On Thursday, October 11, over 450 alumni, parents, and friends attended the Los Angeles Campaign Kickoff Celebration for The Power of Penn: Advancing Knowledge for Good at the Beverly Wilshire.
Trustee Julie Beren Platt, C’79 PAR’05 PAR’08 PAR’12 PAR’21, introduced a short video about The Power of Penn Campaign, which illuminated the many ways this historic Campaign will Grow Inclusion, Spark Innovation, and Accelerate Impact both on campus and around the world.
The program included a continuation of the Knowledge for Good panel series, featuring faculty members Jonathan Moreno, Vivian Gadsden, and Emily Falk.
JONATHAN D. MORENO
DAVID AND LYN SILFEN UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR OF ETHICS, PERELMAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, PENN ARTS AND SCIENCES
Acclaimed as the “most interesting bioethicist of our time” by his peers, Jonathan Moreno is a Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor working at the intersection of bioethics, culture, science, and national security. Moreno has been senior staff for three presidential commissions, including President Obama’s Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues. He has written several compelling books, including Undue Risk and Mind Wars.
In 2019, he and Amy Gutmann will publish their new book, Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die: Bioethics and the Transformation of Healthcare in America. Moreno recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities.
VIVIAN GADSDEN
WILLIAM T. CARTER PROFESSOR OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION, PENN GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Vivian Gadsden is a nationally recognized researcher and leader in the field of education and human development, whose work helps shape public policy. She is currently faculty co-leader of the Penn Futures Project, an interdisciplinary cross-school effort to address the challenges facing Philadelphia’s most vulnerable children and families. She is also the recipient of the 2018 GSE Excellence in Teaching Award. Gadsden has served as president of the American Educational Research Association, as director of the National Center on Fathers and Families at Penn, and as associate director of the National Center on Adult Literacy. Her research investigates learning, literacy, and approaches to reducing risks to the well-being of children and families in diverse communities.
EMILY FALK
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF COMMUNICATION, PSYCHOLOGY, AND MARKETING, ANNENBERG SCHOOL FOR COMMUNICATION, PENN ARTS AND SCIENCES, WHARTON
Emily Falk is an innovative scholar who holds appointments in three schools at Penn. As the director of the Communication Neuroscience Lab at the Annenberg School, she focuses on social and media influence on individuals’ decision-making. Using multiple methods including brain imaging, the analysis of behavioral surveys, the monitoring of physical activity, and geolocation tracking, among others, Falk explores how the human brain processes communications to identify the most potent messages for prompting behavior change. Her research has the potential to impact a wide range of areas, including health policy, political communications, and marketing.
The program was followed by a lively reception, providing an opportunity for Quakers to connect and share in the excitement of the Campaign.
View photos from the Los Angeles Event here: Los Angeles Event Photo Gallery
Read more about the event on Penn Today: The Power of Penn Propels Forward
