January 31, 2008
Did You Know... that the Jewish, Muslim and Arab communities at Penn made history last night, with the launch of a new collaborative initiative called "Bridging the Gap"? Through dialogue and cultural events, this program hopes to foster a sense of mutual understanding. At the kickoff event held in Houston Hall last night, members of both the Jewish and Arab communities gathered to hear music by a group called Intercultural Journeys. After the group's performance, there was a discussion panel about issues related to Jewish-Arab relationships.
For more info, please check the DP online here.
January 28, 2008
Did You Know… that Penn named Sarah Tishkoff, a leading global expert in human genetics, the sixth Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) University Professor? Tishkoff will be the David and Lyn Silfen University Associate Professor, named in recognition of a Silfen family gift. Her appointment will be shared between the Department of Genetics in the School of Medicine and the Department of Biology in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Tishkoff works primarily in Africa, where she has compiled the world's most extensive DNA database, representing more than 7,000 Africans from more than 100 ethnic groups. Her research examines how genetic variations and genetic diversity can affect a wide range of practical issues, including, for example, differences in human susceptibility to disease, metabolism of drugs and evolutionary adaptation.
Read the whole story here on Penn's Making History website.
January 21, 2008
Did You Know… that long before he became a household name and before he won his Nobel Prize, Martin Luther King, Jr. was a student at Penn? Dr. King audited three philosophy courses at Penn's Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. He returned to campus in 1965 as part of a group of panelists for a special seminar titled "Rule of Law," held at the Penn Museum. Next-day coverage in the Philadelphia Inquirer quoted King: "Justice at this time proceeds with a halting gait and the law has often been slow to speak for the poor, the dispossessed and the disenfranchised."
Each year during the month of January, the University of Pennsylvania and our surrounding communities come together to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Learn more about the schedule of events and activities that the University has planned here.
Please note: The University will be closed on Monday, January 21st in observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
January 18, 2008
Did you know?... Today, Penn announced that Eric J. Furda, C'87, vice president for alumni relations and former executive director of undergraduate admissions at Columbia University, has been named dean of admissions at the University of Pennsylvania. Furda will assume his position as dean on July 1, 2008.
Read the full press release announcing Furda's appointment.
January 16, 2008
Did you know?... that research done by the Penn School of Medicine has been selected by the prestigious journal Science as one of the Top 10 scientific breakthroughs of 2007? Research conducted by Steven Reiner, MD, Professor, Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and Department of Medicine, and his Penn Medicine colleagues demonstrated how cells of the immune system solve the problem of eliminating an infection without being depleted in the process.
Read more here. | 
