News Archives

University of Pennsylvania to Begin Construction on New Home for Annenberg Public Policy Center

PHILADELPHIA - By next year, steel beams framing the new Annenberg Public Policy Center building will begin to rise along the 36th Street walk on the University of Pennsylvania campus.  Occupancy of the building, designed by Tokyo architect Fumihiko Maki is set for late summer of 2009.The building is a gift of the Annenberg Foundation and the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, which have contributed $41.5 million to the project, including $6 million earmarked for perpetual maintenance.

Fluorescence Diffuse Optical Tomography Provides High Contrast, 3-D Look at Breast Cancer

PHILADELPHIA -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have created the first three-dimensional optical images of human breast cancer in patients based on tissue fluorescence.Fluorescence diffuse optical tomography, or FDOT, relies on the presence of fluorophore molecules in tissue that re-radiate fluorescent light after illumination by excitation light of a different color.  The reconstructed images demonstrated significant tumor contrast compared to typical endogenous optical contrast in breast.

Here Comes the Sun: University of Pennsylvania Awarded DOE Funding to Increase Use of Solar Power

PHILADELPHIA -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have been awarded part of a $22.7 million grant to improve the capture, conversion and use of solar energy.  The project is a multi-center effort funded by the Department of Energy and aimed at increasing the amount of solar power in the nation's energy supply.

Construction begins ...

As the dust begins to settle on the newly constructed Domus apartment building at 34th and Chestnut streets, bulldozers have already started breaking ground for another residential project just a few blocks to the west on Walnut Street. The Radian, a 150-plus-unit apartment community, is slated to open on the 3900 block of Walnut Street in August 2008. The $50 million-plus, 14-story building will feature street- and mezzanine-level retail, and its construction will incorporate several environmentally friendly energy features.

Penn's aviation innovator

Health System exec gets on his bike to raise funds for MS

Candace diCarlo Some people take part in sponsored bike rides just for the exercise. Others get a kick out of training with a team. For Garry Scheib, there’s a more personal reason. When he cycles past the finish line at the end of the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s City to Shore Bike Tour this September he’ll be doing it for his mother, who died from the disease in 1996.

Penn Professors Elected to American Philosophical Society

PHILADELPHIA -- Three professors in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania have been elected to membership in the American Philosophical Society.  Election to the APS recognizes extraordinary accomplishments in all fields.The new APS members from Penn are Daniel H. Janzen, professor of biology; Victor H. Mair, professor of Chinese language and literature; and Peter Stallybrass, professor of English.The American Philosophical Society is the nation's first learned society.  It was founded in Philadelphia in 1743.  

Wellness every week

This summer, take a break from your normal Wednesday lunch routine to learn the basics of CranioSacral therapy, healthy grilling and yoga. The Wellness Wednesdays workshop series is back, along with therapeutic massage every Tuesday and Thursday and Reiki on Mondays and Wednesdays. “Initially, the idea was to offer something nice to our colleagues,” says Susan Villari, director of the Office of Health Education, which sponsors the workshop series from June through August. “It’s just a treat—summer is the time you can take advantage of things.”

Researchers Link Common Skin Secretion to a Deadly Parasite of the Developing World

PHILADELPHIA -- Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found a link between some of the world's most common parasites that cause infection and disease throughout the developing world and their attraction to a chemical secreted from human and animal skin.These skin-penetrating parasites infect more than 600 million people worldwide and contribute to anemia, ill health and poor physical and cognitive development among children of developing nations.

Message from President Amy Gutmann on the Death of President Emeritus Martin Meyerson

It is with great sadness that I inform you of the death of President Emeritus Martin Meyerson on Saturday evening, June 2, in Philadelphia.