Penn announces the inaugural Draw Down the Lightning Grant recipients

In the culmination of a months-long process, President J. Larry Jameson, Provost John L. Jackson, Jr., and Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives David A. Asch today announced the recipients of the inaugural Draw Down the Lightning grants. These projects continue to lead on the great challenges of our time, advancing the inventive and engaged spirit of In Principle and Practice. The recipients comprise interwoven teams of faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, and staff collectively anchored at eight schools and 10 academic and administrative centers.

“These initiatives are a testament to the incredible ingenuity and dedication of our Penn community to tackling pressing issues both locally and globally,” said Jameson. “From important efforts to address climate change, improve health, advance the arts, develop AI, and more, these innovative projects are sure to make a tangible impact on the Penn community and beyond.

“Impactful projects like these represent a long-term investment in research and collaboration that will blossom and bear fruit in years to come. Our commitment to planting seeds of change is a constant, even and especially in times of uncertainty. Sustaining our missions’ momentum is a careful balance of stewardship and a willingness to find ways to invest in what makes Penn exceptional—its people and its ideas.”

Launched this fall, the Draw Down the Lightning grants invited proposals from across the University. The winning projects were selected from among 230 total proposals and range significantly in scope and size, from solo projects to collaborations featuring a dozen team members from across multiple schools and centers. 

“Penn’s greatest resource is its thinkers and doers. These exciting projects speak to the strength and resilience of our academic community and the enthusiasm for collaboration and cross-disciplinary initiatives embodied in the strategic framework. Their passion and commitment to make progress on the world’s most important challenges are truly inspiring,” said Jackson. 

The projects awarded inaugural Draw Down the Lightning grants are: 

One Campus, One Health Certificate Program will equip students and faculty with interdisciplinary skills to collaboratively address global health challenges at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health.
Project leaders: Jennifer Punt, associate dean of One Health, professor of immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine; Julie Ellis, faculty director, Environmental Innovations Initiative, Penn Vet; Brittany Watson, clinical educator associate professor, director of shelter medicine and community engagement, Penn Vet; Erick Gagne, assistant professor of wildlife disease ecology, Penn Vet; Brianna Parsons, lecturer in sustainable agriculture, Penn Vet; Elizabeth Woodward, clinical associate professor, Penn Vet; Hillary Nelson, director, Penn MPH Program, associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics and family medicine and community health, Perelman School of Medicine; Ricardo Castillo-Neyra, assistant professor of epidemiology, Penn Medicine

AI Curriculum & Training Initiative will develop live and asynchronous training sessions tailored for instructors and staff, covering AI literacy, practical applications for teaching and productivity, and ethical considerations.
Project leaders: Jaron Rhodes, director of communications, Penn Information Systems and Computing (ISC); Joshua Beeman, associate chief information officer, ISC; Bruce Lenthall, executive director, Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Innovation (CETLI); Emily Morton-Owens, associate vice provost for technology and digital initiatives, Penn Libraries

Truth and Disinformation in the Writing Arts will investigate critical questions about the nature of truth, who defines it, and how it can be safeguarded through public forums, readings, workshops, and discussions.
Project leaders: Kelly Writers House team of Julia Bloch, Andrew Beal, Al Filreis, professor of English, faculty director of the Kelly Writers House, and director of the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing, School of Arts & Sciences, Allison Katz, and Jessica Lowenthal

Penn Commonwealth-Engaged Scholars will advance Penn’s role as an anchored, interwoven, and engaged institution that leverages its research, teaching, and service to address pressing challenges across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Project leaders: Antonia Villarruel, dean of the School of Nursing; Lia Howard, fellows director, SNF Paideia Program; Michael Smith, director of Commonwealth relations, Office of Government and Community Affairs; F. Hoopes Wampler, senior associate vice president, Alumni Relations 

Penn as an Anchor Institution will expand Penn’s impact locally and globally, enhancing its longstanding commitment to community and economic development through research, education, and strategy development.
Project leaders: Eugenie L. Birch, FAICP, Lawrence C. Nussdorf Professor, Weitzman School of Design and co-director Penn Institute for Urban Research (Penn IUR); Patrick Brennan, professor of medicine, Perelman School of Medicine and chief medical officer, senior vice president, University of Pennsylvania Health System; Anthony Sorrentino, associate vice president, Office of the Executive Vice President; Susan Wachter, Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate, co-director, Penn IUR

Accessing Nature will, in collaboration with the Urban Wildlife Information Network and local partners, deploy trail cameras across the city to collect wildlife data, contributing to global ecological research on climate change and urbanization.
Project leaders: Wildlife Futures Program team of Julie C. Ellis, wildlife ecologist; Karen Verderame, assistant director of outreach education, Penn Vet Shelter Medicine and Community Engagement; Brock Geary, quantitative disease ecologist; Brooke Ezzo, communications coordinator; and Erica Miller, field operations manager

Toll the Bell: A Cry for Peace will raise awareness around related issues of health and democracy, by co-commissioning large-scale sound installations across 44 regional sites, honoring gun violence victims and raising awareness.
Project leaders: Penn Live Arts team of Kristin Winch, director of development; Christopher Gruits, executive and artistic director; Leah Falk, director of education and engagement; and Rebecca Goering, director of marketing and communications 

Kidney Health on a Plate will address kidney health through a unique mini-series, inspired by popular cooking shows to create flavorful recipes with kidney-friendly nutritional value.
Project leaders: Fourth-years Daniel Dai and Junle (Richard) Chen in the College of Arts and Sciences

Wharton Global Health Volunteers will expand upon the goals of this student-run group whose past projects included support of women’s health in South Africa and pharmacy services in the Philippines.
Project leader: MBA student Katie Tsui in the Wharton School

Philly BENefits Partnership, in collaboration with the City of Philadelphia, will establish a real-world research and policy laboratory to test and refine outreach strategies, expand benefits access, and leverage state and federal data to better serve individuals and families.
Project leaders: Julia Hinckley, director of policy strategy, Leonard Davis Institute (LDI); Rachel Werner, executive director, LDI and professor of medicine, Penn Medicine

Penn International Climate Policy Observatory will establish the Penn International Climate Academy to train climate negotiators through accessible research summaries, multimedia outreach, and targeted training modules.
Project leader: Scott Moore, director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Penn Global; Practice Professor of Political Science, Penn Arts & Sciences

New Mind Workshop: Research Question Incubator will host an interdisciplinary, hackathon-style event where students and faculty collaborate on AI safety projects to foster cross-disciplinary learning, innovation, and leadership and promote responsible AI development.
Project leader: Fourth-year Nikola Datkova in the College of Arts and Sciences

More detailed information on these projects can be found here.