Interim Board Chair Julie Beren Platt announced that J. Larry Jameson will serve as interim president of Penn. Jameson served as Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and Dean of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine since 2011. “With respect for one another, support for one another, and adaption to our changing world, Penn can truly lead in this moment, and emerge better and stronger than before,” said Jameson.
The University launched two new initiatives aimed at reaffirming a sense of campus community and building and sustaining connections to one another. Conversations for Community and Dinners Across Differences fund small gatherings to discuss topics of interest over a meal. “Among the best parts of being a global community that draws individuals from around the world and from a wide range of backgrounds is that different people can come together to meet one another, learn from one another, and perhaps build friendships and collegiality across difference,” says Charles “Chaz” Howard, University Chaplain and Penn’s Vice President for Social Equity and Community.
Hanukkah, which began on Dec. 7, was celebrated outside of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, led by Chabad Lubavitch House at Penn with traditional bites and take-home, boxed menorahs and candles. A similar celebration took place at Penn Hillel.
Penn fourth-year students Amanda Howard and Zhouyi (Joey) Yang received Schwarzman Scholarships, which fund a one-year master’s degree in global affairs at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Penn has had 25 Schwarzman scholars who are students or alumni since the program launched in 2016. (Image: Courtesy of Penn's Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships)
More than two dozen researchers from schools and centers across Penn traveled to Dubai for COP28, the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, held Nov. 30 to Dec. 12. The Kleinman Center and Perry World House led the Penn delegation, which included, among others, representatives from the Stuart Weitzman School of Design, Penn Global, the School of Arts & Sciences, and the Penn Institute for Urban Research. For the first time, Penn and other universities hosted the Higher Education Pavilion, where researchers talked about their ideas. (Image: Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via AP)
Now in its fourth year, the Office of Social Equity and Community opened applications for the Projects for Progress. Past project awardees included initiatives aimed at helping young students and teachers adapt to in-person learning after the COVID-19 pandemic, access to engaging environmental education in a West Philadelphia neighborhood, and medical care for people experiencing homelessness.
Gene Janda, Joe Room, and Andrew Baldwin of the Philadelphia Fire Department discussed lithium-ion battery fire risks in a conversation with Penn Today, specifically talking about safety concerns related to the use of e-scooters. Janda offered advice for mitigating risks associated with e-scooter batteries. (Image: iStock / panom73)
Thirteen competitors for the men’s and women’s Penn track & field teams won events at the Seahawk Invitational in Staten Island, New York. First-year Evangeline Thomson, for the women’s team, started her collegiate career by winning the pole vault and set a new school record; on the men’s team, second-year Shane Gardner won the 60m hurdles with a time of 7.98. (Image: Penn Athletics)
Ashley Fuchs, a 2022 Penn graduate, was selected as a 2024 Marshall Scholar, established by the British government to fund as many as three years of study for a graduate degree in any field in a United Kingdom institution. Fuchs is among 51 Marshall Scholars for 2024 and is the 25th from Penn since the scholarship’s inception in 1953.
Kwanzaa, a cultural holiday celebrating the cultures of Africa and the African diaspora, was celebrated at Penn in the ARCH Building with a ceremony and feast. “What we hope this moment does for you is just energize, recharge,” said Brian Peterson, director of Makuu: The Black Cultural Center, urging students to “summon that sense of purpose” during finals.
Penn Today profiled The Economic Justice Partnership, established in 2022 to tackle issues of economic inequality and empower marginalized young people through financial literacy workshops for middle and high school students around Philadelphia, as well as Penn and other college students, with a focus on those who identify as first generation or lower income. The initiative is a Project for Progress winner created by Wharton undergraduate Khushi Shelat, then-undergrad Solomon Thomas, and Brian Peterson, director of Makuu: The Black Cultural Center.
The Penn Center for Innovation celebrated 10 years at the annual Celebration of Innovation event. In his opening remarks, PCI Managing Director and Associate Vice Provost for Research John Swartley provided highlights from the 2023 fiscal year, noting that more than 100 faculty inventors were named on more than 105 issued patents; PCI and Penn-affiliated startups raised over a billion dollars in capital. Dean of Penn Engineering Vijay Kumar remarked, “Too often, as academics, although we excel at basic research, we forget that our mission is to develop products that have an impact on society. And the 100 or so patents, which is close to a record number, is a true reflection of our university’s impact on society.” (Image: Felice Macera)
