2003 - 2004 News Releases
Sociology Professor Receives $5.2 Million Grant for Research on Young Adulthood. August 06, 2004. Frank Furstenberg, Zellerbach Family Professor of Sociology, has received a $5.2 million grant from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for research examining the changing nature of early adulthood and the new challenges facing people aged 18 to 34.
College Interns Get Hands-on Training in Arts, Culture Settings. August 2004. Twelve College undergraduates have received internships to work at Penn’s arts and cultural organizations as part of a new summer research institute.
Bennett Hall Occupants Relocate as Renovation Begins. June 2004. As the first step in the much-anticipated renovation of Bennett Hall, faculty and staff who occupy the building have moved to temporary quarters elsewhere on campus.
Political Science Professor Recognized for Article’s Lasting Impact. June 22, 2004.
The American Political Science Association has selected Professor Rogers Smith to receive its annual award for a book or article that has made a lasting impression on the field of law and courts.Wyeth Research Establishes Award to Honor Chemistry Professor. June 2004. Wyeth Research has announced the establishment of the Madeleine Joullié Undergraduate Research Award in the Department of Chemistry.
Economics Professor Receives Research Grant for Lifetime Achievement in the Sciences. June 7, 2004. Professor Francis X. Diebold has received a Humboldt Research Award from Germany’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in recognition of lifetime achievement in the sciences.
Alumni Create Challenge Fund to Spur Giving for Scholarships. May 26, 2004. Thanks to the generosity of three anonymous College alumni, $615,000 in challenge funding is now available to help establish 19 new scholarships for College students.
A Celebration of Excellence: SAS Faculty Members Receive Top Honors. May 20, 2004. The 2002-2003 academic year brought with it numerous accolades for Arts and Sciences faculty, who received notable research fellowships, were welcomed into the nation’s most respected scholarly societies, wrote books that were heralded as the best of the year, and took top prizes in their disciplines.
History Professor Named to American Philosophical Society. May 17, 2004. Professor of history Bruce Kuklick has been elected to membership in the American Philosophical Society, a prestigious learned society founded in Philadelphia in 1743.
American Academy of Arts and Sciences Welcomes Two SAS Professors. May 7, 2004. Professors Robert Sharer and Rogers Smith are two of 178 fellows recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
School of Arts & Sciences 2004 Teaching Awards. April 26, 2004. Samuel Preston, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and Rebecca Bushnell, dean of the College, are pleased to announce the School's 2004 teaching awards.College Announces 2004 Graduation Speakers. April 16, 2004. The College at Penn has announced that NBC News correspondent Ron Allen, C'79, G'79 and senior Rebecca Fishman will speak at its 2004 graduation ceremony.
Blitzing the Movie Making Business. April 11, 2004. Junior Josh Gorin wins Best Undergraduate Comedy at Ivy Film Festival.
Penn Professor Awarded Pulitzer Prize for History. April 5, 2004. Hahn, the Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor in American History, was awarded the prize for his book "Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South From Slavery to the Great Migration."
Frank Furstenberg Awarded Fulbright to Uruguay. April 15, 2004. Frank Furstenberg, Zellerbach Family Professor of Sociology, has received a Fulbright Senior Specialists grant in sociology to work in Uruguay.
Six New Guggenheim Fellows in SAS. April 7, 2004. Six faculty members of the School of Arts and Sciences have received fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Soldo Named AAAS Fellow. March 23, 2004. Sociology professor Beth Soldo, a renowned expert in social gerontology, has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Two Major Prizes for Professor Hahn’s Book. March 23, 2004. History professor Steven Hahn has received both the Bancroft Prize and the Merle Curti Prize for his new book, A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South From Slavery to the Great Migration.
Nathans Wins A Second Prize for Recent Book. March 23, 2004. Associate professor of history Benjamin Nathans has received the Wayne S. Vucinich Book Prize from the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies for his book, Beyond the Pale: The Jewish Encounter with Late Imperial Russia.
Possehl Wins Prize for Book on Indus Civilization. March 23, 2004. Professor of anthropology Gregory Possehl has received the 2003 Outstanding Academic Book Award from Choice magazine for Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective.
DeTurck Appointed First Evan C Thompson Professor. March 23, 2004. Professor of Mathematics Dennis DeTurck has been named the inaugural holder of the Evan C Thompson Endowed Term Professorship for Excellence in Teaching.
Weissberg Chosen to Give Fritz Thyssen Lecture. March 15, 2004. Professor of Germanic Languages and Literatures Liliane Weissberg has been selected to give the prestigious Fritz Thyssen Lecture in Israel this spring.
Weesner Named Pew Fellow in the Arts. March 2004. Assistant Professor of Music Anna Weesner has received a highly competitive Pew Fellowship in the Arts grant.
Music Professor Awarded Jerome Roche Prize. March 2004. Assistant Professor of Music Emma Dillon has received the Royal Musical Association’s Jerome Roche Prize for her article “The Art of Interpolation in the Roman de Fauvel.”
Two Music Professors Receive Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Awards. March 2004. The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts has recently selected music professors James Primosch and Jay Reise to receive Individual Creative Artists Fellowships.
Dean Preston to Step Down in December. March 4, 2004. Samuel H. Preston, dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences since 1998, has announced his decision to step down when his seven-year term concludes on December 31, 2004. He will return to scholarship and teaching in the sociology department and the Population Studies Center.
Mind Games. March 26, 2004. College students are accustomed to having their work scrutinized and graded by professors, but at the Kids Judge! Neuroscience Fair, third- and fourth-graders got to evaluate the lessons.
Nagel Named Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. March 26, 2004. Professor of Political Science Jack Nagel has been appointed Associate Dean for Graduate Studies in the School of Arts and Sciences, effective July 1, 2004.
School of Arts and Sciences Announces 2004 Dean’s Scholars. March 26, 2004. Twenty-one students from The College, the College of General Studies, and the Graduate Division were named in recognition of exceptional academic performance and intellectual promise.
School of Arts and Sciences Recognizes President Rodin with Distinguished Alumni Award. March 26, 2004. President Judith Rodin, CW’66, was selected in recognition of her many accomplishments as an eminent scholar, a visionary leader, and an inspiring role model.
Criminology Center to Test UK Restorative Justice Program. March 25, 2004. The British goverment has awarded the Jerry Lee Center of Government $1.6 million to lead a project testing the United Kingdom's practice of diverting serious offenders from prosecution to "justice without court."
English Department's Paul Hendrickson, Susan Stewart Win National Book Critics Circle Awards. March 5, 2004.
Dean Preston to Step Down in December. March 4, 2004. Samuel H. Preston, dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences since 1998, has announced his decision to step down when his seven-year term concludes on December 31, 2004. He will return to scholarship and teaching in the sociology department and the Population Studies Center.
Robin Pemantle Named Merriam Term Professor. February 17, 2004. Robin Pemantle, who has come to Penn from Ohio State University, has been appointed the Merriam Term Professor of Mathematics. This chair was established through the bequest of John W. Merriam, W’31.
George Mailath Named Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences. February 10, 2004. Economics professor George J. Mailath has been named the Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences. The chair was endowed through the generosity of the late Walter Annenberg and his wife Leonore.
Amy Kaplan Named Kahn Endowed Term Chair. February 10, 2004. Professor of English Amy Kaplan has been named the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Chair in the Humanities. The chair was established through the bequest of Mr. Kahn, a 1925 graduate of the Wharton School and Mrs. Kahn, a graduate of Smith College.
Jason Schnittker Named Bers Assistant Professor. February 10, 2004. Assistant professor of sociology Jason Schnittker has been appointed the Janice and Julian Bers Assistant Professor in the Social Sciences. Janice Smith Bers, Ed’39, and her late husband Julian S. Bers, W’31, created this chair.
Ecologist Wins Inventors Prize. February 5, 2004. Biology professor Daniel Janzen has received the 2003 John Scott Award from the City Trusts of Philadelphia for his pioneering contributions to the field of conservation biology.
Sociologist Honored for Work to Improve Nursing Care. February 5, 2004.
Dr. Linda H. Aiken, a sociology professor and the Claire M. Fagin Leadership Professor at Penn Nursing, has received the 2003 Ernest A. Codman Award for her work in outcomes measurement in the nursing field. The prize is presented annually by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.Long-term Effects of Embryo Culture on Behavior Studied. January 26, 2004. Scientists from the biology department have found a link between the conditions in which mouse embryos are cultured and the performance of the offspring in behavioral tests.
Transition to Adulthood Delayed, Marriage and Family Postponed. January 12, 2004. A new report from sociology's Frank Furstenberg reports that becoming an adult takes longer today than in previous decades.
Diana Mutz Named Stouffer Professor. January 13, 2004. Diana C. Mutz, who came to Penn from Ohio State University in the fall, has been appointed the Samuel A. Stouffer Professor of Political Science in Communication in the School of Arts and Sciences with a secondary appointment in the Annenberg School for Communication. This chair was established through the generosity of the late Walter Annenberg and his wife Leonore.
Romance Languages Professor Garners Prizes for Two Books. January 13, 2004.
Professor of Romance languages Joan DeJean’s latest books have earned her accolades from two different learned societies.Physics Nobel Laureate Wins Fermi Award. January 2004. Research professor of physics Raymond Davis, Jr., has received the Enrico Fermi Award, a presidential honor recognizing lifetime achievement in the field of nuclear energy. Professor Davis, who received the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physics, shares the award with his collaborator, Princeton University professor John Bahcall, for their pioneering work in neutrino physics.
Dr. Steiner: Watkins Chair in the Humanities. December 16, 2003. Dr. Emily Steiner, assistant professor of English, has been appointed the M. Mark & Esther K. Watkins Assistant Professor in the Humanities.
Generation Gap Explains Decline in Feminist Ranks. December 16, 2003. Despite gains brought about by the women's movement, young adults are far less likely than their middle-aged counterparts to call themselves feminists, according to a study conducted in part by the University of Pennsylvania.
McNeil Center Celebrates 25 Years by Unveiling Plans for New Home. December 2003. The McNeil Center for Early American Studies at the University of Pennsylvania celebrated its 25th anniversary this month by announcing plans for its new building.
Thinking Big: Fox Leadership Students Take on Poverty in Paraguay. November 21, 2003. A group of students in the College’s Fox Leadership Program are seeking to put their leadership skills to work to effect change in an impoverished community in Paraguay.
Baboons Identify Each Other by Status and Family; Such Abilities May Have Influenced Human Evolution. November 14, 2003. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania report that, much like humans, baboons identify each other based on complex rules that determine relationships between families and status or "rank" within their particular family.
Scientists Tease the Brain to Give Up its Secrets. November 13, 2003. The modern metaphor for the brain is a computer, but that hardly begins to capture how extraordinary the human brain is. Just take one example—what Martha Farah, professor of psychology and director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience calls “knowledge systems.”
History Professor’s Book Wins Not One Award, but Two. November 2003
History professor Margo Todd has received the Scottish History Book Award from the Saltire Society for her latest book, The Culture of Protestantism in Early Modern Scotland.Ewens Named the Browne Distinguished Professor of Biology November 4, 2003. Dr. Warren Ewens, professor of biology, has been named the Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Biology.
College sophomore rocks MTV video competition. October 31, 2003. Melissa Providence double majors, sings with Intuitions, and made a prize-winning video all "For the Love" of it.
International Studies Centers at SAS Earn "National Resource" Designation. October 27, 2003. For the first time in the School's history, four SAS area studies centers have received funding to serve as National Resource Centers for their region.
Recruitment Successes Add Quality, Quantity, to History Faculty. October 21, 2003. Successful recruiting efforts have brought six new faculty members to the history department this year, raising the size of history's standing faculty to 45 -- an increase of 22 percent over the past fours years
Urban Appointed Arthur Hobson Quinn Professor of Anthropology October 28, 2003. Dr. Greg Urban, professor of anthropology, has been appointed the Arthur Hobson Quinn Professor of Anthropology after serving a five-year term as the Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professor.
Brownlee Appointed to Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Chair October 21, 2003. Dr. David B. Brownlee, professor and chair of the department of the history of art, has been named the first Frances Shapiro-Weitzenhoffer Professor of 19th Century European Art.
Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professors Appointed. October 14, 2003. Dean Samuel H. Preston is pleased to announce that associate professor of physics and astronomy Dr. Mark Devlin, and associate professor of psychology Dr. Sharon Thompson-Schill, have been appointed Class of 1965 Term Professors in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Professor Selected for Polymer Chemistry Prize. October 14, 2003. Chemistry professor Virgil Percec has been chosen as the 2004 recipientof the Award in Polymer Chemistry by the American Chemical Society.
Chair at University of Michigan Named for Penn History Professor. October 14, 2003. A professor at the University of Michigan has honored Penn faculty member Mary Frances Berry by naming her chair for Berry.
Chairs for Two Newcomers to History Department. October 2003. Dr. Stephanie McCurry and Dr. Steven H. Hahn, two new recruits to the history department from Northwestern University, have been named the Merriam Term Associate Professor of History and the Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History.
Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professors Appointed. October 2003. Dr. Mark Devlin and Dr. Sharon Thompson-Schill have been appointed Class of 1965 Endowed Term Professors in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Chemistry Professor to Receive Yamada Prize. October 2003. Chemistry Professor Amos B. Smith III has been selected to receive the 2003 Yamada Prize by the Japan Research Foundation for Optically Active Compounds.
Tom C. Lubensky of Physics Wins Prestigious Award. October 2003. Mary Amanda Wood Professor of Physics Tom C. Lubensky has received the 2004 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize from the American Physical Society (APS).
Professor Honored for Research in Language Acquisition. September 18, 2003. Lila R. Gleitman, professor of psychology and linguistics, has received the American Psychological Association’s 2003 Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions.
Dreyfus Foundation Recognizes New Faculty Member. September 18, 2003. Assistant Professor Ivan J. Dmochowski has received the New Faculty Award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation for his project, “Methods, Molecules, and Microscopes for Better Biological Imaging.”
Creative Writing Lecturer Wins Book Award. September 18, 2003. Paul Hendrickson, a lecturer in the Creative Writing Program, has won the 2003 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Nonfiction for his new book, Sons of Mississippi: A Story of Race and Its Legacy.
Solar System "Fossils" Discovered by Hubble Telescope. September 6, 2003. Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Gary Bernstein and a group of collaborators announced the discovery of three of the faintest and smallest objects ever detected beyond Neptune.