Mark Devlin of the School of Arts & Sciences and Katalin Karikó, Virginia Lee, and E. John Wherry III of the Perelman School of Medicine.

The scholars are among 120 new domestic members and 30 new international members selected by their peers this year. Recognized for “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research,” this new class brings the total number of active members to 2,662 and the number of international members to 556.

Dr. Devlin, the Reese W. Flower Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, specializes in experimental cosmology. His work in the millimeter and submillimeter spectral bands is geared toward the study of the evolution of structure in the universe. He has led a number of ground-based and high-altitude balloon experiments, including the Atacama Cosmology Telescope and the Balloon-Borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope. More recently, he was appointed co-director of the Simons Observatory, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). His pioneering research has earned him an NSF Early Career Development Award and a Sloan Foundation Fellowship. His work has been published in the Astronomical Journal, the Astrophysical Journal, and IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

Dr. Karikó is an adjunct professor of neurosurgery who is renowned for her groundbreaking work in mRNA technology, which laid the foundation for the COVID-19 vaccines. She was awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Drew Weissman for discoveries that enable the use of modified mRNA in Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines. At Penn Medicine, Dr. Karikó helped develop a method to modify mRNA and package it in lipid nanoparticles, making it safe and effective for triggering immune responses. Dr. Karikó also holds 14 U.S. patents and is a professor at the University of Szeged in Hungary. Her contributions to science have been recognized with the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, Princess of Asturias Award, Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, and Vilcek Prize for Excellence in Biotechnology.

Dr. Lee is the John H. Ware 3rd Professor in Alzheimer’s Research in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine and director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research. She has been awarded numerous academic honors, notably the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, for the discovery of the genetic origins of three different proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and related neurodegenerative disorders. This discovery described tau, alpha-synuclein, and TDP-43 as critical proteins and further clarified the role they play in each disease. Dr. Lee has also received the Sheila Essey Award for ALS Research from the ALS Association and the American Academy of Neurology, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Alzheimer’s Disease Research from the Alzheimer’s Association, the Helis Foundation Award for Parkinson’s and Neurodegenerative Disease Research, the Robert A. Pritzker Award for Leadership in Parkinson’s Disease Research from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine, and the John Scott Award from the Board of Directors of City Trusts.

Dr. Wherry, the Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor and chair of systems pharmacology and translational therapeutics, is a pioneer in the field of T cell exhaustion, the mechanisms by which T cell responses are attenuated during chronic infections and cancer. These exhausted T cells also have an emerging role in autoimmunity. Dr. Wherry helped identify the role of the “checkpoint” molecule PD-1 and others for reinvigoration of exhausted T cells in cancer. His work has defined the underlying molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of exhausted T cells, and his laboratory has recently focused on applying systems immunology approaches to define immune health patients across a spectrum of diseases. In recent years, his laboratory established a new immune health project to interrogate and use immune features to identify novel treatment opportunities.

For five years and under the direction of Penn’s Office of Social Equity & Community (SEC), the Projects for Progress (P4P) initiative has supported teams of University staff, students, and faculty in their efforts to address serious issues that impact everyday lives in the city of Philadelphia. This cohort of Penn P4P teams will receive up to $100,000 each to support education, health, and urban agriculture in Philadelphia. SEC received 16 applications for the award this year.

“It is always exciting to see the thoughtful proposals that come in from the applicant teams, especially when they use this opportunity to take an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving,” said Nicole Maloy, who oversees the initiative and serves as director of the Office of SEC. “As we all know, incorporating a range of perspectives leads to greater innovation and better results, so that’s exactly what you want to have whenever you are attempting to generate real-world solutions.”

Ms. Maloy emphasized that all of the applicants deserve accolades for embodying Penn founder Benjamin Franklin’s assertion that serving humankind is “the great aim and end of all learning.” University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity & Community Reverend Charles “Chaz” Howard agreed. “Penn is at its best when we are in a posture of service,” he said.

As Dr. Howard congratulated the 2025 co- hort, he noted his hope that others would find encouragement in their example. “This year’s award recipients, like their predecessors, will help our University and our community to keep working to be our best selves.”

This year’s Projects for Progress recipients are:

The College App Classroom 

The College App Classroom is a free 28-lesson modular course created to address the curricular gap for students and their supporters who need vetted instructional resources about applying to college and financial aid. The course is currently piloted in six schools. The project’s goal is to build sustainable models to increase college access for students across the School District of Philadelphia.

• Danielle Fitzgerald, senior content producer, communications in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions
• Lamesha Brown, director of the Penn College Achievement Program (PennCAP) at Penn First Plus
• Ronald Harvey, director of the Penn Rising Scholar Success Academy (PennRSSA) in the Division of Student Engagement
• John Haggerty, senior associate director of undergraduate aid in Student Registration & Financial Services
• Ellen Rhudy, associate director of instructional design in the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation (CETLI)

Providing Access to Health (PATH) 

PATH aspires to address the lack of availability and accessibility of health system navigation support among under-resourced communities. The team will assist community members in applying for public health insurance, finding providers, scheduling appointments, managing medical bills, and securing medications. PATH will establish support sessions at community sites, develop a call center for follow-up, and create a platform for medication procurement and delivery.

• Bayan Galal, medical student in the Perelman School of Medicine
• Ziad Hassan, medical student in the Perelman School of Medicine
• Jaya Aysola, executive director in the Penn Medicine Center for Health Equity Advancement, and associate professor of medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine
• Christina Bach, psychosocial content editor, OncoLink, Penn Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology
• Allison Hoffman, professor of law in Penn Carey Law

Urban Food Systems Community of Practice 

This award will establish the Urban Food Systems Community of Practice (CoP), uniting Philadelphians to improve the city’s food system. It will address the varied needs of urban growers through the Urban Growers Institute and Keep Growing program. This CoP will facilitate collaboration between Penn staff and students and food system leaders in Philadelphia.

• Emylee Fleshman, program coordinator for Public Health and Well-Being, Wellness at Penn
• Maris Altieri, UACS nutrition systems and education manager at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships
• Elliot Bullen, research associate and project manager at PennPraxis in the Weitzman School
• Frankie Cameron, program manager in the Penn Center for Public Health at Penn Medicine
• Doris Wagner, professor of biology in the School of Arts & Sciences

Morris Arboretum & Gardens will become a paradise for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators in its newest exhibition, Bees, Butterflies, & Blooms: A Pollinator Paradise, which runs from May 23 through September 30, 2025.

Memorial Day weekend sees the opening of Garden Railway: World Pollinators, featuring a display of pollinators from around the world—including insects and animals—made from natural materials such as bark, leaves, twigs, mosses, and acorns, set among charming miniature trains weaving through a landscape teeming with flowers and buzzing with life. Nearby, the hummingbird hut offers a chance to get a close-up view of these tiny, iridescent birds as they flit from bloom to bloom, showcasing their delicate grace.

On June 14-15, 2025, the arboretum will celebrate the next 100 years of its rose garden with a special Rose Garden Celebration Weekend that focuses on the spectacular beauty of these beloved flowers.

Beginning on June 28, visitors are invited to immerse themselves in two new lush meadows planted especially for this exhibition, Morris Pop-Up Meadows. Giant pollinator-inspired art will add a creative touch, with artists presenting works that capture the essence and importance of pollinators in our ecosystem.

And in July, returning floral display Exuberant Blooms will burst with a riot of colors and fragrances, celebrating the variety and splendor of flowering plants.

Throughout the entire season, visitors can enjoy a variety of fun events, from interactive workshops to engaging programs to specialty guided tours, making this exhibition a delightful and eye-opening experience for all ages.

Learn more at www.morrisarboretum.org.   

Upcoming Events

Except where noted*, all events are free with general admission.

May

• Garden Railway: World Pollinators opens Friday, May 23
• Hummingbird Hut opens Friday, May 23
• Bubbles! Tuesdays, 11 a.m.

June

• Moonlight & Roses* gala, Friday, June 6, 6 p.m.
• Pollinator Friday: Butterfly Celebration, Friday, June 6, 11 a.m.
• Rose Garden Celebration Weekend, Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15
• Bubbles! Tuesdays, 11 a.m.
• Morris Pop-Up Meadows, Saturday, June 28, 11 a.m.
• Butterfly Display Opening Weekend, Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29

July

• Exuberant Blooms opening, Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20
• Pollinator Friday: Learning About Moths, Friday, June 11, 11 a.m.
• Bubbles! Tuesdays, 11 a.m.

August

• Pollinator Friday: Un-Bee-lievable Pollinators, Friday, August 1, 11 a.m.
• Community Weekend, Saturday, August 2 and Sunday, August 3
• Bubbles! Tuesdays, 11 a.m.

On Wednesday, May 14, Bike to Work Day at Penn—the highlight of Bike Month (May)—will be marked on campus with energizer stations at the Penn Museum’s Stoner Courtyard (3260 South Street) from 7 to 9 a.m. The Penn community is invited to learn about various bike resources found on campus.

• Register your bike for free with the Division of Public Safety.
• Learn how to use the bike rack on the front of all Penn Transit buses.
• Get info about Penn Commuter Services’ bicycle-related programs, including a new employee discount on an annual Indego365 bike-share membership, the established Bike Commuter Expense Reimbursement Program, and the increasingly popular Commuter Concierge program.

Around 8:30 a.m., attendees can join a group ride to City Hall, where the advocacy and festivities continue.

Bike to Work Day at Penn is a collaboration between the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia and Penn’s Divisions of Business Services, Facilities & Real Estate Services, and Public Safety, as well as the Penn Museum and the Office of Student Health and Counseling.

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

Exhibits

17        2025 Year End Show; brings together work from the Class of 2025 in architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, historic preservation, and urban spatial analytics; 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Plaza Gallery, Meyerson Hall. Through June 13.

Fitness & Learning

Penn Libraries

Various locations. Info: https://www.library.upenn.edu/events.

15        Studio Use Training: Letterpress Printing; learn and practice the basics of letterpress printing and typesetting; 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; Common Press, Fisher Fine Arts Library.

            Washington Hoe Handpress Launch Party; celebrate the newly-refurbished 1889 Washington Hoe Cast Iron Handpress with some printing; 3-4 p.m.; Common Press, Fisher Fine Arts Library.

27        Mindful Movement; a study break for some mindful movement-based stretches; 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; room LL02A, Levy Dental Medicine Library.

Special Events

14        Bike to Work Day At Penn; group morning ride to Penn, featuring events at Warden Garden, Penn Museum, including free bike registration with Division of Public Safety, energizer station, and tutorial of how to use Penn Transit bus bike racks; info: https://tinyurl.com/bike-may-14 (Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Business Services, FRES, Public Safety).

Talks

14        The Bates Center History Lab: A Model for Archives-Based Learning and Research in Healthcare; Jessica Martucci, medical ethics & health policy; noon; room 241, Van Pelt Library; register: https://libcal.library.upenn.edu/event/14257504 (Penn Libraries).

            Preparing for Tomorrow’s Pandemics Today: Broad Spectrum Antivirals for Emerging Coronavirus Infections; Tim Sheahan, University of North Carolina Gillings; noon; Austrian Auditorium, CRB (Microbiology).

15        How to Choose? Implementation Science Frameworks and Health Equity: An Overview for Early-Stage Investigators; Katelin Hoskins and Stephen Bonett, Penn Nursing; noon; online webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/hoskins-bonett-may-15 (Penn Implementation Science Center).

            Household Time Allocation Decisions: Evidence from Germany's Introduction of the Minimum Wage; Javiera Garcia, economics; 3:30 p.m.; room 101, PCPSE (Economics).

16        Decoding the Moment: New Rules for Vaccine Approvals; Alison Buttenheim, Penn Nursing; Paul A. Offit, CHOP; Dan Gorenstein, Tradeoffs; 2 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/ldi-talk-may-16 (Leonard Davis Institute).

17        A Lost Waltz Found; Jeff Kallberg, music; 9 a.m.; Harold Prince Theater, Annenberg Center; register: https://tinyurl.com/kallberg-talk-may017 (Penn Lightbulb Café).

23        Defining Fit: Admissions Faculty Sponsorship and Changing Rationales in College Admissions Decisions; Yilin Chiang, NYU Shanghai; noon; room 367, McNeil Building (Population Studies Center).

This is an update to the May AT PENN calendar, which is online now. To submit events for the monthly AT PENN calendar or weekly calendar updates, email almanac@upenn.edu.

Division of Public Safety

University of Pennsylvania Police Department Crime Report

About the Crime Report: Below are the Crimes Against Persons and/or Crimes Against Property from the campus report for April 28-May 4, 2025. 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 28-May 4, 2025. 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: 7 incidents were reported for April 28-May 4, 2025 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.

The FY2026 change/renewal period for Penn Parking permits will open today, May 13, and close on June 10 at the Park@Penn portal.  

Issued annually, Penn Parking permits offer full-time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff guaranteed access to an assigned campus parking facility, billed monthly via pretax payroll deduction. The change/renewal period gives permit-holders a regular opportunity to review and, if desired, change their parking permit type. 

FY2026 permits will be effective from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. They reflect a 3% increase, for a rate that compares favorably with those of other University City parking facilities while enabling continued investment in Penn parking infrastructure.  

Click here for the FY2026 rate chart, which includes the following flexible permit and program options. 

1. Everyday Permits allow daily access with guaranteed parking at an assigned location. 
2. 12 Parks Per Month Permits allow parking up to 12 times per calendar month at an assigned parking location (select garages only). All 12 days must be used within the specified month and do not carry over.  

Additionally, a pay-as-you-go Occasional Parking program offers a $3 discount off Penn’s public parking rates at select locations, with parking subject to daily availability rather than guaranteed. One-time preregistration and designation of a preferred payment method are required to participate, as payroll deduction is not available; payments are made on a post-tax basis.  

Action Item for Permit-Holders

Current permit-holders can log into Park@Penn to review their permit information. To adjust your permit type (e.g., from Everyday Parking to 12 Parks Per Month), click “2026 Annual Renewals” by June 10 and make a new selection. Permits not renewed by June 10 will automatically renew to the existing parking type and location through June 30, 2026. 

Requests to change parking locations without modifying the permit type can occur at any time via Park@Penn. Requests are granted based on space availability.

Parking permits are currently available for new customers. Register at Park@Penn and start parking on July 1. 

For more information on parking options, policies, frequently asked questions, and enrollment details, visit www.upenn.edu/parking or visit the Parking & Commuter Services office on the first floor of the Penn Bookstore (3601 Walnut Street, near the Sansom Street entrance). 

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

Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, Tom Murphy, approved a revision of the IT Network Policy. Effective January 1, 2025, the revised policy updates the section covering the use of the upenn.edu domain name space.

In summary, this revision adds four new policy statements, clarifies the applicability and qualification expectations of four of the entity types that are eligible to be assigned a third-level domain, and makes a number of editorial improvements to improve clarity.

Three of the new policy statements formalize long-standing practices:

• The second-level domain, upenn.edu, is reserved for services that Information Systems and Computing runs.
• A third-level domain that begins with the underscore character (“_”) is functionally equivalent to upenn.edu itself due to protocol technical specifications and may not be assigned.
• A third-level domain that becomes non-compliant with the policy must be retired and unassigned within twelve calendar months.
• The fourth new policy statement establishes a “VIP Initiative” as one of the entities that is eligible to be assigned a third-level domain, where specification by any one of the offices of the University President, University Provost, or University Executive Vice President qualify.

These changes will help to make the administration and stewardship of the University’s valuable domain name space more predictable, consistent, and efficient.

Questions regarding the IT Network Policy may be addressed to: Dr. Anita Gelburd, IT Policy Committee Chair, gelburda@upenn.edu.

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For additional tips, see the One Step Ahead link on the Information Security website: https://isc.upenn.edu/security/news-alerts%23One-Step-Ahead.

To add the summer 2025 term and the 2025-2026 academic calendar (fall 2025 and spring 2026 terms) to your personal calendar, visit https://almanac.upenn.edu/penn-academic-calendar and click the blue Add to Calendar buttons.