Through the Innovation in Data Engineering and Science Initiative, Penn aims to become a leader in data-driven approaches that can transform scientific discovery, engineering research, and technological innovation. “The IDEAS initiative is game-changing for our University,” said President Amy Gutmann. “This new investment allows us to boost our interdisciplinary efforts across campus, recruit phenomenal additional team members, and generate an even more sound foundation for discovery, experimentation, and design.”
The Eidos LGBT+ Health Initiative, a lab anchored in the School of Nursing, is part of a $750 million University investment in science, engineering, and medicine. The initiative has four goals: to propose innovative research that considers factors associated with health among LGBT+ populations, to create a space that brings together different voices and perspectives, to train students to think about creative solutions to improve LGBT+ health, and to catalyze evidence-based strategies and programs focused on health issues for this group.
From bird-friendly buildings and locally sourced dining options to a 44% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2009, Penn is making significant progress in addressing the environment and climate change. The recently released Annual Report on the University’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0 marks these and other successes, and points to what is next.
Kevin Johnson, a Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor whose work as a physician-scientist has led to medical information technologies that improve patient safety, has been named the David L. Cohen University Professor. Cohen, confirmed by the U.S. Senate as United States Ambassador to Canada, had served for two decades on Penn’s Board of Trustees and recently concluded a 12-year term as chair.
This year’s Engaging Minds featured Penn faculty members Roberto Gonzales, Maria Oquendo, and Dean Knox, who provided a crash course for attendees on their pioneering research topics touching on police reform, immigration, and the biological basis of suicidal behavior. President Amy Gutmann opened the event, which was moderated by Interim Provost Beth Winkelstein.
With the construction of a new Physical Sciences Building and updates to the David Rittenhouse Laboratory, Penn will create a modernized physical sciences quadrant that integrates state-of-the-art research in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and engineering. “We took steps early on to ensure our researchers had infrastructure that was on the cutting edge of science, firmly establishing Penn as a leader in innovation,” said President Amy Gutmann. “Our newest investment dramatically expands these efforts, paving the way to even greater discoveries and impact well into the future.”
In collaboration with Galápagos dive instructor Ivan Lopez and the local students he trained, researchers from Penn and Villanova University, co-led by the School of Arts & Sciences’ Michael Weisberg, are studying how human presence affects life on the seafloor around these islands.
Here, in the ninth installment of the “side gigs for good” series, Penn Today profiles four faculty and staff members who use their time and talents to help others. Community members give of themselves, offering their time, interest, and talent to a variety of worthy missions: advocating for children, protecting wildlife, raising awareness of mental illness, and supporting scholars on the other side of the world.
PIK Professors Konrad Kording and George Demiris have been named the Nathan Francis Mossell University Professor and the Mary Alice Bennett University Professor, respectively. “I am delighted to name these University Professorships, and I am proud to ensure Mossell and Bennett’s memory lives on far into the future. It is because of these two pioneers’ determination, and their greatness, that Penn endures as a leader in education and medicine,” said President Amy Gutmann.
Two seniors in the College of Arts and Sciences, Kennedy Crowder of Landenberg, Pennsylvania, and Chinaza Ruth Okonkwo of Los Angeles, have been named 2022 Marshall Scholars, among 41 chosen in the U.S. this year. Established by the British government, the Marshall Scholarship funds up to three years of study for a graduate degree in any field at an institution in the United Kingdom.
Penn received 7,795 applications under the first-choice Early Decision Program for the Class of 2026. From this group, 1,218 were offered admission, approximately 51% of the expected enrolling class in the fall of 2022. They represent 42 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and American Samoa with the highest concentration from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, California, and Maryland. Seventy-one reside in Philadelphia, and 12% are international students based on their citizenship.
In June, after a five-year stint as athletic director and vice provost at John Hopkins University, Alanna Shanahan returned to Penn as the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W’69 Director of Athletics and Recreation—a post she calls her dream job. With Penn Today, she discussed her journey from intern to AD, navigating sports during the pandemic, her goals as athletic director, and the ever-changing world of college athletics.
Penn’s Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush is retiring after 27 years at the University. Penn Today took a dive into her impact on campus and in Philadelphia. “It’s hard to say you are proud of one initiative or another,” Rush said. “But first of all, I am supremely proud of every person who works here.”
A chewing gum laced with a protein that “traps” the SARS-CoV-2 virus has the potential to reduce disease transmission, according to a study led by Henry Daniell of the School of Dental Medicine. The research was performed in collaboration with scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine, the School of Veterinary Medicine, and other institutions.
This fall’s supply chain crisis resulted from a confluence of events, but prime among them is the continued uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. “If you have an item come in in November, that order was placed last winter,” said Senthil Veeraraghavan of the Wharton School. “And last winter, there was a ton of pandemic restructuring happening where companies didn’t see demand.”
A new study led by Allyson Mackey of the School of Arts & Sciences found that children who experience poverty, stress, and other adverse events grow up more quickly, which can be seen in the brain and teeth. A longer, slower childhood may be better, but research shows that far too many children and parents do not have the resources they need to allow that sort of childhood to unfold.
Since 2006, the student-run Medical Emergency Response Team, which includes nearly 70 undergraduate EMTs, has promoted health and safety on campus. Today they respond to medical emergencies, provide CPR and first-aid training, and complement the work of Penn’s Division of Public Safety and the Philadelphia Fire Department.
