“Iain impressed us as a passionate, energetic educator who is sincere about his focus on the holistic development of young adults,” Calhoun said. “In addition to his head coaching experience, he was an instructor at his four previous institutions and brings Ivy League knowledge from his time at Columbia. We look forward to Iain continuing the positive momentum of the Penn volleyball program.”
Braddak began his collegiate coaching career at Culver-Stockton College in 2012 as a head coach tasked with starting the men’s volleyball program. In his first season, he recruited 18 student-athletes and laid the foundation for the future of the program. He also served as an assistant for the women’s volleyball program.
He then moved to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) as the head women’s volleyball coach for two seasons, compiling a 32-14 overall record. Braddak led USMMA to its first winning season in eight years in 2013 and the first consecutive winning seasons since 2003 and 2004.
In 2015 and 2016, Braddak was the head women’s volleyball coach at Smith College before serving as an assistant coach at Ivy League rival Columbia in 2017.
“I am honored and excited to join Penn Athletics as its next head volleyball coach,” Braddak said. “Penn is an inspiring institution and an impressive community of student-athletes, faculty, and staff. I am thrilled to join this department so dedicated to developing champions holistically. I want to thank Dr. Calhoun, [Associate Athletic Director] Scott Ward, and everyone involved in this process for their confidence in my ability to lead this program forward. Penn volleyball has a rich tradition, phenomenal potential, and a strong foundation, and I look forward to guiding this program to the next level.”
Griffin Pitt, right, works with two other student researchers to test the conductivity, total dissolved solids, salinity, and temperature of water below a sand dam in Kenya.
Griffin Pitt’s upbringing made her passionate about water access and pollution, and Penn has given her the opportunity to explore these issues back home in North Carolina and abroad.
Helping robots work together to explore the Moon and Mars
Penn Engineers, NASA, and five other universities tested robotic systems designed to help unmanned explorers cooperate in the dunes of White Sands, New Mexico, paving the way for Moon and Mars exploration.
From framework to actions: Provost John L. Jackson Jr. talks Penn Forward
In a Q&A, Provost John L. Jackson Jr. explains the relationship between the strategic framework In Principle and Practice and Penn Forward—a new University-wide process and action plan that will advance Penn forward for the next decade and beyond.
