News Archives

Of mice, men and embryonic stem cells

Penn researchers may have found a way to untangle the mire which is the embryonic stem cell controversy. Professor of Animal Biology Hans R. Schöler and his team of researchers have identified a receptor, the germ cell nuclear factor or GCNF, that could lead to new ways of creating embryonic stem cells. Stem cells are valuable because they have the potential to form a number of different tissues and consequently be used to treat various conditions, such as generating new nerve cells for spinal cord injuries.

Courses for a better you

Human Resources is offering courses to help you be better at your job and courses for your well-being. Professional advice Need a guide to a strange new territory called management? HR’s Learning and Education department now offers one.

Turnaround: The neighborhood is looking good

In the mid-1990s, when urban problems were emerging in West Philadelphia, University President Judith Rodin (CW’66) took stock of the two places she loved—her hometown, West Philadelphia, and her alma mater, Penn—and bonded the two through an impressive set of initiatives. Now, six years after Penn refocused its attention on the neighborhood and four years after the official launch of the West Philadelphia Initiative, the Current takes a look at Penn’s investments and how the neighborhood has changed. The results cannot be missed.

Business success means streets are jumping

Jack Shannon remembers 36th and Walnut streets. Shannon, director of economic development in the Office of the Executive Vice President, was a Penn Law School student in the ’80s, and he recalls how the area stretched dismally from 34th to 38th streets, holding mostly empty spaces and a large parking lot. Zoom ahead several years later, and a different picture emerges. The area now teems with foot traffic and boasts shops such as the Penn Bookstore, Douglas Cosmetics and Cosí.

Get to know the neighbors

In the market for fun

The world’s only arts market devoted exclusively to young people’s programming is coming to campus next week, and you and your family are invited to take a peek at what’s for sale. The 24th International Showcase of Performing Arts for Young People will take place at the Annenberg Center Jan. 30 through Feb. 2. Eighteen performing arts groups will present 45-minute performances offering Showcase participants and the general public a chance to sample their offerings. Showcase highlights include:

Penn Library Lends Laptop Computers

PHILADELPHIA -- University of Pennsylvania students can now check out a laptop computer to do research, write papers and check e-mail.

Penn's Kelly Writers House Hosts Three Pulitzer Winners

PHILADELPHIA -- Three Pulitzer Prize winners have been named Kelly Writers House Fellows for the spring semester at the University of Pennsylvania.They are Michael Cunningham, a novelist and short story writer, poet John Ashbery, and playwright Charles Fuller.Cunningham will be on the Penn campus Feb. 11-12, followed by Ashbery on March 25-26 and Fuller on April 15-16.The purpose of the Fellows program is to offer undergraduate students the opportunity to interact with noted authors in an intimate setting.

Penn Marks Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday with Two Weeks of Events

PHILADELPHIA -- The University of Pennsylvania will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday long past the federal holiday. "Remembering the Dream, Living the Vision" is the theme of Penn's 2002 Commemorative Symposium on Social Change which will begin Jan. 16 and continue through Feb. 1. Most of the events are free and open to the public. University offices will be closed and no classes scheduled on Jan. 21, the official national holiday, to give the Penn community an opportunity to participate in the King day of service.

Penn Team Finds 'Molecular Chaperones' Can Halt Progress Of Parkinson's Disease In Fruit Flies and Possibily Humans

PHILADELPHIA - Using fruit fly models of Parkinson disease, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found that a class of proteins known as "molecular chaperones" can block the progression of neurodegenerative disease in Drosophila melanogaster. In addition, the group has found evidence that similar pathways may operate in Parkinson disease and possibly other neurodegenerative disorders in humans.