Penn on the ‘Tube

Penn’s YouTube channel, at www.youtube.com/univpennsylvania, enables visitors to view videos of events from all across the University’s 12 schools, and of famous guests and speakers, past and present.

Videos detailing the undergraduate experience at Penn are featured, as well as information about the Making History campaign, faculty Q&As and university forums with distinguished Penn professors. Highlights from this year’s Commencement are available, as well as clips of past commencement speakers, such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2008 and Academy Award-winning actress Jodie Foster in 2006.

Penn alumni are also showcased on the site, including R&B sensation John Legend and NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell discussing their time at the University before making it big.

Those wishing to subscribe to the Penn YouTube channel can do so by clicking on the yellow “Subscribe” tab at the top-left of the screen. A YouTube or Google account is required.

New director of LRSM

Arjun G. Yodh, a researcher studying condensed matter physics, medical and biophysics and optics has been named director of Penn’s Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter (LRSM).

Yodh joined Penn’s faculty in 1988, and is the James M. Skinner Professor of Science, with appointments in the School of Arts and Sciences and School of Medicine. He is also a member of the LRSM, the Institute of Medicine and Engineering, the Bioengineering Graduate Group and the Abramson Cancer Center. In his career, Yodh has pioneered the use of diffuse optics as a tool for medical diagnostics, including imaging of breast tumors and functional imaging and spectroscopy of the brain, and has employed optical techniques such as laser tweezers and confocal microscopy for the study of interactions and phase behavior of soft-matter systems.

Yodh becomes the 10th director of the LRSM, which was co-founded in 1960 as one of the nation’s first materials research laboratories. Today LRSM remains a leader in the synthesis, characterization, theory and modeling of entirely new classes of materials that are likely to underlie the development of future technologies.

Tool time

Homeowners and renters interested in sprucing up their abode can attend several basic home repair classes, presented by Saunders Park Neighbors and the West Philly Tool Library. The classes are designed to teach people how to fix basic problems in their home, as well as judge the work of hired contractors.

The remaining classes include “Understanding the electricity in your house” on June 11; “Understanding the plumbing in your house” on June 18; and “Painting tips and tricks” on June 25. All classes run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Rowan House Community Room at the People's Emergency Center, 325 N. 39th St. To attend, please register by calling the Tool Library at 215-833-3190 or emailing Stacey at info@westphillytools.org.

Bright future

If the stretch of Baltimore Avenue between 45th and 50 streets seems brighter, it’s not your imagination. It’s because of 71 new pedestrian lights installed along the busy corridor earlier this year.

In honor of this latest neighborhood beautification, everyone is welcome to join the University City  istrict on June 25 at 5:30 p.m. at Cedar Park, 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue, for a celebration with live music and food. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell will be  mong the honorees.

For more information, visit the University City District website at www.ucityphila.org.

Farmer’s market returns

On June 10, the Farmer’s Market returned to University Square, located in front of the Penn Bookstore at 36th and Walnut streets. The market, which runs each Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., features  resh vegetables, fruits and flowers, artisan breads, and locally produced cheese and yogurt from area farmers and stores.