April 14, 2026 Volume 72 Issue 31

The University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science (Penn Engineering) has launched the Futures Fund Partnership for Innovation, a $200 million philanthropic initiative designed to provide timely, flexible support for leading-edge research and educational advancements over the next five years.

The Futures Fund will provide seed funding to explore bold ideas, with the goal of enabling faculty to secure major external grants, launch startups, and develop new research and pedagogical collaborations.

By supporting projects at the moment when resources can make the greatest impact, the initiative aims to strengthen Penn Engineering’s ability to catalyze breakthroughs in science that address major societal challenges. When projects succeed, their returns are reinvested into the school, creating an ever-renewing engine that drives innovation.

“The Penn Engineering Futures Fund represents a bold investment in promising ideas that will define the next era of discovery,” said Penn President J. Larry Jameson. “Designed to accelerate collaborative, high-impact projects at the earliest stages, it represents an exciting new model for funding research.”

The Futures Fund will support projects across three key research frontiers:

• Human Health: Penn Engineers are advancing biomedical devices, gene and cell therapies, computational biology, and AI-driven drug discovery, helping to translate fundamental discoveries into real-world medical breakthroughs.
• Sustainable Infrastructure: Research in this area focuses on clean energy, carbon management, sustainable materials, climate-resilient infrastructure, and large-scale systems that support growing populations while reducing environmental impact.
• Physical Intelligence: Spanning robotics, artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and machine perception, Penn Engineers will enable new generations of intelligent systems that collaborate with humans and operate safely in the real world.

The Futures Fund will also underwrite the next chapter in engineering education, supporting new approaches to teaching and learning in an era defined by artificial intelligence and rapid technological change. The initiative will help faculty integrate AI into classrooms, develop and rigorously evaluate new digital learning tools, and expand opportunities for students to engage with real-world challenges while strengthening skills in ethics, communication, and leadership.

“The Futures Fund reflects Penn Engineering’s deep commitment to empowering bold ideas,” said Vijay Kumar, the Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering. “In building this durable, agile framework, we ensure that breakthrough concepts do not wait for opportunity, but are propelled toward it.”

The Futures Fund is supported by philanthropic partners, including Penn Engineering alumni and industry leaders who share the school’s commitment to advancing transformative research and education.

“Early-stage research dollars are the hardest to find and the highest in impact,” said Robert M. Stavis, EAS’84, W’84, a Penn Trustee and chair of Penn Engineering’s Board of Advisors. “At a time when federal and institutional funding is becoming more constrained, the Futures Fund steps in at exactly the right moment—seed capital that unlocks game-changing innovation before anyone else is willing to fund it.”

Penn Vet has announced two interim leadership appointments to lead its academic and clinical programs. Susan W. Volk has been named interim chair of the department of clinical sciences and advanced medicine, and Deborah C. Silverstein has been appointed interim associate dean and director of Ryan Hospital.

In their new roles, Drs. Volk and Silverstein will work closely together to support Penn Vet’s integrated missions of patient care, education, and research and to strengthen collaboration between the school’s academic departments and clinical operations.

“Drs. Volk and Silverstein are exceptional leaders whose combined expertise in translational research and clinical medicine will help advance Penn Vet during this important period,” said Andrew M. Hoffman, Penn Vet’s Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Penn Vet. “Their partnership reflects the strength of our faculty and our commitment to advancing veterinary medicine through collaboration and innovation.”

An internationally recognized veterinary surgeon-scientist and board-certified diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons, Dr. Volk earned her VMD and PhD through Penn’s veterinary medical scientist training program. A faculty member since 2007, her research focuses on the role of the extracellular matrix in wound healing, fibrosis, and cancer and is supported by multiple NIH grants and foundation awards. She currently serves as the Corinne R. and Henry Bower Professor of Surgery and is widely recognized for her mentorship and cross-disciplinary collaborations. Dr. Volk is a member of the editorial board of Wound Repair and Regeneration and serves on the boards of directors of the Wound Healing Society and the North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association. In 2025, she was appointed president of the Wound Healing Society.

Dr. Silverstein is a professor of emergency and critical care and the section chief of emergency and critical care at Ryan Hospital. She received her DVM from the University of Georgia, where she also completed a small-animal rotating internship, followed by a residency in small-animal emergency and critical care at the University of California, Davis. A leader in her field, Dr. Silverstein is known for her expertise in managing critically ill patients and for her commitment to advancing emergency and critical care medicine. Her publications focus on the diagnosis and treatment of shock states, resuscitation of unstable patients, and changes in the microcirculation in acutely ill patients. She has contributed extensively to the field’s scholarship as co-editor of leading textbooks, including Small Animal Critical Care Medicine and Textbook of Small Animal Emergency Medicine. Dr. Silverstein frequently lectures on small-animal critical care, and her expertise has been featured in media outlets such as The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, and NBC News.

As interim hospital director, Dr. Silverstein will oversee hospital operations and work with clinical and administrative leadership to ensure continued excellence in patient care. As interim chair, Dr. Volk will lead the department of clinical sciences and advanced medicine, supporting faculty, trainees, and research programs. Together, they will help align Penn Vet’s academic and clinical priorities, foster collaboration across disciplines, and advance the school’s impact in veterinary medicine.

These interim appointments follow leadership transitions, including Brady Beale’s departure as hospital director to become CEO of the American Animal Hospital Association, and Mark Oyama’s planned retirement as department chair following a one-year terminal sabbatical.

Penn Nursing’s Patricia Griffith, a practice associate professor, has been appointed vice chair for graduate programs in the department of biobehavioral health sciences. The appointment was effective on April 1, 2026.

Dr. Griffith brings an exceptional record of leadership in graduate nursing education, with deep expertise in curriculum development, faculty mentorship, and program innovation. As associate director of the adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner program and a long-standing course director and clinical coordinator, she has played a pivotal role in shaping high-quality, competency-based education for our graduate students. Her work advancing diagnostic reasoning, simulation-based learning, and competency assessment has influenced Penn Nursing’s local programs and national conversations in nurse practitioner education.

A dedicated educator and mentor, Dr. Griffith has advised and guided countless students and faculty, fostering excellence in teaching and learning across programs. Her contributions align seamlessly with the vice chair role, which focuses on strengthening educational quality, supporting faculty development, advancing curriculum implementation, and ensuring that Penn Nursing’s programs meet the highest standards of academic excellence and inclusivity. Dr. Griffith’s sustained commitment to educational innovation, mentorship, and academic leadership makes her exceptionally well-suited for this role. 

Timur Galen, MArch’84, MSE’84, has made a gift of $1.25 million to support future graduate architecture students at the Weitzman School. The gift establishes the Linda Genereux and Timur Galen Family Fellowship Fund in Honor of Peter M. McCleary, which, once fully endowed, will cover full tuition for an incoming graduate student studying architecture.

As an undergraduate at Haverford College, Mr. Galen enrolled in a variety of studio fine arts courses, including life drawing and sculpture. Mr. Galen also happened to be friends with the son of Ian McHarg, chair of the department of landscape architecture at the Weitzman School, and during his last summer in college, he worked as an intern at Wallace McHarg Roberts & Todd, Ian McHarg’s firm in Center City.

After graduation, Mr. Galen had a degree in physics and a portfolio of drawings and sculptures. Following a year each of teaching physics in Kenya and New York City, he applied to half-a-dozen graduate schools, in astrophysics and architecture, and was accepted to all of them. But professor emeritus Peter McCleary, former chair of the department of architecture, extended a scholarship and encouraged Mr. Galen to study at Penn.

“Peter was very influential in how I even got started in architecture school and in helping me shape my education,” Mr. Galen said. “I was able to afford to go partly because of Peter and the scholarship that Penn gave me. It seemed to me that my job is to, in part, enable somebody else to have the same opportunity that I had.”

Since then, Mr. Galen has built a career that touches on all areas of design practice. He apprenticed with Pritzker Architecture Prize winner and former Penn assistant professor of architecture Robert Venturi. In the early 1980s, he was a Henry Luce Scholar at Tokyo University, where he worked with Fumihiko Maki, another Pritzker Prize winner. After completing his professional apprenticeship, Mr. Galen explored real estate finance and development with Hines BPT Properties and Reichmann International, was general manager of Walt Disney Imagineering for the West Coast and Pacific, and was a partner and global co-head of corporate services and real estate at Goldman Sachs, where he led the development of architectural projects around the world. Later, as executive vice president of Related Companies, he helped oversee the development of Hudson Yards in New York, where he lives with his wife, arts professional and filmmaker Linda Genereux. He has taught at universities around the country, sometimes urging architecture students to understand the financial and cultural ecosystems they work in, and sometimes urging business students to understand the principles of design. He also acquired expertise in investment management while serving on nonprofit boards, including as board chair of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

Mr. Galen has long been interested in how institutional investments can reflect organizational values. His gift to Weitzman follows that same philosophy, with guidance that the endowment be invested in Penn’s mission-aligned investment options, reflecting the school’s commitments to equity and sustainability. “It was important to me that Penn offer this flexibility,” Mr. Galen noted. “My hope is simply that the gift supports Weitzman’s students and mission in a way that feels consistent with those values.  If the principles behind our gift have any traction among other Weitzman constituencies, that would be fantastic.”

“If architecture is to fulfill its responsibility in terms of public health, safety, and welfare, it’s essential that architects come from all backgrounds,” said Weitzman Dean and Paley Professor Fritz Steiner. “Timur’s generosity removes a barrier for future architects.”

Mr. Galen said he envisions the scholarship helping to bring young people with a variety of talents into the world of design. “I kind of hope it’s in support of people like me,” Mr. Galen said. “The person for whom architecture is the right trajectory but who wouldn’t be able to get there otherwise.”

Monroe E. Price, a retired adjunct professor of communication in the Annenberg School for Communication and “a towering figure in the field of international communication,” as the school said in a tribute, died on March 16, 2026. He was 87.

Born in 1938 in Vienna, Mr. Price was born into a middle-class Jewish family soon after the Anschluss annexation of Austria by Germany. His family escaped to New York City in 1939, then resettled in Macon, Georgia and then in Cincinnati, Ohio, where Mr. Price finished high school. Mr. Price earned his undergraduate degree at Yale University, where he traveled to the United Kingdom, Moscow, and Cuba (to interview Fidel Castro) as a reporter for the Yale Daily News. After graduating in 1960, he joined Robert Wagner’s mayoral campaign in New York, then attended law school at the University of Virginia Law School and Yale Law School. His early advocacy work helped found California Indian Legal Services and the Native American Rights Fund; he went on to represent Cook Inlet Region, Inc., a Native Corporation established under the Alaska Native Claims Act, and perform other valuable advocacy work for Native American communities in the U.S.

After graduating from Yale Law School, Mr. Price worked on the Warren Commission Report and served as a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart and as an assistant to Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz. He then joined the faculty of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he conducted extensive scholarship about Native American law, served as the deputy director for California Indian Legal Services, and served on Lyndon B. Johnson’s Task Force on Communications Policy and as deputy director of the Sloan Commission on Cable Communications. In 1972, he established a communications law program at UCLA. From 1976 to 1978, he was the court-appointed referee overseeing school desegregation planning in Los Angeles. In 1982, Mr. Price was named dean of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New York City, a role he held till 1991. There, he created the Howard M. Squadron Program in Law, Media and Society and published his research on First Amendment, cable, and satellite issues. 

He remained at Cardozo as the Joseph and Sadie Danciger Professor when, in 2004, he joined Penn’s Annenberg School as an adjunct full professor, splitting his affiliation between Cardozo and Penn. 

While at Penn, Mr. Price shaped the Annenberg School’s engagement with the world. In 2006, he founded the Center for Global Communication Studies (CGCS), a center designed to bring together students, academics, lawyers, regulators, civil society representatives, and others working in the media sector and give them opportunities to critically evaluate and discuss comparative, global, and international communications issues. Under Mr. Price’s leadership, CGCS supported research and dialogue that engaged complex social, legal, and political questions across diverse global contexts. CGCS conducted public opinion research in Sudan, provided technical assistance in Jordan and Thailand, and encouraged the intelligent development of media policies and new information technologies across a wide variety of settings, including Thailand and Somaliland. 

CGCS also fostered the Stanhope Center for Communications Policy Research, located at the London School of Economics. In 2008, the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP) at the University of Oxford’s Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, one of CGCS’s partners, launched the Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court Competition, an annual international moot court competition named in “recognition of Price’s lifelong devotion and outstanding contribution to the development of media freedom and the rule of law.”

Until his retirement from Penn in 2020, Mr. Price published, taught, and advised extensively. He authored reports, organized conferences, and contributed to numerous international communication projects, commissions, and centers, including projects for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation. He lectured at his alma mater, Yale Law School, served as a visiting professor at Cornell University, chaired the Center for Communications and Media Studies at Central European University, and remained an intellectual inspiration for those in his field.

“Those who knew Price remember him as a kind, open-hearted, and deeply curious person,” said the Annenberg School in a tribute. “He approached every person he met with genuine interest and warmth, and even brief encounters often grew into lasting connections. His generosity of spirit matched his intellectual seriousness, and both will be deeply missed.” Click here to read reflections about Mr. Price from his colleagues at Annenberg. 

Mr. Price is survived by his wife, Aimée Brown Price; and his children; his grandchildren; and his great grandchildren. 

Hardeep Dhillon, a professor of Asian American studies and an assistant professor of history in the School of Arts & Sciences, has received the Early Career Achievement Award from the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS).

This award honors scholars who have made outstanding and innovative contributions to Asian American and Pacific Islander studies at the early stages of their careers.

Dr. Dhillon’s research primarily investigates how legal status can serve as an analytical tool to study the distribution of rights, resources, and privileges in society. She is particularly interested in how legal status has been historically used as a proxy for race in structuring inequality in the United States. Her research is published in several leading historical journals and public forums, including the Journal of American History, The Historical Journal, and Modern American History.

Before coming to Penn, Dr. Dhillon completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the American Bar Foundation. She earned her PhD at Harvard University in history with a secondary focus in gender, women, and sexuality studies.

Sherry Gao, the Presidential Penn Compact Associate Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has received a Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to support her research on precision genome engineering and the discovery of novel products from natural fungi.

From life-saving antibiotics to powerful anticancer drugs, some of the most important medicines in modern history trace back to an unexpected source: fungi. These organisms are master chemists, capable of producing a vast array of complex molecules with potent biological effects. Yet scientists have only scratched the surface of this chemical diversity, and genomic studies suggest that most of the compounds fungi can make remain hidden and unexplored. Unlocking this untapped potential could reveal entirely new classes of therapeutics and transform how we discover and manufacture drugs.

“Fungi are remarkable producers of chemically diverse molecules, many of which have already led to important medicines such as antibiotics, anticancer agents and immunosuppressants,” said Dr. Gao. “But they can produce far more than we’ve been able to observe so far. Our work aims to unlock this untapped chemical space by using advanced genome editing tools to activate these silent pathways, with the goal of discovering new bioactive compounds and expanding the chemical diversity available for research and drug discovery.”

The MIRA program provides long-term support for investigators pursuing innovative and fundamental research questions. Dr. Gao’s lab is investigating a largely unexplored class of molecules in fungi called RiPPs—small peptides that cells chemically modify into more complex, bioactive compounds—which, like past fungal-derived drugs such as penicillin and other antibiotics, could lead to new therapies while also revealing natural strategies for efficiently building complex molecules.

“This award enables us to both build the tools needed to study fungi more effectively and apply those tools to discover entirely new classes of molecules,” said Dr. Gao. “By expanding our understanding of how these compounds are made, we hope to uncover new opportunities for therapeutic development.”

This work builds on the Gao lab’s broader efforts to develop advanced genome-editing technologies and synthetic biology approaches that uncover and engineer biologically active molecules from microbes, with the goal of enabling new therapeutics and biotechnology applications.

Two Penn Dental Medicine faculty members have been recognized for their research by the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR)—Chenshuang Li, an associate professor of orthodontics, with the 2026 IADR Young Investigator Award, and Zhi Ren, an assistant professor in the department of endodontics and the Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry (CiPD), with the 2026 IADR Joseph Lister Award for New Investigators. Both awards were presented at the IADR/AADOCR/CADR General Session, which took place in San Diego from March 25-28, 2026.

The IADR Young Investigator Award is presented in recognition of significant contributions to the field of oral health research and is one of 17 IADR Distinguished Scientist Awards presented annually. Supported by P&G Professional Oral Health and Crest + Oral-B, the award is designed to stimulate basic research in all dental research disciplines among recipients who must be within 10 years of their last terminal degree.

A primary focus of Dr. Li’s research is on the functional investigation of molecules involved in tissue development and regeneration. She conducts investigations related to cleft lip and palate (CLP) and the extensive scarring that can commonly affect the growth and development of the jaw. She is working to develop a suitable animal model that replicates the craniofacial growth and development pattern observed in patients, with a special focus placed on extensive scarring after early cleft lip revision. “Such a model could help advance orthodontic and jaw treatment strategies, as well as tissue engineering options for CLP patients,” said Dr. Li.

As the recipient of the 2026 IADR Young Investigator Award, Dr. Li will also serve a two-year term on the IADR Board of Directors.

The IADR Joseph Lister Award for New Investigators is among the most competitive honors for new investigators in oral health research. It recognizes original, high-impact research in oral disease prevention or oral health promotion. The selection process is highly rigorous—only 10 finalists are chosen worldwide based on abstract originality and potential public health impact, followed by an in-person formal oral presentation at the IADR meeting.

The awarded research by Dr. Ren investigated how bacteria move within the oral cavity. Dr. Ren led a team of researchers at Penn Dental Medicine who identified a newly-discovered way that bacteria move through the complex environments of the mouth. The study focused on Selenomonas sputigena, an oral bacterium associated with severe childhood tooth decay, periodontal disease, and root canal infection. Using advanced imaging, computational analysis, and physical modeling, the team found that this organism uses a previously undescribed mode of motility to move through both open fluids and confined spaces found in the mouth. “This finding suggests that S. sputigena is a bacterial ‘super-swimmer,’ able to navigate a wide range of oral environments,” said Dr. Ren. “It may act as a ‘niche traveller’ across major oral sites, and possibly as a ‘body traveller,’ as it has also been detected in distant body sites including the airways, gut, and circulation. The findings highlight bacterial movement as an overlooked factor in oral disease and open new directions for studying and preventing oral diseases.”

In recognition of leadership in agriculture, health, and the environment, Penn Vet faculty have recently been awarded several state agricultural research grants.

The Penn Vet projects will investigate health issues affecting livestock, wildlife, and human well-being, including two projects designed to study different aspects of avian influenza. They amount to a quarter of the research projects that were awarded funding through this $2.2 million round of grants state-wide.

“Agricultural innovation is a top priority for the [Pennsylvania Governor Josh] Shapiro administration, and innovation starts with research,” said state agriculture secretary Russell Redding. “Pennsylvania is already committing $20 million to innovation. With these investments into the valuable research taking shape in leading academic institutions like Penn Vet, we’re going to compound on our efforts to keep Pennsylvania agriculture growing, strengthen our economy, and position our commonwealth as a national leader in agriculture.”

One of the grants, totaling over $69,000, will fund two projects studying issues involving avian influenza, a disease that has affected domestic livestock and that resulted in human spillover infections, and recently caused the large-scale die-offs of wild geese in Pennsylvania as well as some deaths in New Jersey.

In “Risk Factors for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Small Flocks,” Meghann Pierdon, an assistant professor of clinical production medicine, intends to study Pennsylvania farms with small poultry flocks, including their biosecurity plans and management practices. The project will involve site visits, biosecurity audits, and a structured questionnaire. Game cameras will also be used to capture bird and rodent activity.

The second avian flu study is “Reconstructing the Origins and Spread of Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Viruses Within Live Bird Markets in Pennsylvania,” led by Louise Moncla, an assistant professor of pathobiology. Through three separate studies, this project aims to “reveal key pathways by which H5N1 viruses are introduced and spread among wild birds, poultry, and markets and evaluate the risk that market amplification may pose to viral adaption,” according to its proposal to the state.

Dr. Moncla said she hopes that studying how these viruses are transmitted locally will uncover conserved pathways by which these viruses are introduced and spread in Pennsylvania, and lead to better outbreak prevention strategies. 

The study “Transmission Dynamics of Antimicrobial Resistance Determination Between Minor Livestock and People,” which was awarded $35,097, will look at health-issue crossover between owners and animals like their pet pigs, goats, sheep, and llamas.

 “We know that any use of antibiotics can result in antibiotic resistance, but we don’t know the extent to which it happens or if any antibiotic resistance that does develop is transferred to the animals’ owners upon discharge from the hospital,” said Laurel Redding, an associate professor of epidemiology and the study’s principal investigator.

The researchers involved in this project believe they will find crossover, and it will be more pronounced if the animal and owner have greater levels of close contact. “If our hypotheses are validated, we will use our findings to inform evidence-based recommendations for safer contact between hospitalized animals and their owners,” Dr. Redding said.

The other Penn Vet research projects are:

“Investigating the Use of Ear Punch Biopsies for Determination of Chronic Wasting Disease Status in White-Tailed Deer” by Michelle Gibison, a senior research scientist, is a study that aims to further the goal of early and accurate detection of a disease that presents a growing threat to deer populations across North America. It was awarded $39,827. 

The study “Artificial Intelligence-Driven Predictive Analytics for Early Detection of Metabolic and Inflammatory Disorders in Dairy Cattle” is by Nagaraju Indugu, a senior research investigator, and Dipti Pitta, the Mark Whittier and Lila Griswold Allam Associate Professor of Ruminant Nutrition. The aim of this research project is to decode behavioral signals embedded in rumination patterns to enhance health prediction and feed efficiency in dairy cows. It received a $39,254 grant.

Graduate student Sarah Oburu has been named on the 2026 Student Voting Honor Roll by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. 

Ms. Oburu, a director of Penn Leads the Vote, is a master’s student from Acworth, Georgia, at the Fels Institute of Government who is pursuing a master of public administration. She recently graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences, where she earned a bachelor of arts in philosophy, politics, and economics with a concentration in public policy and governance and minor in legal studies and history. 

This year’s honor roll includes 168 students from across the country. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student democratic engagement. 

Penn Arts & Sciences has named 20 students from the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Liberal & Professional Studies, and the Graduate Division as this year’s Dean’s Scholars.

The honor is presented annually to students who exhibit exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise.

College of Arts & Sciences

Naseebullah Andar, C’26, Mathematics, Economics, and Biochemistry; Minor in Statistics and Data Science and Creative Writing

Glynn Boltman, C’26, Political Science; Minor in Data Science and Analytics  

Nina Dilworth, C’26, Political Science and Economics; Minor in Hispanic Studies

Griffin Pitt, C’26, Urban Studies and Environmental Studies  

Norah Rami, C’26, Political Science and English; Minor in History 

Amanda Rodriguez, C’26, Art History and Latin American and Latinx Studies

Colby Alan Snyder, C’26, ENG’26, Physics & Astronomy and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Isaiah Weir, C’25, Classical Studies 

Ruiyao (Jojo) Zhu, C’26, G’26, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Submatriculation in Chemistry, Minor in Data Science and Analytics 

College of Liberal & Professional Studies—Undergraduate Programs

Carley Leedy, Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences 

Professional Master’s Programs

Sijie Chen, Master of Chemical Sciences, Organic Chemistry 

Graduate Division—Doctoral Programs

Kristina Donnally, Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World  

Claire Elliot, Religious Studies 

Maya Moritz, Criminology 

Ankita Reddy, Anthropology 

Harrison Reiter, Chemistry 

Marc Ridgell, Africana Studies 

Ran Tao, Physics & Astronomy

Ezekiel Vergara, Philosophy 

Zhiheng You, Economics 

Weijie Su, an associate professor of statistics and data science in the Wharton School and an affiliated faculty member with the Wharton AI and Analytics Initiative, recently received the 2026 Presidents’ Award from the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS). The award is one of the highest honors in the field of statistics and recognizes Dr. Su for his outstanding contributions to the discipline. 

Dr. Su was selected for his wide-ranging and foundational contributions to statistics and machine learning. His work has advanced the statistical foundations of generative AI, including large language models. His breakthroughs in privacy-preserving data analysis have demonstrated the potential to significantly enhance the accuracy of the 2020 U.S. Decennial Census. Dr. Su’s recent research shows that his methods could reduce noise injection by 15% to 24% while maintaining privacy guarantees, as reported by New Scientist. As integrity chair for ICML 2026, one of the world’s premier AI conferences, Dr. Su also designed an innovative, game-theory-based “Isotonic Mechanism” for author self-ranking that has significantly improved the peer review process in AI research, as featured in Nature Index. He has also made foundational contributions to convex optimization and driven significant advances in deep learning theory and high-dimensional inference.

Since 1976, COPSS has sponsored and presented the Presidents’ Award annually at its Joint Statistical Meeting to a young member of the statistical community. The award includes a plaque and a cash award and is jointly sponsored by the five leading statistical societies in North America: the American Statistical Association, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, the Statistical Society of Canada, the Eastern North American Region International Biometric Society, and the Western North American Region of the International Biometric Society.

In addition to his appointment at the Wharton School, Dr. Su also holds secondary appointments in the department of computer and information science in Penn Engineering and in the department of biostatistics, epidemiology and informatics in the Perelman School of Medicine. Dr. Su also serves as a co-director of the Penn Research in Machine Learning Center. He obtained his PhD from Stanford University in 2016 and received his bachelor’s degree from Peking University in 2011.

Penn has established the Vice Provost for Climate Science, Policy, and Action to lead the University forward in its mission to address a defining challenge of our time—climate change. Next Monday, April 20, Penn Climate will formally launch with an event open to the entire Penn community. According to Penn’s Vice Provost for Climate Sanya Carley (Almanac October 21, 2025), this gathering will be the first chance for a wide audience to hear about the research support, student fellowships, and programming that Penn Climate is rolling out.

The Penn Climate launch party will be held in the Kleinman Energy Forum on the fourth floor of Fisher Fine Arts Library. The presentation will begin at 4 p.m., followed by a reception from 5-7 p.m.

Those in attendance will hear remarks from:

• Vice Provost for Research Dave Meaney
• Vice Provost for Climate Sanya Carley
• Jisung Park, assistant professor, School of Social Policy & Practice
• Arthur van Benthem, professor, Wharton business economics and public policy department

Ellery Spikes, C’29, undergraduate student in environmental studies

Brief remarks will outline Penn Climate’s recently launched initiatives, such as research grants available to those working on big multidisciplinary climate solutions projects, postdoc opportunities, student fellowships, the upcoming fall 2026 Climate Week, and a demo of Penn Climate’s new website with tools for finding climate-focused faculty and a sustainable course inventory.

The 5 p.m. reception includes Climate Quizzo, a fun photo booth, and printing opportunities with the Penn Common Press. Sustainable menu selections and climate-themed mocktails will fuel the socializing. 

Dr. Carley offered further information about Penn Climate and the upcoming launch party in a recent interview:

Q: For anyone who is just hearing about Penn Climate, why should they attend the launch party?
A: Our launch party is such a great opportunity to not only learn about Penn Climate and our initiatives, but also to engage with the broader community here at Penn on the subject. So we hope so many people will come out and learn about all that we’re doing and engage with our community members.

Q: Who’s building Penn Climate alongside you, and who will be there at the launch?
A: We have a phenomenal team at Penn Climate and every one of them will be there to answer your questions and brainstorm about how you can become a part of this important community of people working on climate and environment.

Q: For someone who’s already doing climate work, but has yet to engage with Penn Climate, what should they expect to learn or discover at the launch event?
A: We will describe our “Keystones”—basically our key areas of focus, which include student programming and curricular development, faculty integration, and communications. 

Q: What do you want someone to walk away from the launch knowing?
A: How awesome we are! I hope people walk away from the event knowing how much climate activity is already happening here at Penn and how much we’re poised to grow going forward.

Q: What happens after April 20? What’s next for someone who gets excited at the launch?
A: We will release in the fall a call for student fellowships and a call for Innovation Seed Grants for teams working on big climate solutions projects that are multidisciplinary. We will have a faculty mixer coming up in May to bring those from different academic areas together. And, we will be organizing Climate Week in October. All of this will be posted on our new website, climate.upenn.edu. 

The 130th running of the Penn Relays will take place from April 23-25, 2026 at Franklin Field. 

Since the event’s return in 2022, organizers have continued to transform the three-day meet to deliver an exceptional experience for athletes of every level and for spectators alike. In 2022, one of the biggest updates was aligning the collegiate schedules for men and women, moving most of their competition to Friday and Saturday for both competitions. The professional reach was also expanded with new Olympic Development events. In 2023, organizers introduced a rotating format so high school girls would have the opportunity to feature their major events on Saturday (in alternating years with boys), putting an added spotlight on the next generation of talent.

“The 130th Penn Relays is a celebration of legacy, passion, and unbreakable spirit of competition,” said Steve Dolan, the Frank Dolson Director of the Penn Relays. “For more than a century, Franklin Field has been a stage where dreams are chased, and history is made. As we look to 2026, we’re excited to honor that tradition while inspiring the next generation of athletes to leave their mark on this incredible event.”

For more information, visit https://pennrelays.com/. 

Creating Canopy is an annual tree giveaway program for Penn and UPHS employees. It supports adding greenery to the greater Philadelphia region and has distributed more than 2,500 trees since 2011. The event is a partnership between Penn, TreePhilly, and Morris Arboretum & Gardens. As part of Penn Sustainability’s support of the City of Philadelphia’s Philly Tree Plan, priority registration will be given to Philadelphia residents. There is a limit of one tree per household. Addresses, zip codes, and registration times will be verified.

For full details and to register for a free tree, visit https://sustainability.upenn.edu/get-involved/opportunities/creating-canopy-tree-giveaway. 

Trees will be available to reserve on a first-come, first-served basis and only through online registration.

Priority registration will begin on Monday, April 20 at 10 a.m. for Penn and UPHS staff and faculty who are City of Philadelphia residents. 

Open registration will begin on Thursday, April 30 at 10 a.m. for all Penn and UPHS staff and faculty. 

The tree pickup event will take place on Thursday, May 7, from 3-6 p.m. Visit the Creating Canopy link above for details on location and requirements for pickup.

The Penn Staff & Community Choir spring concert will take place on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral at 19 S. 38^th Street. Tickets are free, but registration is required. Click here to register.

The Penn Staff and Community Choir, hosted by the Office of Social Equity & Community, brings together adults (21+) who are all Penn employees, Philadelphia residents, or both, to sing a range of music across genres and traditions.

Children’s Events

15        April Storytime; reading of We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow, a story about how planting trees makes the world a better place; explore how trees make the world go round and join us for a tree-inspired craft; 10:30 a.m.; outdoor classroom, Morris Arboretum & Gardens; free with arboretum admission (Morris Arboretum & Gardens).

Conferences

17        Center for Ancient Studies 15^th Annual Graduate Student Conference: The Countryside in Perspective: Rurality & Localism in Antiquity; 5-8 p.m.; classroom L2, Penn Museum; register: https://tinyurl.com/cas-conf-apr-17 (Center for Ancient Studies). Also April 18, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

            Earth & Environmental Science Graduate Research Conference; includes poster sessions, anniversary reflections on the history of the program, and an interview with Vice Provost Sanya Carley; 3-7 p.m.; Bodek Lounge and Hall of Flags, Houston Hall (Earth & Environmental Science).

18        Shaken Grounds: Untimely Thoughts on Psychic Life; students from anthropology and beyond will share and discuss ongoing work, building toward a collective conversation on the politics of psychic life; 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; room TBA, McNeil Building; register: https://tinyurl.com/wolf-center-conf-apr-18 (Anthropology, East Asian Languages & Civilizations, Wolf Humanities Center).

20        2026 Conference on Statistical Issues in Clinical Trials; brings together experts in the field to describe current frontiers in biomarker research; 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Smilow Center; register: https://cvent.me/WaWKqy (Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics).

Films

15        October Shadows: An Exploration of Trauma and Healing After October 7; produced and directed by investigative journalist Jonathan Silvers, October Shadows is an exploration of the trauma navigated by survivors and bereaved families following the events of October 7, 2023, and their journey towards hope; 6:30 p.m.; Rainey Auditorium, Penn Museum; tickets: https://tinyurl.com/october-shadows-apr-15 (Penn Museum).

Fitness & Learning

20        Ice Cream While Typing Away; a writing accountability session where participants can work on projects and enjoy ice cream/sorbet; 1:30-4:30 p.m.; room 303, Graduate Student Center (Center for Latin American & Latinx Studies, English).

21        How to Get a Job in a Liberal Arts College; Kate Thomas, English, will give a seminar on how to get a job in liberal arts colleges; 2 p.m.; room 135, Fisher-Bennett Hall (English).

Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships

Various locations. Info: https://curf.upenn.edu/events.

15        Marshall Scholarship Summit; an opportunity to learn more about the Marshall Scholarship, one of the most prestigious awards for graduate study in the United Kingdom; noon-3 p.m.; online webinar.

On Stage

Platt Student Performing Arts House

In-person events. Info: https://tinyurl.com/platt-house-events.

16        Quadramics Presents Mean Girls; Penn Quadramics presents a stage adaptation of the popular 2004 film Mean Girls, written by Tina Fey; 8 p.m.; Iron Gate Theater; tickets: $6-$12. Also April 17, 6 p.m. and 11:55 p.m.; April 18, 3 p.m.

Readings & Signings

15        Black Excellence: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Black Liberalism; Danielle Wiggins, Georgetown University; Marcia Chatelain, Africana Studies; 4 p.m.; location TBA (History).

            We the Animals; Justin Torres, University of California, Los Angeles; Heather Love, English; 5 p.m.; room TBA, PCPSE (Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies).

16        The Radical Spanish Empire; Jorge Cañizares-Esguerra, University of Texas at Austin; Adrian Masters, Trier University; noon; room 209, College Hall (History).

            Book Launch: Caste: A Global Story; Suraj Milind Yengde, Harvard University; 4 p.m.; room 109, Annenberg School (History, Africana Studies).

20        Law on Trial: An Unlikely Insider Reckons with Our Legal System; Shaun Ossei-Owusu, Penn Carey Law; 4:45 p.m.; room 240B, Silverman Hall; register: https://penncareylaw.cventevents.com/mrgGP1 (Penn Carey Law).

21        Sex Isn’t Real: The Invention of an Incoherent Binary; Beans Velocci, history & sociology of science; noon; Johnson Pavilion, Holman Biotech Commons; register: https://libcal.library.upenn.edu/event/16558979 (Holman Biotech Commons).

Talks

14        Metachronal Propulsion from Biology to Engineering: Lessons from Crustaceans and Their Robotic Counterparts; Monica Martinez Wilhelmus, Brown University; 10:15 a.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

            Hybrid Nonlinear Photonic Systems; Geunho Ahn, Stanford University; 11 a.m.; Glandt Forum, Singh Center for Nanotechnology (Electrical & Systems Engineering).

            Atoms & Algorithms From Simulation to Synthesis in AI-Driven Materials Research; Shu Yang, materials science & engineering; Nat Trask, mechanical engineering & applied mechanics; Vinayak Vinayak, materials science & engineering; George Hollyer, materials science & engineering; 2 p.m.; Glandt Forum, Singh Center for Nanotechnology (Materials Science & Engineering).

15        Are the Courts Captured; Kim Lane Scheppele, Princeton University; noon; room 100, Golkin Hall; register: https://forms.gle/7RMA4bXYSj194f7x6 (Penn Carey Law Chapter of National Lawyers Guild).

            Communism Without Communalism: Disurbanist Pastoral Between Object and Territory; Devin Fore, Princeton University; noon; room 330, Fisher-Bennett Hall (Cinema & Media Studies).

            Digital Twins in Cosmology: What the Universe Has in Common with Golden Retrievers; Bhuvnesh Jain, physics & astronomy; noon; Benjamin Franklin statue, College Hall (60-Second Lectures).

            From Kernel Machines to the Linear Representation Hypothesis for Monitoring and Steering LLMs; Misha Belkin, University of California, San Diego; noon; room 414, Gutmann Hall (AI-Enabled Systems: Safe, Explainable, and Trustworthy Center).

            Microresonator-Based Quantum Photonics; Yun Zhao, Stanford University; 1 p.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (Electrical & Systems Engineering).

            Holistic Ocean Life Monitoring and Exploration Systems: From In-Situ Robotics Observations to Global Analysis; Levi Cai, University of Colorado, Boulder; 3 p.m.; room 307, Levine Hall, and Zoom webinar; join: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/94772435044 (GRASP Lab).

            Palestine & Israel: The End of the Road? Yousef Munayyer, Arab Center Washington D.C.; Shay Hazkani, University of Maryland, College Park; 5:30 p.m.; room 135, Fisher-Bennett Hall (Middle East Center).

16        Turning Chaos into Control: Modeling High-Entropy Ceramics; Donald W. Brenner, North Carolina State University; 10:30 a.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (Materials Science & Engineering).

17        Specifications of D Derive Variation in Genitive Subject Relative Clauses; Mia Gong, University of California, Santa Cruz; 10:15 a.m.; room 110, Annenberg School (Linguistics).

            Contraction Theory for Optimization, Control, and Neural Networks; Francesco Bullo, University of California, Santa Barbara; 10:30 a.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (GRASP Lab).

            Addressing Violence Against Women: U.S. and International Experience; panel of speakers; 11 a.m.; room 100, Golkin Hall; register: https://forms.gle/AmKC6HuqbZKLREjz5 (Penn Carey Law).

            Special Briefing: War, Inflation, and the Impact on the Economy and State and Local Budgets; panel of speakers; noon; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/iur-briefing-apr-17 (Penn Institute for Urban Research).

            The Great Depression as a Global Crisis, 1926-1936: A Centennial Perspective; Stefan Link, Dartmouth; 2 p.m.; room 209, College Hall (History).

18        From the Nile to the New World: Pharaohs, Founding Fathers, and Egypt’s Influence on America’s Pursuit of Identity, Liberty, and Legacy; Mena Melad, Luxor Times magazine; 3:30 p.m.; Penn Museum; admission: $5-$10; info: https://www.penn.museum/calendar/1616/arce-pa-lecture (Penn Museum, American Research Center in Egypt).

19        Archaeogaming: Viewing Games, Past and Present, Through an Archaeological Lens; Michael Zimmerman, Bridgewater State University; 1 p.m.; Penn Museum (Penn Museum, Archaeological Institute of America).

20        Countering Maritime Security Threats in an Era of Underwater Mayhem; Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senate; Benjamin L. Schmitt, physics & astronomy; noon; Perry World House and Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/pwh-talk-apr-20 (Perry World House).

            AI is for Architecture; panel of speakers; 6 p.m.; Upper Gallery, Meyerson Hall (Architecture).

21        Cuboids: A Microscale Cancer Model That Retains Key Features of the Tumor Microenvironment; Albert Folch, University of Washington; 10:15 a.m.; Wu & Chen Auditorium, Levine Hall (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

            MIDDAS: Memory Integration and Data Dis-Aggregation; Shuhan Liu, Stanford University; 11 a.m.; room 225, Towne Building (Electrical & Systems Engineering).

            Platform Power, Regulation, and the Political Economy of Journalism in Turkey with Duru Su Kadıoğlu; Duru Su Kadıoğlu, Galatasaray University; noon; room TBA, Annenberg School; register: https://tinyurl.com/kadioglu-talk-apr-21 (Media, Inequality & Change Center).

Economics

Various locations. Info: https://economics.sas.upenn.edu/events.

14        Assisted Reproductive Technology and Fertility; Venera Albaeva, economics; noon; room 200, PCPSE.

            Pure Risk; Jay Lu, University of California, Los Angeles; 4 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

15        Smart Power Limits: Designing Shortage Mechanisms for Extreme Events; Mar Reguant, Northwestern University; 3:30 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

20        Intergenerational Mobility in Ottoman Istanbul: Evidence from Court Records; Metin Coşgel, University of Connecticut; 3:30 p.m.; room 100, PCPSE.

21        Local Labor Markets and Criminal Participation; Julia Reinhold, economics; noon; room 200, PCPSE.

Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies

Various locations. Info: https://gsws.sas.upenn.edu/events.

16        Queer/Trans Class Antagonisms; Kadji Amin, Emory University; 1 pm.; room 135, Fisher-Bennett Hall.

Mathematics

In-person events. Info: https://www.math.upenn.edu/events.

14        Holomorphic Lagrangians in Higgs and de Rham Moduli Spaces; Shengjing Xu, mathematics; 3:30 p.m.; room 4C6, DRL.

20        Introduction to Patching; Yam Felsenstein, mathematics; 3:30 p.m.; room 4N30, DRL.

Physics & Astronomy

Various locations. Info: https://live-sas-physics.pantheon.sas.upenn.edu/events.

14        Controlling Mechanics and Dynamics of Shape-Shifting Soft Matter; C. Nadir Kaplan, Virginia Tech; 3:30 p.m.; room 2N3, DRL.

17        Topological Transformations and Director Reconfiguration in Nematic Liquid Crystals Driven by Confinement Changes, Magnetic Fields, and Environmental Perturbations; Charlotte Slaughter, physics & astronomy; noon; reading room, LRSM.

Penn Libraries

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

14        Privacy and Artificial Intelligence; Ryan Calo, University of Michigan; 3:30 p.m.; Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion.

21        “We the People”: Revolutions for Everyone; panel of speakers; 5:30 p.m.; Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion.

This is an update to the April AT PENN calendar, which is online now. Submit events for future AT PENN calendars and updates at 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 March 30-April 5, 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 March 30-April 5, 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: 6 incidents were reported for March 30-April 5, 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.

Penn undergraduates and non-affiliates (including undergraduate students, high school students, postgraduate students, and trainees who are not affiliated with Penn) must take laboratory safety training before working in a University of Pennsylvania research laboratory. Please see the University policy for details: Penn Policy for Non-Affiliates Participating in Research in Penn Research Facilities.  

Penn undergraduate students must take laboratory safety training based on their laboratory and campus location.  Guidance on assigning training can be found here: https://ehrs.upenn.edu/training/ehrs-workday-learning-selection-guide.

Non-affiliated students who plan to work in a Penn laboratory are required to take Introduction to Laboratory and Biological Safety at Penn for Non-Affiliates. Students must register for either in-person EHRS non-affiliate laboratory orientation, available at the EHRS office, or online non-affiliate laboratory orientation (not both). Details are found here. High school students must also provide the consent form found here to the lab or program.  

Note: If a student continues to work in a Penn laboratory after the summer or their program ends, the student will need to take the normal Penn laboratory safety training curriculum, including Management of Hazardous Waste.

If you are a program manager, or have a large group of non-affiliates, and you want an in-person EHRS orientation, please reach out through prov-ehrs-training@pobox.upenn.edu to request this orientation. You do not need to register each individual.

—Office of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety

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

The University of Pennsylvania recommends Duo Mobile as a secondary method for two-step verification. Another option is using a security key. A security key is a physical device that you plug into your computer and is considered one of the most secure verification options available. Think of it as a digital “house key” that you physically plug in (or tap) when logging in. Even if someone steals your password or your device, they cannot access your account without the key.

Benefits of Using Security Keys

• Enhanced security: Hardware keys use industry-standard cryptography to verify your identity, making them highly resistant to phishing and hacking compared to codes sent by text messages or apps.
• Easy to use: After a short setup, logging in often takes just a tap—no need to enter additional codes.
• Works without cell service or wi-fi: Because the key doesn’t rely on text messages or apps, it remains reliable when traveling or in areas with poor signal.
• Prevents common attacks: Many security breaches happen when users are tricked into entering verification codes on fake websites. A security key won’t work on impostor sites, protecting you automatically.

Challenges of Using Security Keys

• Key loss or damage: Losing or breaking your security key could lock you out of your accounts. It’s recommended to have at least two keys—one primary and one backup—and to store them securely and separately. 
• Setup may seem complicated: The process is straightforward but may be unfamiliar. Penn provides documentation to guide you through setup.
• Additional cost: Security keys must be purchased separately.

Duo offers several options to help ensure your PennKey remains secure. Recommendations may evolve over time to keep you protected. Please refer to:

• Using security keys with Duo Mobile: https://isc.upenn.edu/resources/two-step-verification-enrollment-instructions
• Information about Duo Mobile: https://isc.upenn.edu/pennkey/twostep

---

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