"Einstein's Dreams' explored

In an attempt to introduce first-year students to the University's academic program, the Penn Freshman Reading Project was held Sunday as part of the New Student Orientation events. This year's selected novel, Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman, recounts a series of vignettes about the fictional dreams of Albert Einstein as he develops his special theory of relativity. Over the summer, each student received a copy of the selected text and information about the program. On Sunday, the students met with various faculty members and administrators from across the University to discuss the book. "[The project] is symbolic of the fact that Penn cares about intellectual things," said College Dean Robert Rescorla, who led one of the discussions. "And we would like students to talk to each other." Approximately 150 volunteers led the discussions, including Rosemary Stevens, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, University Provost Stanley Chodorow, Associate Vice Provost for University Life Larry Moneta, and Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone. Conversation among the groups of 15 to 20 students ranged from the scientific to the abstract. The novel, which philosophizes about the nature of time, evoked student discussion about science, creativity, psychology and how individuals make decisions. Einstein's Dreams was selected from among 250 texts suggested through an Almanac poll of University faculty and students. "The committee really wanted to challenge the students," said Christopher Dennis, director of academic programs in residence and member of the selection committee. "[Their] general feeling was that they wanted to try some contemporary text. "Most of the people that I spoke with were enthusiastic," Dennis added. "The turnout for the sessions was quite high. By and large, I think people enjoyed the text." While a few students said they thought the program was over-hyped, many said they enjoyed it. "I thought it was a good addition to orientation because it set an academic tone for the year," said College freshman Kyla Weisman. College freshman Amanda Karsten agreed. "It was encouraging to find out you were surrounded by intelligent people," Karsten said. "I found [the project] really helpful." The discussions, which varied greatly depending on the faculty leader, were designed to encourage this reaction. "The project was an attempt to unify the freshman class as a whole," Dennis said. "We figured that social interaction?would come more naturally. So we tried to structure an opportunity for intellectual inter- change."