News Archives

Research: Little labs for quick reactions

What if you could carry a complex scientific experiment right in the palm of your hands? A recent $1.26 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration to Penn researchers can help make such portable laboratories a reality. Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics Haim H. Bau is leading Penn’s investigation of microfluidic systems.

“I think they realize more than the adults that this is a clash of cultures, something we haven’t seen in a thousand years.”

—President Judith Rodin, on the younger generation’s response to the war on terrorism (Newsweek, Nov. 12)

Penn women throw some party

Best eats

It’s time to go into training for the holiday eat-a-thon. To help you get into shape, we thought we’d look for some tips on the best campus eateries. The suggestions ran the gamut, from upscale restaurants to downscale lunch carts, good food being good food, no matter the price. But quality wasn’t the only consideration. Speedy service and proximity also colored people’s choices. So get ready to do some serious chowing down. Here’s where to go:

NSF award winners

The National Science Foundation has awarded grants for projects to develop innovative uses of information technology in science and engineering to two Penn faculty members in addition to the $1 million grant to Rajeev Alur to promote the reliability of embedded computers, the tiny processors found in many commonly used electronic devices (Current, Sept. 13).

Tony Soprano takes a hit from Camille Paglia

Culture critic Camille Paglia opened her mouth and an attack on “The Sopranos” and the New York media poured out, no pauses for breathing. Paglia, a professor of humanities and media studies at the University of the Arts, came to bury Tony Soprano, the anti-hero of HBO’s popular TV show about Italian-American mobsters, at the Gay Talese Lecture in Logan Hall Nov. 1. Smart, funny and outrageous, she drew regular applause from the mostly Italian-American audience of about 170 people.

Student spotlight: Business competition is too good to resist

The temptation to start his own business is mighty for David Valger. The 29-year-old first year MBA student has participated in two start-up companies and has his own start-up in the development stage. But now he’s trying to keep his mind focused on his studies. To put off the temptation of leaving school for another start-up opportunity, Valger is working this year for the Wharton Business Plan Competition instead of participating in it with one of his own business start-up ideas.

Staff Q&A: Robert Sigafoos

Even though Penn’s New Bolton Center is situated in the quiet farmlands of Kennett Square, Robert Sigafoos has treated horses from as far away as Canada and the Midwest. The long trek to see Sigafoos isn’t so odd, considering his claim to fame. Sigafoos, who heads New Bolton’s Farrier Services Department, is the inventor of a unique adhesive-bonded horseshoe called the Sigafoos shoe. If you ever thought nailing shoes to horses’ feet wasn’t the greatest idea, well, you’re not the first.

Learn about management, communication—or yourself

Penn’s Human Resources Learning and Education Program has a new line-up of courses for December. Take self-assessment tests, learn about managing in a structureless environment and get tips on how to give a dynamic presentation . All courses are offered at the Training Center, 3624 Market St., Suite 1B South, unless noted otherwise. Introduction to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: Take a self-assessment test to identify your strengths, motivations and potential areas for growth. In the process learn how to appreciate those different from you.

U.S., Canadian And Mexican Representatives Meet To Combat Sexual Exploitation Of Children

PHILADELPHIA -- Representatives from the U.S., Canada and Mexico will meet Dec. 2-3 to develop a plan to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children, including the problems of child prostitution, pornography and sexual trafficking.The North American Regional Consultation on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children will include 100 governmental and non-governmental representatives from law-enforcement, human-services and child-advocacy groups in the three nations. The conference is being held at the University of Pennsylvania.