Phyllis Holtzman has been appointed interim director of university communications in the Office of University Relations. Holtzman, who was senior manager of university communications for two years, will serve as interim director until a search is completed for a permanent replacement for former Director of University Relations Ken Wildes.
Prior to serving as senior manager, Holtzman served in various senior positions in communications and public affairs at the University for 10 years.
Holtzman was a correspondent for The Philadelphia Inquirer prior to her appointment at Penn in January 1988.
Events planning
Ellen Epstein has been appointed as executive director of ceremonies and special events. Events planning, formerly in the Office of the Secretary, is now a part of the Office of the President. Epstein brings more than 14 years of event design and management experience to the task of planning the University’s ceremonial functions and other events. For the past four years she has served as director of events in the Office of the President.
Meryl Marcus has been named associate director of ceremonial events in the Office of the President. Formerly associate director of special events and diplomas in the Office of the Secretary, she brings several years’ experience planning and executing Convocation, Baccaluareate and Commencement ceremonies.
Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell investigates the use of a lettuce-based, plant-encapsulated delivery platform as a new oral delivery of two GLP-1 drugs previously approved by the FDA in injectable form.
No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise
Research led by Penn neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley and collaborators finds that hypothalamic neurons are essential for translating physical exertion into endurance, potentially opening the door to exercise-mimicking therapies.
In honor of Valentine's Day, and as a way of fostering community in her Shakespeare in Love course, Becky Friedman took her students to the University Club for lunch one class period. They talked about the movie "Shakespeare in Love," as part of a broader conversation on how Shakespeare's works are adapted.
In Becky Friedman’s English course Shakespeare in Love, undergraduate students analyze language, genre, and adaptation in the Bard’s plays through the lens of love.
Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion
Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.
