Six Penn professors have been named John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellows -- the most in any year since 1998.
This year's recipients -- all of whom are professors in the College -- include English and Comparative Literature professor Joan Dayan, Religious Studies professor Talya Fishman, History and Sociology of Science professor Susan Lindee, English professor Peter Stallybrass, Religious Studies professor David Stern and History professor Margo Todd.
According to the foundation's Web site, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation "offers fellowships to further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts."
One of the most attractive things about the fellowship, according to some of the recipients, is the time the grant buys them to focus on their research.
"I'll be able to take all of next year as a sabbatical and get going on this project, so it makes a huge difference with my work," Lindee said.
Todd echoed these sentiments, adding that the time off and money will allow her to spend most of next year in Scotland.
"I'm working on an urban history project in the 16th century," she explained. "Basically, I will have no teaching duties next year, so I can be in Scotland [and] all of my sources are manuscripts or the physical remains of the town."
Stern, who will be finishing a book on the history of four classic Jewish texts and the Jewish historical experience, said that he is also looking forward to the time off from teaching, which he will use to devote himself to writing.
Lindee explained that the research she will conduct during her sabbatical focuses on "the relationship between science, technology, medicine and war in 20th century America."
"It's a historical study of technical knowledge systems in the United States and of the ways that war has become the dominant scientific enterprise in the industrialized world," she added.
Recipients noted the prestige and honor of receiving a Guggenheim and said they were pleased at the accomplishment.
"I'm just very grateful to the foundation and to the University," Lindee said. "It's a great honor. I'm very happy about it."
Todd agreed, adding, "It's a wonderful opportunity. This is just not the sort of research project that I could do without the grant. It creates all sorts of new possibilities."
