The School of Engineering and Applied Science's design department just got $70 million richer. The department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics earned a $70 million design-technology package from the Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education organization yesterday morning.

As third-year Howard coach Gil Jackson goes up against his former team this weekend, even he may be surprised at how soon his return to the Palestra has come. The 16-year Penn assistant coach, who came to the program with Fran Dunphy in 1989, won nine Ivy championships and left for the Bison's head job after the 2004-05 season.

Theft Nov. 9 - A male employee reported that a laptop was taken at about 3:45 p.m. from an unsecured office at the McNeil Building, located at 3718 Locust Walk. Nov. 9 - A male student reported that at about 5:30 p.m., an unknown suspect removed his bike, secured with a cable lock, from Huntsman Hall, located at 3730 Spruce St.

What makes you you? What gives a city like Philadelphia its identity? Those were the questions posed last night at the official launch of the Franklin Institute's newest exhibit, "Identity: An Exhibition of You." To kick off the event, mayor-elect Michael Nutter gave a keynote address in the museum's historic Franklin Hall about "The Identity of the New Philadelphia," one of the first speeches he has given since he was elected Nov.

Rafael Nadal, consider yourself challenged. Nadal may be the best in the world on clay, but Barney Tanfield, the assistant pro at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia on 16th Street, thinks he might have a harder time on the unforgiving slate of court tennis.

According to one journalist, Israel is farther from achieving peace with its neighbors than ever before. Jerusalem Post reporter Herb Keinon spoke with students last night at Hillel about current affairs in Israel and the Middle East, emphasizing the upcoming Annapolis Summit, a U.

Most people wouldn't mention "ag school" and "Ivy League" in the same breath. This is probably because along with Penn, everyone forgets about that school up in Ithaca. Nonetheless, I was surprised to learn recently that Yale did, indeed, have an ag program of sorts - a food-and-agriculture concentration within their environmental-studies department.

It wasn't a smooth transition from the field to the sidelines.Former Penn wide receiver Matt Carre's first season as a coach was rough. But even after starting the season 0-9, Carre tried to stay positive as he took the field as King's College intern assistant coach for the team's final game of the year last Saturday.

Nearly a dozen Drexel University students have been robbed just north of the school's campus over the last month, though Philadelphia Police arrested one juvenile male Friday who is linked to some of the muggings. There have been a total of 11 robberies between Market and Spring Garden streets and between 31st and 36th streets since October, Philadelphia Police Sgt.

Don't be surprised if you see some extra bodies in the stands at Penn sporting events next semester. And don't be surprised if those bodies look athletic enough to be in the game, themselves. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee plans to kick off Quaker Days, an initiative to strengthen attendance at sporting events by drawing other athletes to games.

Philadelphia Police released a detailed account yesterday of the sexual assault of a female student on the 4000 block of Spruce Street. Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit Capt. John Darby said that, after going to sleep shortly after 3:30 a.m. Monday, the victim, 20, was awoken by a male lying on top of her holding a sharp object to her neck.

The University's review of hiring and admissions practices, originally slated to be finalized this fall, has been delayed indefinitely because of Faculty Senate concerns about requiring faculty hires to disclose criminal backgrounds. A Faculty Senate committee is in the midst of discussing the possible ramifications of a self-disclosure question, which would potentially be posed to all prospective faculty members.

Amira Fawcett is an Engineering junior from Houston. Her e-mail address is fawcett@dailypennsylvanian.com.

One team stands in the way of Princeton going undefeated in Ivy League play this season: the Quakers. Although the League title is out of its reach, Penn's volleyball team (17-8, 10-3) still has plenty to play for tonight when it hosts Princeton in its season finale at 7 p.m. at the Palestra.

An AlliedBarton security guard exposed himself to a female student after he escorted her home Monday night, Division of Public Safety officials said yesterday. The guard offered to escort the student from 38th and Sansom streets to her house, near 41st and Locust streets, at about 9:00 p.

By 2010, a new fitness center, three full-length fields, Palestra Green, 12 additional tennis courts and a new softball stadium will invigorate the eastern edge of Penn's campus. That's only the beginning of Penn's three-phase facilities campaign, though.

Last week, the Roots gave Penn students a fantastic show. The concert was sponsored by SPEC-TRUM, a branch of the Social Planning and Events Committee that organizes events geared toward the minority community on campus. SPEC-TRUM sold over 1,000 tickets to students, despite announcing the show barely a week before it occurred.