January 20, 2026 Volume 72 Issue 20

January 14, 2026

As we return to classes, you will notice new blue banners featuring Benjamin Franklin on display around campus. These commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary and Penn’s significant ties to that revolutionary era. Throughout 2026, the Penn community and Philadelphia will mark the anniversary in a variety of ways, like interactive programming on 52 Weeks of Firsts that prominently features Penn and our founder. The Penn Libraries have created an impressive array of resources, and I encourage everyone to learn more and get involved.

I am proud of our historic firsts and many contributions to the world. For centuries, this University has served society with brilliance, character, and impact. I am confident that Penn would earn the admiration of our founder. I am also inspired by the aspirations and continuity of our shared values and purpose. While we take pride in our past accomplishments, we share another defining characteristic with Franklin—Penn’s focus on the future. At this time of year especially, when new resolutions abound, we can all tap into this distinctive Penn value.

The Penn Forward process is a salient example of bold planning for the future. Provost Jackson, EVP Dingfield, and I are now debriefing with the six working groups to learn about their insights and recommendations. These groups have worked diligently to canvas for ideas, garner relevant data, and generate tangible proposals that will position Penn to lead and be even more impactful over the next decade. As many of these proposals become implementable actions, we will be in touch with updates later this semester. For now, I want to recognize the faculty, students, staff, and University leaders for their extraordinary thoughtfulness, focus, and time commitment—you can see a list of working group members on the Penn Forward website.

A forward-facing stance empowers us with agility, resilience, and hope. Hope that, together:

We will adapt and fulfill our missions with the highest degree of excellence;

We will position our University as a leader in serving a society that is changing faster than ever;

And, rather than being resigned to a future that happens to us, we will take a hand in shaping it.

I cannot think of a more inspiring Penn resolution for the new year. I hope winter break was fun and restful, whether you spent time with loved ones, traveled somewhere new, or just relaxed with some favorite shows (like the series finale of Stranger Things, starring one of our own terrifically talented Penn students). Welcome back and best wishes for a great spring semester and a productive 2026 at Penn!

—J. Larry Jameson, Interim President

Carmen Alvarez has been appointed the inaugural associate dean for global engagement in Penn Nursing, as well as the Afaf I. Meleis Director of Penn Nursing’s Center for Global Women’s Health. Both appointments take effect on February 1, 2026. She is currently an associate professor in the department of family and community health and a Presidential Professor—the first nurse to attain this prestigious rank at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Alvarez is also a family nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife who brings to this position a lifelong commitment to advancing health equity through global engagement. Her work spans Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Eastern Europe, where she has partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and leading academic institutions to strengthen nursing capacity and community-based interventions. From shaping WHO guidelines on child maltreatment to building public health nursing curricula in Ukraine and informing frontline healthcare worker support in Ghana and Puerto Rico, Dr. Alvarez’s leadership has delivered sustainable impact across borders.

Dr. Alvarez develops evidence-based interventions for marginalized populations, including Cuidándome, a digital program for Latina immigrant survivors of violence that is now scaling internationally. In a longstanding collaboration with the University of Puerto Rico School of Nursing, she has examined dating violence prevention, healthcare worker support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, in collaboration with the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN), is establishing Puerto Rico’s first AWHONN chapter to advance perinatal care.

Nationally, Dr. Alvarez has served as a member of the National Academies of Medicine and as co-chair of the Campaign for Action’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Steering Committee. She integrates global perspectives into nursing education, preparing future leaders to tackle health disparities worldwide. In this inaugural role, Dr. Alvarez will use her strategic vision and global partnerships to elevate Penn Nursing’s international presence and create transformative opportunities for faculty, students, and communities—advancing health equity in Philadelphia and the world.

The National Academy of Medicine has proposed a new report: An AI Code of Conduct for Health and Medicine: Essential Guidance for Aligned Action (AICC). It provides a set of six simple but sweeping commitments—advancing humanity, ensuring equity, engaging affected individuals, improving workforce well-being, monitoring performance, and fostering innovation—to help the nation harness AI’s benefits without sacrificing ethics, safety, or fairness.LDI senior fellow and David L. Cohen University Professor Kevin B. Johnson was one of the 21 authors of the 206-page national report.

“The same thing that happened with electronic health records is happening again with AI,” said Dr. Johnson. “Everyone’s building tools, but there isn’t a shared playbook to make sure they’re safe, fair, and actually useful. This report was needed to bring some order to the chaos. It gives us a national framework so AI in healthcare can be developed and used responsibly, with transparency and trust at the center.”

Dr. Johnson, a professor with appointments in three Penn schools, is known for his extensive research on electronic prescribing and computer-based clinical documentation.

He noted that the field needs to be more concerned that AI in healthcare is becoming a free-for-all. “Hospitals, companies, and agencies are all moving quickly, but not necessarily in the same direction. That lack of coordination leads to duplicated work, unclear accountability, and uneven protections for patients. This report sets up a model that’s clear about goals and accountability, open enough to allow innovation, and focused on tracking results once systems are in place.”

Adapted from a Penn LDI press release by Hoag Levins, November 12, 2025.

Douglas B. Cines, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine and former director of the Hematology and Coagulation Laboratory, died on December 7, 2025. He was 78. 

Dr. Cines earned an AB in history  and pre-medicine from New York University in 1968 and an MD, also from NYU, in 1972. After completing his internship and residency at North Carolina Memorial Hospital in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he came to Penn in 1975 for a fellowship in hematology/oncology. In 1978, Penn hired him as a lecturer, and a year later, he joined the tenure track as an assistant professor of hematology/oncology and of pathology/laboratory medicine. In 1987 he became an associate professor, and in 1996 he became a full professor of pathology/laboratory medicine. During his time at Penn, Dr. Cines held several leadership positions in pathology/laboratory medicine, including as co-vice chair of the division of laboratory medicine and the school’s vice chair for academics and director of faculty development.

Over a 40-year research career, Dr. Cines became a prolific scientist and a central figure in the field of immune thrombocytopenic disorders. His research expanded scientific understanding and treatment of immune thrombocytopenic purpura, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis, antiphospholipid syndrome, and thrombocytopenia in pregnancy. He published more than 340 peer-reviewed scientific articles in prestigious journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Blood, and Journal of Clinical Investigation. Dr. Cines earned the Biennial Award for Contributions to Research in Hemostasis from the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (2017) and the Henry M. Stratton Medal for Basic Science from the American Society of Hematology (2024) and was a member of numerous professional organizations. 

In 1995, Dr. Cines became director of Penn’s Hematology and Coagulation Laboratory, where he had been a faculty member since 1982. He directed the lab for more than 20 years and was instrumental in developing it into a nationally recognized center for coagulation diagnostics, providing comprehensive diagnostic testing and consultative services for physicians who were caring for patients with coagulation disorders. To honor Dr. Cines’s dedication to clinical service and leadership of the lab, the lab has been named the Douglas B. Cines, MD Coagulation Laboratory.

“Dr. Cines served as an educator, mentor, and constant source of wisdom,” said Dr. Cines’s colleague, George J. Netto, the Simon Flexner Professor and Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. “He enjoyed teaching and mentoring trainees and was not only eager to share his knowledge, but was also interested in learning from others. Dr. Cines was kind, witty, and dearly revered by his colleagues and staff who had the privilege of working with him. He will be greatly missed.” 

Dr. Cines is survived by his wife, Adele; his four daughters, Val, Pammi, Sarah, and Courtney; and his grandchildren. Donations in Dr. Cines’s memory can be made to the Douglas Cines, MD, Special Coagulation Laboratory Gift Fund at Penn. 

Edward Sawyer Cooper, an emeritus professor of medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine, died on December 12, 2025. He was 99. 

Dr. Cooper was born in 1926 in Columbia, South Carolina. He earned a BA from Lincoln University in 1946 and an MD from Meharry Medical College in 1949. After completing a medical internship and residency at the Philadelphia General Hospital (PGH), he served for three years as a captain and the first Black chief of the medical services at the U.S. Clark Air Force Base Hospital in the Philippines. He then returned to Philadelphia, where he accepted a position as medical program director at the former Mercy-Douglass Hospital (where he once treated Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr., who had been stabbed in the chest with a letter opener) and as president of the PGH medical staff. In 1958, after completing a National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowship in cardiology, he joined the faculty of Penn’s School of Medicine.

During his time at PGH, Dr. Cooper noticed that, while the hospital’s patient base was both Black and white, most stroke patients were Black, and their strokes were largely caused by brain bleeds and uncontrolled hypertension. Dr. Cooper set out to study this discrepancy. At Penn, he initially served as an instructor and attending physician, but joined the tenure track in 1964 as an assistant professor, becoming an associate professor in 1970 and a full professor in 1973 (the first Black faculty member at Penn’s School of Medicine to do so). In the late 1960s, Penn received a $1 million federal grant to establish a stroke research center at PGH, with Dr. Cooper as its co-founder. Dr. Cooper went on to serve for a year (1973-1974) as chief of medical services at PGH. After PGH closed in 1977, the stroke clinic relocated to Penn, where Dr. Cooper continued to teach for another two decades before retiring and becoming emeritus in 1995. 

Dr. Cooper’s research informed fellow physicians and the public about the high prevalence of strokes in America’s Black population and other understudied groups. He was among the first researchers to emphasize the similarity in the risk factors for strokes and heart disease, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, and the need for better control of these risk factors. Dr. Cooper lectured widely, published extensively in medical journals and served on their editorial boards, and co-authored a book, Stroke in Blacks: A Guide to Management and Prevention, that brought new prominence to a condition that had been downplayed in previous medical literature. He held leadership positions at the National Institutes of Health, the Board of Trustees of Rockefeller University, the American College of Physicians, the National Medical Association, the Association of Black Cardiologists, the U.S. African Development Foundation, the American Foundation for Negro Affairs, and the boards of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Independence Blue Cross. He received honorary degrees from Meharry Medical College and the University of South Carolina, and a professorship at Penn now holds his name (and his portrait, painted by the late Bernett L. Johnson, hangs on the second floor of Stemmler Hall). 

Dr. Cooper was heavily involved with the American Heart Association (AHA), where he served as the chair of the newly formed Stroke Council, chair of the writing committee of the influential AHA statement “Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in African-American and Other Racial Minorities,” and as a member of the AHA Board of Directors. In 1993, he became the first Black president of the AHA, working hard to increase public and professional support for prevention and optimal treatment of both strokes and heart disease. The AHA awarded him its highest national award, the Gold Heart Award, and an award was established in his name, given annually at the Philadelphia AHA Heart Ball.

Dr. Cooper is survived by three children, Lisa Cooper Hudgins (James), Jan Ada Cooper (Gregory DeGruy), and Charles Wilder Cooper; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the E. Sawyer Cooper, Jr. Endowed Scholarship Fund. Donate online at https://giving.apps.upenn.edu/fund?program=MED&fund=041514 or via a check made out to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and sent to Penn Medicine, Development and Alumni Relations, 3535 Market Street, Suite 750, Philadelphia, PA 19104. 

William (Bill) L. Elkins, an emeritus associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine in what is today the Perelman School of Medicine, died on November 11, 2025, of complications from pneumonia. He was 93. 

The great-great-grandson of Philadelphia business tycoon William Lukens Elkins, Dr. Elkins was born in Boston but spent much of his childhood in rural Pocopson, Pennsylvania. He attended boarding school in Massachusetts for four years and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Princeton University. He then earned his medical degree at Harvard University in 1958 and served two years at the U.S. Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. After undertaking a surgical internship in New York, he found that he preferred conducting research, so he took a position in Philadelphia at the Wistar Institute of Biomedical Research from 1959 to 1962. 

In 1969, Dr. Elkins joined the faculty of Penn’s School of Medicine as an assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine; two years later, he became an associate professor. While at Penn, Dr. Elkins conducted pioneering research on how the human immune system fights infection and disease. He worked with colleagues in Philadelphia and around the country to conduct pivotal research on bone marrow transplants and pediatric oncology. His work contributed to new and more effective medical procedures at Penn, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and elsewhere; during his time at Penn, Dr. Elkins also lectured in nursing and in pediatrics. 

In 1987, he retired from Penn as an emeritus associate professor. After leaving Penn, Dr. Elkins and his wife, Helen, bought the nearly 300-acre Buck Run Farm south of Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Elkins became an expert on breeding cattle and growing the high-energy grass they eat. He championed holistic regenerative farming, rejecting commercial fertilizer and using new scientific systems to feed his cattle, informed by knowledge of soil composition, grass growing, and body fat in cattle. He helped found the Southeast Regional Cattlemen’s Association in 1994 and sold his beefsteaks, patties, jerky sticks, and kielbasa grillers to butchers, restaurants, and private customers.

Dr. Elkins is survived by his wife, Helen; his children, Sheila and Jake; and five grandchildren and other relatives. Donations in his name may be made to the Stroud Water Research Center, 970 Spencer Road, Avondale, PA 19311.

Frank Matero, the Gonick Family Professor in the department of historic preservation and a professor of architecture in the Weitzman School of Design, died on December 19, 2025, after a battle with cancer. He was 72. 

Mr. Matero joined Penn’s faculty in 1990, when the historic preservation program was just sixyears old. As an associate professor (and, beginning in 2004, a full professor), he taught courses and advised hundreds of students on their capstone projects. He organized sold-out conferences and founded and directed Penn’s Center for Architectural Conservation, which has protected dozens of priceless cultural heritage sites, including Taliesin West, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Ayyubid Wall in Cairo. He was particularly proud of his work in Mancos, Colorado, where he collaborated with local residents and colleagues to revitalize an abandoned newspaper office and print shop as a community center. He also founded and edited Change Over Time, an international journal on conservation and the built environment published by Penn Press. He led the historic preservation program in its expansion into a department and later served two terms as department chair (1994-2009 and 2018-2025).

A prolific scholar and a sought-after educator and practitioner, Mr. Matero studied the historical and material investigation of architectural technology and its implications for the interpretation and conservation of built heritage. During his career, he authored over 100 publications on conservation history, building technology, ethics, and professional practice, and he was invited to speak at universities and professional forums around the world. In recent years, he focused on developing a framework for material and site risk and vulnerability related to climate change, and he was completing a book on the conservation of concrete architecture. 

“In his dedication to students and colleagues, his advocacy for historic preservation—the original sustainability, he was fond of saying—and his commitment to professional reform, he was without peer,” said Fritz Steiner, dean of the Weitzman School. Read more tributes to Mr. Matero from colleagues and former students here. 

The Weitzman School will hold a gathering for members of the school community in 2026. Students, faculty, staff and alums will receive details via email.

Wednesday, January 28, 2026
3–5 p.m. ET

1. Finalize the Minutes of December 10, 2025
2. Report from the Tri-Chairs
3. 2026 Senate Nominating Committee: Call for Nominations
4. Update from co-chairs of Select Committee on Faculty Conversations
5. Reports from Constituencies
6. Update from the Senate Committee on Faculty and the Administration (“SCOF”)
   Discussion with Nelson Flores, Professor of Educational Linguistics and SCOF Chair
7. New Business

Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Hall of Flags, Houston Hall
4–6 p.m.  

1. Welcome.
2. Approval of the minutes of December 3, 2025.
3. Follow up comments or questions on Status Reports.
4. Focus Issue: Launching Penn Washington.
5. Motion to Rescind Prior Action – Proposed Amendment to the Bylaws.
6. Motion to Adopt a Replacement – Proposed Amendment to the Bylaws (only applicable if Motion to Rescind Prior Action is approved).
7. Responses to Open Forum and New Business topics raised at the December 3, 2025, University Council meeting.
8. New Business.
9. Adjournment.

The Division of Public Safety is committed to enhancing the quality of life for the campus community by integrating the best practices of public and private policing with state-of-the-art technology. A critical component of a comprehensive security plan using state-of-the-art technology is Closed Circuit Television (CCTV).

As prescribed by the University Policy “Closed Circuit Television Monitoring and Recording of Public Areas for Safety and Security Purposes” (Almanac April 29, 2008), the locations of all outside CCTV cameras monitored by Public Safety are to be published semi-annually in Almanac. The locations and descriptions of these cameras can also be found on the Division of Public Safety website: www.publicsafety.upenn.edu/about/penncomm#cctv.

The following existing cameras meet those criteria:

University of Pennsylvania Cameras

• 39th St. & Baltimore Ave. 
• (Vet School, Hill Pavilion)
• 40th St. & Baltimore Ave.
• 41st St. & Baltimore Ave.
• 42nd St. & Baltimore Ave.
• 43rd St. & Baltimore Ave.
• 31st & Chestnut Sts. (Left Bank)
• 33rd & Chestnut Sts.
• 34th & Chestnut Sts.
• 36th & Chestnut Sts.
• 38th & Chestnut Sts.
• 40th & Chestnut Sts.
• 4040 Chestnut St. (front)
• 41st & Chestnut Sts.
• 43rd & Chestnut Sts. 
• 46th & Chestnut Sts.
• Steve Murray Way & Chestnut St.
• 38th St. & Hamilton Walk
• 36th St. & Locust Walk
• 37th St. & Locust Walk (1&2)
• 38th St. & Locust Walk
• 39th St. & Locust Walk
• 40th St. & Locust Walk
• 41st & Locust Sts.
• 42nd & Locust Sts.
• 43rd & Locust Sts.
• 39th & Ludlow Sts.
• 40th & Ludlow Sts.
• 34th & Market Sts.
• 36th & Market Sts.
• 38th & Market Sts.
• 40th & Market Sts.
• 40th & Pine Sts.
• 41st & Pine Sts.
• 42nd & Pine Sts.
• 36th & Sansom Sts. (Franklin Bldg.)
• 38th & Sansom Sts.
• 39th & Sansom Sts.
• 4040 Sansom St. (rear)
• Steve Murray Way & Sansom Sts.
• 33rd St. & Smith Walk
• 34th & Spruce Sts.
• 36th & Spruce Sts.
• 37th & Spruce Sts.
• 38th & Spruce Sts.
• 39th & Spruce Sts.
• 40th & Spruce Sts.
• 41st & Spruce Sts.
• 42nd & Spruce Sts.
• 43rd & Spruce Sts.
• 31st & Walnut Sts. (Left Bank)
• 33rd & Walnut Sts.
• 34th & Walnut Sts.
• 36th & Walnut Sts.
• 37th & Walnut Sts.
• 38th & Walnut Sts.
• 39th & Walnut Sts.
• 40th & Walnut Sts.
• 41st & Market Sts
• 41st & Walnut Sts.
• 43rd & Walnut Sts.
• 4119 Walnut St.
• 100 Block of S. 37th St.
• Blockley Hall (bike racks 1-8)
• Blockley Hall (roof)
• Boat House (exterior cameras 1-4)
• BRB II (loading dock–exterior)
• BRB II (roof–rear and front)
• Caster Building (rear entrance)
• Caster Building (bike racks 1&2)
• Chemistry Building (bike racks 1-4)
• CineMark
• College Green (1&2)
• College Green (lower)
• College Hall (exterior basement)
• CRB (roof)
• CRB-Stemmler Hall (main entrance)
• CRB-Stemmler Bridge (interior)
• CRB-Stemmler Bridge (main entrance hall)
• English House (Law School bike rack)
• Fels Center (bike rack)
• Fels Institute of Government
• Fisher-Bennett Hall (overseeing Levine Bldg.)
• Franklin Building
• Franklin Building Annex
• Franklin Field
• Garage 40 (rooftop)
• Generational Bridge (1&2)
• Gittis Hall (Chestnut Street Basement Stair Door)
• Gregory College House (bike rack)
• GSE on Plaza 1
• GSE on Plaza 62
• Harnwell College House
• Harrison College House (1&2)
• Hayden Hall (east door & west door)
• High Bay Garage (entrance)
• Hilton (Homewood Suites–1&2)
• Hollenback (lower level rear parking)
• Hollenback (rooftop)
• Houston Hall/Penn Commons
• Irving & Preston Sts.
• James G. Kaskey Memorial Park (BioPond & Trail)
• Jerome Fisher (main entrance)
• John Morgan Building (Hamilton Walk)
• Jon M. Huntsman Hall (Bike Rack)
• Jon M. Huntsman Hall (Loading Dock)
• Jon M. Huntsman Hall (NE corner)
• Kane Park (Spruce Street Plaza)
• Law School (Sansom St.)
• Left Bank (loading dock)
• Levy Dental (loading dock)
• Love statue
• Memorial Garden Walkway by Van Pelt
• Meyerson Hall (bike racks 1&2)
• Mod 7 (North)
• Mod 7 (SE)
• Mod 7 (West)
• Museum (33rd St.–exterior)
• Museum (Kress entrance–exterior)
• Museum (Kress entrance–interior)
• Museum (loading dock–exterior)
• Museum (upper loading dock–exterior)
• Museum (Warden Garden–main entrance)
• Museum (Stoner Courtyard–lower courtyard) 
• New College House West (Bike Rack)
• Old Vet Quad (west gate)
• Osler Circle Courtyard
• Palestra (1&2)
• Pennovation Works
• Pennovation Works (gate)
• Pottruck (bike racks 1&2)
• Public Safety Annex Building (2-5)
• Richards Labs (rear door)
• Ringe Squash Court Parking
• Rodin College House (bike rack)
• Rosenthal (parking lot)
• Ryan Vet Hospital (main entrance area)
• Schattner (coffee shop)
• Schattner (bike rack)
• SEAS (Courtyard)
• Shoemaker Green (1-8)
• Singh Center (courtyard)
• Singh Center (east loading dock)
• Singh Center (Nano roof terrace north)
• Singh Center (nitrogen loading dock)
• Singh Center (roof terrace south)
• Singh Center (west loading dock)
• Solomon Labs (1-4)
• Spruce 38 Garage (Entry/Exit)
• St. Leonard’s Court (roof, rear)
• Steinberg Conference Center
• Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall (Joe’s Café)
• Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall (trolley)
• Stellar-Chance Labs (loading dock)
• Stellar-Chance Labs (main entrance)
• Stellar-Chance Labs (roof–rear)
• Stellar-Chance Labs (roof–front)
• Tandem Accelerator Laboratory
• Translational Research Labs, 30th St. (lower level South)
• Translational Research Labs, 30th St. (lower level North)
• Translational Research Labs, 31st St.
• Translational Research Labs, 31st St. (upper level)
• University Meeting & Guesthouse Courtyard
• University Meeting & Guesthouse Parking Lot
• Van Pelt-Dietrich Library (Button)
• Van Pelt-Dietrich Library (Ben Statue)
• Van Pelt-Dietrich Library (Mark’s Café 1&2)
• Van Pelt Manor (bike rack)
• VHUP (bike rack)
• VHUP (dog walk 1&2)
• W.E.B Du Bois House (Bike Rack)
• Weiss Info Commons (front door)
• Weiss Info Commons (rear door)
• Wharton Academic Research Building Bike Racks
• Wharton EMBA (loading dock)
• Williams Hall (bike racks 1-3)
• WXPN/World Café Live
• WXPN/World Café Live (SW side–lower level)
• 1920 Commons (38th & Spruce roof)

Penn Park

• Field 1
• Field 1 (bike rack)
• Field 2
• Field 2 (bike rack)
• Field 2 (NE corner)
• Field 2 (SW corner)
• Field 2 (north bike rack)
• Field 4 (South Street Bridge)
• Lower 30th & Walnut Sts. (1&2)
• Paley Bridge (1&2)
• Paley Bridge (entrance walkway)
• Paley Bridge (walkway to Penn Park)
• Parking Lot (SW corner)
• Parking Lot (NE corner)
• Penn Park (NE corner)
• Penn Park (North)
• Penn Park (Plaza)
• Penn Park Drive (entrance)
• River Field
• Ropes Course
• Ropes Course Maintenance Bldgs.
• Softball Stadium (bike racks 1&2)
• Softball Stadium (men’s restroom)
• Softball Stadium (women’s restroom)
• Tennis Center
• Tennis Center (Field 4)
• Tennis Center (Field 4 walkway)
• Tennis Center (Transit Stop)
• Utility shed
• Walnut St. Bridge (Pedestrian Walkway)
• Walnut St. Bridge (Upper)
• Weave Bridge (Bower Field) 
• Weave Bridge (East)
• Weave Bridge (Hollenback)
• Weave Bridge (Penn Park ramp)

Penn Medicine Cameras Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

• 33rd Street (facing South St.)
• 33rd Street (facing Civic Center Blvd.)
• 34th St. Pedestrian Bridge
• Alley between Pavilion and Penn Museum (facing South St.)
• Convention Ave. (facing Health Sciences Dr.)
• Convention Ave. (facing SEPTA station)
• Convention Ave. (SEPTA station stairs)
• Convention Ave. (stairs to Pavilion walkway)
• Convention Ave. and Civic Center Blvd.
• Convention Ave. and Health Sciences Dr.
• Driveway between Penn Museum and Lot 7
• Dulles Bldg. (bike racks-Spruce St.)
• Emergency Department (driveway 1-4)
• Emergency Department (ambulance entrance/exit)
• Emergency Department (driveway)
• Emergency Department (entrance/exit)
• Gates Bldg. (fire exit door-Spruce St.)
• Lot 7 Parking Garage (driveway entry/exit)
• Lot 7 Parking Garage (entrance from Pavilion walkway)
• Maloney Bldg. (entrance–36th & Spruce Sts.)
• Miller Plaza (adjacent to Stemmler)
• Pavilion (employee entrance)
• Pavilion (main entrance/exit)
• Pavilion (outdoor seating area, corner of Convention Ave.)
• Pavilion (valet driveway/patient & visitor drop-off entrance/exit)
• Pavilion (walkway between Pavilion and Penn Museum)
• Penn Tower/HUP Bridge/Civic Center
• Penn Tower Bridge (Hospital side)
• Ravdin Bldg. (Driveway–Civic Center Blvd.)
• Rhoads Bldg. (1st floor–Hamilton  Walk)
• Rhoads Bldg. (1st floor–patio)
• Rhoads Bldg. (basement–dock ramp)
• Rhoads Bldg. (loading docks 1&2)
• Rhoads Bldg. (loading dock ramp)
• Rhoads/Stemmler bike rack
• Security Booth (top of loading dock ramp)
• SEPTA walkway
• Spruce St. between 34th & 36th Sts. (facing east)
• Spruce St. between 34th & 36th Sts. (facing west)
• Spruce St. (Maloney entrance & morgue driveway)
• Spruce St. (Morgue, Maloney Ground –36th St.)
• Spruce St. (west fire tower door)
• Stair Tower between Penn Museum and Lot 7 from Pavilion walkway
• Stair Tower to loading dock 
• White Bldg. courtyard
• White Bldg. (entrance–Spruce St.) 

Perelman and Smilow 

• 3600 CCB Building and Garage
• 3600 CCB-Ll01 (NW Corner E/W)
• 3600 CCB-Ll01 (NW Side E/W)
• 3600 CCB-Ll01 (SW Corner E/W; 
• entrance to Lot 51)
• 3600 CCB-Ll01 (SW Side E/W; loading Dock)
• 3600 CCB-L1 (NE Entrance)
• Civic Center Blvd. at East Service Dr.
• Convention Ave & Health Science Dr.
• Discovery Walk (between Museum and Pavilion)
• East Service Dr. & Health Sciences Dr.
• East Side of Pavilion 
• Emergency Department Driveway
• Entrance to Loading Dock (Health Sciences Drive)
• Health Sciences Dr. (outside loading dock–1& 2) 
• Health Sciences Dr. and Convention Ave (NW)
• Main Entrance
• Main Entrance Driveway along Convention Center
• NE Entrance
• Perelman (front door)
• Perelman (loading dock)
• Perelman Parking garage entrance (Health Sciences Dr.)
• PCAM staff entrance (Convention Ave.) 
• Southwest Health Science Drive\
• West Service Drive
• West Side of Pavilion

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

• Advanced Care Canopy (bench)
• Advanced Care Canopy (ED 1&2)
• Advanced Care Canopy (Trauma 1-4)
• Cupp Lobby (entrance)
• Heart and Vascular Pavilion (front entrance)
• Heart and Vascular Pavilion (rear entrance)
• Heart & Vascular Pavilion (rooftop)
• Helipad
• Mutch Bldg. (roof)
• Presby Garage (9 floors)
• Powelton Ave.
• Powelton Ave. (dock)
• Wright/Saunders Bldg. (main entrance)
• Wright/Saunders Bldg. (Powelton Ave. entrance)
• 38th St. (Healing Garden)
• 38th St. (Advanced Care Building)

3930 Chestnut Street

• 39th & Chestnut Streets (intersection)
• Front Main Entrance
• Loading Dock Entrance
• Patio Seating Area
• Parking Lot Bike Rack
• Parking Lot (Front) 
• Parking Lot (Rear) 
• Substation #4

Nancy Bonini, the Florence R.C. Murray Professor of Biology the School of Arts & Sciences with a secondary appointment in cell and molecular biology in the Perelman School of Medicine, and colleagues from Stanford University, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), VIB-UAntwerp Center for Molecular Neurology, and the Mayo Clinic, have received the seventh annual Sean M. Healey International Prize for Innovation in ALS. 

The honor, given by the Sean M. Healey & AMG Center for ALS at Mass General Brigham, recognized the team’s discovery that “nucleotide-repeat expansions can cause ALS, revealing disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets.”

Specifically, Dr. Bonini and Aaron Gitler of Stanford discovered that repeat expansions in a gene called ataxin-2 can cause ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Their colleagues—Rosa Rademakers of the Mayo Clinic and the NIA’s Bryan Traynor—independently identified the most common genetic cause of ALS and frontotemporal dementia as the hexanucleotide repeat expansion in a gene called C9ORF72. 

“This prize underscores the importance of discovery-driven research and international collaboration,” the honorees noted in an announcement. “We hope that our findings will open up new possibilities for understanding the causes of ALS. Inspired by this recognition, we will redouble our efforts to uncover the mechanisms of this devastating disease and to develop new strategies for effective therapies.”

For more about the award, which was presented at the 36th International Symposium on ALS/MND, visit https://www.massgeneral.org/neurology/als/news/seventh-annual-sean-m-healey-international-prize-for-innovation-in-als-awarded.  

Aleena Defreitas, a second-year Penn Dental Medicine student in the combined doctor of dental medicine/master of science in oral biology (DMD/MSOB) program, has been elected to serve as a councilor on the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AAODCR) National Student Research Group (NSRG) Board.

AADOCR NSRG is a student-run national organization that represents dental students with an interest in research across all stages of training. The group’s mission is to foster a strong research culture within dental education by providing career development, leadership, and networking opportunities, as well as a national platform for student researchers.

As a councilor, Ms. Defreitas will serve on the national board and help represent student members by supporting local student research group chapters, promoting student engagement in research, and contributing to initiatives that advance dental research and academic dentistry. Through this leadership role, she will work alongside nationally elected officers to help strengthen collaboration among dental schools and encourage students to take active roles in addressing current and future challenges in oral health research. She aims to expand research exposure and opportunities for dental and predental students, bridging the gap between clinical practice and the scientific innovations that drive improved patient care.

Ms. Defreitas’ journey at Penn Dental Medicine began in 2021 through the master of oral health sciences (MOHS) program. She discovered her passion for research during this time, joining the lab of Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia, a professor in the department of basic & translational science. Ms. Defreitas entered Penn Dental Medicine’s DMD program in 2024, and in her first year, she was accepted into the basic and translational sciences honors program. Since then, she has contributed to multiple projects that investigate periodontal disease and strategies to improve oral health outcomes. 

“Research completely changed the way I see dentistry,” said Ms. Defreitas. “If I can help even one student realize that innovation, access to care, and better patient outcomes all start with someone asking a question, then I’ve done my job.”

Through mentorship, programming, and collaboration with faculty, Ms. Defreitas aims to foster a culture of inquiry and discovery among dental students nationwide. She has already presented her work at national conferences and developed initiatives to bring predental students into research environments with the goal of ensuring that the next generation of clinicians also sees themselves as contributors to scientific advancement.

Ryan Hynd, a professor of mathematics in the School of Arts & Sciences, was selected to give the 2026 Hrabowski-Gates-Tapia-McBay (HGTM) Lecture, which he delivered at this year’s Joint Mathematics Meetings, held on January 4-7. The HGTM Lecture is an annual award and a talk that funds honorees to deliver a lecture on the topic of their choosing.

The award is presented by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), and American Mathematical Society (AMS). In an announcement, the organizations noted that the honor of giving the lecture is “presented annually to an individual who helps to systematically recruit, welcome, encourage, mentor, and support individuals from underrepresented groups in the U.S.”

Launched in 2016, the HGTM Lecture is named after four prominent scientists of color: Freeman Hrabowski, president emeritus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Sylvester J. Gates, Jr., University of Maryland, College Park; Richard Tapia, Rice University; and Shirley McBay, founder and former president of Quality Education for Minorities. It became a jointly sponsored event in 2018, garnering the backing of the three organizations now involved.

Dr. Hynd’s research falls within a branch of mathematics called partial differential equations, with a focus on how those crop up in models like fluid mechanics, control theory, finance, and with eigenvalue problems. His HGTM Lecture focused on geometry, spotlighting the Reuleaux polyhedra, a three-dimensional shape formed by congruent spheres intersecting.

Sharon Y. Irving, a nationally recognized leader in pediatric critical care and nutrition science, has been named the 2026 recipient of Penn Nursing’s prestigious Norma M. Lang Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy. The award, given biennially to a Penn Nursing faculty member or a graduate from the school’s doctoral program who has made a distinguished contribution to nursing through scholarly practice, honors Norma M. Lang, a professor and dean emerita of Penn Nursing, for her world-renowned contributions to health policy and practice.

Dr. Irving, who is the Miriam Stirl Endowed Term Chair in Nutrition, a professor of pediatric nursing in Penn Nursing’s department of family and community health, and a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), has an outstanding record of clinical practice, research, scholarship, and leadership. She is well-respected and admired by her colleagues for her exemplary practice, the application of research to support best practices, and the advancement of pediatric clinical care and nutrition support for critically ill children across local, national, and global contexts. Throughout her career, Dr. Irving has redefined what it means to be a nurse scholar, clinician-scientist, and leader. Her research has transformed pediatric critical care and nutrition practices; her policy leadership has elevated nursing’s voice in interdisciplinary science; and her teaching and mentorship have shaped generations of nurses and scholars who now carry forward her vision of equity-driven, evidence-based practice.

Dr. Irving’s leadership extends beyond the bedside and classroom. She currently serves as president-elect of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN)—the first nurse, first nurse practitioner, and first woman of African American heritage to hold this position. Later this year, she will assume the role of president, then past-president in 2027, with her term ending in 2028. Her election to this role is a testament to her national influence and her commitment to advancing interdisciplinary collaboration and evidence-based policy in nutrition support. Dr. Irving’s work in policy is exemplified by her contributions to national guideline development through SCCM and ASPEN, including the Glycemic Management Guidelines and Nutrition Support Guidelines for Pediatric Critically Ill Patients. She embodies the legacy of Norma M. Lang through her visionary leadership, interdisciplinary scholarship, and unwavering commitment to improving health outcomes for children and families.

The 9th Norma M. Lang Lecture honoring Dr. Irving will take place on Monday, April 27, 2026, from 3–5 p.m. in Fagin Hall in the Ann L. Roy Auditorium.

The Marc Sanders Foundation and Oxford Studies in Epistemology have awarded Errol Lord, a professor of philosophy in the School of Arts & Sciences, the 2025 Sanders Prize in Epistemology for his paper “Aestheticizing Epistemology.” Along with a cash prize, the honor also includes the publication of Dr. Lord’s paper in Oxford Studies in Epistemology, a prestigious academic book series released every other year by Oxford University Press.

In a statement, the Sanders Prize’s judges praised Dr. Lord’s approach to epistemology, the branch of philosophy that studies and analyzes knowledge as a concept. His paper wrestles with the “value of true belief,” as well as questions around the “value of understanding” and our pursuit of it. “These questions are addressed directly, and the answers offered in terms of aesthetic value are both surprising and compelling,” the judges said. “We expect that this profoundly interesting paper will spark an enormous amount of interest in epistemology over the coming years.”

Dr. Lord’s work spans many areas of normative philosophy, including ethical theory, epistemology, and aesthetics. He previously received the Sanders Prize in Metaethics in 2013, when he was at Franklin & Marshall College. That award, which is separate from the Sanders Prize in Epistemology, recognizes work by younger scholars in the field.

Anna Papafragou, a professor in the department of linguistics and associate director of research in MindCORE, has been named a 2026 fellow of the Cognitive Science Society. The honor, given to just six people this year, recognizes individuals whose research has “exhibited sustained excellence and had sustained impact on the Cognitive Science community.” 

Dr. Papafragou’s research interests focus on how children acquire meaning in language, how language is used and understood, and how language interfaces with human perception and cognition. Her work has been supported by multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, and she previously served as president of the Cognitive Science Society. She has co-edited the Oxford Handbook of the Mental Lexicon is currently the associate editor of both cognition and language learning and development, and.

For the full list of 2026 fellows, visit https://cognitivesciencesociety.org/fellows/.

In partnership with the American Center for Asian Students and Penn’s Center for East Asian Studies, the Penn Museum gallops into the Year of the Horse with its 45th annual CultureFest! Lunar New Year on Saturday, January 31, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

CultureFest! features live traditional and contemporary dance performances, storytelling, art-making, educational workshops, Tai Chi, and a marketplace. The grand finale will be marked by a Lion Dance, which has grown to become an annual family favorite event.

“The Lunar New Year celebration at the Penn Museum highlights the power of culture and education to bring people together,” said Holly Meng, president and CEO of the American Center for Asian Students. “Through our partnership, we are activating global traditions in a world-class museum setting—connecting history with contemporary life and fostering cross-cultural understanding, renewal, and shared purpose.”

The lineup for CultureFest! Lunar New Year includes:

• “Dotting the Eye” ceremony and welcome remarks in Harrison Auditorium at 11 a.m.
• Great Wall Chinese School, Penn Chinese Dance Club, and Guanghua Chinese School dance performances in Harrison Auditorium at 11:30 a.m.
• Lion Dance Finale from Lee’s Lion Club in Warden Garden at 3:50 p.m.

“For more than four decades, CultureFest! Lunar New Year has been the crowning achievement of our public programming,” said Tena Thomason, associate director of public engagement at the Penn Museum. “Working alongside our community partners, we are proud to showcase the diverse customs that shape this celebration, such as lantern lighting, gift exchanges, and traditional offerings.”

As a welcome gift for CultureFest! attendees, each visiting group or family will receive a lucky red envelope—a Lunar New Year tradition—containing a special offer from the Museum Shop. 

All CultureFest! Lunar New Year activities are included with museum admission. Children ages five and under, teachers, U.S. military veterans with identification, ACCESS/EBT card holders, Penn Museum members, PennCard holders, Penn Medicine patients/families, and staff visit for free. 

The entire lineup can be found here. 

Conferences

24        2026 Sarah Best APALSA-ALR Annual Conference: Shifting Borders of Globalization: Trade, Investment, and Labor Migration at a Crossroads; brings together scholars and practitioners to examine how law and policy are reshaping the cross-border movement of goods, capital, and labor; 9:15 a.m.-6 p.m.; room 100, Golkin Hall; register: https://forms.gle/QVLcTQTvgKzZo6Jt9 (Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Asian Law Review).

Exhibits

26        Phil Parmet: Haitian Revolution; contains a selection of photographs by Academy Award-winning cinematographer and Penn alumnus Phil Parmet, who documented life in Haiti after the fall of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier in 1986; 5^th Floor Alcove (East Elevator Bay), Van Pelt Library. Through May 22.

Fitness & Learning

23        Summer Opportunities and Funding Resources Fair; a “one-stop shop” for undergraduate students interested in learning more about summer opportunities provided through Penn entities, including internships; 2-4 p.m.; Hall of Flags, Houston Hall (Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships).

24        Teen Workshop: Hands on History: Caring for Culture Through Conservation; high school students interested in art and science are invited to spend a day of hands-on activities with the Penn Museum’s conservation department; 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; Penn Museum; register: https://www.penn.museum/calendar/1555/teen-workshop (Penn Museum).

26        Penn Weitzman Alumni Association Professional Portfolio and Resume Review; current Weitzman School of Design students in their final year are invited to bring their resume, portfolio, or prepared questions for a one-on-one discussion with a practicing alumna/us; various sessions; full schedule: https://tinyurl.com/weitzman-portfolio-review-2026 (Weitzman School of Design). Through February 3.

            Summer Humanities Internship Program (SHIP) Virtual Information Session; learn about a 10-week paid program in which students work in arts, cultural, or historic organizations throughout Philadelphia, which is open to students in the College in their 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd years; 1 p.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/curf-info-jan-26 (Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships).

Graduate School of Education

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

27        Learning Analytics & Artificial Intelligence (Online) MSEd Virtual Information Session; 7 p.m.

Penn Libraries

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

21        Bookbinding Workshop: Case Binding with Jess Ortegon; workshop that will cover every step in the bookbinding process, from sewing paper sheets to creating and attaching covers; 4-7 p.m.; level B seminar room, Fisher Fine Arts Library.

22        Coffee with a Codex: Austerlitz Memorbuch; Judaica Special Collections cataloging librarian Louis Meiselman will discuss CAJS Rar Ms 778, the memorbuch for the community of Austerlitz (Czech Republic), dating from early 17^th century; noon; online webinar.

            PitchBook 101; join a workshop focused on PitchBook's content, navigation and personalization features to get you started with using the financial platform; noon; room 244, Van Pelt Library.

23        Studio Use Training; one-hour intensive session that is focused on proper studio practices to enable participants to use Common Press independently as an advanced user; noon; Common Press, Fisher Fine Arts Library.

26        Ethically Making & Sharing Data; session that will help assess the potential benefits and risks of collecting, analyzing, and sharing data and provide practical tools to help you assess data needs and assume an ethical data practice in your next project; 10 a.m.; Research Data and Digital Scholarship Exchange, Van Pelt Library.

            Assignment & Quiz Basics; learn about various Canvas topics, including creating assignments with various submission types, creating quizzes with multiple question types, configuring quiz and assignment settings, and using Assignment Groups; noon; online webinar.

            Exploring Handwritten Text Recognition for Manuscript Studies with 2025-2026 SIMS Fellows; will explore handwritten text recognition technologies for use on a variety of historic and archival documents for future in-depth research; 3 p.m.; online webinar.

27        Selecting a Data Repository: Finding a Location to Share Your Research; will help researchers become familiar with the data repository ecosystem to help choose an appropriate data repository to share their data set in; noon; online webinar.

            Online Zine Making to Support Time Management; an online, hands-on workshop where you’ll create a personalized study and project plan, designed as an online zine, to help you stay organized and maintain balance throughout the semester; 3 p.m.; Zoom webinar.

            Bookbinding Workshop: LJS 419 and Parchment Bindings; make your own versions of MS LJS 419, a 15^th century herbal from Penn's collection; 5 p.m.; room 623, Van Pelt Library.

Talks

20        Nonlinear Modeling, Synthesis, and Design-for-Additive Manufacturing of Smart Compliant Mechanisms; Mary Frecker, Pennsylvania State University; 10:15 a.m.; room 101, Levine Hall (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

            Molecular Precision Control in Multiple Dimensions: From Catalysis to 2D Network Polymers; Georgios Toupalas, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 10:30 a.m.; Carolyn Hoff Lynch Lecture Hall, Chemistry 1973 Building (Chemistry).

            Reimagining the Future of Global Development; Mark Malloch-Brown, Open Security Foundations; 3 p.m.; Perry World House; register: https://tinyurl.com/yf3ufs5r (Perry World House).

21        Applying Causal Inference Methods to Gynecologic and Cardiovascular Health; Julia DiTosto, epidemiology; 9 a.m.; room 05-131, 3600 Civic Center Blvd, and Zoom webinar; register: https://pennmedicine.zoom.us/j/98976330974 (Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics).

            Better Algorithms for Better Neighbors; Erik Waingarten, computer & information science; noon; room 414, Gutmann Hall (AI-Enabled Systems: Safe, Explainable, and Trustworthy Center).

            The Quantum Valley Hall Effect and Topological Valleytronics; Jun Zhu, Penn State University; noon; room 2N3, DRL (Physics & Astronomy).

            RNA-Guided and RNA-Templated Antiviral Immunity; Sam Sternberg, Columbia University; noon; auditorium, CRB (Microbiology).

            Venezuela: Perspectives and Insight; Tulia Falleti, political science; Amy Offner, history;

Angel Alvarado Rangel, economics; Robert Vitalis, political science; noon; Blank Forum, PCPSE (Knowledge by the Slice, Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies).

            Economic and Social Returns to Some College: A Cross-National Comparison; Paula Fomby, sociology; 3 p.m.; room 367, McNeil Building, and Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/fomby-talk-jan-21 (Population Studies Center).

            A Combinatorial Formula for Interpolation Macdonald Polynomials; Lauren Williams, Harvard University; 3:30 p.m.; room A4, DRL (Mathematics).

            Inward Bound: Horizon-Scale Modeling of Black Holes; Eliot Quataert, Princeton University; 3:30 p.m.; room A8, DRL (Physics & Astronomy).

22        Controlling Non-Equilibrium Electrons at the Molecular Scale: From Topological Molecular Wires to Field-Driven Interfacial Catalysis; Liang Li, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 10:30 a.m.; Carolyn Hoff Lynch Lecture Hall, Chemistry 1973 Building (Chemistry).

            Climate by Proxy: A History of Studying Past and Future Climates; Melissa Charenko, history & sociology of science; noon; room 109, Leidy Laboratory, and Zoom webinar; info: https://tinyurl.com/charenko-talk-jan-22 (Biology).

            Drug Arrest Diversion; Panka Bencsik, Vanderbilt University; noon; room 403, McNeil Building; RSVP: breyanam@sas.upenn.edu (Criminology).

            Entanglement and Its Limits: Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Twenty-First Century France; Mendel Kranz, Katz Center; noon; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/kranz-talk-jan-22 (Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies).

            Race, Academic Approaches, and the City; Michael O'Bryan, Humanature; noon; room 113, Van Pelt Library, and Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/obryan-talk-jan-22 (Asian American Studies).

            A Continuum Beck-Type Theorem for Hyperplanes; Paige Bright, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 3:30 p.m.; room 4E9, DRL (Mathematics).

            Out of Joint: Subaltern Temporalities and the Chronotope of the Night in Ovid’s Amores 1; Jeff Ulrich, Rutgers University; 4:45 p.m.; room 402, Cohen Hall (Classical Studies).

            How to Be in a Transition; Rachel Haidu, University of Rochester; 5 p.m.; room 113, Jaffe Building (History of Art).

            (Ad)Just Recovery: Facing Climate Migration Inequities; Kofi Boone, North Carolina State University; 6:30 p.m.; Kleinman Energy Forum, Fisher Fine Arts Library (Landscape Architecture).

23        Bilingual Grammars and Representations Through the Lens of Variation; Rena Torres Cacoullos, Pennsylvania State University; 10:15 a.m.; room 110, Annenberg School, and Zoom webinar; info: https://tinyurl.com/cacoullos-talk-jan-23 (Linguistics).

            C is for Collective: The Political Work of Wanda Gág; Alicia Meyer, Kislak Center; noon; online webinar; register: https://libcal.library.upenn.edu/calendar/kislak/gag (Penn Libraries).

            Test Items & Long-Run Outcomes; Viviana Rodriguez, University of Texas at San Antonio; noon; room 259, GSE (Graduate School of Education).

            A Novel PHF6-PHIP Chromatin Complex Represses Leukemia Stemness; Aishwarya Pawar, cancer biology; 1 p.m.; Austrian Auditorium, CRB (Genetics).

26        Nurturing Diversity in Science As Resistance; Mao-Mei Liu, University of California, Berkeley; noon; room 403, McNeil Building (Population Studies Center).

            Convex Optimization; Stephen Boyd, Stanford University; 3 p.m.; Glandt Forum, Singh Center for Nanotechnology (Electrical & Systems Engineering).

27        Constitutive Modeling of Rubbery Networks: From Microscale Physics to Macroscopic Behavior; Laurence Brassart, Oxford University; 10:15 a.m.; room 101, Levine Hall (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

            Implementing a Low-Carbon Future: Climate Leadership in Chinese Cities; Weila Gong, University of California San Diego; 12:15 p.m.; room 418, PCPSE (Center for the Study of Contemporary China).

            Matching with Very Costly Transfers; Georg Nöldeke, University of Basel; 4 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE (Economics).

This is an update to the January AT PENN calendar, which is online now. To submit events for future AT PENN calendars or weekly 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 January 5-11, 2026. The Crime Reports are available at: https://almanac.upenn.edu/sections/crimes. Prior weeks’ reports are also online. –Eds.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety (DPS) and contains all criminal incidents reported and made known to the Penn Police, including those reported to the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) that occurred within our patrol zone, for the dates of January 5-11, 2026. 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: 12 incidents with 1 arrest were reported for January 5-11, 2026 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 Form W-2 for calendar year 2025 is available electronically in Workday as of January 14, 2026. If an individual did not elect to receive only a paperless W-2 in Workday by January 9, 2026, the paper W-2 will be postmarked by January 31, 2026. It will be sent by U.S. postal mail either to the U.S. W-2 Mailing Address or U.S. Home Mailing address (in that order, if either exists), or else it will be sent to the Home Primary address, as indicated in Workday on January 9.

The 2025 W-2 form will display the recipient’s Social Security Number (SSN) in a masked format for security purposes. Only the last four digits of the SSN will be visible, and the remaining digits will be replaced with asterisks, such as ***-**-1234. This masking applies to W-2 forms sent in the mail, made available electronically in Workday, or via the ADP website.

Individuals who did not elect to go paperless for their W-2 may receive more than one W-2 in the mail. This is due to individuals having more than one state and/or local tax jurisdiction related to changes in address in Workday. If an individual’s W-2 prints on more than one page, each page will be mailed in a separate envelope by ADP.

Important Information for Tax Return Preparation

• W-2s since 2019 have been available in Workday.
• For step-by-step instructions to view a W-2 in Workday, the tip sheet Self Service: Access to W-2, W-4, and State Reciprocal Forms is available.
• W-2s in Workday will not display Box D Control Numbers.
• If Control Numbers to import to an electronic tax preparation service are needed, please contact the Solution Center online, by phone (215) 898-7372, or by email solutioncenter@upenn.edu.
• W-2s are also available through the University’s tax information management vendor, ADP W-2 Services (please see below).
• Use the ADP site to access individual tax information for the current year and the prior two years.
• For copies of W-2 for tax years earlier than those available in Workday or ADP, contact the Penn Employee Solution Center.
• See additional resources on the Division of Finance Tax web page. University of Pennsylvania staff are not authorized to provide personal tax advice. Please consult with a qualified tax specialist or the IRS.

ADP Self-Authentication Instructions for W-2 Access 

• Visit the ADP Self-Service Registration web page to create an ADP account.
• Click on “I have a registration code”
• Enter registration code: Upenn-0020
• Click Continue
• Next, identify yourself by entering the following:
• First Name
• Last Name
• W-2 Services
• Year of W-2
• Control number—Employee ID: 23-1352685
• Control number—Company code: UPA1
• Zip Code—your home address zip code in Workday
• Employee Social Security Administration number
• Click Next
• The rest of the questions are personal to self-authenticate.

To view W-2

• First page will be the Dashboard
• In the upper left corner, click “Pay”
• Choose the year of the Tax Statement you want to view
• Download statement

Former University Employees with No Workday Access

• Former workers who do not have credentials to access Workday can access their W-2s through the University’s tax information management vendor, ADP W-2 Services.
• Use the ADP site to access tax information for the current year and the prior two years.
• For copies of W-2 for tax years earlier than those available in ADP,  please contact the Penn Employee Solution Center.

The 17th Annual Milken–Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC) is now open for applications, inviting education entrepreneurs to scale their most innovative ventures. Applicants for the 2026 competition will apply through Catapult, the Catalyst @ Penn GSE virtual accelerator, by February 11, 2026. Registration is free and provides access to over 4,000 articles, videos, and podcasts in the Catapult Content Hub, as well as expert mentorship and a global network of education leaders. Participants will advance solutions with the potential to transform teaching and learning worldwide.

The EBPC invites education and edtech innovators from around the globe to apply. Since its launch in 2010 at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE), the competition has supported ventures addressing critical challenges across learning, workforce development, and access—awarding more than $2 million in funding to date.

“The education innovation landscape is rich with bold ideas and determined founders tackling some of the most complex challenges facing learners and institutions today,” said John Gamba, entrepreneur-in-residence at Catalyst @ Penn GSE and director of the EBPC. “The EBPC equips founders to refine their strategies, strengthen their business models, and turn ambitious ideas into ventures prepared to deliver real-world impact.”

Michael Golden, vice dean of innovative programs and partnerships at Catalyst @ Penn GSE, added: “For nearly two decades, the EBPC has propelled education ventures that create lasting, system-wide impact. By connecting founders to deep expertise, strategic partners, and a global innovation network, we help transform innovative solutions into measurable change across education ecosystems.”

Past winners illustrate the real-world impact of the EBPC. Rézme, founded by Jodi Anderson, Jr., won the 2025 Michael & Lori Milken Family Foundation Grand Prize for its compliance software platform that helps justice-impacted individuals access employment, housing, and higher education. “The EBPC offers an unrivaled platform for entrepreneurs to refine their ideas, connect with mentors and peers, and gain visibility for their ventures,” said Ms. Anderson. “The experience has been invaluable in shaping our strategy and growth, and I would encourage anyone looking to make an impact in education to participate.”

Entrepreneurs worldwide are eligible to apply. Submissions are reviewed by a diverse panel of education leaders, investors, and industry experts, with proposals evaluated based on innovation, scalability, and potential impact on learners and institutions.

Selected semifinalists will participate in the Penn GSE Catapult virtual accelerator, gaining access to self-paced programming and mentorship from experienced practitioners across the education innovation ecosystem.

The 17th Annual Milken–Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition will culminate in a live pitch event in fall 2026 (location TBD) that will bring together finalists from leading education ventures to compete before a panel of industry experts.

The Milken family, several of whom are Penn graduates, embody the Ben Franklin spirit. Through successful educational entrepreneurship—from pre-K services through college education for working adults—as well as investments in educational enterprises, they have demonstrated a commitment to the leaders of tomorrow. In their four decades of philanthropic activities, the Milken family have made innovation in education—as exemplified by the Milken Educator Awards and National Institute for Excellence in Teaching—a cornerstone of their work.

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

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

If possible, please submit information by Tuesday, January 20, 2026.