July 16, 2024 Volume 71 Issue 1

An international team of researchers led by Penn Medicine will investigate the link between traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) over the next five years with a $10 million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Using an extensive tissue bank that includes over 1,000 samples, the researchers aim to uncover the underlying biological mechanisms of TBI-related neurodegeneration (TReND) from a variety of brain injury types. Researchers hope that by understanding TReND, they might gain further insight into how ADRD develops, which would inform the development of better preventative measures and treatments.

“We know that brain injuries increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and they provide a unique opportunity to study neurodegeneration, as the imaging and cognitive testing required for their diagnosis provide a ‘baseline’ to compare to over time,” said co-principal investigator Douglas H. Smith, director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair and a professor of neurosurgery at Penn. “By studying the effects of injuries over time, we hope to understand what happens biologically and structurally to the brain after injury that leads to neurodegeneration, and we hope that those findings also tell us how ADRD develop in general, even in individuals without a previous brain injury.”

This grant will support a new initiative called Transdisciplinary Research Accelerating Neuropathology Studies and Facilitating Open Research Methods in TBI (TRANSFORM-TBI). In addition to expanding the tissue and imaging archives from the first phase, TRANSFORM-TBI will use samples to investigate why any TBI increases the risk of ADRD, even though brain injuries can vary widely from person to person. Researchers also aim to identify any factors that might increase the risk for developing ADRD.

The team of 26 investigators across 12 sites aims to uncover the type and extent of neuropathological changes that emerge after TBI. They will evaluate the pathologies from a variety of types of TBI, which could range from a single, severe injury, like from a car accident, to mild, repetitive injuries, which can occur while playing a contact sport. The team will also look at TBI that results from military combat and intimate partner violence.

“Brain injuries vary widely from person to person, which can make it difficult to understand how they are associated with neurodegenerative disease later in life,” said co-principal investigator Edward B. Lee, an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine. “By evaluating samples from different types of TBI and TBI with different causes, we hope to illuminate which types of brain injuries increase the risk of ADRD most, and hopefully use this information to tailor clinical trials for therapies to individuals’ specific brain injuries.”

TRANSFORM-TBI is the second phase of research to study TReND. In 2019, Drs. Smith and Lee and Willie Stewart of the University of Glasgow, U.K., established CONNECT-TBI—a program spanning 12 institutions to establish diagnostic criteria for TReND. To date, CONNECT-TBI has gathered clinical data sets and tissue archives from over 1,000 cases across participating centers.

TRANSFORM-TBI is primarily a collaboration between the Perelman School of Medicine and the University of Glasgow. It is supported by two NIH institutes, the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke and the National Institute of Aging.

Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw has been named the Arthur Ross Gallery’s inaugural faculty director, effective June 1, 2024.

“This is an exciting day for Penn’s arts and culture community and the future of the Arthur Ross Gallery, as we look to strengthen the gallery’s unique identity on our campus and its role in engaging our faculty and students, advancing our academic mission, and providing a vital hub of art practice and education,” said Provost John L. Jackson Jr. “Gwendolyn is the ideal leader to bring together the work of the gallery with our missions of research, teaching, and learning in these ways.”

Dr. Shaw is the Class of 1940 Bicentennial Term Professor in the history of art department in the School of Arts & Sciences. A renowned scholar and teacher of American art who has been at Penn for almost 20 years, Dr. Shaw is also a highly experienced curator. She has served as senior historian, director of research, publications, and scholarly programs, and acting chief curator at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, and has been the faculty curator of shows at the Arthur Ross Gallery (ARG), the Institute of Contemporary Art, and the Penn Museum. She has curated and/or been the primary editor of catalogues on dozens of major shows, including Represent: 200 Years of African American Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Every Eye is Upon Me: First Ladies of the United States, and a forthcoming exhibition as part of America’s 250th birthday celebrations in 2026 at the Arthur Ross Gallery. She is also the author of the books The Art of Remembering: Essays on Black Art and History and Seeing the Unspeakable: The Art of Kara Walker, as well as numerous major essays and reviews.

“As the inaugural faculty director of the Arthur Ross Gallery, I plan to foster creativity and critical thinking, providing a platform for individual expression and a welcoming space for collective learning,” said Dr. Shaw. “I see the Ross as a unique space on campus where we can lift up the work of Penn’s world-class faculty, students, and alumni, as well as showcase beautiful objects and present challenging conceptual projects from across time and around the world.”

Dr. Shaw will work closely with ARG director of exhibitions and curatorial affairs Emily Zimmerman on initiatives that will expand the gallery’s dynamic presence on campus. Dr. Shaw’s appointment to this role advances In Principle and Practice, the University’s strategic framework, accelerating interdisciplinary activities and expanding opportunities for Penn to create, exhibit, study, and research the arts across campus and in Philadelphia.

Ala Stanford, a national leader in health equity, a healthcare policy advisor, and the former mid-Atlantic regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has joined the University of Pennsylvania as a professor of practice in the department of biology in the School of Arts & Sciences, with additional appointments as director of community outreach for research activities in the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, and as a research associate in the Annenberg School for Communication.

A practicing physician for more than 20 years and founder of R.E.A.L. Concierge Medicine, Dr. Stanford is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery in both pediatric and adult general surgery. She is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Stanford gained international recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic when she used the infrastructure of her pediatric surgery practice to create a grassroots organization, the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, focused on education, testing, contact tracing, and vaccination in communities lacking access to care and resources. She and her team provided direct care for hundreds of thousands of Philadelphia residents and her organization’s message went nationwide. Dr. Stanford then opened a multidisciplinary ambulatory care center bearing her name in Allegheny West, a neighborhood in Philadelphia with one of the lowest life expectancies in the city. Soon thereafter, Dr. Stanford was appointed mid-Atlantic regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by President Biden, where she served for a year before resuming her role at her care center.

As a professor of practice in Penn’s department of biology, Dr. Stanford will teach undergraduates about the intersection of health, equity, and biology. “Dr. Stanford has led a life of remarkable accomplishments,” said Steven J. Fluharty, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and the Thomas S. Gates, Jr. Professor of Psychology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience. “She is a force for innovation and improvement, and she will share her knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm with our students, connecting their studies in the lab and lecture hall to the world they will be working in and making better.”

Nobel laureate Drew Weissman, the Roberts Family Professor of Vaccine Research in the Perelman School of Medicine and director of the Penn Institute for RNA Innovation, said, “I have worked with Ala for quite a while and having her as part of the Penn community will greatly enhance the effectiveness of the various projects we work on. She will also be an incredible resource for teaching our future leaders.” As the institute’s director of community outreach for research activities, Dr. Stanford will research the barriers that exist for vaccine uptake.

Moreover, as a research associate in the Annenberg School for Communication, Dr. Stanford will use information gained from this research to create messaging that promotes vaccinations and health. “We are so fortunate to have Dr. Stanford join our intellectual community here at Penn,” said Sarah Banet-Weiser, Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School and the Lauren Berlant Professor of Communication. “Working at the vital intersections of health equality and social justice, her tireless efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and her continued important work in addressing health disparities in Black communities have been nothing short of remarkable. At Annenberg, we are particularly excited to work with her on a variety of communication practices regarding health, community, and equity.”

Dr. Stanford’s awards and honors include being named a Top 10 CNN Hero, one of Fortune magazine’s “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” and one of Forbes’ Most Influential Women. She has also received the American College of Surgeons 2023 Domestic Surgical Volunteerism Award and the George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award. She is a medical and health correspondent for national media outlets. Her book, Take Care of Them Like My Own: Faith, Fortitude, and a Surgeon’s Fight for Health Justice, will be published in August by Simon & Schuster. Part memoir and part manifesto of health equality and justice, it offers urgent lessons about the power of communities working together to take care of one another and the importance of fighting for a healthcare system that truly fulfills its promise to all Americans.

Simon Richter, a professor of Germanic languages and literatures in the School of Arts & Sciences, has been named the Class of 1965 Term Professor of German. Dr. Richter’s research focuses on cultural aspects of the climate emergency in Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the United States. As an environmental humanist, Dr. Richter engages in activities that blur distinctions between traditional scholarship, urban design, and environmental activism. He was instrumental in establishing the Penn 1.5 Minute Climate Lectures and Climate Week at Penn. With professor of fine arts Joshua Mosley, Dr. Richter directs the Penn Animation as Research Lab, which produces the popular Project Poldergeist series of videos about climate adaptation in the Netherlands. Dr. Richter is a faculty fellow of Perry World House and of the Penn Institute of Urban Research, is a faculty advisory board member of the Water Center at Penn, and is affiliated with Cinema & Media Studies and the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities. His teaching has been recognized with the Ira H. Abrams Memorial Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Dennis M. DeTurck Award for Innovation in Teaching.

The Class of 1965 Term Chairs were established in 1990 in honor of its 25th Reunion—one for each of the four undergraduate schools and one in honor of the College for Women.

Four faculty members in the School of Arts & Sciences have been named Presidential Penn Compact Professors.

Marcia Chatelain, Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana Studies, researches issues in African American history, including African American migration, women’s and girls’ history, and race and food. Her latest book, Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, received the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in History, among numerous other honors. The book examines the intricate relationship among African American politicians, civil rights organizations, communities, and the fast-food industry. She is also the author of South Side Girls: Growing Up in the Great Migration, which encompasses women’s and girls’ history and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, as well as black capitalism. In 2016, The Chronicle of Higher Education named Dr. Chatelain a Top Influencer in academia in recognition of her social media campaign #FergusonSyllabus. Dr. Chatelain has held an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fellowship at New America, a National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship, and an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship.

Bakirathi Mani is the Presidential Penn Compact Professor of English and a core faculty member in the Asian American studies program. Her areas of interest include Asian American, American, and South Asian Studies; visual cultural studies; museum and curatorial studies; postcolonial theory; transnational feminist and queer of color theory; and interdisciplinary methods of research in comparative race and ethnic studies. Dr. Mani’s book, Unseeing Empire: Photography, Representation, South Asian America, earned an Honorable Mention Book Award from the Association of Asian American Studies in 2022. The book considers how empire continues to haunt contemporary photographic representations of South Asians in America. She is also the author of Aspiring to Home: South Asians in America. More recently, she has written on the circulation of photographs of anti-Asian violence during the COVID-19 pandemic and on photography’s relation to imperial and settler-colonial archives in the U.S. and South Asia. She has been a visiting scholar at Brown University and Columbia University.

Letícia Marteleto, the Presidential Penn Compact Professor of sociology, is a social demographer who uses data, cultural knowledge, and sociological theory to understand inequality and its intersections with fertility, education, and health. Her work is motivated by the central question of how social and economic disadvantages and demographic change intertwine in low- and middle-income countries with persistently high levels of inequality at times when widely held social and demographic norms are in flux. In her latest research, Dr. Marteleto has examined how structural shocks like the Zika and COVID-19 novel infectious disease crises impact women’s lives. She is currently the principal investigator of DZC (Demographic Consequences of Epidemics in Brazil), funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Dr. Marteleto’s research has also been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Spencer Foundation. She is a research affiliate of Penn’s Population Studies Center and a faculty member in the graduate group in demography.

Shannon Mattern has joined Penn’s department of cinema & media studies as a Presidential Penn Compact Professor. She previously served on the faculty in both Penn’s department of anthropology and at the School of Media Studies at the New School in New York. Dr. Mattern’s writing and teaching focus on archives, libraries, and other media spaces; media infrastructures; spatial epistemologies; and mediated sensation and exhibition. She is the author of four books, including A City Is Not a Computer: Other Urban Intelligences and Code and Clay, Data and Dirt: Five Thousand Years of Urban Media, which won the Dorothy Lee Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Ecology of Culture and the Anne Friedberg Innovative Scholarship Award. Dr. Mattern’s research has been recognized with numerous awards and fellowships, most recently the Kluge Chair in Modern Culture at the Library of Congress, which she will hold in 2025.

Provost John L. Jackson. Jr. and deputy provost Beth A. Winkelstein have announced the appointment of Julia Lynch, a professor of political science, as faculty co-director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CETLI), beginning July 1, 2024.

“Julia Lynch has long been one of the most engaged and inventive teachers at Penn,” said Provost Jackson. “She is a pioneer of active learning and inclusive teaching who brings to this new role her strong commitments to pedagogical innovation, disability-sensitive teaching, cross-disciplinary outreach, and mentoring and training of graduate students. She will be an invaluable partner in shaping the future of teaching and learning at the new CETLI.”

Dr. Lynch, who has taught at Penn since 2001, is a global expert on the politics of public health, social policy, and inequality. She is the author of Regimes of Inequality: The Political Economy of Health and Wealth (2020) and Age in the Welfare State: The Origins of Social Spending on Pensioners, Workers, and Children (2006), which received the Best Book Award from the American Political Science Association European Politics and Society Section, and is a co-author of Ageing and Health: The Politics of Better Policies (2021) and The Unequal Pandemic: COVID-19 and Health Inequalities (2021), which was named one of the 10 Best Books of the Pandemic by the New Statesman and received the Richard Titmuss Book Award from the Social Policy Association.

Dr. Lynch served from 2020 to 2024 as co-director of Penn’s Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies and serves on the advisory boards of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, the Italian Studies Program, and the bioethics minor. She is an expert advisor to the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, a past chair of the Health Politics and Policy section of the American Political Science Association, and a past treasurer of the Council for European Studies. She received a PhD and MA in political science from the University of California, Berkeley and an AB in government magna cum laude from Harvard University.

CETLI was formed in 2023, through the merger of the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Online Learning Initiative, to promote teaching excellence and innovation, enhance the learning experiences of all students and learners at Penn, and extend the quality and reach of a Penn education.

After a national search, Penn Dental Medicine has welcomed Modupe Coker as assistant dean of clinical and translational research and as an associate professor with tenure in the department of basic and translational sciences. Her faculty appointment took effect July 1, and she will transition into both roles full-time starting August 1. In her role as assistant dean, Dr. Coker will lead the school’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) and support the growing research portfolio of Penn Dental Medicine.

“We believe Dr. Coker’s experience supporting research activities across disciplines will be a tremendous resource here at Penn Dental Medicine,” said Mark S. Wolff, the Morton Amsterdam Dean of Penn Dental Medicine. “We are excited to have her bring her leadership to the CCTR team.”

Dr. Coker comes to Penn Dental Medicine from Rutgers University’s School of Dental Medicine, where she had served as an assistant professor of oral biology since 2019. While at Rutgers, Dr. Coker established a research program and mentored more than 20 master’s and doctoral-level students. She also served as a university-wide program director and was heavily involved in mentorship programs. While at Rutgers, Dr. Coker also held concurrent adjunct faculty appointments in clinical instruction at multiple institutions.

Dr. Coker’s research focuses on characterizing the effect of early-life infections (including HIV/AIDS) and behavioral and environmental factors on microbial composition in the context of oral/dental disease. Her lab is currently funded through three NIH grants focusing on HIV-associated oral microbiome and pediatric clinical studies related to caries, oral HPV persistence, and infant gut microbiome. By investigating shifts in the microbiome, she hopes to understand how its modulation might present an important therapeutic target to improving overall health, particularly in young children. In addition, she is motivated by questions related to disease causality and the rigorous epidemiologic methods used to address them.

Dr. Coker holds a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (2015), a master of public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2007), and a bachelor of dental surgery from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria (2004).

Nearly 100 Native American high school students from 19 states representing 33 Tribal Nations from across North America, Alaska Native villages, and Hawaiian Islands visited Penn’s campus June 22-28 to take part in College Horizons 2024.

The nationwide program prepares Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian high school sophomores and juniors to pursue higher education via culturally-sustaining college advising programs. This was the third time Penn hosted the program.

“We [were] thrilled to share our community with the students of College Horizons,” said Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule. “In addition to providing high school sophomores and juniors with a comprehensive program to prepare them for college applications, this week [gave] us a chance to show off our community of problem solvers, thinkers, and connectors at Penn.”

During the week-long program, the students—30% of whom are the first generation in their families to consider college and who came from 67 different high schools—worked with nearly 60 faculty members and admissions representatives from across the country to learn about the college admissions process. Students left with not only the knowledge necessary to navigate applying to college, but also a network of individuals ready to assist them. Students traveled to Philadelphia from twenty different U.S. states.

“Our organization is deeply committed to preparing, celebrating and empowering Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students to become educated on all aspects of the college admissions and financial aid process,” said College Horizons executive director Carmen Lopez. “We do this by offering summer admissions ‘crash courses’ focused on demystifying the college application process and exploring college options. Our program is designed to be fun, challenging, and vastly rewarding for participants, and we’re thrilled to [return] to the Penn community once again.”

College Horizons’s mission of working with Native students is borne out by its success rate—99% of participants attended a four-year university and of those, 85% graduate within five years.

The June program included small group sessions for students as well as an opening ceremony, a Penn information session, a college fair, a traditional night—where students shared their diverse cultures through song, dance, and talk—and a closing session.

Mary Jane Early Fitch, former director of Penn’s Computer Center, died May 15, 2024. She was 76.

Ms. Fitch was born in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. She studied political science at Temple University and English commonlaw at Exeter College of Oxford University on an exchange program. She then worked at Penn as director of the Computer Center and Penn’s Institute of Philadelphia Studies under Dean Richard Lambert, where she developed computer models for data analytics. As a woman in early computer science graduate work at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering, she was a pioneer in her field. She became an expert in mainframe computers and joined an international consulting firm, Ketron, developing highly technical, computer-language translation models, traveling regularly between Tokyo and the Silicon Valley, and serving on Fujitsu America’s board of directors. 

Ms. Fitch achieved her lifelong dream to practice law in 1996, when she received a JD from the Widener School of Law and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar. She was sworn into the Supreme Court Bar Association under Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2013. Ms. Fitch made important contributions to data analytics and computer science in academia, in addition to her international management consulting, entrepreneurship, and legal work.

She is survived by her daughters, Amy Fitch Lancaster (Charles) and Emily Fitch Zimmerman (Christopher Day); her grandchildren, Julia and Hallie Lancaster; her sisters, Patricia Cohen (Ronald), Beatrice Fitch (Zoran), Pamela Fitch (Abraham), and Priscilla Fitch; her cousin, Dawn Sheppard; and her friend, Carol Kette. 

Susan M. Gavin-Leone, LPS’11, a library service assistant in the Penn Libraries, died on June 17. She was 64. 

Born in Ridgewood, New Jersey, Ms. Gavin-Leone moved frequently with her family while she was growing up and was raised in New Jersey, Vermont, and Connecticut. She worked for Penn Libraries for 21 years—in 2003, she joined the libraries as a clerk, then advanced to a library stack attendant, a bibliographic assistant, and, finally, in 2016, a library service assistant. Working at the Penn Libraries helped Ms. Gavin-Leone foster her passions for reading and research. While at Penn, she earned a BA in theater arts from Penn’s College of Liberal & Professional Studies and completed a master’s degree in library science at Drexel University. She helped coordinate Penn’s annual holiday gift drives on behalf of the Penn Libraries. 

Ms. Gavin-Leone is survived by her husband, Mario J. Leone; her children, Mario (Stephanie) Leone, Benjamin Leone, and Giovanni (Ariana) Leone; her grandchildren, Lorenzo and Mario; her brothers, Thomas (Susan Stone) Gavin, Jr., William (Meredith) Gavin, and Martin Gavin; and many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Gavin, and her sister, Elizabeth Yuskaitis.

A visitation was held on June 23. Donations in Ms. Gavin-Leone’s memory may be made to:

• Discovery Ministries, Inc. (https://dmi-nj.org/) 
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (https://afsp.org/)
• Burlington County Libraries (https://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/support-library/friends-library/friends-burlington-county-library-inc)
• Burlington County Animal Shelter (https://www.co.burlington.nj.us/1290/Donation-Wish-List)

Everett T. Keech, former vice dean of the graduate program and adjunct professor of public policy and management in the Wharton School, died on May 24 of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 84.

Mr. Keech was born in Rochester, New York. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Rochester in 1961 and a master’s degree in business administration from Penn’s Wharton School in 1969. He joined the Naval Reserve Officers’ Training Corps while attending the University of Rochester, served in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1967, and flew A-4 Skyhawk jets off aircraft carriers on assignments in the Mediterranean and elsewhere. He was John McCain’s wingman and continued flying in the Naval Reserve until retiring in 1972 as a lieutenant commander. 

Mr. Keech served under President Gerald Ford from 1974 to 1977 as deputy associate director in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, assistant secretary for financial management of the Air Force, and acting undersecretary of the Air Force. He helped President Jimmy Carter establish the Department of Energy in 1977 and was named chairman of the board of visitors for the Department of Defense Systems Management College in 1982 under President Ronald Reagan. Mr. Keech also worked as a consultant to the Department of the Interior and earned the Exceptional Civilian Service Award and the Distinguished Service Award from the federal government. 

Mr. Keech moved to Philadelphia from Washington in 1977 to become the vice dean and director of Wharton’s MBA program. He mentored many students and colleagues as a lecturer and adjunct professor of business policy, federal budget policy, corporate governance, entrepreneurship, and innovation in both Wharton and in the LPS Organizational Dynamics program. He joined Penn’s 25-Year Club in 2002.

Mr. Keech served as managing director of the Philadelphia First Group, as board chairman at Laser Technology Inc. and Teletrac Corp., and as chief executive officer, director, trustee, and senior consultant for many other firms and start-ups. He served on the Pennsylvania State Ethics and Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commissions in the 1980s and was a trustee of the Philadelphia-based Eisenhower Fellowships. He helped found the Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports in Fairmount Park and was a member of Links Inc. and the Philadelphia and Cosmos Clubs. 

He is survived by his wife, Ann; his sons, Will and Stephen; his daughter, Allison Sanka (Jefferson); his grandsons, Evan Sanka and Lucas Keech; his sister, Susan Keech McIntosh; and nieces and nephews.

A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 14, at Main Line Unitarian Church, 816 S. Valley Forge Rd, Devon, Pennsylvania. Donations in his name may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE First St, Suite 800, Miami, FL. 33131.

Helen Marie Korchak, a former research professor of pediatrics in the Perelman School of Medicine, died on April 15. She was 87. 

Born in Australia, Dr. Korchak came to the U.S., where she earned a PhD in physiology from Tufts University in 1962. After graduating, she accepted a position as a research assistant professor in the division of rheumatology in the department of medicine at New York University School of Medicine. In 1986, she came to Penn’s School of Medicine as a research associate professor of pediatrics, with a secondary appointment in the department of biochemistry and biophysics. She was promoted to a research professor in both departments in 1992, and held these positions until retiring from Penn in 2007. 

Lee DeBorde Peachey, a professor emeritus of biology in the School of Arts & Sciences, died on May 29. He was 92.

Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Dr. Peachey spent his early life discovering twin passions for how things worked and music. He completed his undergraduate studies at Lehigh University, where he was a competitive swimmer, with a BS in engineering in 1953. From 1953 to 1956, he attended the University of Rochester, where he worked with Michael L. Watson, a pioneer of the electron microscope, in the department of radiation biology and biophysics. In 1956, Dr. Peachey transferred to the Rockefeller Institute, where he was the first graduate student of Keith R. Porter, considered by many the father of cell biology. During this period, Dr. Peachey also spent 10 months at Cambridge University working with Sir Andrew F. Huxley. He earned his PhD from the Rockefeller Institute, which had by then become Rockefeller University, in 1959. That year, he accepted a position as an assistant professor at Columbia University, where he soon advanced to associate professor. In 1965, he came to Penn as an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics. From 1970 to 1972, he served as the department’s chair, then served as a professor until retiring from Penn in 2000. 

Dr. Peachey researched the morphology of cells and tissues with the aim of understanding of how structure relates to physiology and biochemistry of function. Over his career, Dr. Peachey used a number of different preparations, including muscle for contraction-excitation coupling and mammalian kidney, thyroid hormone effects on mitochondrial morphology, and others. He specialized in the structure of cells, beginning with specimen preparation for electron microscopy and quantitative analysis of data and evolving to focus on confocal and other types of cutting-edge microscopy as the latter techniques gained in instrumentation and technical breakthroughs. His most cited articles include ones characterizing cellular structure in great detail through electron microscopy and sample preparations for the preservation of exceptional tissue detail. As a Fulbright Scholar and Guggenheim Fellow, Dr. Peachey worked to develop new knowledge on the functioning of muscle cells. He was a pioneer in high voltage electron microscopy, bridging the academic divide between cell biologists and physiologists, and contributed to the installation of North America’s first million-volt high-voltage electron microscope.

Dr. Peachey was active in the Pennsylvania Muscle Institute and collaborated with many colleagues across and outside of the University, being well-respected in the field for his expertise in muscle biophysics and structural biology. During his time at Penn, he also served as an adjunct professor in the molecular, cellular and developmental biology department of the University of Colorado, Boulder from 1969 to 1984, and as an international visiting professor at Gunma University’s Medical School in Maebashi, Japan, from 1992 to 1995. His research earned him numerous accolades and widespread recognition, and he mentored many undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral trainees. 

Dr. Peachey is survived by his wife, Helen; his children, Michael (Julie), Sarah (Daniel) Keating, and Anne Lorenz; his grandchildren, Lauren, Sophie, Lee, and Susanna Peachey, Daniel, Michael, and Patrick Keating, Caroline Keating Gilroy, Connor and Hannah Keating, and Stephen and Brian Lorenz; and his great-grandchildren, Grace, Rory, and Ellie Gilroy. The family requests that donations be made to Natural Lands Trust, honoring Dr. Peachey’s lifelong passion for connecting people to open spaces and caring for nature.

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To Report A Death

Almanac appreciates being informed of the deaths of current and former faculty and staff members, students and other members of the University community. Call (215) 898-5274 or email almanac@upenn.edu.

However, notices of alumni deaths should be directed to the Alumni Records Office at Suite 300, 2929 Walnut St., (215) 898-8136 or email record@ben.dev.upenn.edu.

The Academic Rules for Research Master’s Programs have been updated and published in the Pennbook, effective July 1, 2024, in partnership with the Graduate Council of the Faculties and the Council of Graduate Deans. The rules have been reorganized and reformatted, with revisions to clarify the definition and requirements of a Research Master’s degree; to align with the Academic Rules for PhD Programs, which were revised in July 2022; and to add new sections about PhD students earning a Research Master’s degree. 

—John L. Jackson, Jr., Provost

Academic Rules for Research Master’s Programs

Effective July 1, 2024

The Research Master’s degree is granted by the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania upon the approval of the Graduate Council of the Faculties and upon satisfaction of all degree requirements. 

The University’s standards, set forth below, are to be viewed as minimum requirements. The school or the graduate group has the right to establish additional requirements for Research Master’s degrees and to refuse to examine any student who is not qualified according to its standards. If there are additional program or school requirements, that information must be communicated and available to all students.

The University awards the following Research Master’s degrees:

MA—Master of Arts
MS—Master of Science

All other master’s degrees are considered professional programs and are granted by the individual schools.

Table of Contents

I. Academic Requirements
     a. Course Requirements
     b. Transfer of Credit
     c. Research Requirement/Scholarly Paper/Thesis
     d. General Examination
     e. Graduate Grades & Academic Standing
II. Registration
III. Leaves of Absence
IV. Enrolled PhD Students earning a Research Master’s Degree
___

I. Academic Requirements

The Research Master’s degree represents the successful completion of at least a full academic year (two terms) of graduate work, including some training in research.

a. Course Requirements

A minimum of eight course units is required for the Research Master’s degree. Additional work may be prescribed by the graduate group. Courses must be level 5000 or above, unless otherwise approved by the graduate group. 

Any student registered for four course units in a single term may register as an auditor for one additional course with the permission of the graduate dean. No more than four course units in any one term may be counted toward the minimum requirement of eight course units. No course may be counted toward degree requirements of more than two degrees at the University.

A prospective candidate for a Research Master’s degree must complete at least four course units in the field of the major.

b. Transfer of Credit

Some graduate groups may allow for courses to be transferred from an approved program at another institution. No work done as an undergraduate, whether at this institution or at any other, will be counted toward a PhD, MA, or MS, with the following exception: graduate courses completed by undergraduates as submatriculants in a graduate group may be counted toward graduate degree requirements.

c. Research Requirement/Scholarly Paper/Thesis

All Research Master’s students are required to complete a research requirement. This research requirement consists of two parts: 1) completing a research course or engaging in research supervised by the Graduate Group, and 2) preparing a thesis or comprehensive scholarly report in the student’s major field of study.

A thesis or comprehensive scholarly report based on joint work with other researchers is allowed, provided that, in such cases, a unique and separate document is presented by each degree candidate. The candidate must include a concise account of their contribution to the whole work. Authorship of a master’s thesis or comprehensive scholarly report by more than one degree candidate is not allowed.

If a thesis is required, it must follow the format prescribed in the Master’s Thesis Formatting Guide. Students also should familiarize themselves with any special requirements of the graduate groups under which they are studying.

Some graduate groups require thesis deposit with the University; see Research Master’s Thesis Deposit for an up-to-date list. Theses are submitted electronically as of spring 2020; hard copies are not required.

All Research Master’s students who have completed their coursework and are solely on master’s thesis status are registered for thesis status courses. These courses will receive a mark of S (satisfactory progress) or U (unsatisfactory) at the end of each semester. The mark will be a reflection of the evaluation by the graduate group of the student’s progress.

d. General Examination

A general examination by the graduate group in the major subject is required in addition to all other examinations. The purpose of this examination is to test the student’s knowledge of their major subject in its broader aspects and proficiency in the particular courses the student has taken. This examination may be oral, written, or both, at the discretion of the graduate group. The mere satisfaction of minimum requirements does not entitle the student to be admitted to this examination.

The graduate group may substitute other assessment procedures for the general examination as a means of assuring that master’s students have broad knowledge of the field. Completion of this requirement—whether by general examination or other assessment procedures—must be documented by the graduate group for each Research Master’s student.

e. Graduate Grades and Academic Standing

The grading system is as follows:
A, excellent
B, good
C, fair
D, poor but passing; and
F, failure

At the graduate level, the grade of C, while passing, does not constitute satisfactory performance. Letter grades may be modified by a plus (+) or minus (-) sign at the discretion of the school. The minimum standard for satisfactory work for the Graduate Council of the Faculties is a B average in each academic year, but the graduate group may set additional requirements that determine advancement; these standards may require a student to withdraw despite a satisfactory grade average, if the quality of the student’s work is not at a level that predicts successful master’s research.

The mark of S is used to indicate “satisfactory progress.” The mark of U is used to indicate “unsatisfactory progress.” The mark of I is used to designate “incomplete.” Students who fail to complete a course and do not withdraw or change their status to auditor within the prescribed period shall receive, at the instructor’s discretion, a grade of I (incomplete) or F (failure). It is expected, in general, that a student shall complete the work of a course during the term in which that course is taken. The instructor may permit an extension of time up to one year for the completion of the course. In such cases, any course which is still incomplete after one calendar year from its official ending will become a permanent incomplete on the student’s record and shall not be credited toward a degree.

II. Registration

Registration takes place in the fall and spring semesters. A minimum of 1 course unit must be completed each semester for a Research Master’s student to remain enrolled making progress, unless the student is on an approved leave of absence. Research Master’s students who are candidates for an August degree remain full-time students through August 31 without summer registration.

III. Leaves of Absence

A student who wishes to take a leave of absence must submit a written request to their graduate group chair for initial approval and then to the appropriate graduate dean for final approval. 

IV. Enrolled PhD Students earning a Research Master’s Degree

The University allows currently enrolled PhD students to earn a Research Master’s degree en route (“in passing”) to the PhD in certain circumstances. The particular Research Master’s degree available (MA or MS) depends on the graduate group, and it is within the graduate group’s discretion to determine whether this option is available to its PhD students. The student must apply to graduate with the Research Master’s degree after completing the minimum Research Master’s requirements; the degree is not automatically awarded. PhD students who also earn a Research Master’s degree must complete all requirements for the Research Master’s degree, including the research requirement and general examination, in addition to all requirements for the PhD. This option is only available to currently enrolled students, not retroactively.

PhD students who are considering withdrawing from the PhD program and wish to earn a Research Master’s degree instead must complete all requirements for the Research Master’s degree, apply to graduate, and be awarded the Research Master’s degree before they withdraw from the University.

I would like to thank Steven O. Kimbrough, professor of operations, information and decisions at the Wharton School, for his leadership this past year as chair of the Committee on Manufacturer Responsibility. I also thank all committee members for their participation and thoughtful contributions.

The committee’s report for 2023-2024 is below.

—Medha Narvekar, Vice President and University Secretary

Report of the Committee on Manufacturer Responsibility 2023-2024 Academic Year

It is my pleasure to report on the deliberations of the Committee on Manufacturer Responsibility during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Code Compliance

As of June 2024, 126 of 128 licensees were reviewed and found to be in compliance with the code or are actively working on resolution of known violations. Two licensees will not be seeking renewals and did not respond to our questionnaire.

Additional clarification was requested from licensees who reported that they encountered violations of the code or significant challenges in meeting, enforcing, or implementing practices that are consistent with the code. The committee will further review the outstanding issues when the committee reconvenes in the fall 2024.

I would like to express my appreciation to all the committee members for their work on the committee.

—Steve Kimbrough, Chair 
Professor OIDD, Wharton School

Members of the Committee on Manufacturer Responsibility 2023-2024

Steven Kimbrough (Chair), Wharton 
Mark Stern, Social Policy & Practice
Kathleen Hall, Graduate School of Education
Xavier Shankle, Undergraduate Assembly 
Jaydee Edwards, Graduate & Professional Student Assembly

Ex Officio members
Lizann Boyle Rode, Office of the Secretary 
Christopher Bradie, Business Services 
Sean Burke, Office of the General Counsel 
Jessie Burns, Provost’s Office
Leah Popowich, Office of the President

Molly Bourne, a principal at Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects (MNLA) in New York City and a lecturer in the department of landscape architecture at the Weitzman School of Design, has been elected to the Council of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

Membership in the ASLA Council of Fellows is among the highest honors that ASLA bestows on members and is based on their works, leadership/management, knowledge, and service.

“ASLA fellows represent the most accomplished and admired leaders in the entire field,” said ASLA President SuLin Kotowicz in the organization’s announcement.

In its nomination, the New York chapter of ASLA noted Ms. Bourne’s ability to craft harmonious spaces that blend beauty, functionality, and environmental sensitivity. In her 32 years of practice, Mr. Bourne has championed the design of vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable public open spaces that enrich communities, nurture human connections, and integrate resiliency and climate adaptation.

Among the complex projects she has helped realize at MNLA are the Waterline Square brownfield transformation, a 2.8-acre park that showcases a robust design narrative reflective of the historic water flows that once existed in Manhattan; and the South Bronx Greenway Master Plan, which led to the nationally recognized Hunts Point Landing and Randall’s Island Connector. Ms. Bourne’s contributions to the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project radically reimagined the interaction between humans and nature by weaving flood protection through, above, and below open space.

ASLA fellows will be elevated during a special investiture ceremony at the 2024 Conference on Landscape Architecture, which will be held in Washington, D.C., October 6-9, 2024. 

Ms. Bourne will teach the second-year landscape architecture design studio with Catherine Seavitt, the Meyerson Professor and chair of landscape architecture, in fall 2024.

Temple University has named John Fry, Gr’02, most recently president of Drexel University, as its 15th president, following the sudden death last fall of acting president JoAnne Epps. Dr. Fry will start his tenure after new leadership has been named at Drexel University.  

Temple is the third university where Dr. Fry has served as president, after Drexel University in Philadelphia (2010-2024) and Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA (2002-2010). From 1995 to 2002, Dr. Fry was executive vice president and chief operating officer of the University of Pennsylvania, where he worked closely with then-president Judith Rodin to develop the Agenda for Excellence, Penn’s strategic plan from 1996 to 2001, and enacted strategies that helped to attract commerce and reduce crime rates in University City. 

“With his demonstrated success as a higher education leader and his expertise in academic and research excellence, community engagement, global impact, and his fundraising prowess, John Fry embodies the experiences and qualities that our community said they were looking for in the university’s 15th president,” said Temple Board of Trustees chair Mitchell L. Morgan. “After decades of positively impactful work in higher education and economic and community development, this appointment is also a win for the city of Philadelphia as John now brings his experience and a fresh vision to Temple University.”

The National Association of Equine Affiliated Academics (NAEAA) has named Sue McDonnell, an adjunct professor of reproductive behavior and founding head of the equine behavior program in Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, the 2024 recipient of the Don Henneke Educational Impact Award.

The Don Henneke Award recognizes individuals who have had a sustained, industry-wide, national and/or international impact on education or educational practices within the equine industry. Dr. McDonnell was selected for her substantial body of research and knowledge on equine behavior, which has advanced the understanding and application of evidence-based practices within the horse sector.

“We are incredibly proud of Dr. McDonnell’s achievements,” said Katrin Hinrichs, the Harry Werner Endowed Professor of Equine Medicine and chair of the department of clinical studies at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center. “This award acknowledges the far-reaching impact of Dr. McDonnell’s work. Sue’s scholarly contributions have not only advanced our understanding of equine behavior and welfare, but have informed a generation of veterinary and animal behavior students, equine veterinarians, government entities, and equine-affiliated professionals.”

Dr. McDonnell completed her postdoctoral study in clinical veterinary reproduction at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center in 1987, and in 1991, she became a certified applied animal behaviorist (CAAB). She is the founder of Penn Vet’s equine behavior program and head of the Havemeyer Equine Behavior Research Laboratory.

“I want to extend my sincere thanks to the National Association of Equine Affiliated Academics for bestowing me with the Don Henneke Educational Impact Award,” said Dr. McDonnell. “This honor extends beyond me—it recognizes the dedication and hard work of our entire academic community and reinforces Penn Vet’s commitment to excellence in veterinary education, and equine education.”

The NAEAA presented the award to Dr. McDonnell at a luncheon held on May 31 at New Bolton Center during the NAEAA’s annual conference.

The Pew Charitable Trusts have named Louise Moncla, an assistant professor of pathobiology at Penn’s School of Veterinary Medicine, a 2024 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences.

For 39 years, the Pew Charitable Trusts have  encouraged scientific discovery by supporting rising early-career biomedical scientists who are advancing medical innovation. The 2024 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences were chosen from 198 applicants nominated by leading researchers and academic institutions throughout the United States. They join a community of more than 1,000 scientists who have received awards from Pew since 1985.

Dr. Moncla and her lab study how viruses evolve to infect new species and how factors like ecology, geography, and contact patterns impact virus transmission in human and animal populations.

Dr. Moncla will receive four years of funding to examine highly pathogenic H5Nx avian influenza viruses. Avian influenza viruses naturally circulate in wild, migratory birds, but can become endemic in domestic bird populations, where they facilitate sporadic human infections. When humans are infected with these viruses, case fatality rates can be as high as 60%.

“I am immensely grateful and deeply honored to be named a Pew Scholar, as this will allow me and my lab to further investigate avian influenza, and more broadly, the complex mechanisms of zoonotic pathogen transmission; their reservoirs, and the ecological and evolutionary factors that facilitate their emergence and spread,” said Dr. Moncla. “It is my hope that the funding through the Pew Scholars Program will enable us to discover the basic underpinnings of avian influenza zoonosis that will one day allow us to expand disease surveillance, improve our predictive models, and inform strategies for disease prevention and control.”

“The Pew Charitable Trusts’s recognition of Dr. Moncla’s work is a testament to her exceptional contributions and dedication to advancing our understanding of diseases that bridge the animal-human interface,” said Igor Brodsky, Robert R. Marshak Professor and chair of the department of pathobiology. “This honor both acknowledges Dr. Moncla’s achievements and supports the promise of her future discoveries that will shape the landscape of disease prevention and public health. Her commitment to scientific scholarship and public health advocacy is an inspiration to not only her colleagues, but to the next generation of biomedical researchers.”

The University of Pennsylvania has been named a 2024 member of the Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia by the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. The Civic 50 Greater Philadelphia measures and recognizes civic-minded companies using their time, talent, and resources to drive social impact within their organizations and communities. 

This regional initiative is an outgrowth of the national Civic 50, led by the nonprofit Points of Light in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, and is designed to recognize and celebrate the 50 most community-minded companies in the Greater Philadelphia region.

For more information, visit https://chamberphl.com/advocacy-initiatives/civic-50-greater-philadelphia/.

Rising senior Matthew Fallon and several recent Penn alumni are set to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

Mr. Fallon is on the men’s swimming and diving team. He earned a spot in the summer games by placing first in the 200-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis. Mr. Fallon’s winning time of 2:06.54 set a new American record and is the fastest time in the world so far this year. He is the first American swimmer in Penn’s program history to qualify for the U.S. national team, and only the fifth men’s student-athlete in program history to qualify for the Olympics.

Mr. Fallon, a student in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Wharton School, won the national championship in the 200-meter breaststroke for the second year in a row last summer at U.S.A. Swimming Phillips 66 National Championships in Indianapolis. He also won bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, making him the first Penn Quaker to medal at worlds. In December, he won gold in the 200-meter breaststroke at the U.S. Open Swimming Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina.

During the recent collegiate season, Mr. Fallon won the Ivy League title in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:49.75. At the NCAA Championships in March in Indianapolis, he placed second in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:48.48, a new school record.

In addition, the following Penn alumni are set to compete in U.S. national teams in the Olympic games:

• Nia Akins, N’20 (U.S. Women’s Track & Field)
• Grace (Sunny) Choi, W’11 (U.S. Breaking)
• Sam Mattis, C’16 (U.S. Men’s Track & Field)
• Regina Salmons, C’18 (U.S. Women’s Rowing)
• Bella Whittaker, C’24 (U.S. Women’s Track & Field)

The following Penn alumni will compete in other countries' Olympic teams:

• Dara Alizadeh, C’15 (Bermuda Men’s Rowing)
• Ashley Anumba, C’21 (Nigeria Women’s Track & Field)
• Isak Zvegelj, C’23 (Slovenia Men’s Rowing)
• Samy Morton, C’23 (Australia Women’s Rowing)
• Blake Broszus, W’24 (Canada Wen’s Fencing)
• Shaul Gordon, C’16 (Canada Men’s Fencing)
• Malak Hamza, C’28 (Egypt Women’s Fencing)

The Olympics will be held Friday, July 26, through Sunday, August 11, in Paris. 

On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing racial discrimination in schools, jobs, and public facilities. It has been called one of the most significant achievements in U.S. history. Penn Today reached out to experts from the School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Carey Law School to get their takeaways about the law, where it stands now, and what needs to happen going forward in the fight against discrimination in America.

William Sturkey, associate professor of history: To me, the most important thing I ever read about the Civil Rights Act was written by a 12-year-old named Archie Richard living in Benton County, Mississippi, during the Freedom Summer of 1964. My first book was a collection of newspapers produced by students who attended the Mississippi Freedom Schools, the first of which opened on July 2, 1964, the day Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. Freedom School students were between the ages of about five and 19 years old, and a lot of them wrote about the Civil Rights Act.

They grew up in counties named for Klansmen and filled with Confederate monuments. They grew up in segregated neighborhoods and inferior schools. The Civil Rights Act taught those kids something different. The United States of America, for the first time in their lives, was telling them that they’re going to have the same chances that white people do, that they were going to have an opportunity unlike anyone else in their family ever had. That’s what they wrote about. 

Archie Richard wrote, “God sees what we have to go through, and that’s why he has sent people around to change this law so we, too, can have a fair chance. Now that the civil rights bill have been signed, we children going to school have a better chance of learning the different subjects we wish to, if we put our minds to it. We can finish school, go to college, and make a new start in life: find good jobs, make maybe more than $3.00 a day.”

For those young Black people, the Civil Rights Act meant everything. And I can’t think of a more powerful message to tell a kid that they’re going to have a chance in life.

Deuel Ross, lecturer at Penn Carey Law School: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the beginning of the end of American segregation, the law that finally broke Jim Crow and had the full weight of the federal government behind it. 

The 1964 Act is really important and did a lot of great work, but it has been weakened in a lot of ways in the last 20 to 30 years. Some of the gains that we’ve seen in the past are slowly but surely being rescinded and it makes it more difficult to deal with the kind of discrimination we see today.

For example, one of the most important provisions of the Civil Rights Act is Title VI, which prohibits racial discrimination in any state or local government programs that receive funding from the federal government. Today, many of the civil rights issues that Black Americans and others face concern policing, schools, transportation, or access to other public services that involve less overt forms of segregation and discrimination. Title VI is the provision of the 1964 Act that Congress enacted to deal with this type of discrimination. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court decision in 2001, Alexander v. Sandoval, said that private litigants cannot sue to enforce Title VI’s regulations banning policies with discriminatory effects. This decision has been a detriment to the people’s ability to bring private lawsuits challenging discrimination in a range of areas.

The biggest way to combat this is for Congress to act again. It’s important to remember that the Civil Rights Act was never a perfect document. The 1964 act was a really great start, but Congress had to pass the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Acts of 1968 and 1988, and the Civil Rights Acts of 1990 and 1991 to continue the fight against discrimination. These additions were built on the success of the 1964 Act. 

The Civil Rights Act is a law that constantly needs updating to address the forms of discrimination that Black people and others continue to face in modern times.

Marcia Chatelain, Presidential Penn Compact Professor of Africana studies: Most people think of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a watershed moment in terms of African American civil and social rights, this moment that finally gets rid of Jim Crow segregation and provides a mechanism to enforce equal protection under the law. But the important—and sometimes hidden—legacy of the Civil Rights Act is that it fundamentally changes everyone’s relationship to the federal government, because embedded within the passage of the act are provisions to monitor whether or not discrimination is happening.

This may seem like some narrow statistics issue, but this becomes the basis of grievances around inequality; this becomes the basis of data collection. These mechanisms allow us to know the demographics of a public school and leads to having to identify one’s race and one’s gender and one’s status as a veteran on federal forms. All of the information that is now collected, which can be a really contentious issue, is born out of this moment. We now have standards of understanding how goods and services and rights are delivered to people. This changes everyone’s relationship to the federal government, because now the federal government has a mechanism to not just protect people, but to also know things about people.

This Act that isn’t just about protecting an individual’s access to public parks and pools, to restaurants, to travel. It’s introducing the idea that the federal government has a real responsibility in your quality of life.

Mary Frances Berry, Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and professor of history and Africana studies emerita: On this 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the passage of laws patterned after it to bring greater equality for Americans is worthy to be praised. The act’s passage also prepared the way for passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination. It seemed that the Civil Rights Movement laid a foundation for legal enforcement of equality of rights and opportunities for Black Americans, but in fact the goal has remained contested and increasingly less achievable since 1964. Public support for enforcement has been uneven at best, not helped by negative Supreme Court decisions.

We are at a fork in the road like the one Dr. King and the whole Civil Rights Movement faced when the Voting Rights Act of 1965 proved inadequate to protect voting or to force politicians to remedy poverty and discrimination. No matter who was elected, the perpetuation of harm continued. That is why they organized the Poor People’s March. Even if Dr. King had not been assassinated, given the goals and hostility to the disruption of nonviolent direct-action protest, despite the First Amendment, the March would likely have failed.

So on this anniversary, the very least we can do is to pay tribute to Dr. King, Coretta Scott King, John Lewis, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Fred Shuttlesworth, Ralph Abernathy, Fred Gray, Michael Schwerner, and all of the nonviolent protesters, Black and White, who went to jail or who were killed in the struggle. We should also honor those alive today, including Diane Nash, Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson, and others, for trying to align reality with the great documents of our national life: the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution. Indeed, freedom is a constant struggle, and each generation must make its own dent in the wall of injustice.

Adapted from a Penn Today article by Kristen de Groot and Kristina García, June 26, 2024.

Children’s Activities

Morris Arboretum & Gardens

In-person events at Morris Arboretum & Gardens. Info and to register: https://www.morrisarboretum.org/see-do/events-calendar.

7/17     Storytime; discover the joy of going slowly by reading Slowly Slowly Said the Sloth by Eric Carle; 10:30 a.m.

7/23     Disco Bubbles; come in bell bottoms and sparkly outfit and get ready to bust a move as the Whimsical Woods are transformed into a 70s-inspired bubble party; 11 a.m.

Fitness & Learning

Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships

Online webinars. Info and to register: https://curf.upenn.edu/events.

7/17     Communicating Your Research: Effective Poster Presentations; 4 p.m.

7/19     Introduction to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program; noon.

College of Liberal & Professional Studies

Online webinars. Info and to register: https://www.lps.upenn.edu/about/events.

7/19     Global Master of Public Administration Virtual Information Session; 4 p.m.

Talks

7/17     Global Perspectives on Medicine, Rehabilitation, and Robotics: Automated Assessment of Infants at Risk for Physical Disability Laura Prosser, Melanie Segado, Julie Skorup, Penn and CHOP; 11 a.m.; Zoom webinar; register: https://tinyurl.com/cgh-talk-july-17 (Center for Global Health).

            Practical Application of Artificial Intelligence Algorithms; Brandon Veremis, Mount Sinai Health System; noon; William W.M. Cheung Auditorium, Penn Dental Medicine; register: https://tinyurl.com/veremis-talk-july-17 (Penn Dental Medicine).

7/18     Addressing Health Inequities for Children and Young People with Disabilities in the U.K.; Urshla (Oosh) Devalia, NHS England; noon; William W.M. Cheung Auditorium, Penn Dental Medicine; register: https://tinyurl.com/devalia-talk-july-18 (Penn Dental Medicine).

7/23     Bio-Inspired Architected Materials/Structures with Enhanced Failure Characteristics; Xiaoheng Zhu, mechanical engineering & applied mechanics; 10:15 a.m.; room 100, Towne Building (Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics).

This is an update to the Summer AT PENN calendar, which is online now. To include events in a future AT PENN calendar or weekly update, send the salient details to almanac@upenn.edu.

Division of Public Safety University of Pennsylvania Police Department Crime Report

About the Crime Report: Below are the Crimes Against Persons and/or Crimes Against Property from the campus report for July 1-7, 2024. The Crime Reports are available at: https://almanac.upenn.edu/sections/crimes. Prior weeks’ reports are also online. –Eds.

This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety (DPS) and contains all criminal incidents reported and made known to the Penn Police, including those reported to the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) that occurred within our patrol zone, for the dates of July 1-7, 2024. The Penn Police actively patrol from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from 30^th Street to 43^rd 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 DPS at (215) 898-7297. You may view the daily crime log on the DPS website.

Penn Police Patrol Zone

Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from 30^th Street to 43^rd Street

Philadelphia Police 18th District

Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue

Below are the Crimes Against Persons from the 18th District: 11 incidents were reported for July 1-7, 2024 by the 18^th District, covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street & Market Street to Woodland Avenue.

The Division of Public Safety offers resources and support to the Penn community. DPS developed a few helpful risk reduction strategies outlined below. Know that it is never the fault of the person impacted (victim/survivor) by crime.

• See something concerning? Connect with Penn Public Safety 24/7 at (215) 573-3333.
• Worried about a friend’s or colleague’s mental or physical health? Get 24/7 connection to appropriate resources at (215) 898-HELP (4357).
• Seeking support after experiencing a crime? Call Special Services - Support and Advocacy resources at (215) 898-4481 or email an advocate at specialservices@publicsafety.upenn.edu
• Use the Walking Escort and Riding services available to you free of charge.
• Take a moment to update your cellphone information for the UPennAlert Emergency Notification System
• Download the Penn Guardian App which can help Police better find your location when you call in an emergency.
• Access free self-empowerment and defense courses through Penn DPS.
• Stay alert and reduce distractions; using cellphones, ear buds, etc. may limit your awareness.
• Orient yourself to your surroundings. (Identify your location, nearby exits, etc.)
• Keep your valuables out of sight and only carry necessary documents.