April 18, 2017 Volume 63 Issue 31

Angela Duckworth

The Baccalaureate speaker for the May 14 ceremony will be Angela Duckworth, the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also the founder and scientific director of the Character Lab, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance the science and practice of character development.

The Baccalaureate Ceremony is a 50-minute interfaith program that includes music, readings, prayers and the guest speaker. There will be two ceremonies in Irvine Auditorium  to accommodate everyone who would like to attend. Students whose last names begin with A through K are invited to attend the 1:30 p.m. ceremony. Students whose last names begin with L through Z are invited to attend the 3 p.m. ceremony. Tickets and academic regalia are not required.

Dr. Duckworth studies grit and self-control, two attributes that are distinct from IQ and yet powerfully predict success and wellbeing. A 2013 MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, Dr. Duckworth has advised the White House, the World Bank, NBA and NFL teams, and Fortune 500 CEOs. Currently, she serves as a faculty director for Wharton People Analytics, an initiative that helps organizations adopt the latest insights from social science research.

Prior to her career in research, Dr. Duckworth founded a summer school for low-income children that was profiled as a Harvard Kennedy School case study and, in 2012, celebrated its 20th anniversary. She has also been a McKinsey management consultant and a math and science teacher in the public schools of New York City, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Dr. Duckworth completed her undergraduate degree in advanced studies neurobiology at Harvard, graduating magna cum laude. With the support of a Marshall Scholarship, she completed an MSc with Distinction in neuroscience from Oxford University. She completed her PhD in psychology as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow at Penn.

Dr. Duckworth has received numerous awards for her contributions to K-12 education, including a Beyond Z Award from the KIPP Foundation. Her first book, Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, debuted May 3, 2016 as an immediate New York Times bestseller.

Deborah Thomas

Dean Steven J. Fluharty is pleased to name Deborah Thomas the R. Jean Brownlee Term Professor in Penn Arts and Sciences.

A professor of anthropology, Dr. Thomas is a distinguished scholar of political anthropology, globalization, race and gender. She serves as editor-in-chief of the American Anthropological Association’s flagship journal, American Anthropologist. She has authored and co-produced a number of books and films, including the books,  Exceptional Violence: Embodied Citizenship in Transnational Jamaica and Modern Blackness: Nationalism, Globalization, and the Politics of Culture in Jamaica, and the film Bad Friday: Rastafari After Coral Gardens. Her forthcoming film, Four Days in May explores the archives generated by state violence by focusing on the 2010 State of Emergency in West Kingston, Jamaica.
Dr. Thomas has served as chair of the Anthropology Graduate Group, as a member of the Penn Arts and Sciences Strategic Plan Committee on Graduate Education, a member of the University Faculty Senate and a member of the Faculty Advisory Board of the Trustees Council of Penn Women.

The R. Jean Brownlee Endowed Term Professorship was established through a gift from the McLean Contributionship under the direction of the late William L. McLean III and his wife. The McLeans established the endowed term chair in recognition of Dr. Brownlee’s years of service to the Contributionship and to Penn and to honor their lifelong friendship with her. Dr. Brownlee earned her doctorate from Penn in political science in 1942 and returned in 1947 as an assistant professor of political science. She was named acting dean of the College for Women in 1958, and dean a year later (Almanac March 28, 2017).

Emilio Parrado

Dean Steven J. Fluharty is pleased to name Emilio A. Parrado the Dorothy Swaine Thomas Professor of Sociology in Penn Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Parrado is a distinguished scholar of demography and international migration. His research is focused on issues of Western hemisphere migration; Latino immigrants’ adaptation in the United States; and issues of health, fertility, education and economic wellbeing among populations in Mexico and in several South American countries, as well as among immigrants in the US. He is the author of more than 40 refereed articles in leading journals, and his work has been supported by several major grants, including the National Institute of Health and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Dr. Parrado is an outstanding citizen and leader of his scholarly communities. He currently serves as chair of the department of sociology and he has served as the director of the Latin American and Latino studies program and the associate director of the Population Studies Center, as well as serving on the executive committee of the Penn Program on Democracy, Citizenship, and Constitutionalism; the Penn Arts and Sciences Dean’s Council on Diversity; and the Faculty Advisory Board of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships. 

In 1993, an anonymous donor created this chair in honor of Dorothy Swaine Thomas. Dr. Swaine Thomas was one of the most successful sociologists of her generation. She was the first woman professor in the Wharton School, the first woman board member of the Social Science Research Council, and the first woman elected president of the American Sociological Association. When she retired in 1970, Penn gave her an honorary doctorate for her influential work in the field of demography (Almanac March 28, 2017).

Gary Hua

Gary Hua has been named managing director of the Penn Wharton China Center in Beijing. Dr. Hua will report to Z. John Zhang, director of the Penn Wharton China Center, lead the Center on the ground in China and work closely with senior administrators and all schools at the University of Pennsylvania to enhance Penn’s visibility and engagement in China. Dr. Hua will take the lead in enhancing relationships with industry and government leaders, as well as with Penn alumni, students and friends. Dr. Hua joined the Penn community on April 1.

Dr. Hua has over 20 years of experience in information technologies and investment operations for several large and influential organizations in the United States and China. Most recently, he worked with China Investment Corporation (CIC), China’s sovereign wealth fund, managing over $800 billion in assets.

At China Investment Corporation, Dr. Hua served as chief information officer, head of the investment operation department and was a member of the executive committee. During his time at CIC, he led the development of a company operational model and its IT strategy; oversaw the daily investment operations; and worked on the CIC executive committee. Prior to CIC, Dr. Hua held positions at Great Wall Software International; Haw Wireless, a company he co-founded; and Unisys.

He is no stranger to the University or the Wharton School, having received his MS in computer science and a PhD in operations and information at Penn. Dr. Hua is an undergraduate alumnus of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Mark M. Mishkin, a former professor of neuroradiology and chief of radiology at HUP, died on April 8.

He earned an undergraduate degree from Indiana University and an MD from SUNY medical college. He also was a former Navy medical officer.

Dr. Mishkin began at Penn as a resident in 1957. He became associate professor of radiology in 1969. In 1972, he became professor of radiology and chief of radiology. He served on the University Council as a representative of the faculty constituency of the School of Medicine in 1971.

He resigned in 1977 but returned to Penn as adjunct professor of radiology in 1993.

Dr. Mishkin was chairman of the department of radiology at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, from 1978-1984 and professor of neuroradiology at Thomas Jefferson University from 1984 until his retirement.

He was president of the American College of Radiology in 1993 and a member of its board of chancellors from 1982-1994.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara; children, Jeremy (Barbara) and Jonathan (Alice); and grandchildren, Benjamin (Dee), Maxwell (Grace), Kathryn, Eric and Alexander.

Contributions in his memory may be made to Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA 19103.

Former Penn Trustee Joseph F. Rascoff, W’67, died on April 6 at age 71.

Mr. Rascoff was a major player on the business end of the music industry, as well as a tireless volunteer who worked to advance Penn’s mission.

Mr. Rascoff grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens. He graduated from Wharton in 1967 with a major in accounting and a minor in philosophy, and joined the accounting firm of Hurdman and Cranstoun, a predecessor of today’s KPMG. He became an audit partner in 1974 and left to become road accountant and then tour producer for the Rolling Stones. He launched his own entertainment management firm in 1978, and partnered with William Zysblat in 1988 to create the Rascoff/Zysblat Organization. The company represented prominent artists such as U2 and David Bowie, as well as the estates of Elvis Presley and Ira and George Gershwin, in recording contract negotiations, music publishing administration, licensing, royalty compliance and worldwide touring. Mr. Rascoff oversaw the Rolling Stones’ 1989-1990 “Steel Wheels”/ “Urban Jungle” tour, regarded at the time as the largest and most financially successful concert tour ever mounted. He went on to serve in various leadership roles at SFX Entertainment.

Mr. Rascoff served Penn as an Alumni Trustee from 1991-1996 and was an important contributor to the Student Life Committee. In addition, he served as a Library Overseer 1995-2005 and then again from 2008-2017. In 1996, he was awarded the Alumni Award of Merit. He was a generous donor to the University, in particular to the Penn Libraries and the Jane and Joe Rascoff Freshman Seminar Fund.

Mr. Rascoff was very involved in alumni outreach and worked to reach alumni nationwide in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly in Southern California and New York. He was president of the Alumni Association of Southern California, a founding member of the Penn Club of New York, an Executive Committee member of the Council of Regional Alumni Clubs and an early member of the Southern California Regional Advisory Board. He provided office space for Penn’s Western Regional Office to support admissions, development and alumni relations activities.

He was also vice president of Penn Alumni; an interviewer and recruiter for the Alumni Council on Admissions; a member of the Alumni Awards & Resolutions Committee and the Political Science Visiting Committee; and a fundraising volunteer on the Agenda for Excellence Council, the President’s Council, the Penn Fund Executive Board and the Class of 1967 Gift Committee.

Mr. Rascoff was predeceased by his son, Justin. He is survived by his wife, Jane, and children, Spencer, Brooke, C’15, and Jake.

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 constituencies and their representatives. Please communicate your comments to Patrick Walsh, executive assistant to the Senate Office, either by telephone at (215) 898-6943 or by email at senate@pobox.upenn.edu.

Chair’s Report. Faculty Senate Chair Laura Perna reported that the Faculty Senate co-sponsored two symposia, one on Online Learning held April 4 and second on Inclusive Classroom Practices held April 7. The latter was held in conjunction with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). A document detailing best practices for inclusive classroom practices is posted on the CTL website.  On April 18, the Faculty Senate is co-sponsoring with the Annenberg School a panel discussion with two journals and Penn faculty: Do Facts Still Matter? The event will be live-streamed on Annenberg’s Facebook page beginning at 5 p.m.,

Past-Chair’s Report. On Past-Chair Reed Pyeritz’s behalf, Professor Perna informed SEC members that Capital Council, the Academic Planning and Budget Committee and the Campaign for Community all continued their work.

Discussion on Upcoming Senate Activities. The Ad Hoc Committee on Government Engagement continues to meet. One planned activity for fall 2017 is a “teach-in” on the importance of research and data. Faculty members—particularly from the humanities and law—are encouraged to join the committee by writing the Senate office. Vice Provost for Research Dawn Bonnell emphasized the importance of the topic and encouraged faculty participation in “Supporting Science” via a memo circulated to SEC members.

Graduate Student Unionization. Senior Vice President and General Counsel Wendy White along with Graduate Education and Initiatives Executive Director Anita Mastroieni updated SEC members on the status of a petition for graduate student unionization. The current petition did not receive the minimum required number of signatures and as such cannot be submitted to the National Labor Relations Board in time for a vote before the end of the spring semester. Ms. White predicted that the organizing group would likely continue to seek signatures on a similar petition through the summer and that a vote may occur in the fall. She encouraged faculty members to discuss their personal views about the topic to inquiring graduate students so long as those views are not expressed in a threatening or intimidating manner. A statement with the views of the Penn administration may be found at the website of the Vice Provost for Education.

Update from the Office of the Executive Vice President. Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli informed SEC members about the characteristics of the newly admitted class of 2021. He described Penn’s ongoing efforts to enhance the diversity of Penn staff, particularly in mid- and senior-level administrative placements. Industry-sponsored research dollars at Penn have tripled since 2010. A PennKey password reset project is underway across the campus and will be rolled out gradually across schools and centers through the fall.  A research compliance shared governance board is being established to collaborate on standards and identify tools and best practices for compliance issues. Membership will be broadly representative of Penn’s schools and centers. A Human Capital Management effort to improve payroll, onboarding and HR functions is also under way. SEC members discussed with Mr. Carnaroli the impact of federal and state funding concerns, University City growth, changing workforce dynamics and the effects of the uncertain political climate on Penn’s operations.

Faculty Awareness of Textbook and Supply Costs. Associate Vice President for Business Services Chris Bradie described efforts to curb student costs related to textbooks and supplies. Students cite book costs as a factor in selecting courses. He encouraged faculty members to be aware of these cost concerns and to take steps toward curbing costs when possible. A tip sheet on textbook affordability was distributed. SEC member Robert Ghrist also encouraged faculty members to read his blog entry on how and why he self-published a low-cost text for a course he teaches.

Update from Penn Global and International Student and Scholar Services. Penn Global Executive Director Amy Gadsden and International Student and Scholar Services Director Rudie Altamirano updated SEC members on the impact on international members of the Penn community of recent Executive Orders. Penn Global established a case management system to handle affected individuals. External legal counsel was brought in on an ad hoc basis to provide pro bono legal services to affected scholars. Penn encourages travelers to enter the US via PHL airport, as Penn has established direct connections with PHL airport staff who can assist with any potential detainments or denials of entry.

Under the Faculty Senate Rules, formal notification to members may be accomplished by publication in Almanac. The following is published under that rule.

TO: Members of the Faculty Senate
FROM: Susan Margulies, Chair, Nominating Committee
SUBJECT: Senate Nominations 2017-2018

1. In accordance with the Faculty Senate Rules, official notice is given of the Senate Nominating Committee’s slate of nominees for the incoming Senate Officers. The nominees, all of whom have indicated their willingness to serve, are:

Chair-elect:

Jennifer Pinto-Martin (School of Nursing)

Secretary:

The incumbent Secretary-elect has indicated that he cannot continue service beyond academic year 2016-17, thus a replacement is selected. Cynthia Connolly (School of Nursing)

Secretary-elect:

Ayelet Ruscio (SAS/Psychology)

At-large Members of the Senate Executive Committee to serve a 3-year term beginning upon election:

Emily Falk (Annenberg)
Robert Hurst (PSOM/Radiology)
Hans-Peter Kohler (SAS/Sociology)
Jennifer Lukes (SEAS/MEAM)

Assistant Professor Members of the Senate Executive Committee to serve a 1-year term beginning upon election:

Antonio Garcia (Social Policy and Practice)

Assistant Professor Members of the Senate Executive Committee to serve a 2-year term beginning upon election:

John Fiadjoe (PSOM/Medicine)
Sharon Irving (School of Nursing)

Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility to serve a 3-year term beginning upon election:

Charles Bosk (SAS/Sociology)
David Eckmann (PSOM/Anesthesiology)
Nancy Hirschmann (SAS/Political Science)
Julia Lynch (SAS/Political Science)

Senate Committee on Economic Status of the Faculty to serve a 3-year term beginning upon election:

Blanca Himes (PSOM/Biostatistics, Epidemiology, & Informatics)
Sarah Kagan (Nursing)

2. Again in accordance with the Senate Rules, you are invited to submit additional nominations, which shall be accomplished via petitions containing at least 25 valid names and the signed approval of the candidate. All such petitions must be received no later than 14 days subsequent to the circulation of the nominees of the Nominating Committee. Petitions must be received by mail at the Faculty Senate, Box 9 College Hall / 6303, or by hand at the Faculty Senate Office, Duhring Wing Room 109, by 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 2.

3. Under the same provision of the Senate Rules, if no additional nominations are received, the slate nominated by the Nominating Committee will be declared elected.

2016-2017 year-end reports from the committees.

1. No instructor may hold a final examination nor require the submission of a take-home final exam except during the period in which final examinations are scheduled; when necessary, exceptions to this policy may be granted for postponed examinations (see 3 and 4 below). No final examinations may be scheduled during the last week of classes or on reading days.
2. No student may be required to take more than two final examinations on any calendar day during the period in which final examinations are scheduled. If more than two are scheduled, the student may postpone the middle exam. If a take-home final exam is due on a day when two final examinations are scheduled, the take-home exam shall be postponed by one day.
3. Examinations that are postponed because of conflicts with other examinations, or because more than two examinations are scheduled on the same day, may be taken at another time during the final examinations period if the faculty member and student can agree on that time. Otherwise, they must be taken during the official period for postponed examinations.
4. Examinations that are postponed because of illness, a death in the family, for religious observance or some other unusual event may be taken only during the official periods: the first week of the spring and fall semesters. Students must obtain permission from their Dean’s office to take a postponed exam. Instructors in all courses must be willing to offer a make-up examination to all students who are excused from the final examination.
5. No instructor may change the time or date of a final exam without permission from the appropriate Dean.
6. No instructor may increase the time allowed for a final exam beyond the scheduled two hours without permission from the appropriate Dean.
7. No classes or required class activities may be held during the reading period.
8. The first examination of the day begins at 9 a.m. and the last examination concludes by 8 p.m. There will be one hour between exam time blocks.
9. All students must be allowed to see their final examination. Exams should be available as soon as possible after being graded with access ensured for a period of at least one regular semester after the exam has been given. To help protect student privacy, a student should have access only to his or her own exam and not the exams of other students. Therefore, for example, it is not permissible to leave student exams (or grades or papers) in publicly accessible areas.
10. Students may not be asked for their Social Security numbers. Instructors may not publicly display a student’s Penn ID or any portion of the Social Security number, nor use names, initials or any personally identifiable information to post grades. Even when an identifier is masked or absent, grades may not be posted in alphabetical order, to protect student privacy.
11. Final exams for College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) courses must be given on the regular class meeting night during the week of final examinations. No change in scheduling is permitted without unanimous consent of all students in the class and the director of LPS. LPS final exams may not be administered during the last week of class or on a reading day.

In all matters relating to final exams, students with questions should first consult with their Dean’s offices. Faculty wishing to seek exceptions to the rules also should consult with their Dean’s offices. Finally, the Council of Undergraduate Deans and Student Committee on Undergraduate Education (SCUE) urge instructors to see that all examinations are actively proctored.

—Vincent Price, Provost

Mohammed Alharbi, GD’14, DScD’17, a doctoral candidate at Penn Dental Medicine, was awarded second place in the senior basic science category of the 2017 IADR Unilever Hatton Competition and Awards in March.

Dr. Alharbi’s research project, FOXO1 Role Expressed by Chondrocytes In Diabetic-Induced Impaired Fracture Healing, was conducted under faculty preceptor Dana Graves, professor and interim chair of the department of periodontics. He presented an oral and poster presentation and his work was judged on originality and design of the investigation, quality of the data produced, suitability of the methods of analysis used, scientific value of the work, quality of the poster presentation and demonstrated mastery of the subject.

Dr. Alharbi was among the 17 postdoctoral and predoctoral students and junior researchers from Penn Dental Medicine who received a Penn Dental Medicine AADR Travel Grant Award to participate in the IADR/AADR/CADR General Session.

Jordan Doman

Jordan Doman, C’17, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, has been selected as a recipient of the Hertz Fellowship by the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation. The 12 newest Hertz Fellows were chosen from more than 700 applicants interested in pursuing graduate work in applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics and engineering.

Ms. Doman will hold a bachelor’s in biochemistry and a master’s in chemistry when she graduates this year. Her master’s thesis focuses on the synthesis of biosensors to be used in conjunction with a new kind of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging for the ultrasensitive detection of proteins implicated in cancer and other diseases. She plans to pursue a PhD in chemistry or chemical biology.

University of Pennsylvania students Michael Tran Duong and Tiberiu Mihaila have been awarded the Goldwater Scholarship. Each year, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation awards 300 scholarships to sophomores and juniors who demonstrate excellence in science, engineering and mathematics and plan to pursue PhD study and careers in academic research.

Michael Tran Duong, a second-year student from Worcester, Pennsylvania, is studying biochemistry and biophysics. As a member of the 3-D epigenomes and neurobiology lab of Jennifer Phillips-Cremins, assistant professor in the department of bioengineering in Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and Perelman School of Medicine, Mr. Duong investigates dynamic patterns of 3-dimensional genome folding in brain development and disease. He plans to become a physician-scientist researching the genetics and neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration.

Tiberiu Mihaila, a second-year student from Syracuse, New York, is studying physics, biophysics and biochemistry in the Vagelos Scholars Program in Molecular Life Sciences in the School of Arts & Sciences. He is a member of a group in the department of chemistry led by E. James Petersson, associate professor, that uses fluorescence techniques to study protein misfolding and cellular pathology in Parkinson’s disease model systems. Mr. Mihaila hopes to pursue an MD and a PhD in order to use biophysical and biochemical tools to elucidate neurodegenerative disease pathology.

Eric Forbush, a first year doctoral student at the Annenberg School, has been awarded a fellowship from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). He is one of 2,000 scholars chosen from among 13,000 applicants.

As a GRFP Fellow, Mr. Forbush will receive three years of research funding to explore how the field of computational social science—utilizing computer modeling, social network analysis and virtual simulations to understand social dynamics—might help address issues of segregation in communities. He plans to conduct ethnographic interviews and collect data from social networking sites to inform his creation of an agent-based model, allowing him to conduct virtual simulations to discover the conditions needed to increase diversity and decrease segregation.

Mr. Forbush holds a BA in communication studies from Northeastern University in Boston.

From left, Corey Spies, Brianna Parsons, Talia Wong and Molly Klores are the 2017 recipients of Penn Vet’s Student Inspiration Awards.

Penn Vet has awarded students Molly Klores, Brianna Parsons, Corey Spies and Talia Wong with the 2017 Student Inspiration Awards. Each year, the award is presented to Penn Vet students who demonstrate the potential to significantly advance the frontiers of veterinary medicine and expand the profession’s impact on the wellbeing of animals and society.

“It is incredibly encouraging to see our students champion such important issues for the betterment of society,” said Joan C. Hendricks, the Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “Our students are always good-hearted and creative, but this year I am really struck by the sophistication and attention to sustainability beyond the time of their engagement. Both of these projects have genuine potential for significant lasting impact. The future of veterinary medicine is very bright.”

Ms. Parsons, a third-year student from Quakertown, Pennsylvania, and Mr. Spies, a second-year student from Kinnelon, New Jersey, were awarded $25,000 for their proposal, Gambia Goat Dairy—An Innovative Goat Milking Facility in Bwiam, The Gambia. They spent eight weeks in The Gambia researching the feasibility and sustainability of developing a goat dairy and developed a comprehensive business plan with input from over 25 key Gambian stakeholders. The pair will use the funds to improve community nutrition and healthcare in an impoverished area of The Gambia by generating a local supply of affordable, safe, high-quality animal protein that also generates a sustainable source of revenue for the hospital.

Ms. Klores, of Washington DC, and Ms. Wong, of Brookline, Massachusetts, both third-year students, received $11,500 for their proposal, Educating the Public: Bringing One Health to the Clinic. They will use their award to create educational materials, including posters and a website, promoting One Health considerations in routine appointments at Penn’s medical and veterinary hospitals. The project’s goal is to engage clients and patients in the One Health conversation, and encourage them to take ownership of their family’s health. The educational materials will focus on the connections between pet and owner health in order to improve the detection of zoonotic risks.

Scott Halpern

Peter Snyder

Scott Halpern, an associate professor of medicine, epidemiology, and medical ethics and health policy and director of the Palliative and Advanced Illness Research (PAIR) Center, and Peter J. Snyder, a professor of medicine in the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, are this year’s recipients of the Association for Clinical and Translational Science (ACTS) Distinguished Investigator Award for Career Achievement and Contribution to Clinical and Translational Science respectively. Drs. Halpern and Snyder will receive their awards at Translational Science 2017, the organization’s annual meeting, April 19-21 in Washington, DC.

Dr. Halpern will also receive the American Federation for Medical Research’s (AFMR) Outstanding Investigator Award.

The ACTS Distinguished Investigator Award recognizes senior investigators whose innovative research or education leadership has significantly impacted clinical and translational science. The AFMR Outstanding Investigator Award is presented annually to an investigator 45 years of age or younger in recognition of excellence in biomedical research.

Dr. Halpern is also the founding director of the Fostering Improvement in End-of-Life Decision Science (FIELDS) program, and deputy director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE). Dr. Halpern blends ethical analyses and empirical research to promote ideals of fairness and value in the allocation of scarce healthcare resources—such as transplantable organs, ICU beds and services, and clinicians’ time—to seriously ill patients.

Dr. Snyder’s work focuses on neuroendocrinology, or the diagnosis and treatment of pituitary adenomas and other pituitary and hypothalamic abnormalities, including excessive and deficient pituitary hormone secretion. Throughout his career, Dr. Snyder has examined the effects of hormones on bone and pituitary adenomas. Most notably, he was the principal investigator of The Testosterone Trials, a multicenter study of seven coordinated trials of the effects of testosterone in elderly men with low testosterone on physical function, vitality, sexual function, cognitive function, anemia, bone and cardiovascular risk.

Carl June, the director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapy in the Abramson Cancer Center and the director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania, has been named a 2017 Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy. Dr. June was recognized for designing chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of refractory and relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Fellows are chosen for work that has had a significant and enduring impact on the field. They are nominated and elected in a peer-review process.

Barbara Medoff-Cooper

The Eastern Nursing Research Society recently awarded Barbara Medoff-Cooper, professor of nursing in the department of family and community health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, with its Distinguished Contributions to Nursing Research Award, which recognizes sustained and outstanding contributions to nursing research by a senior investigator.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by the nursing research community. My goal, and of course my passion, has always been to improve outcomes for vulnerable infants and their families,” said Dr. Medoff-Cooper. “I share this award with the many families who have participated in my research projects over the past 30-plus years.”

Dr. Medoff-Cooper’s research focuses on infant development, feeding behaviors in high-risk infants and infant temperament. She invented the Early Infancy Temperament Questionnaire and the NeoNur device, changing the way clinicians care for premature and chronically ill infants. Her research has been recognized throughout the world for its impact on improving care of premature infants and infants born with complex congenital heart disease.

Two Penn Integrates Knowledge professors at the University of Pennsylvania, Barbara Mellers and Philip Tetlock, have been awarded the 2017 Thomas C. Schelling Award by Harvard University’s Kennedy School. The award recognizes individuals whose “remarkable intellectual work has had a transformative impact on public policy.” It was presented April 6 during a ceremony in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Drs. Mellers and Tetlock led a Penn team together in The Good Judgement Project, a four-year prediction tournament sponsored by the US intelligence community. The team focused on the abilities of intuition, probability, teamwork and computational analysis and created a system of “superforecasters,” made up of ordinary people whose combined predictive abilities became more powerful than that of CIA analysts. The system was adapted for use by intelligence agencies.

Dr. Mellers is the I. George Heyman University Professor with appointments in the psychology department in the School of Arts & Sciences and the marketing department in the Wharton School. Her work focuses on judgment and decision making.

Dr. Tetlock is the Annenberg University Professor with appointments in psychology in Arts & Sciences and management in Wharton. He focuses on the intersection of political science, psychology and management science with a goal to improve prediction methods in political, business and other spheres.

Kristy Weber, chief of orthopaedic oncology for the University of Pennsylvania Health System and director of the sarcoma program in the Abramson Cancer Center, will become the first woman to lead the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

Dr.  Weber will serve as second vice president from 2017 to 2018, as first vice president from 2018 to 2019 and as president in 2019.

Dr. Weber specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with bone or soft tissue tumors, as well as complex limb salvage techniques for the hip, knee, shoulder and pelvis.

She is also a professor and vice-chair of faculty affairs in the department of orthopaedic surgery and Abramson Family Professor in Sarcoma Care Excellence.

Joseph Serletti

Linton Whitaker

The American Association of Plastic Surgeons recently recognized two members of the division of plastic surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania as the Mentor and Clinician of the Year.

Joseph Serletti, chief of plastic surgery, received the Robert Goldwyn American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons Mentor of the Year award. Linton Whitaker, professor and chief emeritus of plastic surgery, received the Clinician of the Year award.

Dr. Serletti was chosen for his award based on his contributions to the development of ethical, compassionate and academically productive surgeons for the next generation. Dr. Serletti is internationally recognized for his work in reconstructive microsurgery and is an authority in free flap autogenous breast reconstruction. Having mentored dozens of medical students, interns, residents, post-doctoral fellows young physicians, researchers and surgeons, Dr. Serletti is known for providing personalized attention and spending significant time on mentoring activities.

Dr. Whitaker founded the craniofacial program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and introduced widely used surgical advances. His contributions to the field include his involvement in the development of infant craniofacial surgery and the nation’s first cleft palate program, and breakthroughs in bone/soft tissue relations.

He is founder of the Edwin and Fannie Gray Hall Center for Human Appearance at Penn, the first academic center dedicated to interdisciplinary clinical and basic science research and treatment in all aspects of human appearance—from cosmetic surgery and procedures to reconstructive trauma surgery, post-cancer reconstruction repair and birth defect repair all in both children and adults.

Along tree-lined Locust Walk

This spring, the University’s Division of Facilities & Real Estate Services (FRES) is organizing a celebration of gardens and meadows, fields and walks and trees and lawns that make up Penn’s urban campus. The Office of the University Architect oversees the planning and design of Penn’s landscape features and, in collaboration with FRES Operations & Maintenance Department, manages the care of its green spaces. Their efforts have earned the University a number of awards including a Sustainable SITES Certification, and for the eighth year in a row, recognition as a Tree Campus USA by the Arbor Day Foundation.

Now, for the first time, Penn’s campus in West Philadelphia has received official designation as an arboretum by the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program. Penn is the first Ivy League university to achieve this accreditation. Penn is among 23 universities worldwide, six of which are urban, that have this designation. As the Arboretum at The University of Pennsylvania, ArbNet recognizes the collective efforts that have achieved particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens.

Here are some of the campus activities this spring that will recognize Penn’s landscapes (Almanac April 11, 2017):

Saturday, April 22: Earth Day—An annual event designed to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

Wednesday, April 26: 30x30 Challenge Campus Ecology Tour— The tour will start at noon at Shoemaker Green, in front of the Palestra. Register to attend this tour.

Friday, April 28: Arbor Day and celebration of Penn as a Tree Campus USA—For the eighth year in a row, Penn has been named a Tree Campus USA, by a national program created in 2008 by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging staff and students in conservation goals. At 1 p.m., Bob Lundgren, landscape architect, and Chloe Cerwinka, landscape planner, will lead a tour of campus highlighting our most historic and interesting trees. Register for the tour.

Tuesday, May 2: Penn Park Orchard Continues to Grow—Established in fall 2014, it is now more than 6,000 square feet and includes 25 fruit trees, more than 65 edible shrubs, vines and berry bushes along with thousands of perennials planted throughout. Help plant more perennial flowers, herbs and groundcovers to complete the new food forest understory at the Penn Park Orchard, noon to 3 p.m. Organized in partnership with the Philadelphia Orchard Project. Sign up on the Project's website.

Thursday, May 4: Creating Canopy program—To encourage the continual greening of our communities in the Greater Philadelphia area, Penn is partnering with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation for the Creating Canopy tree giveaway. University and UPHS employees can register now, on a first-come, first-served basis for a tree.

Here are some of the tours available online and on campus:

Appreciating Penn’s Cherry Trees—Led by Tony Aiello, director of horticulture and curator at Morris Arboretum, a full identification and inventory will be taken of all the various cherry trees on Penn’s campus. Mr. Aiello will use his extensive knowledge of flowering cherry trees to identify the exact cherry cultivars on the Penn campus, and continue to help Penn grow its flowering cherry tree collection, so that the cherry tree collection can become known for its cultural legacy, horticultural display, research and education. View a photo album with a sampling of Cherry Trees.

Tour Penn’s Class Trees—A Class Tree Tour has been added to the Penn Plant Explorer, an interactive website, linked to Penn’s comprehensive tree inventory (6,500+ trees), that allows users to map and interpret the significant trees, specialty gardens, urban parks, edible plants and seasonal interest throughout Penn’s campus. Class trees have been planted since 2011, thanks to the sponsorship of Wharton alumnus Bill Hohns, W ’74. See Penn Plant Explorer.

Spring Tree Plantings—Each spring, FRES landscape architects collaborate with the Morris Arboretum to select a number of trees for planting on Penn’s West Philadelphia campus. Tree species are selected to ensure tree diversity and also to test how some trees fare in an urban environment. Among those planted will be the live oak trees that have been nurtured for a few years by the careful hands at Morris Arboretum, introducing this species to the campus for the first time, as climate change pushes its planting zone further north. In addition to those from Morris Arboretum, spring 2017 will bring to campus an assortment of oaks (white oaks, chestnut oaks, post oaks), yellowwoods, sugar maples, American beech, hickory, sassafras and a hardy rubber tree.

Tree Tags–Telling the Tree’s Story—Tree tags can help many of us learn more about a campus tree that has caught our eye. This spring, our landscape team will begin installing tree tags—small (3x5 or 4x6) plaques that give its Latin name, describe the tree’s origin, and on larger tags, an interesting fact about the tree.

Look for these tags at eye height on campus trees at the end of April.

Join Penn IUR, PennDesign, and the PennDesign Student Council for the celebration of Earth Day on Friday, April 21, at 4 p.m.; at Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, 4th floor, Fisher Fine Arts Building. To celebrate Earth Day 2017, Richard Weller, the Martin and Margy Meyerson Chair of Urbanism and professor and chair of landscape architecture, unveils his Atlas for the End of the World, a collection of maps which survey land use and urban growth in relation to the United Nation’s targets. Professor Weller will be joined by PennDesign Dean Frederick Steiner, who was among the organizers of one of the first Earth Day events, and Eugenie Birch, Nussdorf Professor of Urban Research and co-director of Penn IUR. Dr. Birch leads sustainable development efforts for the UN as chair, UN-HABITAT’s World Urban Campaign, and president, General Assembly of Partners. For information, and to register, visit the event page.

On April 22, 1970, thousands descended on Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park for Earth Day, which was organized by a group of Penn students. Among the headliners were PennDesign faculty member Ian McHarg—whose 1969 book Design with Nature pioneered the concept of ecological planning—fellow faculty member Lewis Mumford, Ralph Nader, Paul Erlich, and the cast of the Broadway musical Hair. Two years later, NASA released a photograph of Earth taken from the Apollo 17. Dubbed “the Blue Marble,” it quickly became the most reproduced image in history and catalyzed the nascent environmental movement. Fast forward to 1992: At the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, 196 countries signed on to the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) committing to reach a global target of 17% protected wilderness area by 2020.

Call for nominations are now open for Penn’s Green Purchasing Awards. Now in its third year, the program is held in conjunction with the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee Purchasing Subcommittee and the Green Campus Partnership. This award recognizes the leading actions of any individual and/or team that advances the development of sustainable purchasing practices at Penn. This award program is a chance to spotlight those who are championing sustainability across campus, as well as to celebrate projects that are contributing to a more sustainable future. View the past recipients of the award on the Sustainable Purchasing website; some of these achievements may inspire you to submit your colleagues’ work for consideration.

Visit the Green Purchasing Award web page to review the nomination guidelines and information about the submittal process. Nominations will remain open until Friday, June 30.  Award recipients will be honored at the Penn Purchasing Supplier Show on Tuesday, September 19.

Professional & Personal Development Programs

Improve your skills and get ahead in your career by taking advantage of the many development opportunities provided by Human Resources. You can register for programs by visiting knowledgelink.upenn.edu or contacting Learning and Education at (215) 898-3400.

The Gift of Feedback; 5/4; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; free. Feedback can be an amazing gift when given well. In this session you will learn how to give and receive feedback so that it is viewed as a gift.

Cover Letters that Get Results; 5/10; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; free. We all know that employers get so many resumes in response to just one job opening. It becomes more important than ever to find ways to make your information stand out from the crowd. A well written cover letter gives you that great opportunity to communicate your ‘match’ to the position and your ‘fit’ to the organization. Come to this session to learn the steps to creating a powerful cover letter.

Learning with Lynda: Developing Resourcefulness; 5/17; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; free. Being able to do more with less is a highly valued skill in any organization, and not just in down times. Management expert and trainer Todd Dewett helps you assess your resourcefulness by first evaluating your professional resources (personal network, expertise, information, and access to finances) and how to decide when and how to use them. He also provides advice on developing habits to cultivate resourcefulness, such as asking the right questions and building your network across a broad spectrum. Learning with Lynda utilizes the University’s enterprise-wide license of Lynda.com to provide a blended learning solution to the Penn campus. Prior to attending the in-class session it is strongly recommended that you take the online Lynda module. During the classroom session we apply the concepts from the online module.

TED Talk Tuesday—Julian Treasure— 5 Ways to Listen Better; 5/23; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; free. Humans are losing the ability to listen. Modern recording devices have invalidated the need to listen; modern technology has reduced the frequency of spoken conversations; and people retreat into their own individual soundscapes via their headphones. Sound consultant Julian Treasure proposes five exercises to improve your listening skills. TED Talks are videos that present a great idea in 18 minutes or less. After screening these videos a group setting, we encourage discussion with your Penn peers on these exciting topics.

Understanding Your Strengths; 5/24; 9 a.m.-noon; $75. “If you spend your life trying to be good at everything, you will never be great at anything.” Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day? Research has shown that employees who know how to be the best and use their talents and strengths in the workplace tend to be more successful, engaged, and productive. Prior to the class you will take the online StrengthsQuest assessment (included in the cost) and will receive a customized report that lists your top five signature strengths. In this program you will learn how to use your top five signature strengths more effectively in the workplace; discover ways to use your strengths to better interact with others; determine which strengths you are not currently optimizing for personal and professional success and set goals and actions items for your using your strengths to maximize your personal development.

STEP-UP: Introduction (First Steps to Excellence); 5/25; 9 a.m.-noon; $150 for the complete seven-course STEP-UP program. STEP-UP is a pre-supervisory training program designed for motivated individuals who aspire to be supervisors or managers. First Steps to Excellence is the entry point for the seven-course Curriculum and must be completed before the other courses in the program. All courses are offered multiple times on a rotating basis throughout the year. Also enroll in the STEP-UP Pre-Supervisory Curriculum which tracks your program completion. By the end of the First Steps to Excellence, you’ll have a deeper understanding of your five signature strengths and discover additional ways to take charge of your career at Penn.

Quality of Worklife Workshops

Dealing with the demands of work and your personal life can be challenging. These free workshops, sponsored by HR and led by experts from Penn’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Quality of Worklife Department, offer information and support for your personal and professional life challenges. For details and to register, visit Event and Program Registration or contact Human Resources at (215) 573-2471 or qowl@hr.upenn.edu.

Mindfulness Monday: From Mind Full to Mindful; 5/1; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; free. Mindfulness practice develops awareness of your present thoughts and feelings to help you manage different situations. In this once-a-month experiential workshop, you’ll see how mindfulness can help you become more engaged and effective both at home and in the workplace. No prior meditation experience necessary.

Guided Meditation; 5/9; noon-1 p.m. also 5/19; 12:30–1:30 p.m; free. Practice mindful breathing that focuses your attention on the present moment with kindness, compassion, and awareness. Self-massage and gentle mindful movements that promote relaxation and reduce stress may also be included in the workshop. No experience necessary.

Work and Caregiving: Tips to Finding a Balance; 5/9; 1-2 p.m.; free. Mom’s caregiver is sick and you need to find a replacement last minute. Or you just learned that Dad is going to be discharged from the hospital but it is not safe for him to return home alone. And you have a project deadline that you just can’t miss. Your caregiving responsibilities don’t stop once you get to work, which is one of the reasons this role is so challenging. This webinar will discuss how to approach caregiving, while also managing your job responsibilities—and stay sane at the same time.

Mindfulness Skills Course; 5/23-6/20; 3-4:30 p.m.; free four-week course. Offered by Penn’s EAP, this is designed to teach the core principles and practices of mindfulness, which include breathing meditation, body scan, sitting meditation and movement meditation. Each class will focus on a theme linking mindfulness, stress and quality of life, and time will be devoted to experiential guided meditations. The best way to learn about mindfulness is to practice it! To register, call the EAP at 1-888-321-4433, select option 3, and ask to register for the mindfulness course.

Managing Up; 5/25; 12:30-1:30 p.m.; free. Having a positive and productive work relationship with your supervisor is vital. This seminar will discuss strategies to manage yourself in such a way that promotes camaraderie between you and your supervisor, communicates your work style, and maximizes your productivity.

Healthy Living Workshops

Get the tools you need to live well year-round. From expert nutrition and weight loss advice to exercise and disease prevention strategies, we can help you kick-start your body and embrace a healthy lifestyle. These free workshops are sponsored by HR. For details and to register, visit Event and Program Registration. Or contact HR at (215) 573-2471 or qowl@hr.upenn.edu.

Gentle Yoga; 5/2 and 5/16; noon-1 p.m.; free. Let your body reward itself with movement! Explore the natural movements of the spine with slow and fluid moving bends and soft twists. Flow into modified sun salutations that loosen those tightened muscles and joints of the lower back, neck, shoulders, and wrists. Get a workout in the process. Mats and props will be provided.

Body Pump; 5/8; 11 a.m.-noon; free. A toning and conditioning class with weights that is for everybody! It’s for anyone who wants to add strength training into their aerobic workout. So meet the challenge and reap the rewards!

Spinning; 5/18; 11:30 a.m-12:30 p.m.; free. Pedal your way to a fantastic workout with the use of stationary cycles on a “virtual” outdoor road, complete with a variety of exercises. This will give you an energizing, calorie-burning, fun workout and it is great for all fitness levels because you will ride at a self-directed pace.

Benefits Open Enrollment began Monday, April 17 and ends Friday, April 28. The information you need to make changes to your medical, prescription, dental, vision and life insurance benefits for the new plan year, which begins July 1 was published in Almanac on March 28 and was sent to home addresses.

How to Enroll: Now through Friday, April 28, make changes to your benefits coverage online. Log in with your PennKey and password.

If you don’t have internet access, go to one of the following locations on campus to enroll online.

• Goldstein Undergraduate Study Center, 3420 Walnut Street, (ground level of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library): Monday-Thursday: 24 hours daily, Friday: closes midnight, Saturday: 10 a.m.-2 a.m., Sunday: opens 10 a.m.
• Human Resources, 3401 Walnut Street, 5th Floor: Monday-Friday: Monday-Friday: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
• AppleOne Employment Services, Penn Job Center, 3440 Market Street, Suite 105: Monday-Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

You can also complete your enrollment over the phone by calling the Penn Benefits Center at 1-888-PENN-BEN (1-888-736-6236), Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Contact Human Resources at benefits@hr.upenn.edu.

—Division of Human Resources

With a Heart of Gold

Willie Cole: On-Site features 19 works of art, a video component and includes a site-specific chandelier made by Willie Cole of recycled water bottles that he created at the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park in the fall of 2016. The traveling exhibition is curated by Dorit Yaron, director of the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of The Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora.

With a Heart of Gold 2005-2006, by Willie Cole; shoes, wood, screws, metal, and staples, 85 inch diameter x 16 inch; loan courtesy of the artist and Alexander and Bonin, New York. One of several works that were created using women’s shoes in this exhibit.

A reception will be held in the Burrison Gallery on Friday, April 28, 4-6 p.m. for the new exhibit: A Portrait of the Cow as a Young Artist. The cow has co-existed with humans since the beginning of modern civilization. It has provided warmth and sustenance, clothing and food, shelter and companionship. We rarely celebrate a species other than our own to which we owe so much. Albert Mahler Maguire paints cows to celebrate a fellow animal that has evolved with us, as we ourselves. This show will feature archival prints made from Dr. Maguire’s original oil paintings. He is professor of ophthalmology at HUP and at the Scheie Eye Institute. His research is focused on gene therapy. The Gallery is located in the University Club at Penn on the 2nd floor of The Inn at Penn. It is open Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The show runs through May 10.

Meeting

19    WXPN Policy Board Meeting; noon; WXPN, 3025 Walnut St; open to the public; more info: (215) 898-0628 (WXPN).

Talks

19 60-Second Lecture Series: Understanding the Success of China’s Super App; Guobin Yang, sociology and communication; 11:55 a.m.; Stiteler Hall, 37th and Locust Walk (SAS).

    Civil Rights and the Criminal Justice System; David Rudovsky, Penn Law; 3-4:30 p.m.; rm. 145, Tanenbaum Hall, Gittis Classroom, Penn Law (PASEF).

20    Knowledge by the Slice: US Foreign Policy in a Trump Administration—A Three-Month Review; Michael Horowitz and Avery Goldstein, political science; noon; Café 58, Irvine Auditorium (SAS).

    L’impossibilité d’un nous: radiographie de la France post-républicaine (The impossibility of us: X-ray of post-republican France); Julien Suaudeau, Bryn Mawr College; 5 p.m.; Cherpack Seminar Room 543, Williams Hall (French and Francophone Studies).

    City Planning Poetics 3: Queer Placemaking; Rachel Levitsky, Pratt Institute and Max Andrucki, Temple; 6 p.m.; Arts Café, Kelly Writers House (KWH).

21    China’s Economic Statecraft in Asia and Europe; James Reilly, University of Sydney; noon; CSCC Conference Room 345, Fisher-Bennett Hall (CSCC).

AT PENN Deadlines

The April AT PENN calendar is now online. The May AT PENN will be published next Tuesday. The deadline for the Summer AT PENN is May 16.

The University of Pennsylvania Police Department Community Crime Report

About the Crime Report: Below are all Crimes Against Persons, Property and Crimes Against Society from the campus report forApril 3-9, 2017. View prior weeks' reports —Ed.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety and includes all criminal incidents reported and made known to the University Police Department between the dates of April 3-9, 2017. The University Police actively patrol from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from the Schuylkill River to 43rd Street in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police. In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate report on public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For any concerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call the Division of Public Safety at (215) 898-4482.

18th District Report

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 7 incidents with 1 arrest (3 assaults, 2 aggravated assaults, 2 robberies) were reported between April 3-9, 2017 by the 18th District covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

Another tip in a series provided by the Offices of Information Systems & Computing and Audit, Compliance & Privacy.

Cloud computing enables ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable resources (networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.

Penn has been working with cloud vendors for several years to provide new learning and education delivery models, research models, security, and business on demand. Many cloud services are available to faculty and staff, including:

• Amazon Web Services—Dynamically scalable computing, storage and data access with pay-as-you-go pricing for the hardware and software delivered
• Canvas—Penn’s learning management system to share course materials, collect assignments, administer tests and communicate
• Google Apps for Education—Penn-customized email and collaboration tools including Google Calendar, Docs, Sites, Groups and Contacts
• Penn+Box—Collaboration service for securely sharing files and folders
• Penn’s LastPass Premium portal—Cloud password management tool
• Penn’s Lynda.com portal—Online training library of courses and tutorials
• Penn’s Qualtrics portal – Cloud-based survey tool
  Please contact your Local Support Provider if you have any questions about using the cloud services outlined above. For additional information about cloud computing at Penn as well as guidance on privacy and security, see the following links:
• ISC’s Cloud First Program – Positions Penn for the future of IT systems and services by pursuing a strategy that accelerates the speed of delivery and drives more value through technology to the Penn community
• Cloud Resources—Over 250 links including articles on planning and strategies, technical resources, self-directed learning, peer institutions’ cloud sites, and reference materials
• Privacy and Security Considerations in Cloud Computing—Tools and guidance on sharing Penn data with others, selecting vendors, and more
• Cloud Computing: Opportunities Used Safely—Opportunities, issues, safeguards, and requirements when using cloud computing (third-party) services involving University data

Controlled Substances Disposal Event

The Office of Environmental Health & Radiation Safety (EHRS) and the Office of Animal Welfare (OAW) will host an event to facilitate the disposal of registrants’ outdated and unwanted controlled substances. Scheduled for May 22, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., in conference room 104 Stellar-Chance, PSOM, the event is free of charge but you must register by submitting an electronic drug transfer form one week prior to the event. Additional information and transfer forms can be found at the EHRS website.

Contact Jim Crumley at (215) 746-5036 if you have questions.

Access to Employee Exposure Records

EHRS monitors employee exposure to toxic substances and harmful physical agents and maintains employee exposure records. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) standard, “Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records” (29CFR1910.1020) permits access to employer-maintained exposure and medical records by employees or their designated representative and by OSHA.

University employees may obtain a copy of their exposure record by calling EHRS at (215) 898-4453 or by e-mail: ehrs@ehrs.upenn.edu

EHRS also monitors exposure of individuals working with radioactive material or x-ray machines.  The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection requires that exposure results be available.  Results are maintained at EHRS and are available online. Instructions for accessing on line radiation exposure results can be found at the EHRS website.

Hazard Communication Program

The University of Pennsylvania’s Hazard Communication Program provides information regarding access to Safety Data Sheets, proper labeling of hazardous chemicals and the hazard communication training programs required for all employees who handle hazardous chemicals as part of their work.  
Penn’s written Hazard Communication Program is available on the EHRS website or from the Office of Environmental Health & Radiation Safety, Suite 400, 3160 Chestnut Street.