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Honors & Other Things

Norbert Wiener—Hermann Schmidt Prize: Dr. Krippendorff

Dr. Klaus Krippendorff,  professor of communication, has received the 2004 Norbert Wiener—Hermann Schmidt Prize for his contributions to cybernetics and education. The award is given by the German Society for Cybernetics and the Society for Pedagogy and Information.

Eli Lilly Award: Dr. McCafferty

Dr. Dewey G. McCafferty, associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics, has received the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry. The award cited, "Professor McCafferty has been described as a quintessential example of a new breed of chemical biologists, who are masters of the most advanced synthetic and analytical methods, and who show no fear in applying these methods to the most competitive and exciting problems in biology. His combination of intelligence, insight and professional courage has led to seminal contributions on three separate problems: The mechanism of action of new antimicrobial agents; the mechanism action of sortase, a protein-peptidoglycan crosslinking enzyme; and, the role of histone modification in gene silencing."

Warwick Award: Dr. Gasman

Dr. Marybeth Gasman, assistant professor of education, has been given the H.S. Warwick Research Award along with co-author Sibby Anderson-Tompkins. Dr. Gasman and Ms. Anderson-Tompkins received the award for their book, Fund Raising for Black-College Alumni: Successful Strategies for Supporting Alma Mater, published in 2003 by CASE Books. The book reviews the history and traditions of black philanthropy, outlines the challenges for fund raisers and alumni staff for historically black colleges and universities, and offers advice for turning goodwill into generosity.

Lupus Research Award: Dr. Caricchio

Dr. Roberto Caricchio, research assistant professor of the rheumatology division, has received a $225,000 grant from the Lupus Research Institute (LRI). His was one of 13 researchers who were awarded 3-year grants to scientific investigators for innovative biomedical and clinical research in lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease. Dr. Caricchio's research focuses on an important autoantigen in lupus, called nucleosome.

NARSAD Awards

Dr. Wade Berrettini, professor of psychiatry and Dr. Irwin Lucki, professor of psychiatry have each received Distinguished Investigator Awards from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD). The Distinguished Investigator Award program provides support of experienced investigators conducting neurobiological research. Dr. Berrettini is using genetic linkage analysis in a large group of patients with either  a family history of bipolar disease or schizophrenia to identify candidate genes that underlie vulnerability to these diseases. Dr. Lucki is studying the behavioral effects produced by the neurotrophins brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in animal models of depression and anxiety.

Dr. Monica Gonzalez, a research associate in the department of psychiatry, has received a Young Investigator award from NARSAD. That award is given to the most promising young scientists conducting research in the area of psychiatric brain disorders. Dr. Gonzalez will evaluate the effect of long-term light deprivation on depression.

Institute of Aging Grants

The Institute of Aging (IOA) has awarded three grants supporting pilot projects in aging-related research.

Dr. Robert Pignolo, assistant professor, division of geriatric medicine, school of medicine,  will lead a study examining the cellular mechanisms which link gene defects with the impaired bone density commonly associated with osteoporosis and bone damage in old age.

Dr. Amita Sehgal, professor of neuroscience, school of medicine  will be heading a project that seeks to determine the effects of fragmented sleep cycles upon the lifespan and age-associated frailty.

Dr. Jennifer Tjia, instructor, division of geriatric medicine, school of medicine,  will  be collecting data to establish an alternative method for measuring medication use among the elderly in order to evaluate the impact of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 and help inform more effective public policy in the future.

This is the second year of the IOA Pilot grant program that supports new faculty entering the field of aging and the stimulation of multi-disciplinary projects that focus the diverse expertise at Penn toward aging research.

IME Interdisciplinary Pilot Grants

In a second round of competition, a Review Committee convened by Penn's Institute for Medicine and Engineering (IME) awarded 5 Interdisciplinary Pilot Grants effective September 1, 2004 for one year. The grants, $30,000 each, are awarded for collaborative pilot investigations in biomedical research that extend across schools. Important objectives of this program are the development of preliminary data leading to federal grant funding and investigations with translational potential. Five projects were funded from a group of 22 applications.

Dr. Pedro Beredjiklian, assistant professor orthopedic surgery and Dr. Steven B. Nicoll, assistant professor bioengineering; Regenerative Tissue Engineering of Tendon Using Fetal and Adult Skin Firbrolast-Seeded Scaffolds.

Dr. Steven J. Siegel, assistant professor psychiatry and Dr. Karen Winey, associate professor materials science and engineering; Annual Delivery of the Atypical Antipsychotic Risperidone from Biodegradable PLGA Implants.

Dr. Skip Brass, professor of medicine and Dr. Scott L. Diamond, professor of chemistry and biomolecular  engineering; Quantitative Assessment of the Contribution of Contact-dependent Signaling Between Platelets to Thrombus Growth and Stability Under Flow.

Dr. Robert Bucki, research associate in physiology and Dr. Mark Goulian, assistant professor physics; Gelsolin Binding to Bacteria and its Role in the Innate Immune Response.

Dr. Yi Zhang, research assistant professor of medicine, and Dr. I-Wei Chen, professor of materials science and engineering; In Vivo Imaging of Allogenic T cell Response Using Antibody-conjugated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles.

President Elect ISPE: Dr. Hennessy

Dr. Sean Hennessy, assistant professor of epidemiology, has been elected President-Elect of The International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE). He was elected to a three year term which began in August 2004. The ISPE is an international forum for the open exchange of scientific information among academia, government, and industry and for the development of policy; a provider of education; and an advocate for the fields of pharmacoepidemiology and therapeutic risk management.

Pearson Board: Dr. Fuhrman

Dr. Susan Fuhrman, GSE dean, has been appointed as a non-executive director of Pearson, an international media company with business in education, business information and consumer publishing. Dennis Stevenson, chairman of Pearson, said: "Susan has a lifelong commitment to education and is among the leading educational experts in the U.S. With these credentials, and her record of success at some highly respected institutions, she will be a terrific addition to our board." Dr. Fuhrman will stand for reappointment to the board in April 2005.

Wharton School Publishing

The Wharton School and Pearson Education have teamed up to launch Wharton School Publishing, an innovative venture bringing together the research and academic excellence of Wharton and the publishing expertise of Pearson, the world's leading education company which has helped to educate people worldwide through textbooks and multimedia learning tools.

Wharton School Publishing will provide insights from academics and industry leaders through books and publications in print, audio, and interactive formats published in multiple languages. By publishing many of the world's leading business authors, Wharton School Publishing aims to provide practical knowledge that can be applied by business people and policy makers to make real change in their professional lives. "Wharton School Publishing is really an extension of the School's long-standing commitment to excellence in business education, thought leadership, and to the creation and dissemination of knowledge," said Dean Patrick Harker. "This initiative also reinforces our belief that people learn  multiple ways—whether it be books, audio or interactive tools. Wharton School Publishing's variety of offerings will meet those needs, and, perhaps most important, will come with the Wharton seal of approval."

Penn Police Accreditation

The Penn Police Department after undergoing a voluntary reassessment, has retained international accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA). In the spring, a CALEA team of assessors analyzed all aspects of the Penn Police Department's policy and procedures, management, operations and support services. The department had to meet 446 standards to gain accreditation status. "CALEA accreditation recognizes that the Penn Police Department is among the elite professional law enforcement agencies that have demonstrated excellence and professionalism in the delivery of law enforcement services to the community in which it serves," said Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush. "Verification that the department met the Commission's state-of-the-art standards was part of a voluntary process to retain accreditation, a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professional excellence."

 

 


  Almanac, Vol. 51, No. 3, September 14, 2004

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:

Tuesday,
September 14, 2004
Volume 51 Number 3
www.upenn.edu/almanac


 

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