UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Tuesday March 16, 2021 Volume 67 Number 30 www.upenn.edu/almanac

Penn’s 2021 Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients Alumna and philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs will be Penn’s Commencement Speaker at the 2021 University of Pennsylvania Com- mencement on Monday, May 17. Medha Narvekar, Penn’s Vice President and University Secretary, has announced the 2021 honorary degree recipients and the Commence- ment Speaker for the University of Pennsylva- nia. The Office of the University Secretary man- ages the honorary degree selection process and University Commencement. Due to pandemic health restrictions, this year’s Commencement ceremony will be limit- ed to graduating seniors who have been partici- pating in the University’s COVID-19 screening Laurene Powell Jobs Elizabeth Alexander Frances Arnold David L. Cohen procedures. Family and friends will be able to watch a livestream of the celebration and a re- cording will be posted to the University’s web- site. Other 2021 Penn honorary degree recipients are Elizabeth Alexander, Frances Arnold, Da- vid L. Cohen, Joy Harjo, David Miliband, John Williams, and Janet Yellen.

More Commencement Information in this Issue: See page 2 for an announcement from the President, Provost and EVP with specific details about the ceremony. See pages 6-7 for detailed bios of the honorary degree recipients. Joy Hario David Miliband John Williams Janet Yellen

Kevin Johnson: Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Margo Brooks-Carthon and Heath President Amy Gutmann and Provost Wendell prove the health of individuals and communities,” Schmidt: Endowed Chairs in Pritchett announced the appointment of Kevin said President Gutmann. “He has championed Nursing Johnson as the Uni- the development and implementation of clinical Margo Brooks-Carthon has been named the versity of Pennsyl- information systems and artificial intelligence to Tyson Family Endowed Term Chair for Geron- vania’s twenty-sev- drive medical research, encouraged the effective tological Research and Heath Schmidt has been enth Penn Integrates use of technology at the bedside, and empowered named the Killebrew-Censits Chair in Under- Knowledge Univer- patients to use new tools to better understand graduate Education. Both appointments take ef- sity Professor. how medications and supplements may affect fect on July 1, 2021. A pioneer of their health. He is a board-certified pediatrician, Dr. Brooks-Carthon is an associate profes- medical information and his commitment to patient health and wel- sor in the department of family and communi- technologies to im- fare knows no age limits. In so many different ty health and a Penn Fellow. She is also direc- prove patient safety, settings, Kevin’s work is driving progress in tor of Care, Continuity and Coordination for Dr. Johnson will hold patient care and improving our healthcare sys- Socially and Medically Complex Patients Tran- joint appointments in tem. He is a perfect fit for Penn, where our goal (continued on page 4) the department of bio- is to create a maximally inclusive and integrated statistics, epidemiol- academic community to spur unprecedented INSIDE Kevin Johnson 2 A Message to the Penn Community Regarding ogy, and informatics global impact.” Commencement; UC Meeting Agenda; Penn in the Perelman School of Medicine and the de- Dr. Johnson is currently the Cornelius Museum Diversity Liaison; Virtual Volunteer Fair partment of computer and information science in Vanderbilt Professor and chair of the department 3 Penn Relays; Return to Work Update; Deals@ of biomedical informatics at the Vanderbilt Uni- Penn Website the School of Engineering and Applied Science, 4 Provost-Netter Center Faculty-Community with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg versity School of Medicine, where he has taught Partnership Award School for Communication. He will also serve since 2002. He is a world-renowned innovator 5 Education Business Plan Competition Open for as Vice President for Applied Informatics for the in developing clinical information systems that Applications; Voter Friendly Campus Designation 6 Honorary Degree Recipient Bios University of Pennsylvania Health System and improve best practices in patient safety and 8 Deaths professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital compliance with medical practice guidelines, 9 Summer Camps and Programs Update of Philadelphia. especially the use of computer-based documen- 10 Honors & Other Things tation systems and other digital technologies. 12 MLK Community Involvement Recognition Awardees “Kevin Johnson is a gifted physician-scientist 13 Women of Color at Penn Awards who has harnessed and aligned the power of His research bridges biomedical informatics, 14 Update; One Step Ahead Tip; Range vs. Grit Event medicine, engineering, and technology to im- (continued on page 4) 15 Crimestats 16 Student Launches National Vaccine-Finder Website ALMANAC March 16, 2021 www.upenn.edu/almanac 1 From the President, Provost and Executive Vice President From the Office of the University Secretary University Council Meeting Agenda A Message to the Penn Community Regarding Commencement March 9, 2021 Wednesday, March 24, 2021 4 p.m. With the end of the academic year approaching, thoughts naturally begin to turn toward I. Approval of the minutes of the February Commencement, one of Penn’s grandest traditions and a worthy recognition of the academic 17, 2021 University Council meeting. 1 minute accomplishments of our students. Since the onset of the pandemic, travel has been curtailed and large gatherings have been II. Follow-up comments or questions on prohibited in jurisdictions across the country, including here in Philadelphia and the Com- status reports. 5 minutes monwealth of Pennsylvania. These conditions forced a postponement of last year’s in-person III. Reports on budgets and plans for the ceremony and has compelled us to contend with much uncertainty as we planned for the pos- next academic year. 60 minutes sibility of a ceremony this May. IV. Presentation: Climate and Sustainability We are pleased to report that, based upon the new guidelines very recently issued by the Action Plan 3.0 and an update on the Environ- Philadelphia Health Department, we have now confirmed that we will be able to hold one mental Innovations Initiative (EII). 30 minutes limited in-person undergraduate Commencement ceremony at Franklin Field on the morning V. New Business. 5 minutes of May 17. This plan is contingent upon there being no major interim change for the worse VI. Adjournment in the course of the pandemic. Due to public health limitations, we regret that we will not be able to welcome the entire Penn community to this year’s celebration. For this year’s cer- Muriel Patricia Clifford: Penn emony, Class of 2021 seniors who have been part of our asymptomatic testing protocol this Museum Diversity Liaison semester, and who have not had housing or access to campus revoked because of a Campus to Strengthen Community Compact violation, will be invited to participate. No travel from outside of the Philadelphia Connections region to attend will be permitted. Family or friends will not be able to be accommodated at The Penn Museum has appointed Muriel Franklin Field but they will be able to watch a livestream and the ceremony recording will Patricia Clifford as be posted to our website. Unfortunately, we are not able to hold any other in-person ceremo- its inaugural devel- nies for the Class of 2021, and we cannot include graduate or professional students at the in- opment diversity li- person event. All Graduate ceremonies will be presented virtually, and graduate and profes- aison in an effort to sional students will hear directly from their schools about those plans. deepen meaningful The graduating seniors who plan to participate in Commencement will be required to test community connec- negative for COVID-19 prior to the ceremony. Masks will be required, as will social distanc- tions. ing. Specific details regarding health checks and registration will be sent directly to graduat- In her new role, ing seniors. Ms. Clifford will We are also pleased at this time to be able to announce that our Commencement speak- lead community out- er will be Penn alumna Laurene Powell Jobs. Ms. Jobs is founder and president of Emerson reach strategies to Collective, which is dedicated to the pursuit of a more equal and just world. Emerson Collec- increase awareness tive deploys a range of tools – from impact investing to philanthropy to advocacy – to lift up of the 134-year-old entrepreneurs, leaders, innovators, and creators working to build such a world and advance Penn Museum and progress in critical areas, including education, immigration, climate, and cancer research and the rich cultural ex- Muriel Patricia treatment. Through her leadership, philanthropy and advocacy, Ms. Jobs is an inspiring ex- perience it offers. Clifford ample of the positive impact that Penn alumni are making in addressing complex issues that She will cultivate a more diverse, equitable, in- face our nation and world, and her insight will ensure our graduates a memorable and mean- clusive, and accessible Museum as a part of its ingful Commencement experience. Diversity Committee; advance its public pro- In addition, we have an extraordinary group of other Honorary Degree recipients whose grams; and work across all internal departments accomplishments we will celebrate by bestowing the University’s highest recognition: Eliz- to foster opportunities for engagement, includ- abeth Alexander (GR’92), poet and President of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Fran- ing special events, presentations, and tours. ces H. Arnold, 2018 Nobel Prize winner and the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engi- Raised in Philadelphia, Ms. Clifford grad- neering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology; David uated from the Philadelphia High School for L. Cohen (L’81), Senior Advisor of the Comcast Corporation and Chair of the Trustees of Girls and then earned a BA in communications the University of Pennsylvania; Joy Harjo, poet and musician of the Muscogee/Creek Nation and mass media arts with minors in journalism and the 23rd United States Poet Laureate; David Miliband, President and CEO of the Inter- and Spanish at Hampton University in Hamp- national Rescue Committee and Former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth ton, Virginia. Affairs and member of Parliament in the United Kingdom; John Williams, composer and She began her career as a community rela- musical director for film and concert stage, and former music director of the Boston Pops Or- tions representative for the Philadelphia Oppor- chestra; and Janet L. Yellen, economist and the 78th United States Secretary of the Treasury. tunities Industrialization Center. Her experience Please know that we will continue to look for an opportunity to appropriately recognize includes serving as the director of public rela- our 2020 graduates, along with 2021 graduates who will not be able to attend this year’s tions at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. event, as soon as pandemic restrictions permit. We want to ensure that all of these students Ms. Clifford writes for the nation’s oldest have the opportunity for their academic accomplishments to be publicly recognized, and we African-American newspaper, The Philadel- are committed to finding a way to make that happen. phia Tribune, under her pen name Patricia Gil- We are pleased to be able to recognize as many of our graduates as is safely possible in liam Clifford. Ms. Clifford’s “Out & About in person at Franklin Field on May 17. To all our graduates, we offer our heartfelt congratula- Philadelphia” column delivered comprehensive tions on a job well done. event coverage and insight about notable com- We will keep the campus community posted if any changes to our current plans become munity leaders. As a journalist, she has written necessary. Specific details for those able to attend will be sent soon. extensively about social, community, fraternal, —Amy Gutmann, President educational, historical, professional, and faith- —Wendell Pritchett, Provost based organizations. She has also written for —Craig Carnaroli, Executive Vice President The Philadelphia Sunday Sun and the South Jer- sey Journal. Ms. Clifford has earned numerous awards 2021 Virtual Volunteer Fair and acknowledgements, including the Public In recognition of 2020-2021 being the Year of Civic Engagement, the Penn Professional Staff Relations Society of America—Philadelphia Assembly (PPSA) held a Virtual Volunteer Fair on March 10-11, 2021. The fair, which was open to Chapter’s Pepperpot, the Silver Anvil Award, all Penn staff and faculty, aimed to provide easy access to information on the vast and varied organi- the PRAME Award (Public Relations and Mar- zations that are seeking help to deliver the goods and services they provide to our local community. keting Excellence), the Pen and Pencil Club’s In addition to materials and links accessible “on-demand,” people are encouraged to contact or- Philadelphia News Award, the National News- ganizations directly for more information. paper Publishers Association Award, and the Link to fair: https://employeeresourcefair.wordpress.com/virtual-volunteering-fair/ National Coalition of 100 Black Women’s Heri- tage Award. 2 www.upenn.edu/almanac ALMANAC March 16, 2021 Three Separate Track Meets in Place of Canceled Penn Relays From the Provost and The University of Pennsylvania Division of this summer. More information on both meets Executive Vice President Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics has an- will be released at a later date. nounced that the 2021 Penn Relays, originally Ticket Information A Message to the Penn scheduled for April 22-24, has been canceled Ticket holders who opted to credit their 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and Community: balance toward 2021 will have the following Return to Work Update local restrictions on large gatherings. If health options: conditions on campus and in the city of Phila- March 2, 2021 delphia continue to improve, the Penn Relays 1. Credit the purchase of 2020 Penn Re- lays tickets toward the 2022 event. When the pandemic began last year, plans to host a local collegiate-only track and many faculty and staff members started field meet on Saturday, April 24 that is consis- As a benefit, crediting accounts will re- working from home as the nation learned tent with the Ivy League Council of Presidents’ ceive: to navigate life during this challenging parameters regarding spring sport competition. • Seat protection and priority access to time. We deeply appreciate the commit- The Penn Relays will also aim to host a meet change or add seats in 2022 ment and dedication of every member of for open and professional athletes in the com- • Locked-in pricing for 2022 and 2023 the Penn community in carrying out your ing months and a scholastic meet this summer. • Access to interview/Q&A with Penn roles and responsibilities, whether you “It is disappointing that we once again have Relays VIPs in 2022 are performing your job from home or on to cancel one of the landmark events of the • Opportunity to submit a message to be campus. spring in Philadelphia and in track and field, but displayed on the video board during the As we move into the second year of collectively we want to ensure the safety of our 2022 Penn Relays the pandemic, we are continuing to for- athletes, campus, community, and spectators,” • Special discounts on future Penn Ath- mulate plans for the return of those facul- said M. Grace Calhoun, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr., letics tickets ty and staff who have not been required to W’69 Director of Athletics and Recreation at 2. Make a tax-deductible donation for the work on campus during this challenging the University of Pennsylvania. “Our goal on total base price of the ticket or a partial period. These plans, as always, are guided campus has been to safely move through the amount to the Penn Champions Club, by the best science and what is permis- Ivy athletic activity phases to host competition to support the Friends of the Penn Re- sible by city, state, and federal guidelines. and we remain hopeful that we will be able to lays or any other Penn Athletics varsi- Circumstances surrounding COVID-19 provide some competitive opportunities for as ty fund. Accounts donating $21 or more transmission and the ongoing distribution many athletes as possible who have missed out will be eligible to renew their 2020 seat of vaccines are changing rapidly, so it is on so much this past year. Splitting the meet into locations in 2022. still too early to decide on a date when three distinct groups of participants provides the 3. Request a refund for the base price of faculty and staff will be expected to return greatest opportunity to host safe competition.” the tickets. Associated per ticket and or- to campus. However, we believe that the The collegiate-only track and field meet der processing fees will not be refund- successes of Penn Cares, PennOpen Pass, would consist of local Division I, II, and III ed. If this option is selected, seats will and our collective efforts to adhere to institutions within the Philadelphia region in be released from the account and will health and safety guidelines have given a one-day event. All teams and participants not be eligible for renewal in 2022. the University a pathway to restore an in- will have to comply with the COVID-19 cam- Current ticket holders can click here to noti- person work environment. pus safety policies and procedures in place, in- To help with your planning, please cluding adhering to sufficient testing programs, fy the Penn Ticket Office of their selection. The deadline to notify the Ticket Office is June 23, know that we do not anticipate a full re- symptom checking, contact tracing, mask wear- 2021 turn to work on campus before July 2021, ing, and physical distancing except when ac- . Please note that the 2022 renewal period is expected to occur in fall 2021, earlier than pri- at the earliest. Some of you are already tively competing. Only essential meet personnel working on campus, and we expect to will be permitted in Franklin Field and specta- or years. It is anticipated that renewal balances will be due prior to January 1, 2022. welcome more of you back over the next tors are prohibited. few months. We will continue to update “We are extremely disappointed to cancel If you have questions, please contact the Penn Athletics Ticket Office at (215) 898-6151 you as the situation evolves, including up- the Penn Relays for a second year,” said Dave dates for faculty members about the sta- Johnson, the Frank Dolson Director of the Penn between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, or by email at [email protected]. Please tus of in-person classes, lab research, and Relays. “At the same time, we feel a strong ob- summer PURM projects. ligation to the local track and field community note, due to the anticipated volume of calls, please allow 5 to 7 business days for a staff We are also developing remote work to provide as much competition as safely pos- location guidelines for staff, so individ- sible during the course of the spring and sum- member to return your call or email. Click here for frequently asked questions ual decisions about long-term continu- mer.” ing remote work will not be made until The open and professional meet will take about the 2021 Penn Relays and ticket informa- tion. those University-wide plans are finalized. place prior to U.S. Olympic-qualifying dead- —Penn Athletics Please continue to refer to the Return lines and the scholastic meet will be held later to Campus Guide for Penn Faculty and Staff if you have any questions about cur- rent guidelines. We are proud of Penn’s beautiful and vibrant campus in the City of Philadel- Deals@Penn Website for Penn Community Members phia. This beauty and excitement stems As members of the Penn Community, faculty and staff can take advantage of special dis- in large part from our people – the stu- counts on a wide range of products and services. These offers are easily accessible through dents, faculty, and staff who make Penn the Deals@Penn website. There you will find programs managed by the University as well as an institution where so many people from options from well-known local and national service providers. around the world want to work and learn. The YouDecide Portal—Be sure to visit! To that end, we intend to bring back fac- Penn has a special relationship with YouDecide, a company that provides many organiza- ulty and staff safely so that we can con- tions with a convenient online portal, affording access to hundreds of discounts in a variety of tinue advancing the principles that make categories. Look for information about their offerings on the Deals@Penn page. Penn a stellar institution of higher educa- Browse at your convenience. tion and one of the best large employers The options found on the Deals@Penn site are available for you to browse and select at nationwide. your convenience. Please note that some of the links require you to enter your PennKey user- We thank you again for your extraor- name and passcode. For the YouDecide program, you may access the portal via its weblink. dinary work in sustaining our campus If you have questions regarding these programs, please direct them to the following email: mission. We look forward to providing [email protected]. more details in the months ahead about We invite and encourage you to explore these opportunities. our shared return to life on campus. —The Divisions of Business Services and Human Resources —Wendell Pritchett, Provost —Craig Carnaroli, EVP

ALMANAC March 16, 2021 www.upenn.edu/almanac 3 Kevin Johnson: Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor Provost-Netter Center Faculty- (continued from page 1) Community Partnership Award: bioengineering, and computer science. As senior emy of Pediatrics, among many others. April 16 vice president for health information technology “Kevin Johnson exemplifies our most pro- The Provost-Netter Center Faculty-Com- at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from found Penn values,” said Provost Pritchett. “He munity Partnership Award is an annual award 2014 to 2019, he led the development of clinical is a brilliant innovator committed to bringing that recognizes faculty-community partnership systems that enabled doctors to make better treat- together disciplines across traditional boundaries. projects. The amount of the award is $10,000 ment and care decisions for individual patients, in Yet he always does so in the service of helping ($5,000 to the faculty member and $5,000 to the part by alerting patients as to how medications or others, finding technological solutions that can community partner). The purpose of the award supplements might affect their body chemistry, as make a tangible impact on improving peoples’ is to recognize sustained and productive Univer- well as new systems to integrate artificial intel- lives. He will be an extraordinary colleague, sity/community partnerships and to develop or ligence into patient care workflows and to unify teacher, and mentor across multiple areas of our enhance ongoing work. Junior and senior fac- and simplify all the Medical Center’s clinical and campus in the years to come.” ulty along with senior lecturers and associated administrative systems. Dr. Johnson earned an MD from the Johns faculty from any of Penn’s 12 Schools are eli- The author of more than 150 publications, Hopkins University School of Medicine, an MS gible for nomination, together with their com- books, or book chapters, Dr. Johnson has held in medical informatics from Stanford University, munity partners. Please see below for the com- numerous leadership positions in the American and a BS with honors in biology from Dickinson plete description and process of nomination. If Medical Informatics Association and the Ameri- College. He became the first Black chief resident you have any questions or concerns regarding can Academy of Pediatrics; leads the American in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins in 1992 and was a this award, please direct them to the Netter Cen- Board of Pediatrics Informatics Advisory Com- faculty member in both pediatrics and biomedical ter’s ABCS Coordinator at abcscoordinator@ mittee; chairs the Board of Scientific Counselors information sciences at Johns Hopkins until 2002. sas.upenn.edu. of the National Library of Medicine; and is a The Penn Integrates Knowledge program Award Nomination Process member of the NIH Council of Councils. He has was launched by President Gutmann in 2005 as Deadline: April 16 been elected to the National Academy of Medi- a University-wide initiative to recruit exceptional The award recognizes Faculty-Community cine (Institute of Medicine), American College faculty members whose research and teaching Partnership Projects. One award will be made of Medical Informatics, and Academic Pediatric exemplify the integration of knowledge across annually of $5,000 to a faculty member and an- Society and has received awards from the Robert disciplines and who are appointed in at least two other $5,000 to the community partner to rec- Wood Johnson Foundation and American Acad- Schools at Penn. ognize, develop, and advance an existing part- nership. Margo Brooks-Carthon and Heath Schmidt: Endowed Chairs in Nursing Criteria for Selection (continued from page 1) (1) The community partnership project must be affiliated with the Netter Center for Commu- sitioning from Hospital to Home at Penn Pres- holds a secondary appointment in the depart- nity Partnerships i.e., engaged with Academi- byterian Medical Center. Dr. Brooks-Carthon is ment of psychiatry at the Perelman School of cally Based Community Service (ABCS), Prob- well recognized and Medicine. His area lem Solving Learning (PSL) or Participatory highly regarded as a of inquiry and teach- Action Research (PAR) style pedagogy and/or nurse scientist, clin- ing have added tre- research. ical expert, and an mendous value to the (2) The partnership project must demon- exceptional teacher. School of Nursing’s strate a record of sustainable engagement. She has developed research and teaching (3) The faculty member can be an assistant, an influential trajec- missions. associate, or full professor, senior lecturer, or tory of research. Her Given the enor- associated faculty. scholarship has been mous effects of smok- Process of Nomination supported by numer- ing and obesity on (1) Nominations may come from members ous federal and pri- chronic illness and of the University and the wider community, vate funding sources. the devastating im- though the strongest nominations will be those Dr. Brooks-Carthon pact of substance use that represent both the University and the com- examines the associ- disorders, his work munity. ation between quali- Margo Brooks- addresses some of the Heath Schmidt Carthon (2) Nominators should submit a complet- ty of nursing care and most pressing and in- ed packet (see https://www.nettercenter.upenn. racial inequities in tractable health issues today. Dr. Schmidt has edu/about-center/advisory-boards/faculty-advi- health outcomes. Her mixed-methods work has shown leadership in developing undergradu- sory-board/provost-netter-center-faculty-com- acknowledged the racial/ethnic disparities expe- ate curricula in this area of expertise and dem- munity-partnership) by April 16, 2021 to the rienced by older racial/ethnic minority patients onstrated excellence in teaching. For example, ABCS Coordinator at the Netter Center, who when compared to white patients. Aware of the he co-developed with Peggy Compton, van Am- will submit applications to the review commit- limited research on how to tailor discharge sup- eringen Chair in Psychiatric and Mental Health tee, comprised of faculty and community mem- port for chronically ill, low-income individuals Nursing, an undergraduate course on opioids, bers. insured by Medicaid, Dr. Brooks-Carthon has opioid use disorders and pain, and a second (3) The review committee will submit their convened an interdisciplinary academic-clinical course on the pharmacology of performance-en- recommendations by May 3, 2021 to the Netter partnership with the goal of developing an in- hancing drugs that is of interest to students en- Center Director and the Provost, who will joint- tervention, THRIVE, to reduce disparities and rolled in all four undergraduate schools at Penn. ly make the final selection. The award decision support transitions for low-income individuals Dr. Schmidt has directly supervised 19 un- will be announced in May. with multiple chronic conditions. The term chair dergraduate researchers at Penn who have all funding will help advance this work. gone on to matriculate in top-tier graduate pro- —Terri H. Lipman, Netter Center Faculty Dr. Schmidt is an associate professor in the grams and are authors on empirical publica- Advisory Board Co-Chair; Chair of the Provost- department of biobehavioral health science and tions in high-impact journals and conference ab- Netter Center Faculty-Community stracts. Partnership Award Review Committee —Dennis DeTurck, Netter Center Faculty Advisory Board Co-Chair; Provost’s Senior AT PENN Calendar Faculty Fellow at the Netter Center Have you checked out our March AT PENN calendar? It’s a great way to keep up with all —Herman Beavers, Member, Netter Center kinds of events that are happening at Penn, from musical performances and stage shows to Faculty Advisory Board interesting talks on every topic imaginable. Advertise your or your department’s event in our April AT PENN calendar. It’s free public- —Vernoca L. Michael, Member, ity! A listing in our calendar guarantees visibility to our readers across campus, in all schools, Netter Center Community Advisory Board departments, and centers. The deadline for submissions for events is today, March 16. Send —Ira Harkavy, Associate Vice President; details about any events you’d like featured to [email protected]. Founding Director, Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships 4 www.upenn.edu/almanac ALMANAC March 16, 2021 12th Annual Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition Open for Applications Entrepreneurial ventures that aim to scale global change through education are invited to apply for the 12th annual Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition (EBPC). This year’s competition invites applications from organizations focused on creating equita- ble outcomes in education. Applications for the prestigious competition will be accepted until April 20, and semifinalists will be announced in June. Finalists will compete on October 5, 2021. Apply for the EBPC here. In the EBPC’s 11 years, winners and final- ists have been awarded more than $1.5 million in cash and prizes, and competitors have col- lectively gone on to raise more than $150 mil- lion in funding. In 2020, the Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition awarded more than $170,000 in cash and prizes. Last year’s competition featured semifi- nalist ventures from 11 U.S. states and seven countries. The work of these groups focused on diverse initiatives, including building social- emotional intelligence and combating racism through games, comics, and virtual role play; engaging at-risk students, including incarcerat- ed individuals, with STEM education and work opportunities; and building high school stu- dents’ capacity for community and global citi- zenship through entrepreneurship. While the competition has always sought to recognize innovators driving impact, scalabil- ity, and profitability, this year’s competition is particularly focused on groups driving impact through equity. In addition to scoring appli- cants on their ventures’ quality, innovation, and scaling capabilities, judging criteria will assess applicants’ potential to address inequities and achieve results in under-resourced communi- ties. “We recognize that those closest to the prob- lems are often best suited to create solutions that work in that context,” said Michael Gold- en, executive director of Catalyst @ Penn GSE. “Following the many difficulties of 2020, we’re committed to supporting efforts in previously disadvantaged communities to move their sys- tems toward equity in education. We will help these entrepreneurs refine their ideas so they can Archives Photograph courtesy of the University Pennsylvania reach the market faster and make a bigger im- 100 Years Ago: A lot has changed since this aerial photo of Penn’s campus was taken in 1921. pact when they get there.” The Quadrangle appears prominently in the center of the photo, and the wooded area in the lower left still looks much the same today (and is known as the BioPond). However, notice how several streets ran through the heart of Penn’s campus, today the site of Locust Walk and other walkways.

Penn Retains “Voter Friendly Campus” Designation for Second Time The University of Pennsylvania is one of heaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ther help the engagement process. over two hundred campuses in thirty-seven designation is valid through December 2022. The designation comes just as the National states and the District of Columbia designat- The designation marks the second time that Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, or ed as a “Voter Friendly Campus,” by national Penn has been named a Voter Friendly Campus. NSLVE, by the Institute for Democracy & High- nonpartisan organizations Fair Elections Cen- In 2019, Penn became the first member of the er Education (IDHE) at Tufts University’s Tisch ter’s Campus Vote Project (CVP) and NASPA Ivy League to be officially designated as a Voter College of Civic Life updated their estimates for –Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Edu- Friendly Campus. With this designation, Penn voter turnout among Penn students in the 2018 cation. This designation celebrates Penn’s com- has demonstrated a strong commitment to the midterm elections. NSLVE now estimates that mitment to actively supporting and encouraging civic mission of higher education by preparing turnout among Penn students was 54.7% in the voter engagement. students to be engaged participants in our de- 2018 midterms, a significant increase from their The mission of the Voter Friendly Cam- mocracy through 2022 and beyond. previous estimate of 41%. pus designation is to bolster efforts that help As part of its effort to help Penn be desig- The institutions designated Voter Friend- students overcome barriers to participating in nated a Voter Friendly Campus, Penn Leads the ly Campuses represent a wide range of two- the political process. Penn was evaluated on a Vote (PLTV) built a virtual infrastructure in the year, four-year, public, private, rural, and ur- campus plan to register, educate, and turnout fall of 2020 to increase voting and civic engage- ban campuses. Notably, the list of designated students in the 2020 election. It also included ment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Key ele- institutions includes many Minority Serving In- details on how Penn implemented these voter ments of the engagement infrastructure included stitutions and Historically Black Colleges and engagement efforts on campus, and a final anal- the online platform Motivote, social media, and Universities. The program ultimately serves ysis of Penn’s efforts—all in the face of the up- building a team of dedicated volunteers to fur- millions of students.

ALMANAC March 16, 2021 www.upenn.edu/almanac 5 Commencement 2021: Commencement Speaker and Honorary Degree Recipients

Commencement Speaker Honorary Degree Recipients

Laurene Powell Jobs Elizabeth Alexander Frances H. Arnold David L. Cohen Laurene Powell Jobs, our 2021 Decorated poet, educator, mem- Frances Arnold is the Linus David L. Cohen is a Senior Ad- Commencement speaker, is found- oirist, scholar, and cultural advo- Pauling Professor of Chemical En- visor of the Philadelphia-based Com- er and president of Emerson Col- cate Elizabeth Alexander is pres- gineering, Bioengineering and Bio- cast Corporation. Mr. Cohen also lective, which is dedicated to the ident of The Andrew W. Mellon chemistry at the California Institute serves as senior counselor to the pursuit of a more equal and just Foundation, the nation’s largest of Technology. She is the recipient CEO. After many years as Senior world. Emerson Collective deploys funder in arts and culture, and hu- of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chem- Executive Vice President and Com- a range of tools—from impact in- manities in higher education. With istry for her pioneering work in di- cast’s first Chief Diversity Officer, in vesting to philanthropy to advo- more than two decades of experi- rected enzyme evolution methods, 2020 he moved from his leadership cacy—to lift up entrepreneurs, ence leading innovative programs roles in a broad portfolio of responsi- which she has used to expand the bilities, including corporate commu- leaders, innovators, and creators in education, philanthropy, and be- catalytic repertoire of enzymes and nications and administration, govern- working to build such a world and yond, Dr. Alexander builds part- develop efficient, sustainable ways ment, regulatory, public, and legal advance progress in critical areas, nerships to support the arts and to produce chemicals. In January affairs, and community impact. Prior including education, immigration, humanities while strengthening ed- 2021, President Biden named her to Comcast, Mr. Cohen was a partner climate, and cancer research and ucational institutions and cultural to Co-Chair the President’s Coun- and Chairman of Ballard Spahr An- treatment. organizations worldwide. Dr. Al- cil of Advisors on Science and drews & Ingersoll, LLP, one of the Ms. Powell Jobs’ commitment exander was previously the Ford Technology. Dr. Arnold also serves country’s 100 largest law firms. to renewing America’s social sys- Foundation’s Director of Creativity on the Advisory Panel of the Da- A native of New York, Mr. Cohen tems deepened over two decades and Free Expression, where she co- vid and Lucile Packard Foundation completed his undergraduate studies ago with her work in education. In designed the Art for Justice Fund, Fellowships in Science and En- at Swarthmore College and received 1997, she founded College Track, a using art and advocacy to address gineering and the Board of Trust- his JD from the University of Penn- college completion program where the crisis of mass incarceration, ees of the Gordon Research Con- sylvania Law School. From 1992 to she remains board chair, to com- and guided efforts in examining ferences. She is the co-inventor on 1997, Mr. Cohen served as Chief of bat the alarming achievement gap how the arts and visual storytelling more than 60 U.S. patents and the Staff to the Honorable Edward G. among students of color. She is also can empower communities. co-founder of the biotechnology Rendell, Mayor of the City of Phil- cofounder and board chair of The She is author or co-author of companies Gevo, Provivi, and Ara- adelphia. There, he played a critical XQ Institute, the nation’s leading fourteen books and twice a Pu- lez Bio. Dr. Arnold also serves on coordinating role in significant bud- organization dedicated to rethink- litzer Prize finalist, including for several private and public compa- getary and financial issues, economic ing the high school experience. In her 2015 memoir, The Light of the ny boards. development and collective bargain- keeping with her belief in support- World. Her works include Crave A native of Pennsylvania, Dr. ing negotiations, and many other is- ing journalism as a vital civic insti- Radiance: New and Selected Po- Arnold earned a BS in mechanical sues relating to the city. ems 1990–2010 Power and Pos- Since 2009, Mr. Cohen has tution, Ms. Powell Jobs is co-own- ; and aerospace engineering from served as Chair of the Trustees of er of The Atlantic, and she is also sibility: Essays, Reviews, and In- Princeton University and a PhD the University of Pennsylvania and co-owner of Anonymous Content terviews; American Sublime; The in Chemical Engineering from the its Executive Committee. A member and Concordia Studio. Black Interior: Essays; Antebellum University of California, Berkeley. of the Trustee Board and Executive Ms. Powell Jobs earned a BA in Dream Book; Body of Life; and The In recognition of her work, Dr. Committee of Penn Medicine newly political science from the Universi- Venus Hottentot. Arnold received the Charles Stark reorganized in 2002, he was its chair ty of Pennsylvania College of Arts She earned her BA from Yale Draper Prize of the U.S. National for seven years. Mr. Cohen was first and Sciences and a BS in econom- University, MA from Boston Uni- Academy of Engineering in 2011 elected a University Trustee in 2001. ics from the Wharton School. Dur- versity, and PhD in English from and the Millennium Technology Mr. Cohen also serves on both the ing her time at Penn, Ms. Powell the University of Pennsylvania. Prize from The Technology Acad- Board of Directors and the Execu- Jobs worked at Penn Student Agen- Through her distinguished career emy Finland in 2016. In 2011, Dr. tive Committee of the Greater Phila- cies, founding UPenn Special De- in education, Dr. Alexander in- Arnold was awarded the National delphia Chamber of Commerce and liveries, waited tables at Smokey spired a generation of students. She Medal of Technology and Innova- on the Chamber’s CEO Council for Joe’s, and studied abroad in Paris. served as the Wun Tsun Tam Mel- tion by President Obama. It is the Growth. He is also Chair of the Phila- She has served on the National Ad- lon Professor in the Humanities at nation’s highest honor for techno- delphia Theatre Company, a member visory Board of Penn’s Netter Cen- Columbia University. For fifteen logical achievement. She has been of the United States Semiquincen- ter for Community Partnerships. years, she taught at Yale Univer- elected to the National Academies tennial Commission and the Kimmel After graduating from Penn, she sity, where she helped rebuild the of Science, Medicine, and En- Center President’s Leadership Coun- worked at Goldman Sachs before school’s African American Stud- gineering, the American Acade- cil, and chairs the 2026 FIFA World earning an MBA from Stanford ies department and was appointed my of Arts and Sciences, and the Cup Philadelphia Bid Committee. Graduate School of Business. Yale’s inaugural Frederick Iseman American Philosophical Society. For his years of civic and chari- Ms. Powell Jobs serves on Professor of Poetry. Dr. Alexander table engagement, Mr. Cohen has A Foreign Member of the United been honored by the Anti-Defa- the Stanford University Board of also taught at Smith College and Kingdom Royal Academy of Engi- mation League, the American Red Trustees and the boards of Chi- the University of Chicago. neering and a Fellow of the Royal Cross, and the 4-H. His awards also cago CRED, Conservation Inter- Accolades for her work include Society, Dr. Arnold was elected to include the William Way Commu- national, The Council on Foreign the Jackson Poetry Prize, the John the Pontifical Academy of Scienc- nity Center Amicus in Res Award, Relations, Elemental Excelerator, Simon Guggenheim Memorial es in 2019. Greater Philadelphia Chamber of where she is board chair, and Nia Foundation Fellowship, the George Dr. Arnold will be receiving an Commerce’s William Penn Award, Tero. In addition, she is a member Kent Award, the National Endow- honorary doctor of sciences de- Spirit of Asian American Award, the of the American Academy of Arts ment for the Arts Fellowship, and gree. Jewish National Fund Tree of Life and Sciences, and a recipient of three Pushcart Prizes for Poetry. Award, the Minority Media and Tele- Stanford Graduate School of Busi- She is a Chancellor Emeritus of communications Council’s Champi- ness’ Ernest C. Arbuckle Award the Academy of American Poets, a on of Digital Equality Award, and the for managerial excellence and ad- member of the American Academy Minority Corporate Counsel Life- dressing the changing needs of so- of Arts and Sciences and serves on time Achievement Award, and Kap- ciety. the board of the Pulitzer Prize. pa Alpha Psi’s Distinguished Citi- Ms. Powell Jobs will be receiv- Dr. Alexander will be receiving zens Award. He has consistently been ing an honorary doctor of humane an honorary doctor of humane let- named to Black Enterprise maga- letters degree. ters degree. zine’s list of top corporate diversity executives. Mr. Cohen will be receiving an honorary doctor of laws degree.

6 www.upenn.edu/almanac ALMANAC March 16, 2021 Honorary Degree Recipients

Joy Harjo David Miliband John Williams Janet L. Yellen Joy Harjo is an international- Public policy analyst Right With a career spanning over Economist Janet L. Yellen is the ly renowned award-winning poet, Honorable David Miliband is the five decades, John Williams is one 78th United States Secretary of the writer, performer, and musician President and CEO of the Interna- of America’s most accomplished Treasury. The first woman to hold of the Mvskoke/Creek Nation. tional Rescue Committee (IRC). and successful composers for film this position, she was also the first The author of nine books of poet- The IRC responds to the world’s and the concert stage. Mr. Wil- woman Chair of the Federal Re- ry and a memoir, in 2019 Ms. Har- worst humanitarian crises and liams has composed the music and serve Board from 2014 to 2018. Dr. jo was appointed the 23rd United helps people whose lives and live- served as music director for over Yellen’s previous public service States Poet Laureate, the first Na- lihoods are shattered by conflict one hundred films. His 45-year ar- roles include as the Board’s Vice tive American to hold the position. and disaster to survive, recover, tistic partnership with director Ste- Chair, as President and Chief Ex- Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ms. and gain control of their future. In ven Spielberg is evidenced in many ecutive Officer of the Federal Re- Harjo studied at the Institute of more than 40 countries and over of Hollywood’s most acclaimed serve Bank of San Francisco, and American Indian Arts, receiving 20 U.S. cities, IRC teams provide films, including Schindler’s List, as Chair of the White House Coun- her BA at the University of New clean water, shelter, health care, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close En- cil of Economic Advisors. She was Mexico, Albuquerque, and MFA education, and empowerment sup- counters of the Third Kind, the In- formerly a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Iowa. Her po- port to refugees and displaced peo- diana Jones films, and Saving Pri- in Residence with the Economic etry collections include An Amer- ple. Through international part- vate Ryan. He also composed the Studies Program at the Brookings ican Sunrise, Conflict Resolution nerships, IRC has served tens of scores for all nine Star Wars films Institution. for Holy Beings, How We Became millions and has raised awareness and the first three of the Harry Pot- Dr. Yellen completed her un- Human: New and Selected Po- about human rights, protection ter film series. Mr. Williams served dergraduate studies at Brown Uni- ems, and She Had Some Horses. principles, and gender-based vio- for years as music director of the versity and received her PhD in Ms. Harjo’s memoir Crazy Brave lence. Since 2013, Mr. Miliband American musical institution, the economics from Yale University. won the PEN USA Literary Award has overseen the agency’s relief Boston Pops Orchestra; he main- Professor Emerita at the Univer- for Creative Non-Fiction and the and development operations, its tains thriving artistic relationships sity of California, Berkeley, she American Book Award. Soul Talk, refugee resettlement and assistance with many of the world’s great or- was the Eugene E. and Catherine Song Language is a collection of programs, and the IRC’s advocacy chestras. M. Trefethen Professor of Business her essays and interviews. She also efforts in Washington, D.C. and be- Born in New York, Mr. Wil- and professor of economics and a co-edited two anthologies of con- yond on behalf of the world’s most liams’ family moved to Los Ange- faculty member since 1980. She temporary Native women’s writ- vulnerable people. les when he was a teenager. After was also assistant professor of eco- ing and authored the award-win- Mr. Miliband has had a distin- military service, he attended New nomics at Harvard University, an ning books The Good Luck Cat for guished political career in the Unit- York’s Juilliard School. Return- economist at the Federal Reserve children and the young adult For A ed Kingdom. From 2007 to 2010, ing west, he began his film indus- Board, and a lecturer at the Lon- Girl Becoming. he served as the youngest Secretary try career, writing music for more don School of Economics. Dr. Yel- Ms. Harjo performs saxophone of State for Foreign and Common- than 200 television films early on. len has authored numerous articles, internationally, solo and with her wealth Affairs in three decades, His career grew with compositions as well as The Fabulous Decade: band The Arrow Dynamics. She driving advancements in human for public events including “Liber- Macroeconomic Lessons from the has six music and poetry albums, rights and representing the Unit- ty Fanfare” for the 1986 Statue of 1990s, with Alan Blinder. including this year’s I Pray for My ed Kingdom throughout the world. Liberty rededication. He also con- In 2012, Dr. Yellen was ap- Enemies, as well as Red Dreams, Mr. Miliband was also a member tributed music to many Olympic pointed Distinguished Fellow of A Trail Beyond Tears and Winding of Parliament from 2001 to 2013. games and for President Obama’s the American Economic Associa- Through the Milky Way, for which He began his career at the Institute first inaugural ceremony. His con- tion, for which she served as Vice she received a Native American for Public Policy Research and was cert stage compositions include President (2004-2005), and Pres- Music Award for Best Female Art- named by former Prime Minister two symphonies and several con- ident (2020-2021). Dr. Yellen’s ist of the Year in 2009. She has also Tony Blair as his Policy Unit head. certos premiered by a number of memberships include the American widely performed her one-woman After completing his under- leading orchestras. Academy of Arts and Sciences, the show, “Wings of Night Sky, Wings graduate studies at Oxford Uni- Mr. Williams has received five Council on Foreign Relations, the of Morning Light.” versity, Mr. Miliband received his Academy Awards and 52 Oscar Economic Strategy Group of the Ms. Harjo is a recipient of the master’s degree from the Massa- nominations, the most nominations Aspen Institute, and the Group of John Simon Guggenheim Memo- chusetts Institute of Technology as of any living person. He also has Thirty. She was a founding mem- rial Foundation Fellowship and the a Kennedy Scholar. He is also the seven British Academy Awards, ber of the Climate Leadership Rasmuson United States Artist Fel- author of Rescue: Refugees and the four Golden Globes, five Emmys, Council and has served on the ad- lowship. Her many awards include Political Crisis of Our Time. As the twenty-five Grammys, and numer- visory boards of the Bloomberg the Jackson Prize and the William son of refugees, he brings a person- ous gold and platinum records. Re- New Economic Forum, the Com- Carlos Williams Award from the al commitment to the IRC’s work cipient of the National Medal of mittee for a Responsible Feder- Poetry Society of America, the Po- to rescue the dignity and hopes of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors, al Budget, Fix the Debt Coalition, etry Foundation’s Ruth Lilly Prize, refugees and displaced people. In the Royal Philharmonic Society and the Washington Center for Eq- and the Wallace Stevens Award 2016, Mr. Miliband was named one Gold Medal, the Princess of Astur- uitable Growth Steering Commit- from the Academy of American of the World’s Greatest Leaders by ias Award for the Arts, the Olym- tee. She was elected an alumni fel- Poets. She is currently at work on Fortune Magazine. In 2018 he was pic Order, and the National Acade- low to the Yale Corporation from her next memoir and a commission inducted into the American Acad- my of Recording Arts and Sciences 2000 until 2006. by the Public Theater of New York emy of Arts and Sciences. Trustees Award, Mr. Williams is Her scholarship has covered a for a musical restoring southeast- Mr. Miliband will be receiving the first composer to receive the range of macroeconomic issues, ern natives to the American story an honorary doctor of laws degree. American Film Institute’s Life with a special focus on the causes, of blues and jazz. Achievement Award. A member of mechanisms, and implications of Ms. Harjo will be receiving an the American Academy of Arts and unemployment. Among Dr. Yel- honorary doctor of humane letters Sciences, he continues his roles as len’s many honors, Yale Univer- degree. Boston Pops Laureate Conductor sity awarded her the Wilbur Cross and Artist-in-Residence at Tangle- Medal. In 2019, she also received wood. the Truman Medal for Economic Mr. Williams will be receiving Policy from the Truman Library an honorary doctor of music de- Institute. gree. Dr. Yellen will be receiving an honorary doctor of laws degree.

ALMANAC March 16, 2021 www.upenn.edu/almanac 7 Deaths

George Bass, Penn Museum cation of archaeological work (Almanac March He went on to have a successful career in busi- George Fletcher Bass, a former curator of the 30, 2010). ness, becoming the president and CEO of Knox Penn Museum Mediterranean Section, died peace- He is survived by his wife, Ann; his sons, & Co., an investment fully on March 2 in Bryan, Texas. He was 88. Gordon (Jennifer) and Alan; and grandchildren, banking firm special- Dr. Bass was born in South Carolina and Henry and Charles. Those wishing to do so may izing in mergers and grew up in Annapo- make contributions to the INA Foundation at acquisitions, corpo- lis, Maryland. In https://nauticalarch.org/ina-foundation/. rate restructuring, and 1955 he received an international financial MA in Near Eastern Herbert Diamond, Psychiatry advisory services. An Herbert Diamond, a former associate profes- expert in foreign in- Archaeology from sor in psychiatry, died on January 31 in Trevose, Johns Hopkins Uni- vestment, Mr. Kelly Pennsylvania. He was 98. was instrumental versity, after which Dr. Diamond joined Penn’s faculty in 1952 as he spent two years at in introducing new an instructor in the psychiatry department of the financing concepts the American School School of Medicine. Ten years later, he became of Classical Studies to the international an associate in psychiatry at HUP. In 1969, he capital markets. He in Athens, Greece. became an assistant professor, and in 1975 an He served two years stayed active at Penn Paul Kelly associate professor. While at Penn, Dr. Diamond throughout his life, in the U.S. Army in was active on University Council, serving on its Korea and was hon- serving on the Class of 1962 Gift Committee, as George Bass Community Relations Committee. Dr. Diamond the chair of the advisory board of the Huntsman orably discharged as retired in 1987, but remained involved with Penn a First Lieutenant in Program, the treasurer of the Board of Governors as an emeritus associate professor of psychiatry. of the Penn Club in NY, and the chairman of the 1959. In 1964 he received a PhD in Classical Dr. Diamond is survived by his children, Le- Archaeology from Penn. While a graduate student University’s Agenda for Excellence Council. He nore (Stephen) Robins, Margaret Diamond and was also a proponent of the U.S. China Future at Penn, Dr. Bass led the world’s first scientific Steven (Diane Lichtenstein); and three grandchil- shipwreck investigation, examining a Bronze Age Leaders Program at GSE, which aimed to bridge dren. Contributions in his memory may be made the two countries. In recognition of his support, shipwreck off Cape Gelidonya on the southern to the Alzheimer’s Disease Association (https:// coast of Turkey. Today’s field of underwater ar- Penn Alumni gave Mr. Kelly the Penn Alumni www.alz.org/) or to the American Civil Liberties Award of Merit in 2012. chaeology builds on Dr. Bass’s pioneering work. Union (https://www.aclu.org/). Dr. Bass briefly worked as a student assistant In 1997, Mr. Kelly became a University at the Penn Museum from 1959-1960. In 1962, Vernon Jordan, trustee, and in 2010 he was named an emeritus while getting his PhD, Dr. Bass joined Penn’s fac- Commencement Speaker trustee (Almanac March 2, 2010). “He brought ulty as a lecturer at the Penn Museum. Two years Vernon Jordan, a civil rights leader and Penn’s imagination, a global perspective, and tremen- later, he became an assistant professor of classical 1981 commencement dous dedication to every challenge,” said Trustees archaeology and the assistant curator of the Penn speaker, died at home Chair David Cohen and Penn President Amy Museum’s Mediterranean section. While there, in Washington, D.C. Gutmann in a tribute to Mr. Kelly. “As chair of Dr. Bass continued his research, discovering new on March 1. He was the Audit & Compliance Committee, he insti- sonar techniques for searching and mapping un- 85. tuted many innovative oversight practices now derwater and using new technologies that allowed Mr. Jordan re- considered “best” among our peers. He took an divers to stay underwater for extended periods ceived a BA from active role on the Executive, Budget & Finance, of time during expeditions in Turkey (Almanac DePauw University Development, and Facilities & Campus Planning April-May 1967, December 1967). In 1968, Dr. and a JD from How- Committees, sharing his sage counsel and serving Bass was promoted to associate professor and ard University. As a as a trusted leader.” In 2003, Mr. Kelly endowed named one of the “ten outstanding young men in civil rights lawyer, the Kelly Family Gates outside Addams Hall the country” by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce he handled a number (Almanac May 13, 2003). (Almanac March 1968). of prominent cases Also in 1997, Mr. Kelly provided a $1.1 mil- In 1973, after teaching at Penn for eight years, beginning in the lion gift to help establish Penn’s Kelly Writers Dr. Bass left to found the Institute of Nautical 1960s, including the Vernon Jordan House, named in honor of his parents, Rita and Archaeology (INA), which is devoted to bringing desegregation of the Thomas Kelly (Almanac January 28, 1997). Mr. history to light through the scientific study of ship- University of Georgia. He served as the Georgia Kelly had a large role in developing the Kelly wrecks. For a few years afterward, he remained field director for the NAACP and also held roles Writers House’s mission. “Paul never stopped affiliated with Penn as an adjunct professor of with the Southern Regional Council, the Voter working with the people of the Writers House classical archaeology. Later in 1973, he received Education Project, the United Negro College to come up with new ideas, ways of broadening the inaugural Philadelphia Explorers Award in Fund, and the National Urban League. In 1980, the reach of its programs, establishing partner- honor of his contributions to geographical explo- Mr. Jordan survived an assassination attempt. ships that would bring in more exciting writers ration (Almanac July 1973). The Institute became In 1981, Mr. Jordan gave Penn’s commence- and artists” said the House’s inaugural director, affiliated with Texas A&M in 1976, and in the ment address (Almanac May 12, 1981), coincid- Al Filreis, in a memorial tribute. “He especially same year the Nautical Archaeology Program ing with his daughter Vickee’s graduation from supported the development of webcasts, the ar- was established at the university. Dr. Bass taught Penn. In the 1990s, Mr. Jordan served on Presi- chive of recordings of seminars and workshops at Texas A&M from 1976 until his retirement in dent Bill Clinton’s transition team and continued made available online, the studio space for even 2000, becoming a professor emeritus in its nauti- his political and civil rights-related activism. more digital production, and eventually regular cal archaeology program. Mr. Jordan is survived by his wife, Ann (nee livestreaming.” Dr. Bass testified before Congress in favor of Dibble); his daughter, Vickee; and nine grand- Mr. Kelly’s generosity toward Penn continued the 1988 Abandoned Shipwrecks Act, arguing that children. after the Kelly Writers House opened, culminat- shipwrecks underwater should have the same pro- ing in a $3 million gift that supported the House tections from looters as historic sites on land. He Paul Kelly, SAS Board of Advisors and the undergraduate program in studio arts received several accolades for his work, including and Trustee and created a challenge fund to provide scholar- being awarded the National Medal of Science by Paul Kelly, former member of what is now ships for students in the Huntsman Program in President George W. Bush in 2001 and receiving the SAS Board of Advisors and Penn trustee, and International Studies and Business (Almanac a National Geographic Centennial Award. Time the benefactor of the Kelly Writers House, died December 10, 2002). As a trustee, Mr. Kelly also Magazine called Dr. Bass “an underwater Indiana on March 4 from complications of COVID-19. funded several specific initiatives at the Kelly Jones.” In 2010, the Penn Museum awarded Dr. He was 81. Writers House, such as the Kelly Writers House Bass its Lucy Wharton Drexel Medal, honoring Mr. Kelly received a BA in English from fellows program, which brought several eminent exceptional achievement in excavation or publi- Penn in 1962 and an MBA in finance in 1964. (continued on page 9) 8 www.upenn.edu/almanac ALMANAC March 16, 2021 (continued from page 8) writers and authors to Penn, and the Kelly Family Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction in 2011 and locutors,” says colleague D’Maris Coffman, chair Professorship of English, which Dr. Filreis has short-listed for the Duff Cooper Prize in 2012. In in economics and finance of the built environment held since 2002. Mr. Kelly was also active in 2015, Dr. Steinberg retired from Penn and took at University College London. “He had an almost Penn Athletics. emeritus status. preternatural sense for ‘where students were’ Mr. Kelly served on the Director’s Advisory “Jonathan was an intellectual of great acuity, and could meet them more than half-way. With Board of the Yale Cancer Center. He also had capacious range, and boundless curiosity,” says undergraduates and graduate students alike, he an abiding interest in New Zealand, where he his former colleague, Warren Breckman, Sheldon could grasp almost instinctively how the student was a member of the Advisory Committee of the and Lucy Hackney Professor of History. “He be- understood a subject or a problem, and could di- University of Auckland Business School and the lieved in the power of facts and had many at his rect us to further readings or draw our attention to New Zealand Business Roundtable. disposal; but he also had a penetrating analytical areas that required further thought. The questions “For those of us in the Kelly Writers House mind. He could startle with mention of the most Jonathan raised and the seriousness with which community especially, it is nearly inconceivable arcane of works, but typically the surprise came he pursued them have stayed with me for over a that a person of such vitality, such dynamic in- from the illuminating relevance of the reference, decade, even as I have moved away from history tellectual energy and enthusiasm—whose many not from its obscurity; and like a good chess into economic geography, economic analysis, and (and more or less constant) venturesome ideas player, he often seemed one or two moves ahead infrastructure economics.” sought to make the Writers House better and more of his interlocutors.” “He was a charismatic teacher, whose lectures responsive as a space and an organization—could “The intellectual acuity evident in Jonathan on nineteenth and twentieth-century Europe drew possibly now be still,” said Dr. Filreis. Steinberg’s scholarship was matched by the gen- many students, including a large following of Mr. Kelly is survived by his wife, Nancy; and erosity with which he mentored his undergradu- senior associates,” says Dr. Breckman. “He was several family members. ate students,” says Melissa Teixeira, CAS’08, a caring and dedicated teacher and mentor to now an associate professor of history. “As I many of our graduate students. Above all, he Jonathan Steinberg, History find myself back at Penn, now as an assistant was a lustrous and enlivening presence in our Jonathan Steinberg, emeritus professor in the professor in the very same department where I community, bringing intellectual gravity and, School of Arts and once studied with Jonathan, I can grasp from an occasionally, levity to our proceedings.” Sciences’ department entirely new vantage point what made him such Dr. Steinberg is survived by his partner, of history, died on an extraordinary teacher. He inspired with his Marion Kant. March 4. He was 86. intellectual range and his endless suggestions of Dr. Steinberg re- books for students eager to learn more. Conversa- To Report A Death ceived an AB at Har- tions with Jonathan were never one-sided, as he Almanac appreciates being informed vard College and a was eager to listen to his students, to learn from of the deaths of current and former fac- PhD from Cambridge their reflections on a particular book or subject. ulty and staff members, students and oth- University (where he He leaves me with an exceptional model for the er members of the University community. studied under F.H. type of mentor and teacher that I aspire to be.” Call (215) 898-5274 or email almanac@ Hinsley, who had “Jonathan was exquisitely attuned to his inter- upenn.edu helped to crack the ENIGMA machines at Bletchley Park). Before starting gradu- Jonathan Steinberg Update: 2021 Penn Summer Camps and Programs ate studies at Cam- Penn has a variety of activities available for young children and students of every age bridge in 1961, Dr. Steinberg served briefly in this summer. the U.S. military and then worked at the E.G. Due to the rapidly changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, check the URLs provided Warburg Bank in New York City. He spent the in each listing for updated information. These camps are in addition to the 2021 Penn Sum- first part of his academic career at Trinity Hall, mer Camps and Programs supplement published on February 16, 2021. a constituent college of Cambridge University. There, he served as fellow and director of studies in history from 1966 to 1999, and vice-master ENRICHMENT & EDUCATION from 1990 to 1994. While at Cambridge, Dr. Penn Laboratory Experiences in Natural Sciences (Penn LENS): June 21-August 5, Steinberg wrote on twentieth century Germany, 2021. Students interested in STEM careers shadow research groups through individualized Italy, Austria, and Switzerland, and prepared placements in the School of Arts and Sciences’ laboratories. Emphasis is on computer-based the official report on the Deutsche Bank’s gold data collection and analysis, as well as reading and communications skills. For rising 11th transactions during World War II. He lectured on and 12th grade URM and/or FGLI students from School District of Philadelphia public and European history since 1789, specializing in the public charter schools only. Participants receive a $500 financial award plus a full scholar- German and Austrian Empires, Nazi Germany, ship to attend a Penn Summer Research Academy (offered through LPS) during this time pe- fascist Italy, and modern Jewish history. He riod. To apply: https://apply.interfolio.com/83750; more information: https://web.sas.upenn. published several books (his first, in 1965, was edu/penn-lens/welcome-to-penn-lens/. Application deadline: May 31. an expansion of his dissertation), served as the co-editor of The Historical Journal, and wrote ACADEMICS and produced several BBC radio documentaries. Dr. Steinberg also served as an expert witness Penn Medicine Summer Program: July 12-23. Spend two virtual (online) weeks experi- in the Commonwealth of Australia War Crimes encing the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine’s intensive program prosecution. designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in medical careers. Modeled after ac- In 2000, Dr. Steinberg came to Penn, where tual Penn Medicine classes, you’ll gain exposure to the basics of medical training including he was appointed the Annenberg Professor of practical experiences and online demonstrations. Cost: $2,195. To apply: https://www.bold- Modern European History (Almanac October summers.com/summer-programs/penn-medicine-summer-program/. Rolling admissions. 31, 2000). Dr. Steinberg also held appointments Children’s Hospital Summer Program in Pediatric Medicine: June 28-July 2. Experi- in the Jewish Studies Program and the College ence a one-week virtual deep dive into pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia of Liberal and Professional Studies. While at summer program. Designed for rising high school juniors and seniors, this program is ideal Penn, he continued to research, write, and lecture for students interested in careers in the healthcare field, including medicine, nursing, respi- widely on European history. He was the chair of ratory therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy. This program offers a mix of lec- the history department from 2001 to 2004 and ture-based and skill-based learning to provide a broad exposure to the various professions was well-known for getting to know students per- that specialize in the care of babies, children and young adults. Cost: $985. To apply: https:// sonally and encouraging their research pursuits. www.boldsummers.com/summer-programs/chop-pediatric-medicine/. Rolling admissions. From 2009 to 2011, he edited the Cambridge History Tripos. His 2011 biography of Otto Von Bismarck was short-listed for the BBC Samuel ALMANAC March 16, 2021 www.upenn.edu/almanac 9 Honors & Other Things

Five Penn Faculty: close coordination with the scientific community. Krystal Strong, assistant professor in the lit- 2021 Sloan Research Fellows Candidates must be nominated by their fellow eracy, culture, and international education division, Ishmail Abdus-Saboor and Bo Zhen from scientists, and winning fellows are selected by has been named a 2020-2021 Andrew W. Mellon the School of Arts & Sciences, Bhaswar B. independent panels of senior scholars on the Digital Humanities Fellow by the Penn Price Lab Bhattacharya from the Wharton School, Ziyue basis of research accomplishments, creativity, for Digital Humanities, a lab that supports inno- Gao from the Perelman School of Medicine, and and potential to become a leader in their field. vative uses of technology in the study of history, Marc Miskin from the School of Engineering and art, and culture. Applied Science are among the 128 recipients Recent Graduate School of Education Salimah Meghani: Distinguished of the 2021 Sloan Research Fellowship. One of Honors Nursing Researcher Award the most prestigious awards available to young Students The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Associa- researchers, the fellowship recognizes early- Bikalpa Baniya, a master’s student in the Inter- tion (HPNA) has awarded Penn Nursing’s Sa- career scholars in the United States and Canada. national Educational Development program and a limah Meghani this year’s Distinguished Nursing Each recipient will receive a two-year, $75,000 2019 Penn UNESCO Fellow, received an innova- Researcher Award. Dr. Meghani is a professor Fellowship for their research. tion/creativity prize and an audience award at the of nursing, a term chair of palliative care, as- Ishmail Abdus-Saboor is the Mitchell J. and Hacking EdPlanning hackathon at IIEP-UNESCO, sociate director of the NewCourtland Center for Margo K. Blutt Presidential Assistant Professor where he is currently a data-science intern. The 48- Transitions and Health and a senior fellow at the of Biology in the department of biology. Focused hour event confronted six challenges in educational Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. on the genes and nervous system pathways planning and put forth new digital prototypes. This award recognizes a nurse researcher who involved in translating tactile sensations to the Jasmine Blanks Jones, a PhD candidate in the has demonstrated longevity and consistency in re- brain, Dr. Abdus-Saboor has taken a particular in- Education, Culture, and Society program, has search leadership that terest in the perception of acute and chronic pain. been awarded an anti-racism grant through Robert advances the mission Bhaswar Bhattacharya is an assistant profes- Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research and vision of HPNA sor in the department of statistics. His research Scholars. Ms. Jones’s research and work with the through high qual- interests include nonparametric statistics, net- B4 Youth Theatre will study racism by integrating ity research, influen- work inference, combinatorial probability, and theater-based methods in mental health. tial publications, and discrete and computational geometry. Working Christiana Kallon Kelly, a PhD candidate research mentorship at the intersection of probability and combinator- in the Division of Literacy, Culture and Inter- focused on improving ics, Dr. Bhattacharya studies how methods from national Education program, was awarded the care in serious illness. graph theory can be used to analyze large and GAPSA-Provost Fellowship for Interdisciplinary The award was pre- complex datasets in a computationally efficient Innovation, which will support her dissertation sented on February way. These types of methods can be used to ad- research on the socio-cultural implications of new 18 during the virtual dress problems in natural language processing education technologies on learning, well-being, 2021 HPNA/AAHPM and high-dimensional data analysis. and aspirations of students and teachers in Sierra Annual Assembly. Ziyue Gao is an assistant professor in the de- Leone during crises. The Hospice and Salimah Meghani partment of genetics. She is investigating genetics Bethany Monea, a PhD student in the Literacy, Palliative Nurses Association was established in and accumulated mutations using computational Culture, and International Education program, has 1986 and is the leading national professional or- methods to better understand how mutation, de- received the fall 2020 GAPSA-Provost Fellowship ganization representing the specialty of palliative mographic history, and natural selection shape for Interdisciplinary Innovation. With this fellow- nursing and advancing expert care in serious ill- genetic variation within and between populations ship, Ms. Monea hopes to engage in collaborative ness through education, research, and advocacy. and to use this knowledge to learn about human analysis with her student participants more, as she “This is perhaps one of the most prestigious biology, history, and evolution. Dr. Gao’s lab is a studies the writing and media-making practices of nursing research awards in the field,” said Dr. member of the Penn Center for Global Genomics first generation Latinx students. Meghani. “I feel honored to join the list of ten and Health Equity. Madison Wardlaw, a student in the Urban inspiring former recipients of this national award. Marc Miskin is an assistant professor in the Teaching Apprenticeship program, was awarded What makes it even more special for me is that department of electrical and systems engineering a Weiss WW Teaching Fellowship for 2020–21. I am the first immigrant woman and person of who specializes in the design and control of mi- Each fellow receives support from the Institute for color to receive this honor. This certainly paves croscopic robots. Dr. Miskin’s research involves Citizens and Scholars and a merit-aid scholarship the way for other minority investigators who adapting techniques used in the manufacture of from Penn GSE and commits to teach for three are improving the care of seriously ill persons computer chips to make tens of thousands of these years in high-need Philadelphia schools, with and their families through rigorous research and robots at a time on a standard silicon wafer. Once ongoing mentoring. service. I am grateful to the HPNA Research Ad- separated, these robots can move by means of legs Jeremy Wright-Kim, researcher and PhD stu- visory Council and the HPNA Board of Directors consisting of nanoscale strips of platinum, which dent in the Higher Education program, received a for this wonderful acknowledgement.” flex when a current is applied. 2020 AERA-NSF Dissertation and Research Grant Award for the project “Enrollment and Revenue: Bo Zhen is an assistant professor in the depart- Virgil Percec: Academia Europaea ment of physics and astronomy. His research lab An Exploration of the Community College Bac- Virgil Percec, P. Roy Vagelos Professor of works at the intersection of condensed matter calaureate.” Chemistry, was elected to the Academia Euro- physics and quantum electrodynamics with an Faculty paea. Dr. Percec was named a Foreign Member interest in developing practical application. This Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, associate professor of the Academy in Chemistry. includes research on nanophotonics, devices in the literacy, culture, and international educa- Dr. Percec’s research group is involved in the with features at the nanometer-scale that imbue tion division, was awarded a 2020 World Fantasy elaboration of synthetic methods, strategies, and them with unique properties, and finding ways Award in the professional category for her book architectural concepts, as well as in the under- to reduce energy use in optical communications The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination standing of the fundamental principles that govern using energy-efficient design and developing new from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games. The award the rational design and synthesis of complex types of materials. is considered one of the most prestigious prizes in molecular, macromolecular, and supramolecular Since the first Sloan Research Fellowships in the genre of fantasy and speculative fiction. nonbiological systems that exhibit biological 1955, 125 faculty members from Penn have re- Sharon Ravitch, professor of practice in functions. His research collaborates with a di- ceived awards. Open to scholars in eight scientific the teaching, learning, and leadership division, versity of interrelated disciplines and seeks to and technical fields—chemistry, computational received a Fulbright Fellowship through the understand, mimic, and extend nature’s solutions and evolutionary molecular biology, computer Comparative and International Education Society to the design of synthetic functional nanosystems. science, Earth system science, economics, (CIES) Fulbright Specialist Roster to work with The Academia Europaea was established in mathematics, neuroscience, and physics—the Dr. BNM College in Mumbai, Maharashtra for 1988 and is a Pan-European Academy of Sciences Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded in the 2021-2022 academic year. Humanities and Letters. 10 www.upenn.edu/almanac ALMANAC March 16, 2021 Honors & Other Things

2021 Thouron Award Winners Four University of Pennsylvania seniors and a 2019 graduate have received a Thouron Award to pursue graduate studies in the United King- dom. Each scholarship winner receives tuition for up to two years, as well as travel and liv- ing stipends, to earn a graduate degree there. Because of pandemic restrictions, this year’s scholars can start their degrees in 2021 or in 2022. Established in 1960 and supported with gifts by the late John Thouron and his wife, Esther du Pont Thouron, the Thouron Award is a gradu- ate exchange program between Penn and U.K. universities that aims to improve understanding and relations between the two countries. Penn’s five 2021 Thouron Scholars are: Emily Davis, from Gainesville, Florida, is majoring in biology in the College of Liberal & Professional Studies. In addition to being a full-time student, Ms. Davis is a full-time pro- fessional ballet dancer in her sixth season with the Pennsylvania Ballet. She has performed nu- merous corps de ballet and soloist roles with the company and is a passionate advocate for integrating dance and health. A trained in- structor for Dance for Parkinson’s Disease, From left, top: senior Emily Davis, senior Carson Eckhard, and 2019 graduate Ben Friedman. she has developed and taught dance programs Bottom: senior Lauren Kleidermacher and senior Beau Staso. through partnerships with Art-Reach, Puen- tes de Salud, the Magee Rehabilitation Hospi- in history, with a goal of returning to the U.S. to Ms. Kleidermacher plans to pursue a master’s tal, and Nemours Children’s Hospital. Ms. Da- pursue a JD/PhD and a career as a law profes- in global health science and epidemiology at the vis conducts research at the Children’s Hospital sor, advocate, and organizer for comprehensive University of Oxford, with the goal of pursing a of Philadelphia on pediatric neuromotor reha- justice reform. medical degree in the U.S. and a career combat- bilitation for children with cerebral palsy, and Ben Friedman, from Lexington, Massachu- ting Alzheimer’s disease. at the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in setts, earned a bachelor’s degree in political sci- Beau Staso, from Hermosa Beach, Califor- Medicine. She serves as the director of Shut Up ence and communications with a minor in sur- nia, is majoring in management at the Wharton and Dance, an annual benefit performance put vey research and data analytics from Penn in School and in international relations with a mi- on by Pennsylvania Ballet dancers that raises 2019. Mr. Friedman has worked on a number nor in Russian studies in the College of Arts and more than $150,000 for Philadelphia’s Metro- of political campaigns, most recently as New Sciences. He is a research assistant at Wharton, politan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance. Hampshire press secretary for the campaign a research assistant and Russian translator at Ms. Davis plans to pursue a PhD exploring the of President Joseph Biden. At Penn, Mr. Fried- Penn Medicine, and a teaching assistant in the biopsychosocial benefits of social dancing, with man was president of Penn Consumer Assis- Russian and East European studies department a goal of using research to legitimize the use of tance Support & Education, or Penn CASE, a in the College of Arts and Sciences. An ROTC evidence-based dance interventions to improve student organization devoted to consumer pro- cadet, Mr. Staso serves as wing commander of health. tection and advocacy in Philadelphia. He played the Air Force cadets in the Philadelphia area Carson Eckhard, from Tampa, Florida, is on the varsity sprint football team, which won and advocates for the LGBT+ community in the majoring in history and English with minors in a Collegiate Sprint Football League champion- military. He was awarded Department of De- urban studies and Africana studies in the Col- ship in 2016, and was a three-time all-league se- fense scholarships for study in eastern Europe lege of Arts and Sciences. She is a Mellon Mays lection at offensive line. Mr. Friedman received and central Asia, and he was elected secretary- Undergraduate Fellow and a University Schol- the Annenberg School for Communication’s C. general of the University of Pennsylvania Mod- ar. At Penn, Ms. Eckhard is chair of the Stu- Nicole Dickerson Award for public service and el United Nations Conference. A Wharton Re- dent Committee on Undergraduate Education was an Academic All-Ivy League selection for search Scholar, Mr. Staso is a recipient of the and vice president of engagement for Beyond fall 2017. Mr. Friedman plans to pursue a mas- Military Officers Association of America Lib- Arrests, a campus criminal justice reform or- ter’s degree in a policy field and then return to erty Bell Award, Military Order of the Purple ganization. An Andrea Mitchell Research Fel- the U.S. to pursue a career in public service. Heart National Leadership Award, Sons of the low and a member of the Penn & Slavery Proj- Lauren Kleidermacher, from Miami Beach, American Revolution Leadership Award and ect, Ms. Eckhard aims to use academic research Florida, is majoring in biology in the College was selected by his peers for the Field Training as a vehicle for social justice. Passionate about of Arts and Sciences. She has been interested in Warrior Spirit Award. He also has worked with educational equity and criminal justice reform, studying Alzheimer’s disease since her grand- Russian immigrant patrons of food pantries in Ms. Eckhard interns for the Conviction Integ- father died of the disease when she was in fifth North Philadelphia to conduct studies on their rity Unit at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s grade. She created PJ Pillows, a nonprofit that health and diet. Mr. Staso will pursue a master’s Office, where she supports efforts to combat raises funds for Alzheimer’s research, and has degree in Russian and East European studies. wrongful convictions in Philadelphia. She has donated time and resources to several nursing After completion, he plans to begin his career as advocated for releasing incarcerated citizens as homes. She is currently conducting research on a U.S. Space Force officer. an intern for the Philadelphia Reentry Coali- Alzheimer’s at the Penn Neurodegeneration Ge- The Center for Undergraduate Research and tion. She is also a founding board member of nomics Center. A crisis counselor for those suf- Fellowships (CURF) serves as Penn’s primary The Liberation Foundation, a grassroots Phila- fering from anxiety and depression, she also information hub and support office for students delphia-based organization dedicated to over- volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House and and alumni applying for major grants and fel- turning wrongful convictions and advocating the Bethesda Project homeless shelter. A nation- lowships, including the Thouron Award. for those serving disproportionate sentences. ally ranked chess player, she has been a teach- Adapted from a Penn Today article by Loui- Ms. Eckhard plans to pursue a master’s degree ing assistant in Penn’s statistics department. sa Shepard, February 26, 2021.

ALMANAC March 16, 2021 www.upenn.edu/almanac 11 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Involvement Recognition Awardees In honor of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Betts co-founded Wharton Diversity, Equity & led her to pursue a nursing degree and ultimate- King, Jr.’s recognition that local engagement Inclusion Consultants. ly, to obtain a position as a registered nurse on is essential to the struggle for equality, the Dr. Ms. Betts demonstrates a sustained commit- an Oncology/Transplant unit at Einstein Medi- Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Sym- ment to community involvement throughout her cal Center. posium on Social Change Executive Planning personal and professional life. Making a signifi- Community Member Award Committee of the University of Pennsylvania cant impact in Philadelphia and at Penn, she is a Sara Lomax-Reese—The President and announced the 2021 Community Involvement good neighbor to our beloved community. CEO of WURD Radio, LLC, which is the only Recognition Awardees during the Dr. Mar- Faculty/Staff Award Black-owned media company in Pennsylvania. tin Luther King, Jr. Interfaith Commemoration Dr. Batsirai Bvunzawabaya—“Dr. Batsi,” WURD 900AM has been under Ms. Lomax-Re- event on January 26, which can be viewed at as she is affectionately known to colleagues, is ese’s leadership for more than nine years. chaplain.upenn.edu/mlk2021. a trusted partner and advocate across the cam- A graduate of the University of Pennsylva- The awards honor members of the Philadel- pus of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a nia and Columbia University Graduate School phia community whose active service to others psychologist and the director of outreach and of Journalism, Ms. Lomax-Reese made a signif- best exemplifies the ideals Dr. King espoused. prevention services at Counseling and Psycho- icant impact working on the glaucoma aware- Undergraduate Student Award logical Services (CAPS). She has consistently ness campaign with the city of Philadelphia. Hakiem Ellison (C’22)—A political science demonstrated her commitment to centering val- The campaign sought to provide free glaucoma major minoring in urban education in the Col- ues of equity, inclusivity, and social justice. screenings to African Americans, as well as to lege of Arts and Sciences, Mr. Ellison is a first- Originally from Zimbabwe, Dr. Batsi’s clin- enroll eligible patients in a genetics study. Ms. generation, low-income student born and raised ical interests include exploring issues relat- Lomax-Reese was passionate and creative in in West Philadelphia. He dedicates his time and ed to minority mental health, body image con- designing the campaign, and hosted live cover- energy to making positive changes in this area cerns, sexual trauma, racial and ethnic identity age of a screening event, along with interview- that he calls home. development, and social justice counseling. At ing African American glaucoma physicians at His service with the West Philadelphia com- CAPS, Dr. Batsi is a valuable member of the Penn. The campaign was enormously success- munity began when he enrolled in an academi- Eating Concerns Team and the Sexual Trauma ful; a large majority cited their trust and famil- cally-based community service (ABCS) course Treatment Outreach and Prevention Team. She iarity with WURD Radio (and with Ms. Lomax- entitled Music in Urban Spaces and its affili- is a facilitator of the staff Diversity, Equity and Reese) as their main reason for participating in ate, Music for Social Change. As part of ABCS, Inclusion Committee, and was part of the Inter- the campaign. Mr. Ellison worked for a year at the Henry C. cultural Leadership Program, which received Ms. Lomax-Reese has received numerous Lea School, facilitating activities with school- the Models of Excellence Award. She also co- awards including: The Woman of Substance day drama and band classes, as well as with af- facilitates restorative circles at Penn. Award from the National Medical Association; ter-school music programs. He has also worked Dr. Batsi has supported collaborations that the “Tree of Life” award from the Wellness of with Penn’s Summer Mentorship Program, pre- center holistic wellness and access to cultural- You and HealthQuest Magazine, which she paring and organizing events for the high school ly responsive resources. Student groups such as co-founded; and received the Beacon of Light participants and co-producing a 100-page “Col- Black Graduate Women’s Association, Sister Award from the Congressional Black Caucus lege Knowledge” handbook of tips and resourc- Sister, and Abuse and Sexual Assault Preven- for outstanding health coverage. In addition, es for navigating the college application pro- tion (ASAP) are just a few of the many that have she was recognized as one of the “100 People cess; and Music for Social Change, mentoring benefited from her generous counsel and active to Watch” by Philadelphia Business Journal, Lea students in Musicopia, an after-school or- participation in their programming and outreach and in 2010, she was selected for the “Wom- chestral program. Mr. Ellison has continued to efforts. en of Distinction” award given by the the same work in various peer mentor programs that pro- magazine. Most recently, she received the 2012 vide support programs and services to first-gen- Dr. Judith Rodin Community PECO “Power to the Community” award given Education Award eration and/or low-income students. Gina Pambianchi by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women —A Penn Graduate School of Pennsylvania Mr. Ellison identified Dr. King’s quotation of Education alum, Ms. Pambianchi serves as “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, Cassandra Graves—This former Lancaster, the community engagement librarian at the Van Pennsylvania NBC Television news journalist ‘What are you doing for others?’” as the inspi- Pelt-Dietrich Library at the University of Penn- ration for his work and continues to prove his is an educator, grant-writer, administrator, per- sylvania. In her role, she is responsible for de- forming arts consultant, professional photog- commitment to the betterment of the West Phil- veloping partnerships with public school librar- adelphia community. rapher, and a certified home-based travel agent ies and community organizations. In less than promoting and building cultural diversity part- Graduate Student Award a year, Ms. Pambianchi expanded the scope of nerships. Dr. Graves is associate director of Ev- Ashley Betts—A Meckler Family Endowed Penn Libraries’ community outreach program Fellow and first-year MBA Candidate at the elyn Graves Drama Productions, artistic consul- by introducing new initiatives such as the “Mir- tant, and director of Evelyn Graves School of Wharton School, Ms. Betts is Vice President of rors Collection” in which her team of students Social Impact on Wharton Graduate Associa- Performing Arts, and administrator of Evelyn select books for local elementary schools. Oth- Graves Ministries Church Inc. A doctor of di- tion’s Cluster Council. Leading a fundraising er new outreach programs include: “Connection effort to tackle homelessness, Ms. Betts had fel- vinity and theology, she has effectively used her Collection,” “Advocacy for Librarians.“ “Adult powerful communication skills to mentor thou- low first-year MBA students work with nonprof- Literacy,” “Health Literacy,” and the “Unearth- its to raise money and hand out care packages sands of families and re-instituted community ing Literacy Project.” outreach by empowering resources with free to those in need. She had them partner with the Before coming to Penn, Ms. Pambianch Philadelphia School District to lead a virtual ca- food and fresh vegetables feeding 43,200 un- taught and managed a school library in Belize derserved families. reer symposium for High School students. City, Belize. She worked in collaboration with Ms. Betts serves on the board of Rebuilding A West Philly native, she includes culture, a team to develop an extended day program for education, spirituality, science, technology, en- Together, which transforms low-income home- twenty youths in under-resourced communities. owners’ lives by revitalizing their Belmont com- gineering, math, and the performing arts on her She facilitated student research and story-time, list of life-sustaining services targeting youth munity. She serves on the Deans’ MBA Advi- instructed small group and one-on-one reading sory Council and helped create Wharton’s first with opportunities and experiences of a lifetime. classes for students with learning disabilities, In 2011, Dr. Graves was installed as execu- academically-based community service MBA and established a weekly Girls’ Empowerment course with Penn’s Netter Center, where stu- tive assistant pastor at Evelyn Graves Ministries Group focused on self-esteem and gender-relat- Church and has received several awards includ- dents and faculty work with the West Philadel- ed issues. phia community to help solve critical communi- ing citations from Mayor Michael Nutter, Trav- Ms. Pambianchi also helped to establish an el Agent of the Year from Philadelphia Black ty problems. As director of Wharton’s African adult education curriculum at North Philadel- American MBA Association, her initiative sup- Travel Expo, and a citation from the NAACP, phia nonprofit Hope Partnership for Education. all acknowledging her leadership quality and ports black-owned businesses and also has an There, she became more cognizant of the rela- “Adopt a Family for Christmas” program. Ms. positive impact within the community. tionship between literacy and healthcare. This —African American Resource Center 12 www.upenn.edu/almanac ALMANAC March 16, 2021 2021 Women of Color at Penn Awards On March 19, the Women of Color at Penn will and cultural change. Ms. Coward-Gilmore has la- been able to advocate for School-wide changes fo- honor the following award winners whose work bored tirelessly to spread the value of the arts for cused on personally and professionally supporting has promoted education, cultural diversity and pos- social change through her dance company’s annual students underrepresented in medicine, supporting itive change on campus and in the world. To reg- performance season, residencies, partnerships and Philadelphia’s minoritized communities, and edu- ister to attend, visit https://tinyurl.com/3fzkzrm3. other school and community-based programs. The cating the next generation of physicians within an choreographic content of Ms. Coward-Gilmore’s antiracist framework. To continue to push for the Joann Mitchell Outstanding Legacy own work and of the other pieces performed by her next generation of culturally sensitive and social- Award companies showcases excellence in ballet, Horton LaShauna Connell is the newly appointed di- ly conscious physicians, Ms. Owoyemi serves as technique, and contemporary movement vocabu- rector of the Pre-Pro- a Johnson Scholars mentor to Penn premedical un- laries and has cemented both Danse4Nia and Nia- fessional Preparatory dergraduates and sits on the Perelman School of Next as ensembles known for drawing audiences in Program in Biomed- Medicine Admissions Committee. She also serves with their passionate brand of performance. ical Sciences and as the Patient Advocacy and Education Chair for Ms. Coward-Gilmore was recently honored as Health Professions the student-run University City Hospitality Coali- one of Philadelphia’s Leading Women: Movers & at Lincoln Univer- tion community medical clinic and volunteers with Makers in the Arts. Because of her artistic contri- sity. Prior to this ap- the CHOP Family Connects social needs resource butions to social change, we recognize her with the pointment, Ms. Con- program. In pursuit of her clinical goals, she con- Women of Color Community Award. nell worked for 15 tinues to conduct research in oncology and pulmo- years at the Universi- Staff Award nary medicine with a goal of addressing disparate ty of Pennsylvania in Sherisse Laud-Hammond is the director of the outcomes and a non-diverse physician workforce. a number of roles that Penn Women’s Center (PWC). In this role, she sup- Because of her commitment to supporting under- allowed her to build ports students, staff, faculty, and all Penn commu- represented communities including women and her skills as an admin- nity members through minorities, we honor her with the Women of Color istrator, experienced LaShauna Connell counseling and inno- Graduate Student award. and versed in diversity vative programming Undergraduate Student Award recruitment, student services, and student outreach related to women’s Sciaska Ulysse is a senior at the University of and retention at higher education institutions. Ms. support and advocacy, Pennsylvania majoring in the biological basis of Connell is a graduate of Penn State University with gender equity, and in- behavior (neuroscience) with minors in health- a BS in education rehabilitation services/counsel- terpersonal violence. care management and chemistry. Originally from ing and Penn with a master’s degree in counsel- Her exceptional lead- Roselle, New Jersey, or education/higher education focus. She is also ership has transformed she has served in lead- a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She is the physical space and ership roles in mul- passionate about education, especially issues of en- the branding of the tiple organizations at hancing opportunities for underrepresented groups PWC to make it feel Penn and is particu- in STEM Careers, college access, and opportunity. more welcoming. Her larly dedicated to in- Ms. Connell brought a level of passion in her distinguished service Sherisse Laud- creasing representa- service to the Women of Color at Penn (WOCAP) has enabled her to pos- Hammond tion of Black students as the 2009 WOCAP Chair and the chair of the Lo- itively affect the lives in healthcare fields. gistics Committee for the past 10 years. Her abil- of students, faculty, and staff throughout the Penn During her fresh- ity to organize and orchestrate a large number of family through increased programming. man year, Ms. Ulysse volunteers is unparalleled. Her poise is always Ms. Laud-Hammond has a longstanding record joined the Moelis Ac- encouraging and inspires confidence, especially of being an effective collaborator at Penn, spear- cess Science (MAS) when the unexpected happens on the day of the heading a Hurricane Katrina relief initiative, partic- program at the Nett- event. Ms. Connell incorporated the phrase, “we ipating on the search committee for Open Mind for er Center for Commu- Sciaska Ulysse are women of color. I am she and she is me” into Africa, and advising students in multiple dual de- nity Partnerships to better understand and serve WOCAP programs. This phrase has been a part of gree programs. A Philadelphia native, she is a long- the West Philadelphia community, as well as to the Awards Program every year since 2009 and has time member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and share her love for the sciences. She also partici- been recognized as being one of the most memo- a board member of Inspiring Minds Greater Phil- pated in the Educational Pipeline Program, which rable contributions to the program. Because of her adelphia, a nonprofit organization whose mission is a collaborative program between the Netter Cen- contributions to our organization, we are present- is to engage, inspire and empower youth to reach ter, Perelman School of Medicine, and Penn’s ing her with the Joann Mitchell Outstanding Leg- their full potential through education. Because of School of Veterinary Medicine that provides local acy Award. her contribution to the Penn and Philadelphia com- high school students from backgrounds underrep- munity, we recognize her with the Women of Col- resented in the medical field with mentorship and Community Award or Staff Award. Antoinette Coward-Gilmore is the founder, exposure to healthcare careers. This program also CEO, and artistic director of Danse4Nia Reperto- Graduate Student Award helps educate local high school students on how to ry Ensemble, a Philadelphia based multicultural, Olutosin Owoyemi is a second year medical reduce significant health disparities affecting- mi contemporary mod- student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the norities and their communities. In the last three ern dance company University of Pennsylvania and a 2018 graduate years, Ms. Ulysse has helped introduce neurosci- founded in 2006. She of The Johns Hopkins ence, cardiology, gastroenterology, and veterinary is a dedicated commu- University with a BS medicine concepts to students at West Philadel- nity servant, who has in molecular & cellu- phia High School and Sayre High School through used the arts as a pos- lar biology. At Johns hands-on, inquiry-based activities. Due to her ex- itive vehicle for so- Hopkins, she culti- ceptional work with multiple Netter Center pro- cial and community vated her passions by grams, Ms. Ulysse was invited to join the Netter change and built her mentoring underrep- Center Student Advisory Board. In addition to her dance company with resented minority col- work with the Netter Center, Ms. Ulysse has been the mission to “edu- lege and high school contributing to the Minority Association of Pre- cate, empower and cre- students and advo- Health Students (MAPS) for multiple years, first ate the next generation cating for the social as the external affairs chair, then as vice president, of well-rounded arts needs of Baltimore and finally this year as President. Because she is advocates and citizens Antoinette Coward- City patients and fami- an aspiring MD, MBA, who is passionate about at- by presenting excep- Gilmore lies at a Johns Hopkins tenuating the disparities in health, specifically in tional dance works, collaborating with artists across pediatric clinic. At Olutosin Owoyemi women’s health and low-income areas, we recog- genres and delivering high-impact residencies.” the Perelman School of Medicine, Ms. Owoyemi nize her with the Women of Color Undergraduate In the Kiswahili language, the word “nia” serves as the Chapter Co-President of the Student Student Award. means “purpose.” As an ensemble, Danse4Nia has National Medical Association, an organization that —African American Resource Center chosen to dance with a purpose—to inspire them- serves to support future Black doctors and mar- selves and others toward positive personal, social, ginalized communities. Through this role, she has ALMANAC March 16, 2021 www.upenn.edu/almanac 13 Update TALKS March AT PENN 17 Evolutionism in Historical Representations of “Nomads”; David Sneath, Cambridge; 10 EXHIBITS a.m.; Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl.com/ sneath-talk-mar-17 (CEAS). Another tip in a series provided by the 19 Virtual Global Guide Tour: Middle East Distracted Driving Not Just About Teens and Offices of Information Security, Information Galleries; a thought-provoking tour of the Middle Cell Phones; Catherine McDonald and Sharon Systems & Computing and Audit, East Galleries led by a guide who grew up in the Compliance & Privacy Irving, nursing; noon; online event; info: https:// region; 2:30 p.m.; online event; register: https://ti- tinyurl.com/mcdonald-irving-mar-17 (Nursing, nyurl.com/global-guide-mar-19 (Penn Museum). Penn Alumni). Don’t Fall for Tax Immigrant Neighborhoods and Eviction: Time Trickery FITNESS AND LEARNING Hidden Housing Crisis?; Rebbeca Tesfai, Tem- Tax season is upon us, and so are the Salary Negotiation Workshop; equips at- ple; noon; online event; info: https://sociology. scammers who want your refund and per- 17 sas.upenn.edu/events/ (Sociology). sonal information. This tax season may tendees to negotiate salary and other aspects of a job offer; 2:30 p.m.; online event; info: https:// Policing and Prosecuting Sexual Assault: be especially challenging with changes Lessons from Los Angeles; Cassia Spohn, Arizona to the tax code and the impact of the pan- upenn.joinhandshake.com/login (SP2). Navigating Sizeism and Fatphobia in Aca- State; noon; Zoom meeting; join: https://tinyurl. demic. Taxpayers may have more ques- 18 com/spohn-talk-mar-17 (Criminology). tions and concerns than usual. The good demia; learn to better navigate discussions about size and perceptions; 2 p.m.; online event; info: Democracy and Truth—and Elections; news is that there are strategies you can Sophia Rosenfeld, history; 1 p.m.; online event; use to protect your information. https://gsc.upenn.edu/events (GSC, CAPS). Recommendation Letter Workshop; Karen register: https://tinyurl.com/rosenfeld-talk- The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) mar-17 (PFWF). will never contact taxpayers by email, Redrobe, cinema studies; Sophia Rosenfeld, his- telephone, or social media. If you receive tory; noon; online event; register: https://tinyurl. 18 When Ions Meet Electrons—Modeling a telephone call purporting to be from the com/rec-letter-mar-18 (Wolf Humanities Center). the Interfaces in Solid-State Batteries; Yue Qi, IRS, assume it’s a scam and disconnect PAVE x SWE Workshop: Being an Active Brown; Zoom meeting; 10:45 a.m.; info: info- the call. You can report these contacts to Bystander; workshop for women to discuss ac- [email protected] (MSE). the IRS (see below). tive bystander awareness, take action against Defending Maya Lands and Maya Future: A The IRS will never demand payment interpersonal violence, and learn about Penn Place to Be and Be Well; panel of speakers; 12:30 via a phone call, text message, or social resources relating to sexual violence; 5 p.m.; p.m.; online event; register: https://tinyurl.com/ media post. They will also not demand online event; register: https://forms.gle/CBMy- maya-talk-mar-18 (Penn Museum). payment using gift cards, wire transfers, CoxTab5ws6gV6 (CBE, ODEI, PICS). Roots/Routes to Freedom: Beyond Else- or Bitcoin. Any such demands are fraud- Anti-Racism & Mental Wellness Workshop: where-ism and the Academy; 3 p.m.; panel of ulent. Turning off the Gaslights and Illuminating Brave speakers; Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl. If you are using a home computer to Spaces; Ramani Durvasula, clinical psychologist; com/roots-routes-mar-18 (Africana Studies). access tax documents, ensure that your 8 p.m.; online event; register: https://paachatu- The Heterogeneous Host Response to SARS- antivirus software, operating system, and penn.ticketleap.com/ (TAASS). CoV-2; Nuala Meyer, PSOM; 4 p.m.; BlueJeans browsers are up to date. The University meeting; join: https://bluejeans.com/497920610 makes antivirus software available to ac- Graduate School of Education (Penn-CHOP Lung Biology Institute). Online events. Info and to register: https://www. The Nineteenth-Century Debate About tive, eligible affiliates of the University gse.upenn.edu/news/events-calendar free of charge. Keep your PennKey pass- Color; Judith Kaplan, integrated studies; 4:30 word secure: do not share it with anyone 16 Racism and Anti-Racism in Contemporary p.m.; Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl.com/ under any circumstances. Any sites that America: The Higher Education System; 5 p.m. wilson-talk-feb-18 (Classical Studies). use Penn Weblogin use Two-Step Verifi- 18 The SNF Paideia Program presents the The American Future of Green Social Hous- cation to provide extra security when you Power of the Open Mind; 4:30 p.m. ing: Lessons from the Bronx’s Via Verde; panel of speakers; 6 p.m.; Zoom meeting; register: bit. use your PennKey. 19 Racial Literacy Series; for GSE and SP2 Identify and report IRS scams: https:// staff and faculty; 10 a.m. ly/AmericanGreenSocialHousing (PSC, Social- www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report- Staff Service Recognition Lunch; for GSE Spatial Climate Collaborative). phishing and SP2 staff and faculty; noon. 19 World War II (Vanitas) 1975 and Dye- Transfer Photography; Audrey Flack, artist; Symantec Antivirus software: https:// 23 Virtual Submatriculation Information Ses- www.isc.upenn.edu/how-to/symantec- sion; noon. noon; Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl. endpoint-protection com/flack-talk-mar-19 (Arthur Ross Gallery). Two-Step Verification quick start: Penn Law Interdisciplinary Spatial Precepts and Af- https://upenn.edu/twostep Online events. Info and to register: https://www. rican Urban Studies; Ato Quayson, Stanford; 3 law.upenn.edu/newsevents/calendar.php#!view/ p.m.; Zoom meeting; info: https://www.english. all upenn.edu/events/ (English). For additional tips, see the 19 Master in Law Information Session for Colored Multizeta Values in Characteristic One Step Ahead link on the General Audiences; noon. p; Yao-Rui Yeo, mathematics; 3:15 p.m.; Zoom Information Security website: meeting; info: https://www.math.upenn.edu/ https://www.isc.upenn.edu/security/ 23 Master in Law Information Session for Members of the Penn Community; noon. events/ (Mathematics). news-alerts#One-Step-Ahead Travels and Translations of Brazil in the Penn Libraries Americas, 1870-2010; Krista Brune, Penn State; Online events. Info and to register: https://guides. 4 p.m.; Zoom meeting; join: https://tinyurl.com/ The Stephen A. Levin Family library.upenn.edu/workshops brune-talk-mar-19 (Hispanic & Portuguese Stud- Dean’s Forum : Range vs. Grit 23 PubMed Tips & Tricks—Saving Time and ies). What’s the secret to success in any Finding What You Need; noon. 22 STEM and the Future of Work; Chrissy field? Why do some people succeed and Physical and Chemical Property Search Houlahan, U.S. representative; 11 a.m.; Zoom others fail? Authors David Epstein and Techniques; 3 p.m. meeting; join: https://tinyurl.com/houlahan-talk- Angela Duckworth discuss two differ- mar-22 (SEAS). ent, seemingly contrasting perspectives READINGS & SIGNINGS Functional Genomics Screens in Leishma- on these fundamental questions during NPL Book Club: The End of Leadership nia; Eva Gluenz, University of Glasgow; noon; Range vs. Grit. The talk will take place 18 ; Zoom meeting; join: https://tinyurl.com/gluenz- on March 25, 2021 at 2 p.m. join friends and colleagues to discuss the Barbara talk-mar-22 (Penn Vet). For more information and to register, Kellerman book; 6:30 p.m.; Zoom meeting; reg- The Social Genome; Jenny Tung, Duke; visit www.sas.upenn.edu/events/2021- ister: https://tinyurl.com/sp2-book-club-mar-18 noon; Zoom meeting; join: https://pennmedicine. stephen-levin-family-deans-forum- (SP2). zoom.us/j/95174933958 (Genetics). range-vs-grit (continued on page 15) 14 www.upenn.edu/almanac ALMANAC March 16, 2021 Christopher Yoo, CIS; 4:30 p.m.; online event; register: https://tinyurl.com/wehrbach-yoo- mar-22 (Penn Law). Just Objects: The Construction Ecology of the Seagram Building; Kiel Moe, McGill Univer- sity; 6:30 p.m.; Zoom meeting; register: https:// tinyurl.com/moe-talk-mar-23 (Architecture). Annenberg School for Communication Info and to register: https://www.asc.upenn.edu/ news-events/events 17 Exploring Rupture and Repair Through Multimodal Scholarship; panel of speakers; noon. Asian-American Studies Info and to register: https://asam.sas.upenn.edu/ events 23 Filipino Americans; Race and Race Rela- tions; Randy Duque, Philadelphia Commission on Human Rights; noon. Computer and Information Science (CIS) Info and to register: https://www.cis.upenn.edu/ events/ 18 Bias and Representation in Sociotechnical Systems; Danaë Metaxa, Stanford; 3 p.m. 23 Prioritizing Computation and Analyst Re- sources in Large-scale Data Analytics; Kexin Rong, Stanford; 3 p.m. Economics Info and to register: https://economics.sas.upenn. edu/events 22 VARs in 2020: Dealing with Outliers and the Lower Bound on Interest Rates; Massimiliano Marcellino, Bocconi University; noon. Audrey Flack’s dye-transfer photograph World War II (Vanitas), 1975 is on display at the Arthur Electrical and Systems Engineering (ESE) Ross Gallery. See Talks for information about a discussion with the artist. Info and to register: https://events.seas.upenn. edu/calendar/tag/ese/list/ (continued from page 14) New Insights Into CAR T Cells for Cancer; 18 Synthetic Dimensions: Harnessing Light’s Faye Anderson & Aaron Wunsch in Con- Marcela Maus, Harvard; 11 a.m.; GoToMeet- Internal Degrees of Freedom for Quantum, versation; Faye Anderson, All That Philly Jazz; ing; join: https://global.gotomeeting.com/ Nonlinear and Topological Photonics; Avik Dutt, Aaron Wunsch, historic preservation; 12:15 p.m.; join/227215405 (Wistar Institute). Stanford; 11 a.m. Zoom meeting; register: https://tinyurl.com/ Redefining the Future of Healthcare Tran- anderson-wunsch-mar-22 (Historic Preserva- sitions; Mary Schuler, NewCourtland; Ashley AT PENN Deadlines tion). Rittner, NewCourtland; Mark Toles, UNC The April AT PENN calendar deadline is to- Towards an Acoustemology of Afro-Cuban day. The April calendar will be published March Chapel Hill; 2 p.m.; online event; register: bit. 30. Rap; Pablo D. Herrera Veitia, University of St. ly/HealthTransitions (Nursing). To submit event information, email almanac@ Andrew’s; 5:30 p.m.; Zoom meeting; register: Clipper: p-Value-Free FDR Control on upenn.edu. https://tinyurl.com/veitia-talk-mar-22 (Africana High-Throughput Data From Two Conditions; Studies). Jingyi Jessica Li, UCLA; 3:30 p.m.; BlueJeans Exploring the Structure of Sediment-Laden meeting; join: https://bluejeans.com/553472553 23 3910 Chestnut Street, 2nd floor Turbidity Currents; Jorge Salinas, University of (CCEB). Philadelphia, PA 19104-3111 Florida; 10:30 a.m.; Zoom meeting; info: peter- What to Expect: Communications Law Phone: (215) 898-5274 or 5275 and Policy in 2021; Kevin Werbach, Wharton; Email: [email protected] [email protected] (MEAM). URL: www.upenn.edu/almanac

The University of Pennsylvania’s journal of record, opinion The University of Pennsylvania Police Department and news is published Tuesdays during the academic year, and as needed during summer and holiday breaks. Its electronic edi- Community Crime Report tions on the Internet (accessible through the Penn website) include About the Crime Report: Below are the Crimes Against Persons or Crimes Against Society from HTML, Acrobat and mobile versions of the print edition, and interim the campus report for March 1-7, 2021. Also reported were 17 crimes against property (6 thefts from build- information may be posted in electronic-only form. Guidelines for ing, 4 retail thefts, 2 bike thefts, 2 vandalisms, 1 disorderly conduct, 1 fraud, and 1 other theft) with 3 ar- readers and contributors are available on request and online. rests. Full reports are available at: https://almanac.upenn.edu/sections/crimes Prior weeks’ reports are also EDITOR online. –Eds. ASSOCIATE EDITOR Louise Emerick ASSISTANT EDITOR Alisha George This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety and includes all criminal incidents reported EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jackson Betz and made known to the University Police Department between the dates of March 1-7, 2021. The Universi- STUDENT ASSISTANT Justin Greenman ty Police actively patrol from Market St to Baltimore Avenue and from the Schuylkill River to 43rd St in con- junction with the Philadelphia Police. In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on pub- ALMANAC ADVISORY BOARD: For the Faculty Senate: lic safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any Sunday Akintoye, Christine Bradway, Daniel Cohen, Al Filreis, concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call the Division of Public Safety at (215) 898-4482. Cary Mazer, Martin Pring. For the Administration: Stephen Mac- Carthy. For the Staff Assemblies: Jon Shaw, PPSA; Marcia Dot- 03/03/21 12:46 PM 4001 Walnut St Offender punched security after taking items and at son, WPPSA; Rachelle R. Nelson, Librarians Assembly. tempting to leave store/Arrest The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks tal- ented students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The 18th District University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 4 crimes against persons (2 assaults, of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, 1 domestic assault, and 1 robbery) with 1 arrest were reported for March 1-7, 2021 by the 18th District cov- creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, ering the Schuylkill River to 49th St & Market St to Woodland Avenue. veteran status or any other legally protected class status in the administration of its admissions, financial aid, educational or ath- 03/02/21 5:32 PM 3401 Civic Center Blvd Domestic Assault letic programs, or other University-administered programs or in 03/03/21 1:52 PM 4001 Chestnut St Assault its employment practices. Questions or complaints regarding this 03/04/21 9:54 PM 4500 Osage St Robbery/Arrest policy should be directed to Sam Starks, Executive Director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs, 421 03/07/21 7:48 PM 4438 Chestnut St Assault Franklin Building, 3451 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104- 6205; or (215) 898-6993 (Voice). ALMANAC March 16, 2021 www.upenn.edu/almanac 15 Wharton Student David Newell Launches National Vaccine-Finder Website David Newell, WG’21, came to Wharton’s EMBA program to learn as. “This type of site is unique, as others are either focused on a particular how to “think bigger and make a larger im- city or state or on one or two specific pharmacy brands,” said Mr. Newell. pact.” At the time, he was thinking about how Expanding the site necessitated reaching out to more pharmacies to ob- an MBA would help him transition into senior tain cooperation and ensure they would not block access to their booking leadership and to run a company. However, websites. He turned to the Wharton network for help. An alumna at CVS Wharton gave him the confidence and the net- Health connected him with the director at CVS leading the development work to make a bigger impact immediately by of the pharmacy scheduling app. And a classmate who works at Walmart helping to solve the national challenge of find- connected Mr. Newell with the director of that brand’s scheduling app. ing a COVID-19 vaccine. “Thanks to the Wharton network, the cooperation from these pharma- In December 2020, his parents became eli- cies has been awesome,” said Mr. Newell. “They are on board with this gible to get the COVID-19 vaccine in his home meaningful cause to get more people vaccinated. Supply is constrained state of Texas. However, like many other peo- compared to demand, and we do not want someone who is eligible for ple their age, they were having trouble actual- a vaccine to give up just because the first 10 pharmacies they check do ly booking appointments. “I could see on the not have appointments. That slows down the vaccine rollout. My website state website where the vaccines were offered, helps you search across all participating providers with real-time updates but you had to visit each pharmacy’s individ- David Newell and it is free. Findashot.org now covers 47 states, Washington, D.C., and ual website to check availability and make an Puerto Rico.” appointment. That meant searching 80+ websites multiple times a day, The biggest challenge for the website, noted Mr. Newell, is awareness. which was time-consuming and frustrating. For someone less comfortable “I want to spread the word about the website and also add more vaccine with technology, it was even more troubling,” he said. providers to the site. It feels great to get emails from people who spent With a background in technology and engineering, Mr. Newell spent days unsuccessfully searching for a vaccine and then used this site to fi- the first week of January building a website called Findashot.org to au- nally book their shots.” tomatically search for available appointments and direct people to open- As an Eagle Scout, Mr. Newell has always been passionate and dedi- ings. “The site is not very complicated. I made it easier to search for ap- cated to serving the community. “This is one relatively small thing I can pointments by state, zip code, or a ‘find near me’ option,” explained Mr. do to help a massive problem. And when I did face challenges, like trying Newell. The site costs the equivalent of a few cups of coffee a month to to add certain pharmacies to my site, my Wharton network was there for run, and so far he has raised enough via Ko-fi to support the site for 2021. me and stepped in to help.” His parents successfully found and booked appointments, and he real- Adapted from a Wharton Stories article by Meghan Laska, March 1, ized that the methodology would be the same nationwide as it is for Tex- 2021.

The www.findashot.org website interface.

16 www.upenn.edu/almanac ALMANAC March 16, 2021