News Archives

A new way to control your credit card

Carl Gunter, professor of computer and information science, has designs on your credit cards. He wants to turn them into smart cards. He’s already got one—a Barclays Bankcard with a tiny gold square on the front, no bigger than a thumbtack, which is a programmable computer chip.

ICA displays tunesmith’s pictorial prowess

Patti Smith has never been one to compartmentalize artistic expression. Since her arrival onto New York City’s downtown scene in the late 1960s, she’s deftly moved between visual art and poetry, spoken word and music. Granted, it’s Smith’s music and poetry that have garnered the most critical praise. But she’s also been drawing—during her long-time friendship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, after her landmark 1975 album, “Horses,” and through to the present day.

A do-it-yourself music scene

It can be difficult for a band to score a gig on a Saturday night, even for well-established groups. Bands with few fans, then, may totally be left out in the cold. Since the fall of 2001, some students have known where to turn. Aspiring musicians, stand-up comedians and actors have gained experience and built up a fan base through “Up On Stage,” the Penn Collective’s free Saturday night open mike. Now, the open mike’s promoters are trying to get faculty and staff in on the act.

Bioinformatics Alliance promotes life sciences

A new alliance headed by a Penn computer scientist seeks to promote life science research in greater Philadelphia by spreading knowledge of bioinformatics. Bioinformatics is the use of computing technology to analyze the massive amounts of data generated by today’s biological experiments. The Bioinformatics Alliance, comprised of Penn and 10 other area non-profit education and research institutions, has been set up to train current and future life scientists in its techniques.

HR programs offer help and ideas

Focus on your career and your well-being with help from the folks at Human Resources. Take advantage of these upcoming Learning and Education (L&E) programs and Quality of Worklife (QOWL) workshops. For course locations and more information on Learning and Education programs, call 215-898-3400 or visit www.hr.upenn.edu/learning. Registration required for most programs.

Michael Carman

What Brown did for them

News briefs

Line of defense Penn’s School of Medicine recently joined the Middle Atlantic Regional Center of Excellence (RCE) for Biodefense and Emerging Diseases, a research consortium dedicated to biodefense research.

Campus remembrances of conflicts past

Illustration by Bo Brown Dear Benny, I was walking past the west wing of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center the other day and noticed there is a plaque dedicated to the memory of the Penn alumni who perished on 9/11. Are there other memorials on campus to Penn alumni, faculty or staff who died in other conflicts? — Lest We Forget

Navigating campus easier with new signs

Finding your way around Penn is a bit easier this semester, thanks to a new project from the Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services. Crews have been replacing, updating, and adding to the existing signage that marks University buildings and gives directions throughout the campus. The plan to update campus signs, which have noåt been revised since the 1970s, was initiated by the University to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Not only will signs have larger letters, but they will make Penn’s campus more aesthetically pleasing and accessible.