May 5, 2026 Volume 72 Issue 34

April 29, 2026

To the Penn community:

President Jameson and I are deeply appreciative of the input that we have received on the proposed revisions to the University’s open expression guidelines, both in-person and online.

Recognizing that this is a busy time of year, and in response to feedback from the community, we are extending the deadline for online comments to May 29. Comments can continue to be sent anonymously through this online form until that date.

Over the summer, we will work with the chair of the Committee on Open Expression and the tri-chairs of the Faculty Senate to capture the key themes that emerge from these comments and listening sessions, which will be summarized and shared with the campus community, and prepare a revised draft of the guidelines to present at University Council in September.

Thanks to all of you for the substantive dialogue across our campus on these important guidelines, and with all best wishes for the end of the semester,

—John L. Jackson, Jr., Provost

On April 27, the School of Arts & Sciences announced the launch of the AI & Data Collaborative, articulating its vision for integrating the use and study of artificial intelligence into research, teaching, and engagement. 

A new SAS AI Advisory Group made up of three faculty with considerable experience in these areas will lead the coordinated, strategic effort: Bhuvnesh Jain, the Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences, co-director of the Data Driven Discovery Initiative (DDDI), and co-chair of Penn’s AI Council; Whitney Trettien, an associate professor of English and faculty director of the Price Lab for Digital Humanities; and John Lapinski, the Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Political Science, faculty director of the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program and the Fels Institute of Government, and director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies. 

SAS Horizons: Pathways for a Changing World, released in February, solidified artificial intelligence and data science as priority areas for the school. “These are fundamentally reshaping the parameters of culture and knowledge and are vital for both research and teaching,” said Mark Trodden, dean of Penn Arts & Sciences and the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Physics & Astronomy. “Thanks to the strong foundation established by the Data Driven Discovery Initiative, the school is already at the forefront of this work. The new AI initiative, led by this fantastic team, will increase exposure for students and create new avenues of expertise.”

Dr. Jain—who has helmed DDDI with Greg Ridgeway, the Rebecca W. Bushnell Professor of Criminology, since it launched in 2021—will be the school’s AI lead and advisory group chair. “This new initiative reflects our expansive and ambitious vision around AI, a strong complement to work ongoing at the University level,” he said. “Our goal is to support cutting-edge work in research and teaching across SAS while also helping to shape it, through innovation, collaboration, and an eye toward the future.”

Part of that undertaking centers around research, both about AI and on the effective and responsible use of these technologies. A series of projects, from a faculty fellows program to one focused on humanities-led initiatives, will address these questions. 

“In the digital humanities, we’ve been developing new methods that take advantage of AI’s possibilities while advocating for clear, thoughtful policies around its use and integration into our classrooms,” said Dr. Trettien. “It’s exciting to connect this work to the larger effort across Penn Arts & Sciences.”

In the setting of a university, this approach involves asking how these technologies have been influencing and will continue to influence education. For that reason, the AI Advisory Group’s second main focus is on integrating AI into both undergraduate and graduate-level curricula, to increase data and AI fluency with disciplinary depth, critical analysis, and experiential learning grounded in inquiry.

As co-director of the data science and analytics minor, Dr. Lapinski understands this charge. “Our undergraduate programs in data science have been actively evolving alongside a changing world, and integrating AI into that learning process is crucial,” he said. “Students are already developing a powerful combination of analytical, technical, and critical thinking skills that will serve them in any field. This work strengthens our ability to prepare students in all disciplines to appropriately integrate AI into their toolkit, both now and in the future.” 

As this work gets off the ground, the AI & Data Collaborative will also continue evolving. The AI Advisory Group will take the lead, helping Penn Arts & Sciences maintain its role as a leader in this space and positioning the school to expand its understanding and usage of artificial intelligence in research, education, and public life.

Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Scholarly Mentorship

This award recognizes exceptional mentorship to undergraduate students in nursing research, demonstrating leadership in building mutually rewarding relationships, accessibility, guidance, feedback, and fostering teamwork.

Antonio Dávila, an assistant professor in the department of biobehavioral health sciences, is a scientist, educator, and mentor whose dedication to undergraduate research mentorship has had a lasting impact on Penn Nursing students. Dr. Dávila is widely recognized for introducing students to research early in their academic journey and creating environments where curiosity, critical thinking, and collaboration flourish. As course director of Biologically Based Chemistry, he connects foundational science to real-world clinical challenges, inspiring students to see research as an essential part of nursing practice. In his laboratory and community-engaged projects, he mentors students in experimental design, problem-solving, and scientific communication while encouraging them to take ownership of their work. Students consistently describe Dr. Dávila as an accessible and encouraging mentor who balances thoughtful guidance with independence, empowering them to grow as researchers and professionals. Through his mentorship, many students gain confidence, present their work at conferences, and pursue continued involvement in clinical research. Dr. Dávila leads innovative clinical research on trauma and emergency care while actively engaging undergraduate students in meaningful scientific inquiry.

Dean’s Award for Strengthening Community

This award is for excellence in creating, promoting, and maintaining Penn Nursing’s values by cultivating an environment that recognizes, encourages, and effectively uses each individual’s talents. 

Nancy A. Hodgson, the Claire M. Fagin Leadership Professor in Nursing, is an internationally recognized nurse scientist whose work exemplifies the power of community-centered scholarship and mentorship. As department chair, Dr. Hodgson is widely recognized for fostering a culture of openness, collaboration, and inclusion. Through her mentorship, listening sessions, and intentional community-building efforts, she creates spaces where faculty, staff, and students feel heard, supported, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives, continuing to strengthen the Penn Nursing community and advance compassionate, evidence-based care. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Hodgson’s research focuses on improving dementia care by promoting dignity, reducing distressing symptoms, and honoring the care preferences of patients and their families. Her work bridges research, education, and practice, advancing evidence-based interventions that support individuals living with dementia and the caregivers who support them. Through initiatives such as Project COPE and her leadership in implementation science, she has helped translate innovative behavioral interventions into real-world care settings.

Dean’s Award for MSN-MPN-MSNS-DNP Scholarly Mentorship 

This award is for exceptional mentorship of graduate students in clinical nursing scholarship, including research engagement, publications, or scientific presentations—and demonstrating leadership, accessibility, and guidance, and fostering teamwork.

Effy Zhiyuan Yu, an assistant professor in the department of family and community health, is a nurse scientist and educator whose scholarship and mentorship focus on understanding how early life experiences shape health and resilience across generations. As a certified nurse educator, Dr. Yu has taught both undergraduate and graduate courses while mentoring students across multiple levels of training, including through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring program. She is widely recognized for creating research environments where students are encouraged to think critically, engage directly in scholarly inquiry, and develop confidence as emerging nurse scholars. Through her compassionate mentorship and innovative research, Dr. Yu inspires the next generation of clinicians, scientists, and leaders in nursing. Her research examines adverse and positive childhood experiences, parenting, and young children’s behavioral and biological outcomes, with particular attention to diverse communities. Supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Dr. Yu’s interdisciplinary work integrates nursing, clinical psychology, and social genomics to explore how maternal experiences influence parenting and children’s immune regulation. 

Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence–Undergraduate Level

This award is for excellence in teaching, including knowledge of subject matter, ability to stimulate student interest and foster professional development, innovative teaching methods, clear presentation, and accessibility and willingness to work with students.

Anne Marie Sweeney, a lecturer of nursing, is an outstanding clinician-educator whose teaching has had a profound impact on undergraduate nursing students at Penn Nursing. Since joining the school’s teaching faculty in 2017, she has brought deep clinical expertise and a passion for student learning to courses across the curriculum, most notably Nursing Care of the Older Adult, a foundational clinical course for BSN students. As associate course director, which makes her responsible for the course’s clinical component, Ms. Sweeney prepares students to care for complex older adult populations while building the critical thinking and clinical judgment skills essential for nursing practice. Renowned for her ability to translate complex clinical concepts into accessible learning experiences, she has integrated evidence-based teaching strategies such as the clinical judgment measurement model to strengthen students’ clinical reasoning. She has also helped expand students’ exposure to geriatric care through partnerships with local nursing homes, ensuring that all students gain firsthand experience caring for older adults in diverse care settings. Known for her approachable teaching style and deep commitment to student success, Ms. Sweeney inspires curiosity, confidence, and compassion in the next generation of nurses. 

Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Advising

This award is for excellence in undergraduate advising, including having a strong knowledge of the undergraduate curriculum; being willing to support students directly and to obtain information they may need to be successful; being accessible and serving as a resource; collaborating with others in the school/University to foster the academic, professional, and personal development of their students; and showing a commitment to engaging with undergraduates beyond the curriculum. 

Se Hee Min, an assistant professor in the department of family and community health, is a nurse scientist, educator, and advisor whose commitment to student success and well-being has made a lasting impact on the undergraduate nursing community. Dr. Min brings expertise in psychiatric mental health nursing, health disparities research, and advanced data science methods to her teaching and mentorship. She is widely recognized for her compassionate and student-centered approach to advising and is known for her accessibility, responsiveness, and genuine investment in students’ academic and personal growth, which includes helping them navigate course planning, dual-degree pathways, and professional development with confidence. Students consistently describe her as a trusted mentor who listens carefully, offers thoughtful guidance, and supports them through both academic and personal challenges. Through her empathy, dedication, and commitment to nurturing student success, Dr. Min continues to cultivate a supportive and inclusive advising culture within the Penn Nursing community. Her research examines mental health outcomes among middle-aged and older adults, with a focus on understanding disparities and developing data-driven interventions that improve well-being across diverse communities.

Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching–Graduate Level

This award is for excellence in teaching at the graduate level, including knowledge of subject matter, ability to stimulate student interest and professional development, innovative teaching methods, clear presentation, accessibility, and willingness to work with students. 

Kate Townsend Creasy, an assistant professor in the department of biobehavioral health sciences, is a nutrition scientist and educator whose innovative teaching and commitment to student engagement have made a significant impact on graduate education in nutrition science. Her teaching combines deep expertise in metabolic disease, genetics, and molecular nutrition with a clear and accessible approach that helps students connect complex scientific concepts to real-world clinical and research applications. Dr. Creasy is widely recognized for her thoughtful and innovative approach to online graduate education. Through intentional course design, interactive digital tools, and consistent engagement with students, she has demonstrated that virtual learning environments can foster meaningful connection, intellectual curiosity, and rigorous scientific inquiry. Students consistently highlight her responsiveness, clarity, and genuine investment in their success. Through her mentorship, dynamic teaching style, and dedication to building an engaging learning community, Dr. Creasy continues to advance excellence in graduate nutrition education. Dr. Creasy plays a key role in the Master of Science in Nutrition Science program, where she is course director of Advanced Micronutrient Metabolism and Omics of Nutrition Science.

Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence–Graduate/Doctoral Level

This award is for excellence in teaching, including knowledge of subject matter, ability to stimulate student interest and foster professional development, innovative teaching methods, clear presentation, and accessibility and willingness to work with students.

Liz Zorzanello Emery, a practice associate professor in the department of biobehavioral health sciences, is a respected clinician, educator, and nutrition scholar whose teaching excellence has shaped the trajectories of graduate students in nutrition science and clinical practice. A registered dietitian and certified nutrition support clinician with decades of experience in clinical care and education, Dr. Emery brings deep expertise and real-world perspective to the classroom. As assistant director of graduate nutrition programs and course director of several advanced courses, including Advanced Medical Nutrition Therapy and Advanced Micronutrient Metabolism, she is known for translating complex scientific concepts into clear, engaging, and clinically relevant learning experiences. Dr. Emery is widely recognized for her innovative teaching methods, using technologies such as virtual and augmented reality to help students visualize physiological processes and strengthening nutrition-focused assessment skills. Her teaching also emphasizes the social and structural factors that shape nutrition and health, encouraging students to approach care with cultural awareness and a patient-centered perspective. Through her mentorship, instructional leadership, and dedication to student success, Dr. Emery continues to inspire graduate learners and advance excellence in nutrition education.

Dean’s Award for Exemplary Professional Practice

This award is for excellence in clinical or professional practice and the integration of practice to scholarship and teaching. Excellence includes significant and outstanding contributions to professional practice through funded projects, publications/reports, professional and institutional and/or national leadership.

Patricia Pawlow, an associate practice professor in the department of biobehavioral health sciences, is an accomplished nurse educator, clinician, and leader whose work exemplifies the integration of clinical practice, scholarship, and nursing education. With extensive experience caring for critically ill patients in cardiothoracic surgery and lung transplantation, Dr. Pawlow brings deep clinical expertise to her work preparing the next generation of advanced practice nurses. As director of the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner program, she leads rigorous educational experiences that emphasize evidence-based care, clinical reasoning, and collaborative practice. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Pawlow has established a national reputation in acute care and palliative care nursing through her leadership, scholarship, and practice-based research. She serves in key national roles that help to advance palliative care education and competencies for advanced practice nurses and contributes to interprofessional initiatives shaping cardiovascular and palliative care training. Her work bridges clinical practice, scholarship, and education while advancing standards in acute and palliative care nursing.

SNAP Undergraduate Award for Teaching Faculty Award

This award is for excellence in undergraduate teaching, including subject knowledge, ability to stimulate student interest and professional development, clear presentation, accessibility, responsiveness to student feedback, and innovative teaching methods.

Ann Lawrence O’Sullivan, the Dr. Hildagarde Reynolds Endowed Term Professor of Primary Care Nursing, is a nationally recognized pediatric nurse practitioner, researcher, and educator whose teaching has had a lasting impact on undergraduate nursing students at Penn Nursing. As a seminar leader for The Nature of Nursing Practice and Situating the Practice of Nursing, Dr. O’Sullivan plays a vital role in introducing first-year students to the nursing profession and helping them begin their academic and professional journeys. Students consistently describe Dr. O’Sullivan as an exceptionally knowledgeable, kind, and compassionate educator who creates a welcoming and engaging learning environment grounded in curiosity, reflection, and thoughtful discussion. Drawing on decades of clinical experience—including her work as founder of the Teen-Tot Clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia—she connects classroom learning to real-world community health challenges and inspires students to pursue service and advocacy as central elements of nursing practice. By fostering open dialogue, absorbing students’ perspectives, and supporting their growth both inside and outside the classroom, Dr. O’Sullivan exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding teacher and mentor to the next generation of nurses.

Babara J. Lowery Doctoral Student Organization Faculty Award

This award is for demonstrating mentorship of PhD students.

Wendy A. Henderson, the Gail and Ralph Reynolds President’s Distinguished Professor in the department of biobehavioral health sciences, has been a fierce advocate for Penn Nursing PhD students, consistently championing their needs and success. Whether advocating for students in curriculum committee meetings, supporting the expansion of the Journal of Nursing Doctoral Students Scholarship (JNDSS), or leading PhD writing initiative workshops, Dr. Henderson has worked tirelessly to provide a strong foundation for doctoral students, helping guide them on their journey to becoming PhD-prepared nurse scientists. Her greatest joy is seeing the success of others—especially her mentees and collaborators—as they advance research that addresses social injustice and promotes health equity. Through her laboratory and collaborative research program, Dr. Henderson prepares the next generation of diverse clinical and translational scholars to use innovative and disruptive technologies to improve patient outcomes, with particular focus on nutrition, gastroenterology, hepatology, and genomics. As a primary investigator studying the brain-gut-liver microbiota axis and the chronic effects of stress on intestinal health, she actively involves doctoral students in clinical trials, laboratory methods, and translational science. Through her mentorship, advocacy, and commitment to student success, Dr. Henderson shapes the development of future nurse scientists and leaders.

GSO Outstanding Nurse Educator Award  

This award is for excellence in teaching at the MS/MSN and DNP levels, including subject knowledge, ability to stimulate student interest and professional development, clear presentation, accessibility, responsiveness to student feedback, and innovative teaching methods.

Jeannette Kates, an assistant professor in the department of biobehavioral health sciences, is a nurse scientist, clinician, and educator whose thoughtful teaching and commitment to student development have made a lasting impact across Penn Nursing programs. Students consistently describe Dr. Kates as a caring, reflective, and inspiring educator who encourages them to look beyond the classroom and consider the broader human experience of illness and care. Her teaching draws from years of clinical practice and research focused on improving quality of life and expanding equitable access to palliative care for individuals living with serious illness. Through this work, she helps students understand the importance of compassionate, patient-centered care while fostering critical thinking and professional reflection. Dr. Kates is also recognized for incorporating diverse voices and stories from nursing practice into her courses, encouraging students to approach their careers with curiosity, humility, and openness. An assistant professor of oncology nursing and nurse scientist in the department of medical oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, she continues to inspire the next generation of nurses and brings deep expertise in palliative care, oncology, and geriatrics to her teaching and mentorship.

Dean’s Award for Exemplary Service

Abigail Howe-Heyman, an assistant professor in the department of family and community health, is a dedicated nurse educator, researcher, and certified nurse-midwife whose service and leadership have contributed significantly to advancing the mission and academic excellence of Penn Nursing. This year, as chair of the master’s curriculum committee of the school’s Faculty Senate, she provided thoughtful leadership to ensure a rigorous and transparent review process grounded in high academic standards and shared governance. Through her participation in the comprehensive redesign and evaluation of MSN nurse practitioner curricula to align with AACN Level II competencies, Dr. Howe-Heyman helped guide transformative improvements in graduate education. Throughout her long tenure at Penn Nursing, Dr. Howe-Heyman has taught in the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner and Nurse-Midwifery programs, fostered collaboration to advance learning environments, and supported students at multiple levels of nursing education.

Susan Renz, a practice professor in the department of family and community health, is a dedicated clinician-educator and program leader whose sustained service has strengthened graduate education and clinical training at Penn Nursing. Her impact is most evident in her leadership of a comprehensive redesign of the MSN nurse practitioner programs, where she guided curriculum transformation across six specialty tracks to align with evolving national competencies and advance a more integrated, student-centered learning experience. Through her mentorship of program directors and faculty, she has fostered a collaborative approach to curriculum innovation that successfully moved through institutional governance and reshaped graduate education at a large scale. Dr. Renz also models a service-oriented approach to mentorship by actively engaging students as partners in course design and by expanding access to high-quality clinical placements, reducing barriers, and enhancing experiential learning. Her ability to build relationships, elevate others, and lead with intention has strengthened institutional priorities and contributed to a culture of excellence grounded in collaboration, shared governance, and student success. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Renz works closely with clinical partners to identify and evaluate high-quality practicum placements that expand experiential learning opportunities for students. Through her thoughtful leadership and collaborative spirit, Dr. Renz continues to advance the school’s mission while strengthening a culture of excellence in advanced practice education.

Jessica A. Strohm Farber, a practice associate professor, is a pediatric nurse practitioner and educator whose leadership has enhanced graduate program development and clinical education at Penn Nursing. Her service has been instrumental in advancing the redesign of MSN nurse practitioner programs, ensuring that pediatric and neonatal education reflect rigorous academic standards and the realities of caring for medically complex and vulnerable populations. Through her leadership, she has strengthened mentorship structures that prepare students not only for clinical excellence but also for innovation and systems-level thinking in pediatric care. Her contributions extend beyond the school through efforts to improve rapid response systems and pediatric transport capabilities, demonstrating commitment to advancing quality and safety in practice. By integrating current clinical expertise into her teaching and fostering a culture of mentorship that emphasizes both the science and humanity of care, Dr. Strohm-Farber has advanced institutional priorities and reinforced a culture of excellence in pediatric nursing education. Drawing on extensive experience in neonatal and pediatric intensive care, emergency medicine, and critical care transport, she brings a systems-level perspective to the endeavor of preparing nurse practitioners to care for medically complex children and families.

Patricia Pawlow, an associate practice professor in the department of biobehavioral health sciences, is an experienced clinician-educator and academic leader whose sustained contributions have strengthened graduate nursing education and faculty collaboration at Penn Nursing. Her impact is reflected in her leadership in the MSN nurse practitioner program redesign, where she has advanced a rigorous, evidence-based curriculum that prioritizes critical thinking, clinical judgment, and the preparation of practice-ready clinicians. Through her mentorship, she challenges students to move beyond memorization toward deeper understanding, equipping them to apply knowledge across complex clinical contexts. Dr. Pawlow has also contributed to institutional service through the implementation of holistic admissions practices that promote inclusion and create learning environments where diverse perspectives are valued. Her collaborative approach to faculty engagement and governance helps cultivate educational structures that support both student and faculty success. Through her leadership, mentorship, and commitment to inclusive excellence, Dr. Pawlow has advanced the school’s mission and reinforced a high-performing academic community. With a clinical background in cardiothoracic surgery and lung transplantation, she brings deep expertise to her role preparing advanced practice nurses to manage complex acute care conditions, while helping cultivate a supportive and high-performing learning environment.

Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award 

This year’s Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award was presented to Susan Bender. The Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award is the most prestigious teaching award in veterinary medicine. It is presented annually to a faculty member at each college of veterinary medicine in the United States. Its purpose is “to improve veterinary medicine education by recognizing outstanding instructors who, through their ability, dedication, character and leadership, contribute significantly to the advancement of the profession.” The entire Penn Vet student body votes on the recipient. 

Dr. Bender is an associate professor of anatomic pathology at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center. She graduated from the combined VMD-PhD program at Penn in 2011, completed an anatomic pathology residency at Penn Vet in 2014, and earned her MS in veterinary forensic sciences from the University of Florida in 2019. She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and has a clinical interest in veterinary forensic pathology. Dr. Bender is a co-organizer of Penn Vet’s Year 1 evidence-based veterinary medicine course and teaches a variety of different topics to students throughout the preclinical and clinical phases of the curriculum. She is also co-director of the anatomic pathology residency program at Penn Vet, deputy resident director of the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) at the New Bolton Center, and section head of the biopsy and immunohistochemistry services at PADLS New Bolton Center.

William B. Boucher Award for Outstanding Teaching at New Bolton Center 

The Boucher Award honors a house officer at New Bolton Center for excellent teaching, as was exemplified by William Boucher over four decades at Penn Vet. The graduating class votes on the recipient. The selection criteria include teaching skills, knowledge in the candidate’s area of expertise, responsiveness to the needs of the students, willingness to participate in off-hour seminars and discussions, and general dedication to New Bolton Center and to the veterinary profession.

Jessica Cathcart is a large animal internal medicine resident at New Bolton Center. She earned her BS in animal science and chemistry from Berry College and her veterinary degree from the University of Georgia. Her professional interests center on clinical teaching, mentorship of veterinary students, and the integration of evidence-based medicine into training environments. Her clinical focus areas include neonatal intensive care, liver disease, and emergency medicine.

Class of 2026 Outstanding Ryan Hospital Instructor Award 

Marc Kraus is a professor of clinical cardiology at Ryan Hospital. He received his DVM from the University of Georgia and completed his specialty training in internal medicine at the University of Georgia and his cardiology training at Cornell University.

Dr. Kraus has extensive experience in treatment and management of congestive heart failure, interventional cardiology, and cardiac biomarkers, and has collaborated closely with faculty at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Kraus has authored more than 100 scientific articles, abstracts, book chapters, and a book on ECG interpretation and canine and feline cardiology.

Class of 2026 Outstanding NBC Instructor Award 

Mary Jane (MJ) Drake is an assistant professor of clinical food animal field service at Penn Vet New Bolton Center. While earning her BS in biochemistry at the University of Richmond, she became interested in infectious diseases. After graduating, she pursued a PhD in virology at Penn, where her research investigated how emerging zoonotic viruses co-opt mammalian cells for their own replication. After completing her PhD in 2016, Dr. Drake continued her studies in veterinary medicine at Penn Vet, focusing on food animal medicine. She has been a large animal ambulatory practitioner since receiving her VMD in 2020 and joined the New Bolton Center faculty in 2024 following completion of the food animal field service residency. Dr. Drake is interested in the intersection of infectious diseases in food animal production systems and strives to improve the health of individual animals and the overall herd in her daily work. In addition to her passion for dairy production medicine, Dr. Drake also enjoys diagnostic imaging and seeks opportunities to incorporate ultrasonography and radiography into patient workups whenever possible. Dr. Drake is passionate about training the next generation of large animal veterinarians and equipping them with the knowledge and clinical skills to be successful.

Class of 2027 Outstanding Ryan Instructor Award

Ariel Mosenco is a professor of clinical medicine at Penn Vet.

A diplomate of the ACVIM, he completed his veterinary training at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his residency in small animal internal medicine at Penn, along with additional training in clinical nutrition.

He is director of the radioactive iodine therapy program at the Ryan Veterinary Hospital and has a clinical focus on endocrinology, nutrition, and feline hyperthyroidism.

Class of 2027 Outstanding NBC Instructor Award

Liz Arbittier graduated from Penn Vet in 2001. She then went into a busy equine ambulatory practice in southeast Pennsylvania, where she remained for 12 years. Her focus during this time was on performance horse medicine and pre-purchase examinations, though she enjoyed all aspects of general practice. Dr. Arbittier returned to Penn Vet New Bolton Center in 2013 as a member of the equine field service team, where she is currently an associate professor. In 2022, she was named the associate director of academics and community affairs at New Bolton Center, where she is heavily involved in all four years of the veterinary school curriculum. Dr. Arbittier focuses on the student experience at Penn Vet and has been involved with the admissions process for 17 years. She is the director of the Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education, which will open at New Bolton Center in the summer of 2026. She holds an advanced certificate from the University of Pennsylvania in applied positive psychology and is heavily involved with the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ recruitment and retention efforts. In her spare time, Dr. Arbittier runs HAARBOR Inc, a non-profit dedicated to the welfare of hospice and medical special needs animals. 

Class of 2028 Outstanding Lecturer Award 

Kimberly Agnello is a professor of small animal surgery at the Ryan Hospital. She received her DVM from Cornell University and completed a small animal surgery residency at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Agnello is board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. She also received a master of science from the Roswell Park Cancer Institute division of the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a founding fellow in minimally invasive orthopedic surgery at the American College of Veterinary Surgeons and the clinical trial liaison at Penn Vet’s Veterinary Clinical Investigation Center. Her research interests include clinical trials using the dog as a translation model of naturally occurring osteoarthritis and minimally invasive orthopedic surgery.

Class of 2028 Outstanding Lab Instructor Award 

Jolie Demchur graduated from Penn Vet in 2013, followed by a large animal rotating internship at the University of Georgia. She returned to Penn Vet for a residency in anatomic pathology and became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in 2018. Following her residency, she stayed at Penn Vet and joined the pathology faculty at New Bolton Center, where she is currently an assistant professor of anatomic pathology and section head of the autopsy service. Her primary professional interest is large animal diagnostic pathology, with an emphasis on equine gastrointestinal disease. Dr. Demchur is a course organizer for the Foundational Toolkit blocks in the second year, teaching general pathology in these courses as well as gastrointestinal pathology. 

Class of 2029 Outstanding Lecturer Award 

Rose Nolen-Walston was a professional dressage rider and riding teacher before she graduated with her DVM from the University of Georgia in 2001. She completed an internship and residency in large animal internal medicine at Tufts University. Dr. Nolen-Walston spent a year there doing research in adult stem cell biology in mice, then joined the faculty at Penn Vet, New Bolton Center, where she is currently an asociate professor of large animal internal medicine. Dr. Nolen-Walston received the Zoetis Distinguished Teacher Award in 2017 and the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award in 2014. In 2025, she was board certified in the specialty of veterinary clinical pathology and now enjoys teaching and practicing both specialties.

M. William “Bill” Schwartz, M’61, RES’65, a professor of pediatrics at PSOM and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), died on March 13, 2026. He was 90. 

Dr. Schwartz was born in 1935 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He graduated from high school in 1953 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and went on to attend Lafayette College, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1957. He received his medical degree from Penn in 1961.

Following medical school, he completed his internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami in 1962, then returned to Philadelphia to complete a residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in 1964. 

Dr. Schwartz entered military service in the United States Air Force, serving as a captain and base pediatrician at George Air Force Base from 1965 to 1967. After returning to Philadelphia, Dr. Schwartz completed a nephrology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia under the mentorship of David Cornfeld. 

Dr. Schwartz joined Penn in 1967, rising to become a professor of pediatrics before retiring and being accorded emeritus status in 2002 (Almanac May 7, 2002). He published numerous research studies and authored several pediatric textbooks. He also served in key administrative roles, including as assistant department chair and assistant dean of primary care. His legacy continues through an annual grand rounds lecture series at CHOP named in his honor.

In recognition of his extraordinary dedication to education, Dr. Schwartz received the prestigious Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 1978 (Almanac May 2, 1978). He also served on Penn’s Faculty Senate Executive Committee from 1983-1985 and received the Special Dean’s Teaching Award in 1997 (Almanac April 15, 1997), where he was praised for “30 years of contribution to the educational efforts of the Medical School, by developing innovative courses, including on the evolving applications of computer-assisted learning.” Additionally, he served for many years on the board of Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia.

Dr. Schwartz is survived by his sons, David and Charles (Brandie); and grandchildren, Mitchell and Caroline. 

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made on Dr. Schwartz’s behalf to the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia, 345 Montgomery Ave, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. 

The following agenda is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Any member of the standing faculty may attend SEC meetings and observe. Questions may be directed to Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee Agenda
Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 3–5:15 p.m. 

1. Finalize the Minutes of April 15, 2026, Meeting
2. Report from the Tri-Chairs
3. Call for 2026–2027 University Council Steering Committee Representatives
4. Update from Co-Chairs of Select Committee on Faculty Survey
5. Senate Committee Reports
6. Proposed Revisions to the Guidelines on Open Expression
7. Recommendations for the SEC Agenda for 2026–2027
8. New Business
9. Appreciation for Outgoing Past Chair Eric Feldman and Welcome and Introduction of 2026-2027 Chair-Elect
10. Passing the Gavel
11. Meeting Adjournment

The April 29, 2026 University Council meeting took place in the Hall of Flags at Houston Hall. Penn President J. Larry Jameson thanked council members who are graduating this year for their service. He also stated that Penn has made significant progress with its strategic framework, In Principle and Practice, as well as Penn Forward, a University-wide planning initiative. President Jameson thanked the Penn community for their support and advice. 

University Council committees then presented their year-end reports. The committees’ full reports can be found in a Almanac supplement on May 12. Presenters included:

• Olivia Mitchell (Committee on Personnel Benefits)
• Vincent Reina (Committees on Facilities and Campus & Community Life)
• William Burke-White (Committee on Academic and Related Affairs)
• Horace DeLisser (Committee on Community and Equal Opportunity)
• Philip Nichols (Committee on Open Expression)
• Roy Hamilton (Committee on Committees)

Questions were posed to Professor Nichols regarding the Open Expression Committee’s report and the ongoing process of finalizing revisions to Penn’s Guidelines on Open Expression (Almanac March 31, 2026). Questions and comments posited included requests for clarification of “unreasonable disruption”; requests that the University explore additional methods for collecting community feedback; concern about whether and how Penn cooperates with federal law enforcement; and requests for additional detail regarding the timeline for approval of the guidelines. Professor Nichols and Penn Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. encouraged community members to submit feedback about the guidelines through an online form and said that the committee and the Penn administration aim to consider all feedback and aim to finalize the guidelines in fall 2026. 

Council moderator Michael McGarvey noted that submissions of possible focus issue presentations for the 2026-2027 academic year are due on May 15, 2026.

Associate Vice President and Associate University Secretary Lizann Boyle Rode addressed topics presented during the open forum and new business portions of the March 25 meeting. These concerns have been shared with the relevant campus resources.

During the new business portion of the meeting, council member comments included: 

• Appreciation for GAPSA’s active role in University decision making
• Concerns about the proposed revisions to the Guidelines on Open Expression, including:
  • The timing of the period for comments when students and faculty may not have had time to review them as the semester comes to a close
  • The unilateral nature of the open expression observer role and a perceived lack of checks and balances in the new guidelines
  • Request for clarification of students’ rights under these guidelines, including the potential addition of an appeals process
  • Inconsistency of the draft guidelines with the pivotal role sit-ins and other disruptive forms of protest have played in Penn’s history
  • The relatively short timeline of revision and publication of the new guidelines, which may cause community viewpoints to be underrepresented
  • Concern that the proposed guidelines will disproportionately impact Penn’s marginalized populations and the surrounding Philadelphia community
• A call for communication of the process used to revise the guidelines

This was the last University Council meeting of the 2025-2026 academic year. 

University of Pennsylvania medical student Bayan Galal has received a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, a merit-based program that provides graduate school funding for immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States.

Ms. Galal is a second-year student pursuing an MD at the Perelman School of Medicine. She is among the 30 finalists chosen as 2026 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellows from more than 3,000 applicants. Each fellow receives up to $90,000 for graduate studies.

Born in Prospect, Connecticut, Ms. Galal is one of five children of Egyptian immigrants. Growing up between the U.S. and Egypt, she saw how structural gaps in health systems followed families across different contexts. In Egypt, she witnessed relatives navigate chronic illness in fragmented settings with limited resources. In high school, she served as an emergency medical technician, caring for patients whose vulnerabilities mirrored those she had seen abroad. Those experiences inspired her commitment to strengthening health systems for underserved populations, both domestically and internationally.

At Penn, Ms. Galal has led the United Community Clinic, served as a Perry World House graduate associate, and founded Providing Access to Health, a health navigation program supported by the Penn Projects for Progress initiative. Her research focuses on global health, including as a research fellow with the Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab. She is the national chair-elect of the student branch of the Association of American Medical Colleges, representing nearly 100,000 medical students nationwide, and is co-author of a chapter in a forthcoming textbook on leadership in academic medicine.

Ms. Gabal earned her bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and global affairs from Yale and her master’s degree in population health sciences from the University of Cambridge as a Marshall Scholar. She is Penn’s 26th Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow since the program was founded in 1998, according to the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) hosted its 21st Annual Urban Leadership Forum and presentation of the Lawrence C. Nussdorf Urban Leadership Prize on April 7, 2026, bringing together global leaders and scholars to examine the theme “Guiding Urban Futures in Uncertain Times.”

The annual forum recognizes exceptional urban leaders whose work is shaping more resilient, sustainable, and equitable cities worldwide. The 2026 Nussdorf Prize honors two distinguished leaders whose achievements span municipal innovation and climate finance:

• Mayor Kate Gallego, W’12, City of Phoenix, Arizona
• Josué Tanaka, visiting professor in practice at the LSE Grantham Research Institute and principal finance advisor at C40 Cities

Mayor Gallego has positioned Phoenix, Arizona as a global hub for bioscience, advanced manufacturing, and climate resilience, including securing $165 billion in foreign investment from TSMC, the largest such investment in U.S. history. Under her leadership, Phoenix established the nation’s first Office of Heat Response and Mitigation, advanced smart water use strategies, and strengthened critical infrastructure—making it one of the most sustainable desert cities in the United States.

Dr. Tanaka has more than four decades of leadership in development finance, environmental policy, and urban infrastructure. As the founding leader of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s climate finance initiative, he oversaw more than $42 billion in green investments across nearly 2,000 projects. He also launched the flagship €3 billion Green Cities program, now active in 46 cities across three continents, which advances large-scale climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.

In addition to the global prize recipients, Penn IUR co-directors Eugenie Birch and Susan Wachter and Penn IUR Advisory Board member Melanie Nussdorf presented the 2026 Lawrence C. Nussdorf Student Awards to three outstanding University of Pennsylvania undergraduates whose work reflects a deep commitment to understanding cities:

• Stefan Hatch (C’26)–urban studies and psychology major whose research examines housing policy through qualitative interviews with participants in Philadelphia’s Housing+ and Housing Choice Voucher programs.
• Layla Sayed (C’26)–urban studies major and incoming master’s student in the School of Social Policy & Practice, focused on housing, criminal justice reform, and education policy, with experience at the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania and ACLU-NJ.
• Yeeun Yoo (C’26)–urban studies and sociology major and Civic Scholar whose work centers on community organizing, food sovereignty, restorative justice, and mutual aid.

The student awards honor the legacy of Lawrence C. Nussdorf, a founding Penn IUR board member who championed undergraduate engagement in urban research and leadership.

The event featured remarks by Penn President J. Larry Jameson and Vice Provost for Research David Meaney, a panel discussion with the awardees and Sanya Carley, Vice Provost of Climate Science, Policy, and Action and the Mark Alan Hughes Faculty Director of the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, and closing remarks from Laura Perna, Senior Vice Provost for Faculty and the GSE Centennial Presidential Professor of Education at the Penn Graduate School of Education.

The Urban Leadership Forum convenes policymakers, practitioners, scholars, and students to engage in critical dialogue about the future of cities. This year’s theme highlighted the urgency of adaptive leadership and cross-sector collaboration in addressing challenges ranging from climate change, workforce development, and infrastructure to housing and governance.

University of Pennsylvania junior Zach McGrath, of Bethesda, Maryland, has received a Harry S. Truman Scholarship, a merit-based award of up to $30,000 for graduate or professional school to prepare for careers in public service.

Mr. McGrath is majoring in political science with a focus on education policy in the College of Arts & Sciences. He is among 55 Truman Scholars from 48 U.S. colleges and universities selected this year from 781 candidates nominated by 305 institutions. He is the 33rd Truman Scholar from Penn since the first award in 1977.

At Penn, Mr. McGrath is a research assistant to Laura Perna in the Graduate School of Education, contributing to studies on state-level college financial aid programs. He is also a student fellow at Perry World House; a fellow of the Institute for Urban Research; and a leader in Penn Student Government.

Mr. McGrath directs Philadelphia City Council member Isaiah Thomas’ Youth-powered Policy Lab, providing young Philadelphians with tools to address issues through legislation and research. He was also a member of the task force that implemented Philadelphia’s Board of Prison Oversight. He previously served a one-year term as the student member of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education in Maryland, where he championed increases in teacher pay and improvements to the transportation system, and interned for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Mr. McGrath applied to the Harry S. Truman Scholarship program with assistance from Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.

In addition to funding, Truman Scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some graduate institutions, leadership training, and special internship opportunities within the federal government.

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation was created by Congress in 1975 as the nation’s living memorial to President Truman. The foundation’s mission is to select and support the next generation of public service leaders.

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation has announced the recipients of its 2026 Student Grant Awards. 

This year’s pool of applicants is once again the largest and most competitive to date. Of the many compelling and creative applications received, seventeen University of Pennsylvania student projects were selected as 2026 Sachs Program grantees, representing the breadth and depth of the arts at Penn.

The awarded projects demonstrate a wide range of creative practices, including film, visual arts, poetry, performance, and storytelling. Additionally, eight of the seventeen projects self-identified as addressing, in some manner, the complexities of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and the nation’s ongoing struggle to realize its founding principles. Ten of the seventeen projects are by graduate students; seven are by undergraduate students.

The awardees are:

Aliyah Dominique Jefferies (Weitzman School of Design): Saman Enn Og Aftur (Together Once Again)—a short film intertwining the lives of a Black man and woman, anchored in the past and present, attempting to survive impossible conditions.

Allison Li (College of Arts & Sciences): Stories of the Avenue—a narrative nonfiction project that portrays the resilience of patients, providers, and outreach workers responding to the overdose crisis across Philadelphia.

Armaghan Fakhraeirad (School of Arts & Sciences): Listen! Something Still Hanging from the Tree—a collaborative experimental film that moves between public mourning drums and private healing rituals in southern Iran.

BioArt Lab at Penn (Jenny Li) (College of Arts & Sciences): BioArt Lab: Art of Science Symposium—a symposium featuring student work from art-science workshops at Philadelphia schools, pioneering speakers, and pieces from a community call for submissions to highlight art as a tool for scientific visualization and public engagement.

Cacie Rosario Jackson (Weitzman School of Design): Envelope—a body of artworks exploring histories of Black cultural production, the limitations of the archive, and strategies for making sonic and sensory legacies visible.

Dagny Elise Carlsson (Weitzman School of Design): In Their Own Dreams: Architectural Process Through the National Museum of the American Indian—an interview project highlighting the profound role Indigenous communities play in reshaping both architectural practice and museology through their involvement in the National Museum of the American Indian.

Enne Kim and Trisha Bheemanathini (College of Arts & Sciences): GRAIN Film Festival: Gathering Rising Asian-American Imagination Narratives—an AAPI film festival centering student filmmakers from underrepresented groups through screenings, shared meals, and public dialogue, fostering community and creative resistance.

Gevorg Ghazaryan (College of Arts & Sciences): The Real Cost of Development: Communities and the Environment at Risk—a mini-documentary film examining how data centers in Loudoun County, Virginia, impact nearby communities and the environment.

Jai Ausir Vinson-Scott (College of Arts & Sciences): The Boy Who Couldn’t Hold What He Broke—a multimodal project exploring Jai Ausir Vinson-Scott’s formative years as an African American queer man.

Juliana Li (College of Arts & Sciences): Criss Cross—a student-run print art publication offering a site for cross-disciplinary collaboration and exchange.

Latoya Briscoe (School of Arts & Sciences): Stilted Ground—working with a queer women-led stilt-walking group in Kingston, Jamaica, this experimental audio-visual work explores urban design, political belonging, and social reproduction of space through performance.

Maya Yu Zhang (Weitzman School of Design): (un)known address—a performance where diasporic longing shifts into a tale of becoming and excavating the fraught terrain between mothers and daughters, home and exile.

Noa Mori Machover (Weitzman School of Design): After Market—an interdisciplinary artistic research project tracing platinum-group metals through informal and formal economies.

Sol Kim (Weitzman School of Design): Human Condition—a photographic work that investigates and subverts the algorithms through which computer vision detects and categorizes humans.

Timmy Straw and Julieta Vittore Dutto (School of Arts & Sciences): Poets Who Translate—a community-centered reading series that brings together poets working and translating across a diversity of languages.

Vivian Bi (School of Arts & Sciences): A Ceremony Without Walls: The Reparative Politics of Arts Innovation After Capitalist Transformation—A collaborative exhibition and panel on the Second Annual Art Junpo, a Hainan, China-based arts festival experimenting with new forms of spiritual & social life in a Chinese special economic zone.

Michelle Lu (College of Arts & Sciences); Grace Haeun Lee (College of Arts & Sciences); Emily Ng (College of Arts & Sciences); Jillian Troth (College of Arts & Sciences): WriteMinds—a creative writing initiative that brings accessible, imaginative workshops to older adults, particularly individuals experiencing memory loss or cognitive decline.

The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation congratulates all 2026 Student Grant Award recipients.

Penn’s 2026 Thouron Scholars are Tristen Brisky, Charissa Howard, Jean Kim, Griffin Pitt, Andrew Schmidt, and Sriya Teerdhala and recent graduates Jordan Liu, Caroline Magdolen, and Megha Thomas.

The 2026 Thouron Award allows scholars to pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom. Each Thouron Scholar receives tuition for as long as two years, as well as travel and living stipends. Established in 1960 and supported with gifts by the late John Thouron and his wife, Esther du Pont Thouron, the Thouron Award is a graduate exchange program between Penn and U.K. universities that aims to improve understanding and relations between the two nations.

This year’s Thouron Award recipients are:

Tristen Brisky, of Columbus, Wisconsin, is majoring in mathematics and minoring in economics in the College of Arts & Sciences, and is submatriculating for a master’s degree in mathematics. His research interests are at the intersection of algebra and number theory, particularly in questions motivated by the Langlands program. He has completed several independent reading projects under the supervision of Penn mathematics faculty and wrote a thesis under the direction of Daniel Krashen. At Penn, he has served as a research peer advisor with the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships and has worked as a teaching assistant for introductory calculus. He was named a 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholar and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Mr. Brisky plans to pursue a master’s degree in pure mathematics at the University of Cambridge.

Charissa Howard, of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, is majoring in English with minors in political science and French in the College. Her research interests focus on how media shapes perceptions of national identity, the subject of her honors thesis. At Penn, she is a Civic Scholar, a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, and a member of the European Studies Institute. She works as a Peer Restorative Practitioner, a research peer advisor with the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, and as engagement and access chair with the Kite and Key Society. Ms. Howard has interned at NBC News and The Philadelphia Citizen, and has worked at Penn with Senior Lecturer Lorene Cary on the #VoteThatJawn initiative as a Bassini Fellow, and with Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Dorothy Roberts through the Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Program. As a Thouron Scholar, Ms. Howard plans to pursue a master’s degree in media and communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Jean Kim, from Boston, Massachusetts, is pursuing dual degrees in biochemistry and biophysics and minoring in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies in the College through the Vagelos Molecular Life Sciences Program. She conducts research in the laboratory of Marisa Bartolomei, investigating how DNA modifications shape early mammalian development. Her work, which has been recognized with the Roy and Diana Vagelos Science Challenge Award and supported by Sigma Xi’s Grants-in-Aid of Research, has been presented at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research and multiple reproductive science symposia. She is a Future Leaders Scholar through the National Association of Asian American Professionals. On campus, she serves as a residential advisor, learning assistant, reproductive justice advocate, and research peer advisor. As a Thouron Scholar, she plans to pursue an MPhil in physiology, development, and neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, where she will study the maternal-fetal interface and its implications for pregnancy outcomes and long-term women’s health.

Jordan Liu, of Paoli, Pennsylvania, completed his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and health policy with a minor in bioethics from the College in 2022. He is a third-year medical student at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, caring for patients at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, leading medical ethics education as an elected ethics representative, and collaborating on research with Penn’s Health Equity and Policy Lab in which he designs health systems interventions targeting inequities for vulnerable populations, including hepatitis care delivery, in rural Senegal. He previously worked for Médecins Sans Frontières in New York City and explored the intersection of foreign policy and global health as an International Fellow at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. At Penn, Mr. Liu co-founded the Shelter Health Outreach Program, which received one of Penn’s inaugural Projects for Progress grants and grew from an ethics-driven volunteer model into a sustained nonprofit clinic providing free primary care across Philadelphia, and served as co-editor-in-chief of the Penn Bioethics Journal. As a Thouron Scholar, Mr. Liu plans to pursue a master’s degree in health policy, planning, and financing at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Caroline Magdolen, of Queens, New York, completed her bachelor’s degrees in earth science and systems engineering through the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research, a dual degree program in the College and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, in 2024. At Penn, she researched net-zero emissions policies and carbon capture with Penn’s Clean Energy Conversions Lab and wrote for the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy. She currently works for Unison Energy, a microgrid developer, and previously worked for Hatch, an engineering consulting firm, and interned with Hanwha Renewables, a solar and battery storage developer. She was also an opinion editor for The Daily Pennsylvanian; served as a college admissions mentor with Matriculate, a nonprofit serving low-income high school students; and is currently a mentor leader with her high school’s alumni association. As a Thouron Scholar, Ms. Magdolen plans to pursue a master’s degree in energy systems at the University of Oxford.

Griffin Pitt, of Charlotte, North Carolina, is majoring in environmental studies and urban studies with a concentration in water management in the College. Her research interests examine how water infrastructure, policy, and finance can be designed to promote climate resilience and social equity. At Penn, she is an Environmental Economics Research Fellow at the Water Center, where she develops economic frameworks for regional water management. She is a Hayden Scholar, Penn IUR Urban Leadership Fellow, Perry World House Student Fellow, SNF Paideia Fellow, Collegium Fellow, Benjamin Franklin Scholar, Dean’s Scholar, and recipient of the Lawrence C. Nussdorf Urban Leadership Award. She has been a teaching assistant for Environmental Management: Law & Policy and was an intern at the World Bank Group, the U.S. Senate, and Deloitte GPS. She also rowed on Penn Women’s Rowing team and coaches high school students at Philadelphia City Rowing. As a Thouron Scholar, Ms. Pitt plans to pursue a master’s degree in water science, policy, and management at the University of Oxford.

Andrew Schmidt, of Manhattan, New York, is majoring in molecular and cell biology in the College and in economics with a concentration in healthcare management and policy in the Wharton School as a student in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Life Sciences & Management Program. His research has focused on the molecular mechanisms of bacteria-phage interactions, working with Nicole Marino and presenting his research at the Conference on Bacteriophages in 2025. He previously conducted research on targeted treatments for pancreatic cancer in Gregory Beatty’s laboratory at Penn Medicine and interned in asset development and financing at RTW Investments. At Penn, he is an analyst for the biotech consulting club Locust Bioventures, an editor of the Penn Healthcare Review, and a member of the professional business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi. As a Thouron Scholar, Mr. Schmidt plans to pursue a PhD at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the University of Cambridge, exploring the molecular basis of gene transcription.

Sriya Teerdhala, of Plano, Texas, is majoring in biology in the College and economics with a concentration in healthcare management and policy in the Wharton School as a student in the Roy and Diana Vagelos Life Sciences & Management Program. Her research interests include fetal gene therapies at the Peranteau Lab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and gene therapies for Alzheimer’s disease at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Crystal Lab. She has interned at Boston Consulting Group, working on accelerating genetic therapies to market. At Penn, she advises life sciences startups through the Snider Consulting Program at the Venture Lab; leads the student-run LSM Educational Pipeline Project teaching West Philadelphia high school students about science and business through the Netter Center; volunteers for Penn Medicine’s Center for Surgical Health; and co-founded the Philadelphia Women’s Hypertension Initiative, a mobile screening program that partners with local nail salons in West Philadelphia, which has received the Life Sciences and Management Humanitarian Venture Fund Award. As a Thouron Scholar, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in reproductive genetics at the University of Oxford.

Megha Thomas, of Somerset, New Jersey, completed her bachelor’s degree in philosophy, politics, and economics in the College in 2024. She has been working at the U.S. Department of the Treasury on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on mitigating national security risks from foreign investment. She previously interned with the Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and National Security Action. At Penn, she was a Perry World House Student Fellow, wrote her senior thesis on the intersection of science and security in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and worked at a sustainability nonprofit in Argentina through Penn Abroad’s Global Research Internship Program. She also served as co-president of Penn for Refugee Empowerment and a study group leader through the Weingarten Center. As a Thouron Scholar, Ms. Thomas plans to pursue a master’s degree in international political economy.

The Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships serves as Penn’s primary information hub and support office for students and alumni applying for major grants and fellowships, including the Thouron Award.

Fengrui Tian, a doctoral student in computer and information science in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been named a 2026 Apple Scholar in AIML (artificial intelligence and machine learning). Mr. Tian, who is mentored by René Vidal, the Rachleff University Professor of electrical and systems engineering in Penn Engineering and of radiology in the Perelman School of Medicine, was selected by Apple’s Computer Vision committee from a highly competitive pool of nominees.

The Apple Scholars in AIML PhD fellowship program recognizes exceptional doctoral students who are advancing the state of the art in artificial intelligence and machine learning and supports them as emerging leaders in the field. Scholars receive funding, mentorship from Apple researchers, and opportunities to connect with Apple’s broader research community.

Mr. Tian’s work focuses on computer vision and graphics, with an emphasis on developing models that enable machines to perceive, represent and generate complex 3D environments from visual data. His research interests include space generation, dynamic scene understanding and neural representations of visual information.

“Being selected as an Apple Scholar is a tremendous honor,” said Mr. Tian. “My work and research direction have benefited greatly from the intellectual freedom, interdisciplinary culture, and close mentorship at Penn Engineering. The additional mentorship and resources provided by Apple will further support my research on dynamic world generation and understanding, allowing me to pursue more ambitious directions toward building AI systems that can better perceive and interact with a complex, evolving world.”

As part of the fellowship, Mr. Tian will receive support and mentorship from an Apple researcher and opportunities to intern at Apple over the course of the award period.

“The Apple Scholars program will accelerate our lab’s work by providing Fengrui with the flexibility and resources to pursue high-risk, high-reward ideas in 3D scene understanding and generation, and to translate them into robust systems and impactful publications,” said Dr. Vidal. “Fengrui’s recent work on DynamicVoyager demonstrates rare technical depth and originality in leveraging learned generative priors to reconstruct and explore perpetual dynamic 3D scenes from a single view, making him poised to drive the next wave of research at the intersection of 3D vision and foundation models.”

The Apple PhD Scholars program aims to support emerging leaders in academic research while fostering collaboration between academia and industry.

A look at students working, playing games, and otherwise enjoying the spring weather on campus.

Ask Alexa, “What’s the forecast for today?” on any day this spring, and the response has ranged anywhere from 30° to nearly 90°, with thunderstorms giving way to blustery winds followed by cloudless skies, all before noon. According to the 2026 Old Farmers’ Almanac long-range forecast—a seasonal, not daily, forecast—“the spring outlook predicts warmer-than-normal temperatures across much of the United States, with a few exceptions.”

Those “few exceptions” have been the norm on Penn’s campus. From the time students left for Spring Break to this week, the campus environment has featured nearly every weather phenomenon but snow, despite being cold enough for flurries at night.

Across campus, when faculty, staff, and students aren’t getting windswept across Locust Walk, the community has enjoyed the blossoming trees turning to a lush green canopy, and has made the most of the highest temperatures. On High Rise Field, students throw footballs, play spikeball, lounge in hammocks, and enjoy the tree-filled campus landscape, which has been part of the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus Higher Education program for 16 consecutive years for promoting healthy trees and conservation. In 2017, Penn’s campus was officially recognized as an arboretum and botanic garden by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. 

Adapted from Penn Today article by Tina Rodia, April 21, 2026.

Conferences

8          Mid-Atlantic Plant Research Conference; will address new research in plant science that can help understand challenges to plant survival and growth in wetland and coastal regions, including mechanisms of plant resistance and adaptation, and possible solutions; 9 a.m.; Morris Arboretum & Gardens and online webinar; fees: $80-$125; register: https://www.morrisarboretum.org/see-do/events/mid-atlantic-plant-research-conference (Morris Arboretum & Gardens).

11        Science and Politics in Contemporary China Symposium; will share knowledge and research about the state of contemporary science and technology in China and its relation to governance; 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; room 418, PCPSE (Center for the Study of Contemporary China).

Fitness & Learning

Penn Libraries

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

11        Canvas 101 for Faculty and Staff; will introduce basic Canvas functions like navigating the Canvas interface, creating content for a Canvas site, posting files, etc.; noon; online webinar.

Talks

6          Evaluating the Effect of Deprescribing Antimuscarinic Overactive Bladder Medications on Cognitive Function and Quality of Life of Individuals with Parkinson Disease using a Pharmacist-led Series of N-of-1 Trials; Phuong Nguyen, cancer biology; 9 a.m.; room 11-102, 3600 Civic Center Blvd, and Zoom webinar; join: https://pennmedicine.zoom.us/j/98976330974 (Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics).

            The p-adic Volume of Local Systems; Georgios Pappas, Michigan State University; 3:30 p.m.; room A4, DRL (Mathematics).

This is an update to the May AT PENN calendar, which is available online now. To submit events for future AT PENN calendars and 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 April 20-26, 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 April 20-26, 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: 8 incidents were reported for April 20-26, 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 Benefits Open Enrollment will end this Friday, May 8. If you haven’t reviewed your health plans, life insurance, and flexible spending accounts for the 2025–2026 plan year, now is the time to do so.

A working spouse contribution of $100 per month ($23.08 weekly for 52 paychecks) will apply if your spouse/domestic partner has access to group medical coverage through another employer but chooses to enroll in a Penn medical plan. This contribution will apply if you fail to attest that your spouse does not have other coverage. This contribution will be deducted on a pre-tax basis (post-tax for NRSA postdocs). For details, visit the Working Spouse Contribution webpage or view the Working Spouse Contribution FAQ. 

To have a Health Care and/or Dependent Care FSA for the 2026-2027 plan year, you must enroll during Open Enrollment, even if you are already participating.  FSA elections do not roll over automatically. If you do not make an election, your annual contribution amount will default to $0, and you will not be able to enroll again until the next Open Enrollment period unless you experience a qualifying life event. 

Faculty and Staff

If you are regular full-time faculty and staff or regular part-time and ACA-eligible faculty and staff, visit the Open Enrollment webpage for detailed information about your benefits options. You can also find details in the Benefits Enrollment Guide and Part-Time & ACA Eligible Benefits Enrollment Guide.

Postdocs and NRSA Fellows

Postdoctoral researchers and fellows and NRSA Fellows can find details by visiting the Postdoctoral Researchers and Fellows webpage. Postdocs and NRSA Fellows can also review the Postdoctoral Researchers and Fellows Benefits Enrollment Guide for more information.

How to Make Changes

During Open Enrollment, you may review and update your benefits coverage at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through Workday@Penn. Login at http://www.myworkday.com/upenn/login.html. 

To Enroll or Make Changes

1. Log in to Workday@Penn.
2. From the left-hand navigation on the Workday homepage, select Personal, then Benefits, Comp and Pay Hub. 
3. Review and update your benefit elections.
4. Print a confirmation statement for your records. 

For step-by-step guidance, please refer to the Self-Service: Manage, View and Change Your Benefits Workday tip sheet. 

You may also use the Workday Mobile App to enroll or make changes. For information about how to find, install, and log into the app, review the Self Service: Workday Mobile Application tip sheet.  

Even if you don’t make changes to your elections, please review and update your life insurance beneficiary information while you are logged into Workday. 

Any changes you make during Open Enrollment will take effect on July 1, 2026. If you do not make any changes, your current medical, dental, vision, and life insurance elections will automatically carry over into the new plan year beginning July 1, 2026.

Need Assistance? 

If you have questions, please contact the Penn Benefits Solution Center powered by Health Advocate at answers@HealthAdvocate.com or call 1(866) 799-2329, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.  

—Division of Human Resources

To add the academic calendar to your personal calendar, visit https://almanac.upenn.edu/penn-academic-calendar and click one of the blue calendar buttons. Options for calendars to sync include the ongoing three-year academic calendar, the 2026 summer term academic calendar, and the 2026-2027 academic calendar. 

There will be an option to sync it to your personal Apple, Google, Office 365, Outlook, Outlook.com, or Yahoo calendar.