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    • Awards and accolades for Penn faculty

    A roundup of the latest appointments and awards for various faculty members in Penn Engineering, Penn Nursing, and Penn Dental Medicine.

    2 min. read

    In December, Nadia Figueroa, Shalini and Rajeev Misra Presidential Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, received the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award, a prestige honor supporting early-career faculty whose work integrates research and education in meaningful and far-reaching ways.

    Ben Franklin statue in front of Penn’s College Hall.

    Carmen Alvarez, an associate professor in the Department of Family and Community Health in the School of Nursing, was appointed the inaugural associate dean for Global Engagement and Afaf I. Meleis director of the Center for Global Women’s Health effective Feb. 1.

    Also in Penn Nursing, Sharon Y. Irving, a nationally recognized leader in pediatric critical care and nutrition science, was named the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Norma M. Lang Award for Scholarly Practice and Policy.

    And Aleena Defreitas, a second-year Penn Dental Medicine student in the combined Doctor of Dental Medicine/Master of Science in Oral Biology program, has been elected to serve as a councilor on the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research National Student Research Group Board.

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    • Recent Articles

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    • An inside look at the history of television
    Handwritten notes and paper relics from TV shows in the past.

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    An inside look at the history of television

    Materials in the Annenberg School for Communication Library Archives include thousands of TV scripts, the first issue of TV Guide, and interviews about the early days of HBO—which help to chronicle TV’s 100-year story.

    Jan 28, 2026

    Why are icy surfaces slippery?
    An icy bench in a city.

    Despite the commonality of water and ice, says Penn physicist Robert Carpick, their physical properties are remarkably unique.

    (Image: mustafahacalaki via Getty Images)

    Why are icy surfaces slippery?

    Winter Storm Fern brought icy and snowy conditions to the Northeast and other parts of the country over the weekend. Penn Today asks physicist Robert Carpick about the unique properties of ice, the science of curling, and how close we are to ‘nonslip’ ice. 

    Jan 23, 2026

    Penn receives national distinction for community engagement
    High school students in a science class.

    Organizations like Penn’s Netter Center for Community Partnerships foster collaborations between Penn and public schools in the West Philadelphia community.

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    Penn receives national distinction for community engagement

    The recognition by the American Council on Education and Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching acknowledges Penn’s long-standing commitment to community-engaged scholarship and partnerships in West Philadelphia and beyond.

    Jan 29, 2026