On Campus
A Celebration of Scientific Innovation
President Judith Rodin and the University Trustees hosted a "Celebration of Scientific Innovation" to dedicate the Roy & Diana Vagelos Laboratories of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. The day-long celebration consisted of two symposia and a reception and open house. "Basic Science Contributions to World Health: A Case Study at Merck" was moderated by Professor of Chemistry Ralph F. Hirschmann and featured researchers from Merck & Company. "Horizons at the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology" was moderated by Vice Provost for Research Ralph D. Amado and featured several scientists including Nobel Prize winner Michael S. Brown, M.D., C'62, M'66, HON'86."Rebel Rebel" David Pullman Talks about Creating the Bowie Bond
His hair stays the same color and his suits are pin stripes instead of all white, but David Pullman, C'83, managing director of Fahnestock & Company, Inc., still wowed his audience at the October presentation of the SAS Alumni Lecture Series. Known for his innovative approach to asset-backed securities, Mr. Pullman recently made what might be both rock-n-roll and financial history with his creation of "Bowie bonds," in which he packaged and sold $55 million in securities backed by anticipated royalties from future sales of rock star David Bowie's first 25 albums. The Bowie bonds are thought to be the first ever securitization of intellectual property. "New ideas come from an evolution, not a revolution," Mr. Pullman told a student audience much more interested in hearing about securitization than Ziggy Stardust. The SAS Alumni Lecture Series also brought two writers to campus this fall. Gilbert Sandler, C'49, columnist for The Baltimore Sun, lectured on "Writing About Urban Affairs" and gave a journalism workshop for students. Novelist Simon Elegant, C'82, the author of the recently released novel A Floating Life: The Adventures of Li Po and a journalist in Hong Kong for ten years, met with a fiction writing class.Holocaust Expert Lectures on Campus
The inaugural Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Lecture featured Saul Friedlander, 1939 Club Professor of the History of the Holocaust at UCLA, and Maxwell Cummings, Professor of Modern European History at Tel-Aviv University. Professor Friedlander, considered one of the foremost scholars on the Holocaust, lectured on "Writing the History of the Shoah: Some Old/New Dilemmas."Lincoln on Hallowed Ground
Almost 100 alumni stopped by the Arts and Sciences Cafe during Homecoming Weekend to hear Political Science Professor Anne Norton, an expert on political discourse, discuss "Lincoln on Hallowed Ground." Professor Norton discussed the way that the 272-word Gettysburg Address profoundly reshaped a nation's consciousness. Her talk was offered as part of Penn's year-long focus on Abraham Lincoln (see Coming Up).Memorial Service Held for Jack E. Reece
Students, alumni, faculty and friends remembered Professor of History Jack E. Reece at a memorial service in October. Professor Reece, a historian of modern Europe who was noted both for his teaching and his prescient research into ethnic issues within European nations, died of a heart attack in August. Retired for the past two years because of illness, he had been active on the faculty for over 25 years. In his honor, the SAS Department of History has established the Jack E. Reece Memorial Fund to benefit history graduate students. Contributions in memory of Professor Reece should be made out to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and sent to: Jack Reece Memorial Fund, Department of History, University of Pennsylvania, 352B, 3401 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6228. For more information, call (215) 898-8452.
Welfare Reform Lecture
by Mary Jo Bane
The inaugural Beth and Richard Sackler Lecture in the SAS Department of Sociology brought out a standing-room-only crowd. Welfare expert Mary Jo Bane, professor of public policy at Harvard, was the draw with her talk on "Expertise, Advocacy and Deliberation: Lessons from Welfare Reform." Professor Bane served with the Clinton Administration as assistant secretary of Health and Human Services for Children and Family, and as commissioner of the New York State Department of Social Services. She has authored many books, articles, reviews, and reports on education, the family, and human services.
The lecture series has been established through the generosity of Beth Sackler, CW'72, and her husband Dr. Richard Sackler to promote greater understanding of children's and human rights.
Want to See Stars?
Deborah Goldader, a lecturer in the SAS Department of Physics and Astronomy, helps Taron Jennings, a member of the Philadelphia Space and Science Club, to see the four Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter during Stargazing Night at the Observatory. The department invites you to stargaze from the rooftop observatory of the David Rittenhouse Laboratory during the first Tuesday of each month from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. All ages are welcome and encouraged; reservations are not required. Call (215) 898-5995 during business hours to check weather conditions on the day of the event. More information is available at the department's Observatory web page (http://dept.physics.upenn.edu/pubobserve.html).
