Volume 110, No. 5
Features
The Rise of the Biocrats
From stem-cell research to HPV vaccinations, healthcare policy to genetic modification, bioethics increasingly provides the framework for weighing the costs and benefits of scientific progress. Long a leader in the field, the University is moving to make Penn the place where such work happens, and where the next generation of bioethicists will be minted. By Trey Popp
Time for the Maya
No, the ancient Maya did not predict that the world will end in December 2012. Yes, the Penn Museum is taking advantage of the popular fascination with that distinctly North American misinterpretation of the Maya calendar to mount a wide-ranging exhibit examining Maya notions of time and much more about this rich, still-thriving culture. By Beebe Bahrami
The Artful Rebel
Francis Hopkinson signed the Declaration of Independence, designed the American flag, wrote some biting satire, composed the nation’s first secular music, and got some props for his scientific ingenuity. Not a bad career for the College’s first alumnus. By Samuel Hughes
Character’s Content
Penn psychologist Angela Duckworth Gr’06 argues that character—not intelligence, quality of instruction, family situation, or income level—is the crucial determinant of achievement in school. Now she just has to figure out how to measure character—and influence it for the better. By Kevin Hartnett
Departments
From the Editor
From College Hall
Letters
ESSAYS : First Person
Notes from the Undergrad A transfer’s story
Alumni Voices Similar backgrounds, different choices
Elsewhere Kahn was here?
Expert Opinion A cure for the bra-shopping blues
GAZETTEER : News & Sports
Silfen Forum focuses on fixing America’s future
Education reformer Geoffrey Canada will speak at Commencement
Luce Scholars Aimee Bailey EAS’06 and Abby Seldin C’09 G’09
Undergraduate costs to rise 3.9 percent, financial aid up 7.7 percent
Golkin Hall opening features Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Penn Electric’s DIY-ers put theory into practice—on wheels
Nobelist Amartya Sen on global justice at Levin Family Dean’s Forum
Abramson Institute and Penn file lawsuits against former director
Medical faculty followed existing rules in ghostwriting claim
B-ball senior stalwarts Zack Rosen and Jess Knapp on loving the game
Scoreboard
ALL THINGS ORNAMENTAL : The Arts
ART Afro-Brazilian works at the Arthur Ross Gallery. Samba Sessão
ART The alumna who will curate the Barnes collection in its new home
BOOKS A quirky dual biography from Gino Segré. Ordinary Geniuses
MUSIC Guthrie Ramsey on his new CD, The Colored Waiting Room
BRIEFLY NOTED
ARTS CALENDAR
ALUMNI : Profiles
Peter Mallory C’67 wrote the book—all four volumes—on rowing
Katie Goodman C’90 and Soren Kisiel C’92 make feminism funny
Wayne Baruch C’68 really knows how to put on a show
Avril 50-owner John Shahidi WG’80 G’89 is still behind the counter
Events
Notes
Obituaries