May 11, 2006
CONTACT: Karen Kreeger
(215) 349-5658
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
Greg Lester
University of Pennsylvania
(215) 573-6604
glester@pobox.upenn.edu
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Professor Among Four from Penn
Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
(Philadelphia, PA) - Four professors at the University of Pennsylvania are among the 195 members of the 2006 Class of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Founded in 1780, the Academy is an independent policy research center that brings together scholars, scientists, artists and civic, corporate and philanthropic leaders to study complex and emerging problems.
S. Walter Englander from Penn's School of Medicine,
and Charles Bernstein, Andrew Postlewaite, and Amos Smith, from Penn's
School of Arts and Sciences were nominated and elected to the Academy
by current members.
S. Walter Englander is the Jacob Gershon-Cohen Professor of Medical Science
and Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Englander is also a member
of National Academy of Sciences as well as an Honorary Fellow of The Biophysical
Society and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
His laboratory is interested in biophysical studies of protein structure,
function, folding, misfolding, and amyloid. The study of protein folding
in particular is expected to shed light on the errors in the process that
can lead to such disorders as Alzheimers disease, Huntingtons-related
diseases, and prion-related encephalopathies.
Charles Bernstein is the Donald T. Regan Professor of English. He teaches
courses on poetry and poetics, with an emphasis on modernist and contemporary
art and performance. In addition to his teaching activities, he is a co-director
of PENNsound, the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing's digital
poetry archive project. He has published three collections of essays and
more than 20 books of poetry, and his poems have appeared in more than
350 literary magazines and anthologies in North America. His recent works
include the poetry collections With Strings and Republics of Reality:
1975-1995, as well as the pamphlet World on Fire. In addition, Bernstein
has written librettos for five operas, including Shadowtime.
Andrew Postlewaite is the Harry P. Kamen Professor of Economics. His research
and teaching focus on microeconomic theory, game theory, law and economics,
public economics, mathematical economics and social choice. He is a Fellow
of the Econometric Society and a recipient of numerous NSF grants and
a Sloan Foundation grant.
Amos Smith is the William Warren Rhodes-Robert J. Thompson Professor of
Chemistry. Smith's laboratory focuses on bioorganic, medicinal and materials
chemistry, and he is highly regarded for his work on synthesizing architecturally
complex anticancer and antiviral molecules. His many awards include the
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays, with Neck Ribbon from the Government
of Japan, the Yamada Prize (Tokyo, Japan) and Penn's first Provost's Award
for Distinguished Teaching and Mentoring Ph.D. Students.
A complete list of newly elected members and their affiliations is available
at www.amacad.org.
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PENN Medicine is a $2.9 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Penn's School of Medicine is ranked #2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds; and ranked #3 in the nation in U.S.News & World Report's most recent ranking of top research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes three hospitals [Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, which is consistently ranked one of the nation's few "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S.News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center]; a faculty practice plan; a primary-care provider network; two multispecialty satellite facilities; and home care and hospice.
This release is available online at http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/may06/acadflws.htm