UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA Tuesday November 24, 2009 Volume 56 Number 13 www.upenn.edu/almanac Penn Medicine: $45 Million Penn GSE and 15 APEC Member Economies: NIH-Supported Trial to Study International Study in Science and Math Teacher Preparation Testosterone Therapy in Older Men The University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education-International is teaming up with Penn Medicine will lead a new national $45 15 other members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation to conduct an international study on million clinical trial to test whether testoster- secondary-school teacher preparation, “Identifying Unique and Promising Practices in Math and one therapy can favorably affect certain condi- Science Teacher Education in APEC Economies.” tions affecting older men. Low serum testoster- Led by scholars from around the globe, this four-year research project will illustrate how teach- one may contribute to a number of problems af- er education and preparation influence student outcomes, fill critical gaps in education research and fecting older men, including decreased ability assess how American teachers can learn from international counterparts. to walk, loss of muscle mass and strength, de- This study will compare teacher education in the US, Australia, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, creased vitality, decreased sexual function, im- Peru, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. paired cognition, cardiovascular disease and ane- “We know that teacher preparation here puts a great deal of emphasis on methodology and psy- mia. While testosterone normally decreases with chology and not so much on subject matter. The opposite is true in the East,” Dr. Andrew Porter, age, in some men, low levels of testosterone may Penn GSE dean, said. “In our study, we want to identify the right balance in teacher training and find contribute to these debilitating conditions. a curriculum that maximizes teacher effectiveness and improves student performance.” Led by the University of Pennsylvania School The US research team is comprised of scholars from Penn GSE, Harvard University’s Gradu- of Medicine and conducted at 12 sites across the ate School of Education, Columbia University’s Teachers College and the Michigan State Univer- nation, the Testosterone Trial will involve 800 sity College of Education. men age 65 and older with low testosterone levels. The National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is providing support Penn Engineering to Compete in MAGIC 2010 in Australia for this large-scale clinical trial to evaluate the ef- fect of testosterone therapy on older men. Students in the Universi- The Testosterone Trial will include five separate ty of Pennsylvania School of studies. At each of the 12 sites, men 65 and older Engineering and Applied Sci- with low serum testosterone and at least one of the ence have been chosen to com- following conditions—anemia, decreased physical pete in the Multi-Autonomous function, low vitality, impaired cognition or reduced Ground Robotics Internation- sexual function—will be randomly assigned to par- al Challenge (MAGIC) 2010 ticipate in a treatment group or a control group. competition. The Penn team, Treatment groups will be given a testosterone gel led by Dr. Daniel Lee, the Evan that is applied to the torso, abdomen, or upper arms; C Thompson Endowed Term control groups will receive a placebo gel. Serum Professor for Excellence in testosterone will be measured monthly for the first Teaching, will travel to a re- three months and quarterly thereafter up to one year. mote location in Australia and Participants will be tested on a wide range of mea- map a half-kilometer-square sures to evaluate physical function, vitality, cogni- space of uncharted territory us- tion, cardiovascular disease, and sexual function. ing only team-built robots. Penn’s School of Medicine is the lead insti- “The materials we use in- tution for the trial and will serve as coordinating clude wheels from remote-control vehicles and said. “MAGIC 2010 will lead to groundbreak- center. Dr. Peter J. Snyder, professor of medicine sensors from cameras,” Dr. Lee said. “In order ing robotics research in critical new arenas that in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and to maintain our tight budget, smart software is will address operational challenges, increase en- Metabolism at Penn, is the principal investigator more important than expensive parts.” The ve- ergy security and save soldiers’ lives.” and will oversee trial activities. “This is an un- hicles have a 40-kilogram weight limit, and, Dr. MAGIC 2010 will be held November 8- precedented opportunity for older men to learn Lee said, the team will build multiple models. 13, 2010, in the Australian wilderness. First-, more about themselves and at the same time help Penn is one of 10 university/industry teams second- and third-place teams will take home find out if testosterone will improve some of the to receive $50,000 in seed money to pursue $750,000, $250,000 and $100,000 respectively. afflictions of old age,” said Dr. Snyder. their technology submissions. In addition to Between now and next June, MAGIC judges A 2004 report by the Institute of Medicine, “Tes- Penn, and four other teams from the US, engi- will visit the semi-finalists to cut the field down tosterone and Aging: Clinical Research Directions,” neers from Australia, Canada, Japan and Tur- to five finalists; each of which will receive an noted several important unanswered questions about key will also compete in MAGIC 2010. additional $50,000 to complete their entries. the effects of testosterone therapy. Researchers aim Dr. Lee, part of Penn’s General Robot- to answer these questions by testing the effective- ics, Automation, Sensing and Perception Lab, IN THIS ISSUE ness of testosterone therapy in older men with low (GRASP) an interdepartmental engineering 2 Senate: SEC Actions; Multidisciplinary Pilot Grants; testosterone levels and one of the following condi- initiative, was previously involved in the Ur- Deaths: Dr. Glick, Dr. Hymes, Dr. Katz, Dr. Tureck; tions: impaired walking, low vitality, sexual or cog- Memorials: Dr. Raffensperger, Mr. Stefaniuk ban Challenge of the Defense Advanced Re- 4 Honors & Other Things nitive dysfunction. A key consideration is the use of search Projects Agency (Almanac September 5 Gifts of Involvement testosterone as a therapy for certain conditions, rath- 25, 2007). 6 Books: Fabulous Finds for Those Fond of Fact or er than as a preventive measure. The event will be hosted by the US Army Fiction “This study is important because testosterone Tank Automotive Research, Development and 8 Holiday Happenings at Penn 9 Human Resources: Upcoming Programs; products have been marketed for many years as Engineering Center (TARDEC) and the Aus- Special Winter Vacation; Bon Appéit at Penn treatments for a variety of conditions,” said Dr. tralian Department of Defence’s (ADOD) De- 10 Freshman’s Film Finalist in Animation Festival; Evan C. Hadley, director of NIA’s Division of fence Science and Technology Organisation. Penn Abroad Photos; Penn’s Way Winners Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology, which is “We are excited to move on to the next step 11 Almanac Moving; Ben’s House: Designing History the primary funder of the trial. “We hope this tri- at Franklin Court; CrimeStats in this collaborative, competitive process,” 12 Talk About Teaching and Learning al will establish whether testosterone therapy re- TARDEC Director Dr. Grace M. Bochenek sults in clear benefits for older men.” Pullout: December AT PENN ALMANAC November 24, 2009 www.upenn.edu/almanac SENATE From the Senate Office Deaths The following is published in accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules. Among other purposes, the publication of SEC actions is intended to stimulate discussion among the Dr. Glick, Dental Medicine & Medicine constituencies and their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Sue White, Dr. Jane Glick, re- executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943, tired faculty admin- or by e-mail at [email protected]. istrator for the Cell & Molecular Biology Faculty Senate Executive Committee Actions Graduate Group in the Wednesday, November 18, 2009 School of Medicine, passed away Novem- Chair’s Report. Faculty Senate Chair Harvey Rubin reported that the Senate committees are ber 15 of injuries from working hard on their charges. He notified SEC members that the December meeting will be a dis- a fall; she was 65. cussion format on the topic of the trajectory of the faculty and noted that the meeting will not be Dr. Glick graduated held in 205 College Hall. Dr. Rubin explained that the location of the meeting will be announced from Randolph-Macon in a forthcoming e-mail. Women’s College (now 2009-2010 Nominating Committee Ballot. SEC members voted for the 2009-2010 Nominat- Randolph College) in ing Committee Chair. Virginia and then com- Developing a World Class Faculty. Provost Vincent Price updated SEC on the goals to develop Jane Glick pleted her PhD in bio- and maintain a world class faculty: eminence, diversity, integration, and engagement. He reviewed chemistry at Colum- challenges in the current economic climate including: Penn’s endowment in comparison to peer in- bia University. After post-doctoral fellowships stitutions, recruitment and retention of faculty in a competitive environment, work-life balance for at both the National Institutes of Health and faculty, childcare needs, family friendly policies, and pressures on faculty academic leaders. Pro- Stanford University, Dr. Glick joined the facul- vost Price outlined opportunities at Penn such as: a strong student body, an outstanding faculty and ty at Penn in 1975 as a research assistant profes- staff, a commitment to excellence, effective stewardship of resources, and regional strengths. He sor in the School of Dental Medicine. Here Dr. discussed strategies for faculty development including: assessment and accountability, identifica- Glick worked closely with colleague Dr. Phoe- tion of best practices, tenure and promotion, mid-career development, and retirement.