Monthly Archives: August 2011

August 18, 2011 · 4:26 pm

Historical Penn: The School of Veterinary Medicine + Laura Ingalls

Author: Aimee L.

I just realized that my last blog post was about the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, and how I have been checking out every single Edgar-Award winning book I can get my hands on (just finished The Last Child by John Hart and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin.  Am now reading Ruth Rendell’s Tigerlily’s Orchids. Don’t spoil the ending for me if you’ve already read it. Though, truthfully, I’m halfway through the book and there doesn’t seem to be much of a mystery. No murders, no kidnappings, no intrigue–just a lot of detailed character studies of fairly unlikable people living in London. It is funny though).  So, fine, I won’t rave about Penn’s library again. Instead, I will post some feel good pictures I received from the School of Veterinary Medicine for the Homecoming Weekend guide (mark your calendars–it’s coming up on Nov. 4-6. It’s my job to remind you).

First, here are a few  vet school related photos from the archives (available through the VPD Library!! I can’t stop).

School of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Hospital, July 1909 (exterior, ambulance for small animals, during construction)

I love that this is an ambulance for small animals. How nice that they would just show up at your door if your kitty cat got into your butter churn or your dog ate up all of your coal or your ferret fell into the outhouse (I’m guessing at the details based on my only source of historical knowledge, the Little House on the Prairie series. Again, see previous post).

School of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Hospital (built 1883-1884 and demolished ca. 1901, Furness & Evans, architects), exterior

Here is the old vet school building–very bucolic, set in a field of overgrown dandelions.

School of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Hospital, interior, class in surgical amphitheater

Look how interested all these men are at seeing the dog having his foot bandaged. That’s because this was before the invention of TV (I’m pretty sure. Laura Ingalls didn’t ever mention watching cable with Pa while Ma put Carrie to bed in the corn crib).

School of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Hospital, December 1908

This is either the Vet School or nearby insane asylum during lunch break. Hard to tell from this distance.

School of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Hospital, circa 1900, Blacksmith Shop

Here, the students are leanring a second trade, horseshoe-crafting, just in case the whole “vet” thing didn’t take off.

Barbaro, the undefeated Kentucky Derby Race Horse winner, and Penn vet staff member

In case you didn’t realize it, Barbaro was treated for his broken leg at the George D. Widener Large Animal Hospital at the School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center. You can read more about it here.

And, as promised, here are some present day photos submitted to me for the Homecoming Weekend guide–all very cute dogs successfully treated at the School of Veterinary Medicine.

And just so you don’t think I’m biased toward dogs, here are a couple of cats for you:

This reminds me of that scene in one of the Little House books where Laura and Mary have toothaches from eating too many handmade sno-cones and Pa pulls out all of their teeth.

You can find even more cuteness at the Penn Vet photo gallery here.

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August 17, 2011 · 6:16 pm

Falling for Fall

Author: Emily Siegel

I love fall. I love the changing colors and the crisp nights.  Not only that, but fall represents a new year of possibility.  Sure, technically the new year begins in January, but every September since I started kindergarten, the beginning of a school year has brought with it a tickling sense of possibility; the chance to start fresh.  First off, there’s the delight in new school supplies. Out with the worn-down crayons and colored pencils, and in with the pointy-sharp array of the latest trend in colors.  In anticipation, I practically spent all summer debating what design would my Trapper Keeper have this year… bunnies or hearts or horses!?!?!?  Oh, the possibilities!  SUCH. A. DILEMMA.   Most often, I picked horses.

And then, there’s also back to school shopping for clothes and imagining the first day of classes, showing up in a brand new outfit—new shoes, new haircut, new outlook. And the curiosity about my classes and schedule—what my teachers would be like, who I’d be sitting next to in English, if any of my friends would have lunch period with me.  Fall has always seemed like the time for the greatest potential. You don’t know exactly how the year will go, but the chance to start fresh feels like each September brings a new beginning.

One of the things I love most about working on a college campus is that this same anticipation is palatable at the start of every semester.  Right now, prospective students are flooding the campus, with wide-eyes as they learn about and explore the university, trying to picture what their life might look like if they end up studying at Penn.  The excitement in their eyes reminds me of my own college search as I explored different schools and pondered where I might spend those life-changing four years.

As current Penn students slowly trickle back to campus, you can sense their excitement about the upcoming year too – new classes, new friends, new opportunities. The feeling is infectious.

In fact, it’s so contagious that I found myself perusing Penn’s course catalog and dreaming about what class (or classes) I could take this year. Do I sign up for something practical and related to my career like “History of American Higher Education?” Or, do I refine my Spanish speaking-skills by taking “Advanced Conversation?” Or, do I choose something out-of-the-box like “Furniture Design” and learn how to make the ottoman that I’ve been searching for over the last year?  So many options!

I think it’s precisely this sense of the many possibilities that makes this season so exciting. I’d love to know how others are thinking and feeling about the back-to-school aura on campus.  What possibilities of the coming season are you most excited about? And, perhaps most importantly, what kind of Trapper Keeper did you choose?

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August 16, 2011 · 8:02 am

Penn Saving the Planet, One Bike at a Time

Author: Stephanie Y., C’08

When I was an undergrad, I knew a number of students who rode their bikes regularly whether it was for commuting (biking to classes), for fun (biking to and from downtown), or for exercise (biking along the Schuylkill River and on Kelly Drive). Now I work full-time at Perelman School of Medicine (formerly known as Penn Med), and I am always pleasantly surprised to see how many employees also ride their bikes to and from Penn.

The bike racks by my building are always full by 9am, so people who show up five minutes late to work have to lock their bikes to trees. This does not seem environmentally-friendly to me, but as you can see, people do it!

The bike racks in front of my building are not even the most crowded on campus. You should go see the bike racks outside the Biomedical Library – I don’t even bother looking for a spot there.

So, you can imagine I was thrilled when I heard through the grapevine that some Penn alumni classes are working with The Penn Fund to donate new bike racks to Penn. Let’s hear it for Penn Alumni! Their mission is in line with Penn’s Green Campus Partnership and Reducing Emissions Initiative. Even though there are already many bike racks on campus, we definitely need more!

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August 15, 2011 · 3:38 pm

The Doors of College Green

Blanche Levy Park, also known as College Green, has evolved enormously over the years. New buildings have been erected, old ones demolished, and Woodland Walk’s trolley is now buried beneath the campus rather than running through it. Despite these changes, Penn, perched directly across the Schuylkill river from Center City, has always remained as a doorway of sorts to West Philadelphia. Below you will see eight entryways to buildings around the green. How many can you identify? Click the link at the bottom of the page to see how many you got correct!

Doorway #1

Doorway #2

Doorway #3

Doorway #4

Doorway #5

Doorway #6

Doorway #7

Doorway #8

Continue reading →

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August 12, 2011 · 3:08 pm

Remembering Winter in August

Author: Kiera Reilly, C’93

Back in the summer of 2008, as we worked on the Penn Alumni Travel catalog for 2009, I couldn’t stop thinking about the cover photo we chose. It was a wintry scene from Salzburg, Austria.

Although I have lived in California for over 10 years, I’m originally from the East Coast and miss the snow and romance of a “White Christmas.” So, as we continued working on our catalog, through many revisions and printers proofs, I kept thinking about going to Austria. And once our brochure was printed and many extra copies were in my office taunting me daily, I had to take action.

I convinced my boyfriend that we needed to visit the holiday markets in Austria that December. As a California native, the allure of shopping outside in the cold was lost on him, but he’s a good sport and finally agreed to join me.

We started in Vienna, spending a few days exploring Austria’s capital. We saw the famous Lipizzaner Horses of the Spanish Riding School (no photos of the horses during the show were allowed), visited St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and sampled Austrian pastries at Demel Café. We ate wiener schnitzel and enjoyed eating sausages stuffed in rolls at food trucks with the locals. At the last minute we purchased standing room tickets for the Vienna State Opera to see Wagner’s Götterdämmerung. Although standing is definitely not the ideal way to experience opera, I ended up staying for the entire show because the sound of the orchestra and singing was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. Of course, we also visited some of the holiday markets in town and sipped warm Glühwein as we wandered the market stalls.

Spanish Riding School

L:ipizzaner Horses

Holiday Lights in Vienna

Ornaments

Sipping Gluhwein

We next took a train to Salzburg and stayed with one of my sister’s college friends who had been living there for several years. She provided lots of insider tips for us, and took us to a traditional Austrian dinner on our last night, complete with shots of schnapps to finish our meal.

We hiked up to the Hohensalzburg Fortress, which towers over the city, and were treated to spectacular views. While the weather remained warm for most of our trip, it worked to our advantage as we were never too cold and spent most of our days outside. One surprising find was when we took a Sound of Music trip, and along the way passed by the headquarters for Red Bull!

Red Bull Headquarters Outside of Salzburg

Austrian Countryside

Of course, there were more holiday markets to visit in Salzburg, but I also enjoyed shopping in some of the local stores.

Thousands of Ornaments on Display

Lederhosen, Anyone?

Finally, on the last night, it snowed. And as the snow fell on the quite town at night and glistened under the twinkling lights of the markets, I was happy.

Do you want to visit Austria’s holiday markets? Penn Alumni Travel is offering a trip to the markets in Germany and Austria this December 6-13. For more information, go here.

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August 12, 2011 · 9:00 am

New Prize at Penn

Guest blogger: Umi Howard, Wharton

Are you interested in social enterprise or philanthropy? If the answer is yes, you should find out more about the Lipman Family Prize. This is the first year of this exciting new initiative at Penn and we need two things – 1) students that want to be a part of our Student Selection Committee, and 2) great organizations around the globe to apply for the prize.

The Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize, administered by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, recognizes and amplifies the work of organizations creating sustainable solutions to significant social and economic challenges

– with an emphasis on transferability and impact of practices.  This is an annual, global prize that will award $100,000 to the winner and a non-monetary award package that includes educational opportunities and other supports.

To find out more about the prize,visit the website and be sure to watch the video! You can also view the prize guidelines here and find out how to apply.

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August 11, 2011 · 2:58 pm

Safety On-Campus

Author: Lex Ruby-Howe, C’07

With New Student Orientation (NSO) now just three weeks away, the campus is starting to busy with preparations for the hive of activities that welcome new and returning students to Penn’s academic and social life.

Last night, representatives from the hubs and centers across campus headed to Bodek Lounge to present their wares to the 100 or so pre-freshman program (PennCAP) students, in a hope to orient them to the soon-to-be-alive campus and all it has to offer.

While the excitement of joining their 2400 peers at NSO looms, some of those students will, after a summer of relative freedom, be stepping into a somewhat restrictive environment.

The City of Philadelphia has experienced several spontaneous, and somewhat destructive, flash mobs this summer, and is taking action to ebb the flow of youth to the streets. These mobs have seen hundreds of young folks taking to the streets, and in some instances causing damage to businesses and storefronts.

The Mayor’s Office is enforcing a pre-existing city-wide curfew. The curfew will be most heavily implemented (and policed) in Center City and University City. Details of the curfew can be found here –but minors under the age of 18 must be inside from 9 PM-6 AM every day, or accompanied by an adult 21 or over.

Mayor Nutter Presenting the New Curfew Plan

After a presentation by a detective from Penn’s Department of Public Safety at the resource fair last night, the PennCAP students became concerned they’d be stopped or face punishment when walking back from class each evening. Penn’s Divison of Public Safety is making sure any individuals under 18 who are Penn affiliated have as much information about the curfew as possible, and act responsibly if they are challenged. They are taking measures to ensure students always carry identification, and if stopped suggest the students mention their participation in the PennCAP program and should not face any problems.

The campus community should be glad that safety is of the utmost priority. The students will no doubt benefit from the actions the City of Philadelphia is taking to make sure our their 2400 undergraduate students peers are safe come September too.

City of Philadelphia Curfew Map

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August 10, 2011 · 4:02 pm

I Spy… PENN!

Author: Nicole Oddo, C’05

On what is just a typical day of orientation and training at my office, we gather in the lobby for a roof tour.  Now of course, going up to the roof does not sound like work, but part of my job is exposing our summer associates (interns) to Philadelphia. Considering I work in one of the great skyscrapers of the Philadelphia skyline, it is an amazing introduction.  This will actually be my first trip.  Seeing as after three years my ears finally stopped popping everyday on my commute to the 43rd floor, I’m a bit nervous.  How much space do we really have up there?  Why did I pick such a windy day?  Is it easy to fall off the roof? Will I get everyone safely back?

We ride the freight elevator together to the top. Armed with cameras (including the old school disposable version), we are ready for this tour.  And the view is absolutely spectacular.

As I walk around the roof, I’m greeted by a familiar sight.

Penn.

Here from the roof, I have a new vantage point of the familiar landmarks – Huntsman Hall, High Rise East (now Harnwell), Franklin Field, Irvine Auditorium, and a pocket of trees (Locust Walk) in the middle of campus.  Several other Penn alums are on the roof as well and we stand there pointing out buildings.  While so many parts of the city have special meaning to me now, Penn is at the heart of all of it.  After all, without Penn, I would have never made it to Philadelphia!

Enjoy a few of my other photos from the roof.

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August 10, 2011 · 2:05 pm

Remembering Why

Author: Amanda D’Amico

As a staff member at The Penn Fund, I understand the important impact that philanthropy has on Penn’s students.  Penn Fund dollars help to support the 40% of Penn students who receive student aid; they help to support the 574 student organizations at Penn; and they affect each undergraduate at Penn.

But working in an administrative building away from students doesn’t allow me to regularly see what interesting things Penn students are doing because Penn Fund dollars helped to support their lab’s upgrade, or what riveting conversations are taking part in a small lecture hall because Penn Fund dollars helped to pay for more faculty members, or the value added by a student who would be unable to attend Penn without of the support of financial aid.  That’s why I was thrilled to venture with other members of The Penn Fund’s marketing team to Penn’s School of Nursing for a few hours.

A colleague in the School of Nursing set up a wonderful afternoon for us.  Our first stop was five minutes with Dean Afaf I Meleis, PhD, DrPS(hon), FAAN.  The Dean spoke to us about how giving at Penn, through The Penn Fund, the Nursing Annual Fund, and other sources, has impacted the school.  She spoke of her priorities for the school and of her vision for its future.

Next, we sat down with Angela Iorianni-Cimbak, MSN, RN, Director of the Brunner Lab.  Angela gave a wonderful presentation on the upcoming transformation of the simulation labs and the impact it would have on the students.  This was followed by a tour of the existing labs, complete with simulated patients and operating rooms.  We were able to peak at students as they practiced putting IVs in the arms of “patients,” and as they hurried around the simulation rooms which seemed to be almost as busy as a real ER.

At the end of our tour, we were able to meet with two undergraduate students who talked about their experiences at the Nursing School.  Their perspective was particularly interesting, as they were both second-degree students (meaning that they had received a bachelor’s degree from another University in another subject and were now attending Penn Nursing for the bachelor’s in Nursing).  The students talked about their experiences as non-traditional undergraduates and of the opportunities that Penn Nursing afforded them.

Overall, it was a fascinating and fantastic experience, and I can’t thank my colleagues enough in Nursing for taking the time out of their day to speak to us.  This visit really helped to emphasize the impact that philanthropy has on Penn’s students.

To learn more about the Penn’s School of Nursing, visit http://www.nursing.upenn.edu/Pages/default.aspx .

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August 9, 2011 · 9:00 am

Locust Walk Talk: Penn MBA Panel Partnerships

Author: Casey Ryan, C’95

Last month, I traveled to DC to attend a club-hosted event, sponsored by Kaplan Test Prep: the MBA Admissions Panels.  Through the work of an alumnus serving on our Alumni Programming Committee of the Penn Alumni Board of Directors, he made the connection with the test preparation company to give our Clubs the opportunity to partner together to offer this informative discussion to our alumni.  This event started as a single discussion in Boston and has evolved into a multi-city panel event.

Hosts and sponsors of the MBA Panel

Our young alumni who are contemplating going back to graduate or professional school are looking for advice on how to apply.  We are able to offer this chance those thinking about business school.  Working with Kaplan, we invite admissions officers from Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Management, MIT Sloan Management, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Penn’s own Wharton to explain the application process, as well as talk about the aspects of admissions process.

Kaplan and Club Members working registration

Moderated by a new member of the Penn Alumni Club of Washington, DC, the admissions officers elaborated about many of the facets on the process, including test scores, essays, work experience, volunteer work, MBA interviews and more.  After the conversation, our moderator asked questions submitted to the panel by attendees prior.  These questions went into more depth about specifics and the panel noted how very thoughtful the crowd was.  At the conclusion of the panel, the speakers are available for our attendees to get more information about specific programs and talk one-on-one.

Congressional Room of the Washington Hilton fills up

Currently, the Penn Alumni Clubs in Washington, Philadelphia and New York work with Kaplan to present this event. In DC, the event was a success with 300 alumni and friends in attendance.  Club members and Kaplan employees were busy checking in all those who signed in on-line as well as taking care of the walk-on registrants.

The advice that I gleaned from the panel was that most people who apply to these selective MBA programs have the skills and the rigor to do the work.  The fact remains that more people apply than there are spots in an incoming class, so one needs to differentiate oneself from the applicant pool.  Honest, thoughtful and well-written essays are the key to telling the story about how one would both stand out and fit in at the Business School of choice.

Attendees listening and taking notes

I think this advice can be relevant to all us, regardless future aspirations, as long as we aim to be honest, thoughtful and clear in our objectives, we will stand out and be able to work together to get the goals for which we’re striving.

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