Penn Association of Senior and Emeritus Faculty

The aim of the Association is to initiate and coordinate activities that encourage retired faculty members to maintain connections among themselves and with the intellectual and social life of the University. Such activities include organizing lectures, discussion groups, and social functions that provide fellowship and interaction among members and with the scholarly community on campus; familiarizing members, especially those planning retirement, with issues relating to retirement benefits and retired life; and promoting opportunities for members to render service to the University and its surrounding community.

PASEF Spring Outing - May 22, 2012

Grounds for Sculpture - Hamilton, NJ

Our 2012 Spring Outing will feature a day trip and guided tour of Grounds for Sculpture, in Hamilton, NJ.

Grounds for Sculpture, with over 230 modern sculptures displayed outdoors on 35 acres, is a hidden gem in our own backyard close to Trenton, NJ. Opened in 1992, Grounds for Sculpture was the brainchild of J. Seward Johnson, Jr., grandson of Robert Wood Johnson, the founder of Johnson & Johnson Corporation. Johnson envisioned a public sculpture garden where people from all backgrounds could become comfortable with contemporary art. Johnson's goal was fulfilled beyond his expectations. The grounds are planted with two thousand flowering shrubs and one thousand trees - many of them unique specimens. In addition, numerous waterways and ponds were created to enhance the display of the outdoor sculpture. Expect to be surprised by painstakingly detailed sculptural copies of famous paintings such as Manet's "Luncheon on the Grass."

The tour is scheduled for 11:00am on Tuesday, May 22, 2012. Space is limited so if you would like to attend, please contact: emeritus@pobox.upenn.edu and indicate if you (and a guest) are either available to provide transportation to other members or in need of a ride. Entrance and tour fee will be approximately $13 and lunch will be individual purchase in the grounds Cafe. The Grounds are approximately 45 driving minutes north of Philadelphia and we will provide detailed directions to those attending.

We hope you can join us for this wonderful event.

Penn Library Workshops

Workshops are being offered exclusively to PASEF members by the Penn Library. Since these are hands-on programs requiring computer access, seating is limited to 12 people and you will need your Pennkey to register. Workshops offered will include:

PowerPoint Basics - Apr 17, 2012, 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

Alerts and Feeds - May 8, 2012, 01:00 PM-02:30 PM

Google Tools - Jun 6,2012, 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

One-on-One PowerPoint Clinic - Apr 26, 2012, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM

Google Tools for HLS Research - May 14, 2012, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM

Photoshop for Scientific Publications - May 31, 2012, 10:30 AM-12:30 PM

Click on any of the above links to view the associated registration information.

Tennis Anyone?

PASEF Introduces its Activities Forum!

Just in time for spring, PASEF is proud to announce the debut of its long-anticipated Activities site. Using this hub we will offer a centralized, secure location where you are able to post your contact information, availability, and skill level pertinent to whatever activities in which you wish to participate and engage with colleagues sharing the same interests.

We invite you to explore the activities initially offered and send an email to emeritus@pobox.upenn.edu if you see any you would like to participate in or if you have any questions or comments.

PASEF's activities site is protected by PennKey. If you have any questions regarding your PennKey, please visit their site.

We hope you are able to take full advantage of the activities forum and welcome any feedback!

PASEF Luncheon, February 15, 2012

Mark Pauly - "The Uncertain Future of Paying for Medical Care"

For those who were interested in Mark Pauly's February 15 lecture and unable to attend, we are privileged to offer access to the slides from his presentation in pdf format.

Mark V. Pauly is currently the Bendheim Professor in the Department of Health Care Management, Professor of Health Care Management, and Business and Public Policy at The Wharton School. He is Co-Director of the Roy and Diana Vagelos Life Sciences and Management Program and Professor of Economics in the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Pauly is a former commissioner on the Physician Payment Review Commission and an active member of the Institute of Medicine. One of the nation's leading health economists, Dr. Pauly has made significant contributions to the fields of medical economics and health insurance.

In Memoriam, Walter Wales, Founder of PASEF

We are deeply saddened to report the death of Walter Wales. The Chair of Physics and Astronomy, Larry Gladney, issued the following statement:

"My saddest duty as Chair is to inform you that Emeritus Professor Walter Wales passed away on Dec. 28, 2011. As many of you know, Walter was a member of this department for more than 50 years and served in an incredible number of leadership roles including department chair, Associate Dean of SAS, Acting Dean of SAS, Deputy Provost, University Ombudsman, Chair of the Faculty Senate, and more. His loss to our department will be felt for a very long time.

It was Walter's wish that he not have a funeral. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made in his memory to Penn Wissahickon Hospice, 150 Monument Rd, Suite 300, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. The Physics department will hold a memorial event for Walter on April 20 at 3:00pm in David Rittenhouse Laboratories, room A1. It is hoped that all who remember Walter will offer words to be read at the memorial."

Dr. Wales' obituary in the Penn Almanac

Description of Professor Wales' career at Penn.

Alan Myers - "The Moon Tilt Illusion"

Professor Myers' research is focused on "adsorption thermodynamics" and if you are curious what that is, google it.

Since arriving at Penn from U.C. Berkeley in 1963, Myers published 150 papers and 3 books, one of which (with co-author Seider) was "Introduction to Chemical Engineering and Computer Calculations", Prentice-Hall (1976). His career included sabbatical leaves at the University of Graz, the Institute of Physical Chemistry in Moscow, and the University of Tokyo. Myers received the S. Reid Warren teaching award in 1983 and had the unusual experience of having his daughters (Andrea and Sonia) as chemical engineering students at Penn.

Dr. Myers received a Founder's Award from the International Adsorption Society in 2010 in Osaka, Japan. His hobbies include long-distance running but recently the ravages of aging have transformed running into walking.

Louis Girifalco - "A Flawed Idol"

Louis A. Girifalco is Professor Emeritus of Material Sciences and Engineering for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Along with his thoughtful submission to the PASEF Essay and Story catalog, Dr. Girifalco includes this brief biosketch:

I never decided to be a scientist; it just happened. It started with a chemistry set at the age of twelve which evolved into a basement laboratory where I played at electrolysis and synthesized organic compounds. By a series of improbable lucky events, I wound up at Penn in the Materials Science Department. My career focused on solid state theory, although it was sometimes slowed down by various administrative responsibilities.

In addition to about 100 papers, I have written eight books, four of which are in materials science. A fifth is a mathematical study of technological change and a sixth is a presentation of gravitation for the proverbial "intelligent layman."

My two latest efforts two self-published Kindle ebooks. One is an analysis of casino craps entitled Sixes Are Good at this Table which can be found at Amazon under the pen name of Cardano. How could I not use that pen name for a book on gambling? Just look at his life!

The other Kindle ebook is a collection of essays called Deep and Shallow, which consists of some thoughts I had over the years. The essay, A Flawed Idol is taken from that book. My grandson set up a blog for anyone who wants to see more examples. The blog is at the website louisagirifalco.com. If you think the essay here is interesting, take a look at some of the others.

We hope you enjoy Dr. Girifalco's essay and feel welcome to submit your own to emeritus@pobox.upenn.edu.

Adrian Morrison - "Rocky"

Adrian R. Morrison, Jr. is Professor Emeritus of Behavioral Neuroscience in the School of Veterinary Medicine's Department of Animal Biology.

During nearly four decades of research in Penn's Laboratory for the Study of the Brain in Sleep, Dr. Morrison has explored the nature of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in cats. Dr. Morrison has authored or co-authored more than 150 journal articles and seven books, including 2009's analysis of the animal rights controversy, An Odyssey with Animals.

For addition to the PASEF featured essay & stories, Dr. Morrison submits Rocky, an excerpt from his aforementioned book.

Daniel Perlmutter - "What's in a Name?"

Daniel D. Perlmutter is Professor Emeritus of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He has served as Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department and as University Ombudsman at Penn. His contributions were recognized by a Lindbach Award for excellence in teaching, a Guggenheim Foundation Award for research, two Fulbright Fellowships, and the Lectureship Award of the American Association for Engineering Education. His research focused on the dynamics and control of chemical reaction systems. Perlmutter has published over 100 papers and three books of which the most recent (with Robert Rothstein) is The Challenge of Climate Change: Which Way Now, Wiley, 2011.

Professor Perlmutter's contribution is the first venture of the PASEF "Essays and Stories" series into satire.

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