- The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has awarded $6.7 million over five years to Penn’s Institute for Medicine and Engineering. The grant will promote the study of cellular and molecular mechanisms in blood vessels that regulate physiological processes in the cardiovascular system. Led by IME Director Peter F. Davies, the investigation will also test new therapies for heart valve calcification, blood clotting disorder and the weakening and rupture of blood vessels.

- Tighter computer security is ahead now that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded $2,125,000 to computer scientists at Penn. Directed by Jonathan M. Smith, professor of computer and information science, the research will introduce advanced security features into standard office PCs. Previously, the government contracted researchers to develop special-purpose computers, a slow process which often made the machines technically obsolete by the time they were put into service. But the new grant encourages all programmers to share their security findings, thus allowing better protection for all types of computers. The government gets more bang for its buck by purchasing more affordable,standardized computers with enhanced security features.

Top lit prize to Penn

- Peter Stallybrass was recently awarded the James Russell Lowell Prize for his book, “Renaissance Clothing and the Materials of Modern Memory,” by the Modern Language Association. An honor comparable to the Nobel Prize for Literature, the Lowell Prize recognizes an outstanding scholarly work written by a member of the MLA. Stallybrass, who is renowned for his work on the Renaissance, is the second Penn professor to grab the Lowell Prize in four years. He currently has a year-long fellowship in advanced Judaic Studies and is a professor of English at Penn.

Beacon shines on Rodin

- Judith Rodin, president of the University, will receive the 2001 Beacon Award, an honor which includes Hillary Rodham Clinton in its list of past recipients. To be presented by the Trustees’ Council of Penn Women, the award notes outstanding leadership and contributions which further the advancement of women. It recognizes Rodin’s professional accomplishments, including her appointment as the first woman president of an Ivy League institution.

Physicist gets Packard

- Max Tegmark has received one of 24 David and Lucile Packard Fellowships in Science and Engineering. As a fellow, the professor of physics will receive $625,000 over a five year period to apply towards his current research, which focuses on cosmic microwave background, 3-D galaxy surveys and gravitational lensing.