News Archives

Penn Police get streetwise

In some communities, residents view the police as a hostile presence. As for the cops, they wonder why the people they protect resent them. Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush wants to make sure that never happens in University City. So this summer, she called on Elijah Anderson to run a series of workshops so Penn Police could avoid some of the things that rub citizens the wrong way.

Feeding frenzy

Top summer flicks

Although most of the summer’s blockbusters have come and gone, it’s still not too late to catch some of this season’s hits. Too many to choose from? Well, don’t despair. These Penn movie watchers can tell you the good from the bad. Oh, and while you’re pondering which summer flick to catch, don’t forget to bring extra change for the popcorn. Wynetta Davis Research Technician, Wistar Institute “‘Planet of the Apes.’ It wasn’t what I thought it’d be. It wasn’t as big. I thought it was mediocre.”

Introduction to Corporate Citizenship 101

As Christopher Ortiz (W’03) sees it, corporations have many more people to answer to than just their shareholders. Which is why he’s high on the Urban Nutrition Initiative (UNI), among other things. “I’m very much interested in education and community development and what businesses can do to develop the community and make it stronger,” he said.

NSF grants $1 million

Toasters, cellular phones, and mammography machines are not as unrelated as they may first seem. These electronic devices, among many others, contain embedded computers which help them run. To promote the reliability of embedded computers, the National Science Foundation has awarded $1 million to a team of Penn researchers. Currently, embedded computers are tested after a product has already been designed, a procedure which decreases the dependability of embedded computers while driving up the cost of electronic devices.

Ralph Lauren it ain't

Back in the ’60s, the future was something to behold. We would all commute by jet-pack, eat freeze-dried food pellets and wear unisex clothing. Well, the future is here, and it doesn’t look like that at all. Except for the unisex clothing part, where some variation on men’s casual wear has spread throughout society. But even that is not what the inventors of the future envisioned four decades ago.

Dean named

Penn’s School of Nursing has found a “citizen of the world” in Afaf I. Meleis, Ph.D., said Associate Professor of Nursing Anne Keane. Keane, who is division chair of Foundational Sciences and Health Systems, participated in the year-long search for the new dean of the School of Nursing. She said Meleis’ global accomplishments distinguished her from other candidates. A native of Egypt, Meleis is a medical sociologist and international activist for women’s health issues. She presently serves as vice president of the International Council on Women’s Health.

Help yourself to a better career

So you’re thinking you’d like to move up in the world, but have no idea how to advance up the career ladder and still remain at Penn. Here are some strategies suggested by your fellow employees. Take advantage of professional development opportunities. Robin Hartley, associate director of the Wharton e-Business Initiative, credits the Professional Development Program offered by Human Resources’ Learning and Education division with getting her focused on what her interests were and how she could pursue them.

Cliff dwellings for the ages

Seven hundred years after the Native American cliff dwellings now in Mesa Verde National Park were abandoned, they were showing signs of decay — plaster peeling, walls deteriorating. The challenge was to preserve what was left, using all-natural materials — a requirement of the Native American tribes of the Southwest, who venerate the early pueblo dwellings in southwestern Colorado as a sacred ancestral site. Frank Matero, chairman of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, has been working with teams of graduate students since 1993 on preserving the site.

“Football: The Ivy League Origins of an American Obsession”

Mark F. Bernstein 336 pages, 28 b/w illustrations, $29.95 cloth Every autumn American football fans pack stadiums to root for their favorite teams. Most are unaware that this most popular American sport was created by the teams that now make up the Ivy League.