News Archives

Jonathon Santlofer Book Signing for The Death Artist

On Thursday, November 21 at 6pm, artist and writer Jonathon Santlofer will read from and sign copies of his new novel, The Death Artist (William Morrow/An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; September 1, 2002; ISBN 0-06-000441-X; $24.95) at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). After a 1989 Chicago gallery fire destroyed five years of his work, painter Santlofer turned to fiction writing as a therapeutic way to deal with his loss. The novel, with a nod to the fast paced mystery novels of the 1950's, takes place in the center of the contemporary art world, New York.

Cell Transfer Restores Sperm Production in Infertile Mice, Offering New Insights into the Workings of Stem Cells

PHILADELPHIA – Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have successfully transplanted specialized cells that are critical to sperm development in mice, restoring sperm production in once-infertile animals. The research, reported on the Web site of the journal Biology of Reproduction, may give scientists a better understanding of how Sertoli cells – which surround spermatogenic stem cells – nourish sperm production and the survival of stem cells.

Careers and holiday help from free HR programs

Energize your career with these classes from Human Resources. For course locations and more information, call 215-898-3400 or visit www.hr.upenn.edu/learning. Registration required. Marc Buckingham on Great Management

“Some of these people, if their spouses said, ‘breathe for the next half-hour,’ they’d try to hold their breaths.”

—James Coyne, professor of psychiatry, on how a bad marriage can negatively impact an individual’s health (The New York Times, Oct. 22)

Hollywood, County Kerry

It’s a familiar film plot: Hollywood movie crew invades bucolic small town and turns the world upside down. This time, though, the small town is in County Kerry, Ireland, and the sendup of the American star-making machine takes place on the live stage, not the soundstage.

Bookquick/“Emblems of Desire: Selections from the ‘Délie’ of Maurice Scève”

Beyond the Big Bang

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Mark Devlin is having a BLAST. That stands for Balloon-borne Large Aperture Sub-millimeter Telescope, a NASA project designed to view some of the oldest galaxies in the universe. Penn heads up a four-school collaboration on the project, and Devlin is in charge of Penn’s portion. But before he could look for new star clusters, he had to find a place on campus to assemble the largest balloon-borne telescope ever built.

Prices are fairer than you think—no, really

Sticker shock—that’s the feeling you get when you go to make a purchase, flip over the tag and are blown away by the higher-than-expected asking price. For example, when you go to the movies for the first time in a long while and are shocked to find that an Alexander Hamilton covers only the price of one ticket (forget about the popcorn and soda). If you’re like most consumers, you suspect price gouging. Yet according to Lisa Bolton, assistant professor of marketing at Wharton, prices may be fairer than many of us think.

Ask Benny: Flexible work lets mom be with her son

Dear Benny, I’ve just given birth to a beautiful baby boy, and I feel strongly that my child will need my presence at home as he grows up. Is there any way I can be there for him once I have used up my paid time off and other leave options without having to give up my Penn job, which I love, completely?—Another Proud Penn Parent

New building keeps horses in form

Cramped quarters and outdated equipment made a quick exit with the summer debut of the New Bolton Center’s Scott Equine Sports Medicine Building—the University’s new hub for equine sports medicine research, teaching and service. With the facility’s opening, Penn’s veterinary cardiology practice finally got a space befitting its roster of patients, which includes horses who have gone on to win medals in international competitions like the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics.