Honors & Other Things |
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August 27, 2013,
Volume 60, No. 2 |
Rebecca Bushnell Honored with Professorship
Though her literary specialty is tragedy, Rebecca Bushnell’s tenure as Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences has been anything but, as she oversaw a transformative time for the School and the most successful campaign in its history. In recognition of her success, the SAS Overseers have created an academic chair in her honor, which she will hold now that she has stepped down as Dean. It will be the School of Arts and Sciences Board of Overseers Professor of English. And when she eventually leaves the chair upon her retirement, it will be renamed the Rebecca W. Bushnell Professorship in the Sciences.
“She’s done an exceptional job,” said Sarah Fuller, CW’71, the seed donor to create the new chair in Dr. Bushnell’s honor. “And it’s one of the harder positions. It’s not a command-and-control structure—you do it by persuasion.”Ms. Fuller should know. She’s spent her career in business, creating and running her own start-up, selling it three times, and starting up another. She is a University Trustee and SAS Overseer, and sits on several Penn advisory boards. Her two sons also graduated from the College: One now flies F-16s; the other is an animator. It gives her a unique viewpoint for judging the usefulness of an education in the arts and sciences, and the success of a dean.
“Rebecca is very special,” she said. “She brought subtlety and wisdom to things that were not always easy to handle.” The eight years of Dr. Bushnell’s deanship included both the Making History campaign and the Great Recession that caused the School to rethink some of the priorities identified in its strategic plan. “That’s a very hard message to deliver, and I think she did it with equanimity and a real sense of mission.”
“She’s done a remarkable job doing very innovative things, like cluster hires across departments,” to maximize faculty recruitment, said Ms. Fuller. She also cited Dr. Bushnell’s fostering of other interdisciplinary programs, including the Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management and the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER).
Regarding the Dean’s “other” job as professor of English, Ms. Fuller said, “I think every faculty gets nervous when somebody comes in as dean who’s on the other side of the fence, but she’s been extraordinarily balanced in her leadership.” She pointed out Dr. Bushnell’s advocacy for the Neural and Behavioral Sciences building and the Singh Center for Nanotechnology, shared with Engineering, as well as the renovated Music Building (Almanac April 27, 2010).
The Making History campaign, during which the School raised more than its goal, is another testament to how well Dr. Bushnell and her team presented a very clear message and mission. Ms. Fuller said, “Rebecca’s been all over the world, I don’t know how many times. She’s an excellent spokesperson. She has the gravitas of the academic side, and she’s remarkably eloquent … which of course you’d expect of an English professor.” Beyond all that, “She’s just fun.”
The chair will recognize Dr. Bushnell’s important contribution to the institution, and the project received an outpouring of support from past and current overseers. “We exceeded our goal for the chair,” said Ms. Fuller. “That’s an excellent indication of how the overseers value her contribution. And I think she’ll be touched that it goes in her name.”
The chair has one more twist that seems a perfect fit for, and tribute to, Dr. Bushnell. When she retires, the chair will become the Rebecca W. Bushnell Professorship in the Sciences, which will give the chair itself a history of crossing academic lines. It seems like an ideal tribute to such an effective and balanced dean, and a passionate and inspiring professor. |
American Public Garden Association Award: Paul Meyer
At the 2013 American Public Garden Association (APGA) National Conference held in Phoenix, AZ this May, Morris Arboretum executive director Paul W. Meyer received the APGA Award of Merit. The award recognizes an individual APGA member who has performed with distinction in the field of public horticulture and has excelled in the public garden profession.
Mr. Meyer has served at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania for 37 years, rising from curator of living collection to executive director, a role he has held for 22 years. He has undertaken numerous plant exploration trips to the Far East and is known as one of the finest plant hunters of his generation. He is a co-founder of the North American-China Plant Exploration Consortium and an early leader of the APGA's North American Plant Collections Consortium, or NAPCC.
Mr. Meyer led the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania out of a turbulent period in its history and transformed it into one of the finest public gardens in America. He credits the commitment of the Arboretum's Advisory Board of Managers, its incredible staff and tireless volunteers for this transformation.
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In his role at the helm of the Morris Arboretum, he has earned numerous awards and honors from institutions including the American Horticultural Society, the Garden Club of America, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and APGA's forerunner, the American Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta, which awarded him its professional citation in 2001.
In accepting the APGA Award, Mr. Meyer was proud to share his honor with the Morris Arboretum Board, staff, and volunteers whom he feels deserve credit in making the award possible. |
2013 TAPITMAT-TBIC Awards
The Translational Biomedical Imaging Center (TBIC) of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT) announces its third round of successful applications for Pilot Grants.
The mission of these grants is to help catalyze collaborations between primary imaging scientists and primary biomedical/clinical researchers that integrate novel imaging approaches to enhance translational science and medicine and thus assist investigators in obtaining key data to seek extramural funding.
Recipients:
Imaging phospholipases as indicators of COX-2 activation in breast cancer—James Delikatny, radiology, PSOM; Emer Smyth, pharmacology, PSOM
Integrating Imaging with Genomic Biomarkers for Breast Cancer Prognostication—Despina Contos, radiology, PSOM; Carolyn Mies, pathology and laboratory medicine, PSOM; Michael Feldman, pathology and laboratory medicine, PSOM; Jinbo Chen, biostatistics and epidemiology, PSOM; Emily Conant, radiology, PSOM
Imaging metabolic effects of kinase inhibitors in lymphoma patients—Seung Lee, radiology, PSOM; Jerry Glickson, radiology, PSOM; Stephen Schuster, medicine-hematology/oncology, PSOM
Ultra-high resolution BOLD fMRI of medial temporal lobe at 7 Tesla—Sandhitsu Das, radiology, PSOM; David Wolk, neurology, PSOM; Jongho Lee, radiology, PSOM; Paul Yushkevich, radiology, PSOM
Imaging Tumor pH using Cerenkov Specific Contrast Agents—James Delikatny, radiology, PSOM; Lewis Chodosh, cancer biology, PSOM; Joel Karp, radiology, PSOM
In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Metabolic Stress Response Mediated Changes in Tumor Metabolism—Terrence Gade, radiology, PSOM; Celeste Simon, cancer biology, PSOM; Mitch Schnall, radiology, PSOM
Probing Right Ventricular Metabolic Abnormalities in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension—Yuchi Han, cardiology, PSOM; Richard Freifelder, radiology, PSOM; Joel Karp, radiology, PSOM
Enhancing Thermal Effects by Tunable Microbubbles for Antivascular Ultrasound—Daeyeon Lee, chemical and biomolecular engineering, SEAS; Chandra Sehgal, radiology, PSOM
Development of microdosimetry for alpha particle therapy—Daniel Pryma, radiology, PSOM; Jon Maris, pediatrics-oncology, PSOM
Functional Connectivity and Persistent Dysfunction in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury—Doug Smith, neurology, PSOM; John Detre, neurology, PSOM
Implications of Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Neurovascular Reactivity Assessed by Time-Resolved MRI Oximetry—Felix Wehrli, radiology, PSOM; Richard Schwab, sleep medicine, PSOM.
Penn Urban Leadership Awards
Since 2005, The Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR) has recognized innovators in urban affairs through the Urban Leadership Award. This year the award was presented to three individuals for their exceptional leadership at the 9th Annual Urban Leadership Forum held last spring.
Dr. Joan Clos, executive director, UN- Habitat, took office at the Programme’s headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya on October 18, 2010. Prior to joining UN-Habitat, Dr. Clos was twice elected Mayor of Barcelona, serving two terms during the years 1997–2006. He was appointed Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Trade of Spain in 2006 to 2008. In this role, he helped rationalize the Iberian Energy Market in line with European Union Policies.
Ms. Yael Lehmann (SP2’06), executive director, The Food Trust, heads the nonprofit founded in 1992, that strives to make healthy food available to all. The Food Trust’s work has been recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama, and described by Time magazine as being a “remarkable success.” The Food Trust has been the recipient of many national and local awards including the Human Rights Award for a Nonprofit Organization from the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations for fostering intergroup harmony and cultural understanding among communities.
Mr. Ridwan Kamil, founder and principal, Urbane Indonesia, is committed to grass-roots urban design that empowers urban poor populations and he has been a pioneer in the “Indonesia Berkebun” movement to build amateur gardens in cities across Indonesia. As of 2011, the community project is established in 14 cities in Indonesia, with membership approaching 4,000.
2013 Seltzer Family Digital Media Awards
Thanks to the generosity of alumnus Jeff Seltzer, W’78, and his wife Annie, the University of Pennsylvania Libraries is proud to announce the six winners of the 2013 Seltzer Family Digital Media Awards: Ola Aboukhsaiwan, Tan Chan, Yessenia Gutierrez, Theodora Pajaczkowska, Andrew Weis and Marlie Winslow. The annual Seltzer awards recognize and support creative use of new media technologies by Penn undergraduate students for academic research projects. Each student will have exclusive use of $1,000 of technology for one year. Proposed technology items include video cameras, still cameras and audio recorders.
This is the sixth year that the Seltzer Family Digital Media Awards have supported specific student projects. The awards are administrated by the Penn Libraries in collaboration with the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF). The six funded projects are:
Under the guidance of Dr. Paul Farber, lecturer in urban studies, Ola Aboukhsaiwan HISB (C’15 W’15) will engage in an ethnographic study of Syrian refugees who have fled to Jordan. She plans to create a short documentary, which she hopes will “enliven both our intellectual and sensory experiences of the refugee struggle.” She will use a digital audio workstation and an Application Programming Interface (API).
Under the guidance of Jason Zuzga, a doctoral candidate in the English department, Tan Chan, C’15, will create a short documentary on the urban and natural geography of Hong Kong, where she was born and spent her early childhood. She plans to ask residents, “What physical aspect of Hong Kong do you love most?” in order to explore dichotomies between nature and culture. Ms. Chan’s project draws on previous coursework toward her Environmental Studies major and will serve as her capstone research project.
Under the guidance of Dr. Emilio Parrado, professor of sociology and director of the Latin American & Latino Studies Program, Yessenia Gutierrez, C’14, plans to study citizenship and belonging in Latin American immigrant communities in Philadelphia. She expects to interview a large number of people and videotape public speeches to explore “alternative modes of belonging.” Ms. Gutierrez will use an audio recorder and video camera to complete this project for her senior thesis.
Under the guidance of Scott White, senior lecturer in fine arts, Theodora Pajaczkowska, C’15, will learn how to use ZBrush, a digital sculpting and painting program, to create an animated short. As a digital media and design major, Ms. Pajaczkowska feels that this training is essential to her career aspirations in an animation design studio. She writes, “I feel making an animated short would allow me to explore the wide range of ZBrush’s capabilities.”
Under the guidance of Dr. Mauro Guillén, the Dr. Felix Zandman Professor of International Management at the Wharton School and professor of sociology in the School of Arts & Sciences, Andrew Weis HSIB (C’15 W’15) will retrace the routes of Ernesto “Che” Guevara in three South American cities to explore economic and cultural change at the intersection of culture and business. He will use a GoPro camera, a new device that captures high-quality video from moving vantage points such as bicycles and automobiles.
Under the guidance of Dr. Joan Saverino, lecturer in urban studies, Marlie Winslow, C’15, will create a photo-documentary about the role of government-sponsored public space in the social life of slum dwellers in Buenos Aires. Ms. Winslow’s project asks the question, “What is the result of forced public space in impoverished neighborhoods, especially when the spaces replace former blocks of the neighborhood?”
Jeff Seltzer, W’78, serves on the Libraries’ Board of Overseers, the Advisory Board of the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business, and the Alumni Advisory Committee for the Wharton Sports Business Initiative. The Seltzer Family Digital Media Awards Committee consists of Dr. Jessica Goldberg (assistant professor of history), Inge Herman (executive director, Huntsman Program in International Studies & Business), John MacDermott (director for instructional technology, SAS Computing), Ian Seltzer, C’09, and Dr. Anu Vedantham (director, Weigle Information Commons, Penn Libraries).
Penn Libraries’ Guide: On 2013 List of Best Free Reference Websites
The Historical Newspapers Online reference website created by Nick Okrent of Penn Libraries has been named to the list of Best Free Reference Websites 2013. In its 15th year, the list is initiated under the auspices of a committee of the American Library Association to recognize outstanding reference sites on the World Wide Web.
The award-winning Penn Libraries site was selected on criteria that include ease of use; quality, depth and usefulness of content; and uniqueness of the resource as a whole. Open access was one of Mr. Okrent’s primary motivations for creating the resource. Mr. Okrent, who is undergraduate services librarian and liaison to the history department, noted the prohibitive costs charged by vendors who license newspaper databases. “The databases cost a lot of money,” said Mr. Okrent, “and the Libraries can’t afford to continually add new ones.”
Ease of discovery was another of Mr. Okrent’s design goals. “I believed we could do a better job than Wikipedia has done, particularly in exposing students to high quality, free newspaper sources for research.” Over the past five years he has compiled a list of approximately 550 newspapers throughout 47 states plus the Virgin Islands. These titles cover a time span of more than 380 years, beginning with the digitized editions of the Virginia Gazette, which was published from 1736 to 1780.
In addition to links to full text, Historical Newspapers Online provides descriptions of the significance of the newspaper, which capture the variety, focus and social character of newspapers in America, past and present. For example, a mimeographed school newspaper called The Little Cowpuncher (1934-1943), issued from five different rural schools in Southern Arizona was written and illustrated by Anglo and Mexican-American ranch children and provides a chronicle of their lives; one of the original “alternative newsweeklies,” the Village Voice is available from 1955-2004 with local news and coverage of art, culture, and entertainment in lower Manhattan and throughout New York; The Silent Worker, originally known as the Deaf Mute Times, was a popular national newspaper among the deaf community, first published in February 1888 and written by deaf American authors.
Mr. Okrent hopes to improve the findability of the site by revising metadata that raises the site higher in search results. He continually searches for new content and carefully curates the existing links, since, as Mr. Okrent is quick to point out, “Links move or die so the work is never-ending.”
The Historical Newspapers Online reference website is here, http://guides.library.upenn.edu/historicalnewspapersonline
Penn Medicine Hospitals: Recognized Among Nation's Top
The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) has once again been ranked among the top hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. The publication’s annual ranking lists HUP as one of only 18 hospitals in the nation to be recognized as an “Honor Roll” hospital for its exceptional performance. This year, HUP is ranked 11th on the list.
In the publication’s rating of regional hospitals, all three Penn Medicine hospitals were among the top 10 hospitals in Philadelphia: HUP again topped the list at #1, while Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Pennsylvania Hospital ranked 4th and 6th respectively. All three Penn Medicine hospitals also ranked among the top 10 hospitals in Pennsylvania.
Hilton Inn at Penn: Four Diamonds
For the 13th consecutive year, the Inn at Penn has been awarded the AAA Four Diamond rating. The AAA Diamond rating process is North America’s premier rating program and is considered a trusted source of quality when traveling.
To be awarded AAA Four Diamond, a hotel must offer accommodations which are progressively more refined and stylish than a standard property. The physical attributes of the building must reflect an obvious enhanced level of quality throughout. The fundamental hallmarks at this level include an extensive array of amenities combined with a high degree of hospitality, service and attention to detail. Being ranked as a Four Diamond property showcases the Hilton Inn’s dedication to all areas of hotel and travel services. |