Chemistry Professor Madeleine Joullié the Well of Science an APPRECIATION Science in the Curriculum
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A publication of the School of Arts and Sciences University of Pennsylvania / Spring 2003 NEWS INSIDE 2 Dean’s Column Making the Grade 3 Drawing Water from Chemistry Professor Madeleine Joullié the Well of Science AN APPRECIATION Science in the Curriculum 8 Catching the Sun bout ten years ago, SAS Faculty Member Madeleine Joullié, G’50, Wins Nobel Prize for Neutrino Science Gr’53, was about to leave a clinic at Jefferson 10 AHospital in Philadelphia following SAS Journal some medical tests. 14 “You’ve got to see the doctor,” Black and White and she was told. “You’ve got to wait.” Read All Over Preaching the Gospel of Joullié braced for bad news. Race in America “It’s an honor to meet you,” the physician, a woman, greeted her. 19 Desperately Seeking “You probably don’t remember me.” the Self “No, I don’t, but probably I Freshman Creates taught you Organic.” Joullié has Self- (and Other) Portrait been teaching Organic Chemistry 24 in the School of Arts and Sciences History’s Mysteries (or its predecessor) since 1953, New PBS Series when she became an instructor. Later she would become the first woman to join the department’s standing faculty. “I was a bio major,” the doctor reminded her. “I was scared to death of Organic. They told me there was this hysterical woman teaching the course. I came and talked to you, and then you encouraged me. You tutored me on Saturdays. You took me to ACS (American Chemical Society) meetings. You wanted me to be a chemist, but I wanted to be a doctor. You wrote me letters of recommendation....I’m here because of you.” For 50 years, future doctors, nurses, chemists, and other bright young minds have been taking Lisa Godfrey CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 Making the Grade BY DEAN SAMUEL H. PRESTON DEAN’S COLUMN “The greatness of the School’s educa- tional programs and Lisa Godfrey the quality of the faculty who teach ot long ago, a visiting com- The report cites a number of generous sabbatical policies.” We them and who mittee, made up of distin- impediments to progress. “Without continue to search vigorously for produce innovative N guished scholars from modern facilities that keep pace resources and strategies to enhance some of the nation’s finest universi- with those improvements,” the our faculty, with one eye on deliv- research will create a ties, arrived on campus to carry out committee warned, “Penn will fall ering better educational opportu- ‘halo effect’ that a comprehensive review of the from the top tier of universities in nities and the other on enhancing will benefit all of School of Arts and Sciences. The the scientific disciplines—an our scholarly reputation. Penn’s parts.” process, the first in the School’s his- unfortunate result during an age I am proud of our successes and tory, was invaluable in helping us to when the revolution in biology, our progress, and eager to take up —SAS External Review gauge progress toward achieving the medicine, and information are the sobering challenge the reviewers ambitious goals set forth in our creating opportunities for academic set before us: “The School operates strategic plan and in providing us leadership.” For that reason, we’ve in an intensely competitive world with thoughtful feedback. made construction of a new life- with a small set of peers, many of The panel reviewed data and sciences building a top fund-raising whom have stronger starting met with faculty, students, and priority. The restoration and mod- points—larger resource bases, administrators over four days. In a ernization of Bennett Hall and the larger faculties, smaller student report delivered last spring, the music building are major items on populations, better facilities, higher external reviewers offered the fol- our facilities agenda. Other aging prestige, stronger histories. Its lowing summary assessment of the buildings, such as Williams and peers, moreover, are not standing School of Arts and Sciences: “It McNeil, are also in serious need of still. They are making significant offers educational programs of the an upgrade. investments of their own, with the highest quality at both the under- An eroded physical plant impedes result that the challenges facing the graduate and graduate levels and is faculty recruitment and undermines School are going to become more a center for innovative research morale. Faculty remain our most complex rather than less. Thus, spanning a wide range of disci- vital resource, and we have done a finding the revenues to make fur- plines. By all measures, moreover, good job building upon the foun- ther advances relative to its peers it is a far better school today than dations of existing strengths. will be a major undertaking.” it was a decade ago, with a better “Some of the departments in the I am grateful for the committee’s faculty, more selective students, arts and sciences already rank hard and careful work, its generous improved educational programs, among the very best of their kind,” encouragement and frank assess- stronger leadership, improved fac- the external committee observed, ment. “Penn is already an out- ulty and staff morale, and a health- “and its faculty includes scholars standing institution,” the external ier financial base.” and scientists who would be con- review concluded. “Enhancing the It is a gratifying report card, but sidered valuable additions at any of School of Arts and Sciences’ place it also challenges us. “The School the leading research institutions.” as its core will make it even better.” of Arts and Sciences has achieved Still, the reviewers added, the size I am confident that SAS and the impressive gains in recent years with of our faculty is small compared to university possess the abundance of tightly constrained resources,” the other top-tier schools, and SAS innovative talent and vision, and panel said, adding a cautionary note. “continues to face strong competi- the hunger for excellence to meet “The next phase in its development tive pressures from its peers, some the challenge ahead. I is likely to be more expensive as well of which offer, on average, higher as academically more difficult.” salaries and, in some cases, more 2 PENN ARTS & SCIENCES Drawing Water from the Well of Science New York Times science writer Gina Kolata surrounded by Vagelos Scholars in the Molecular Life Sciences. Her son, Stefan Kolata, C'03 (seated right) is a cognitive neuroscience major. The Vagelos Scholars, from chemistry professor Ponzy Lu’s freshman seminar, Chem 22,are required to read the Tuesday Science Times section every week and are quizzed on its contents. Reports Lu,“My grading rewards curiosity outside the box” or course content. Lisa Godfrey SCIENCE IN THE CURRICULUM Last fall, chemistry undergraduate chair Don Berry opened an e-mail from a young alumnus who was working on a television script. “One of our characters has the chemical formula for fudge brownies,” the former English major explained. To lend the authority of science to their show, the writers wanted to use the actual molecular structure, but their search for the formula had turned up nothing more scientific than a recipe. “So I thought I’d e-mail you, since you’re at my alma mater, and see if you could point me in the right direction.” SPRING 2003 3 “This isn’t a Penn problem; it’s a national problem. And if it were an easy one, it would have been solved a long time ago.” The right direction, Berry “Despite the observation that College students who, according to indicated, was an about-face to America’s basic research in science, senior surveys, regularly turn up reconsider the ill-advised query. mathematics, and engineering is their noses at the science portion In scientific parlance, a brownie world-class, its education is still of the general requirement. is a “mixture” of many ingredi- not. America has produced a sig- Department staples like Biology ents—from cocoa to nuts—each nificant share of the world’s great 101 and 102, says Schultz, prepare of which is composed of several scientists while most of its popula- future leaders, policymakers, and chemicals. A formula identifies the tion is virtually illiterate in science.” citizens to make informed decisions kinds and number of atoms that Almost three-quarters of SAS in a world where science and tech- make up each molecule of a uni- undergraduates major in something nology touch their lives everyday— form substance—H20 for water; other than the natural sciences, but diet ads, cloning, acid rain and C2Cl4 for tetrachloroethylene, the they must take some science as part ozone depletion, reproductive tech- dry-cleaning fluid Nobel laureate of the general requirement for a nology, consumer and political Ray Davis, Hon’90, used to capture liberal arts degree. Teaching science marketing, genetic fingerprinting solar neutrinos (page 8). “A for- to non-science majors is an impor- and genetically engineered food, mula implies there is a single type tant priority for the College, but, global warming, and much more. of ‘brownie molecule,’” Berry wrote as several faculty point out, the He is not alone among science back, “which there isn’t.” professional rewards for the faculty in touting the advantages of Conceding that popular televi- scientists who do the teaching are “real” science courses and lab work sion “mangles” the science “most of weighted more toward research, for non-science majors. Students the time,” Berry still was surprised grant getting, teaching department need to learn the basics of science, a College graduate, even one who majors and graduate students, and the argument goes, and the best had not majored in chemistry, running a laboratory.