Bill Schilling, director of Student Financial Aid at the University of Pennsylvania since 1980, is available to comment on trends in student assistance nationally, including public policy issues under consideration in Washington.

PHILADELPHIA -- Nurses, veterinarians and city planners will talk about their first-hand experiences volunteering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina at the opening session of the University of Pennsylvania's symposium "Rebuilding Urban Places After Disaster," Feb. 2-3, during which national experts will offer insights into the challenge of rebuilding cities.

WHAT: MAGPI, the Internet2 service at the University of Pennsylvania, has partnered with the University of Scranton to extend this high-speed Internet service to schools and colleges in northeastern Pennsylvania.

PHILADELPHIA - After a 10-year clinical trial of a jaw joint replacement developed by Peter Quinn of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, the Food and Drug Administration has given it a thumbs-up.  

PHILADELPHIA The educational institution Benjamin Franklin envisioned more than 250 years ago that became the University of Pennsylvania will celebrate its founder with "Ben, Penn & You," an eclectic series of talks, exhibits, both actual and virtual, and musical performances.All Franklin-related activities at Penn are open to the public.

WHAT: A panel discussion titled "The Casinos Are Coming: What Gaming Will Mean for Philadelphia" will be held as part of a continuing Public Interest Series, sponsored by the Penn Institute for Urban Research at the University of Pennsylvania.WHO: Panelists will be:

PHILADELPHIA -- Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania, is one of 16 U.S. higher-education leaders named to the National Security Higher Education Board, advisor to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.The board is charged with fostering outreach, promoting understanding and strengthening relations between higher-education institutions and the FBI.  

WHERE: University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, 3260 South St., Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA -- Vanda McMurtry, vice president for government and community relations at Cornell University and former chief counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, has been named Penn's new vice president for government and community affairs, Penn President Amy Gutmann has announced. He will assume his new position October 1, 2005.

PHILADELPHIA -- As America prepares to celebrate Ben Franklin's 300th birthday, freshmen at the Franklin-founded University of Pennsylvania will be reading his autobiography for the annual Penn Reading Project.