Volume 111, No. 2
Features
Drone’s Day Scenarios
An invasion of unmanned aerial vehicles—drones to you—is on its way, but these flying robots are here to help, not enslave the human race. (At least, that’s what they say at Penn’s pioneering GRASP Lab, where some of the most sophisticated ones are being created.) By David Wolman
The Transformer
He turned an abandoned stretch of elevated rail tracks on Manhattan’s lower West Side from an eyesore to a treasured urban amenity, and put playing fields and green space where a garbage dump taller than the Statue of Liberty once sprawled. Now Penn Design alumnus and professor James Corner is creating a modern-day pleasure garden on the site of London’s Summer Olympics.
By Alyson Krueger
The Case of S. Weir Mitchell
He’s now remembered, if at all, for a misguided “rest cure” that inspired an iconic piece of early feminist fiction, but in his day alumnus and longtime University trustee S. Weir Mitchell found fame in several fields—as a noted surgeon and physician, a leading medical researcher, and a best-selling author. By Dennis Drabelle
From Brand to Role Model
Less than a decade after launching her own label, Tory Burch C’88 is one of the most recognizable names in fashion. Through mentoring and microloans, the Tory Burch Foundation is empowering other women entrepreneurs to follow in her footsteps.
By Kathryn Levy Feldman
Van Pelt at 50
Five decades on, the University’s central library is still doing the job.
By John Prendergast
Departments
First Person: Essays
Notes from the Undergrad Slow bus in Malawi
Alumni Voices At home in the world
Elsewhere Paraguay’s past in an abandoned train yard
Expert Opinion Why “Made in China” misleads
Gazetteer: News & Sports
Annenberg Center marks three decades of Dance Celebration
Ralph Brinster V’60 Gr’64 survives symposium honoring him
Shoemaker Green offers new view of Palestra and Franklin Field
Message to Class of 2016: “Ready, set, engage!”
Home team takes honors in PennApps hackathon
Statistically speaking, there’s a big problem with false-positive results
With $11 million in gifts, Wharton launches Public Policy Initiative
Excavating Gordion was not the most exciting thing Rodney Young did
New partnership aims to bring more “KIPPsters” to campus
In transition year, men’s basketball looks to surprise
Colgate’s Quaker coaches: Langel, Jordan, Klatsky
Scoreboard
Arts
DESIGN Daniel Gluck W’91 GFA’92 put sex in a museum
BOOKS Online discussion groups from Kelly Writers House
TRANSLATION “Glenn Gould of translators” Edith Grossman CW’57 G’59
ARCHITECTURE Venturi Scott Brown, post-Bob-and-Denise
BRIEFLY NOTED
ARTS CALENDAR
Alumni Profiles
Bernice Gordon FA’35 is the Times’s oldest crossword contributor
Alumni-staffed U3Ventures applies Penn’s revitalization recipe in Detroit
Susan Rodriguez CW’73 is a “wine epidemiologist”
Bob Kreider G’77 L’80 helps the non-profit Devereaux help others
Cyrus Massoumi W’98’s ZocDoc can find a doctor when you need one
Events
Notes
Obituaries
Window | Crossword by Bernice Gordon FA’35