Kellog Conference highlights service

The first-ever conference examined academically based community service, focusing on three "project areas." The first-ever Kellogg Conference, "Linking Intellectual Resources and Community Needs," highlighted academically based community service activities that the University offers. The conference, which was sponsored by the W. K. Kellogg Program to Link Intellectual Resources and Community Needs at the University of Pennsylvania, focused on three "project areas" -- culture and community studies, environment and health and nutrition and health. The afternoon session, held at the Quadrangle's McClelland Hall, focused on "Environment and Health and Nutrition and Health: University Community Collaborative Research Projects." College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robert Rescorla, who convened the afternoon session of the conference, said that in addition to encouraging University students to have a strong undergraduate education, he wants "students to be committed to the community in which they live." Rescorla called student research a "fundamental part of the undergraduate education," adding that "Penn's mission to bring a research experience to its undergraduates is central." College seniors Abby Close and Rachel Wright -- who chaired the session -- noted that several University courses offer opportunities for students to interact with the West Philadelphia community. One of these classes is Geology Professor Robert Giegengack's Environmental Studies 404 course, "Urban Environment: West Philadelphia." Students in Environmental Studies 404 worked with students at West Philadelphia's Shaw Middle School, educating students and the local community about the dangers of lead poisoning. Giegengack noted that children up to age three are most susceptible to lead poisoning, a toxic heavy metal that "is extremely rare in nature." He added that "enormous quantities of lead survive today as pigment in paint." Calling lead poisoning a "disease of poverty," Giegengack explained that lead -- often embedded in peeling paint -- is prevalent in the homes of families who cannot afford to repaint their houses. The purpose of Giegengack's class is "to test the hypothesis that we can do more through education to change behavior than the city of Philadelphia will ever do through costly clean-up." Middle-school student representatives from Shaw's Environmental Lead Reduction Project talked about efforts to increase awareness of the dangers associated with lead poisoning in their community. One Shaw student said she told her family about lead poisoning because she has a younger cousin who is susceptible to it. Giegengack called his class successful in reaching the community. "If Mom and Dad help with the homework, and the homework is gathering samples, even they've got to learn something," he said. Fine Arts Professor Andrea Zemel -- who teaches Fine Arts 349, "Community, Collaborative and Public Art" -- said the conference is a valuable effort to link studies at the University with city issues. "It's really helpful to hear the realm of dialogue which surrounds the issues that I address only a part of," she added. Because academically based community service opportunities encompass so many departments, Zemel said the conference "brings us together in those areas of overlap." The morning session, held at University City High School, was entitled "Culture and Community Studies: Issues of Pedagogy." The evening session, held at the Castle, emphasized "Reflections on Linking Intellectual Resources and Community Needs."