Loretta Sweet Jemmott, director of the Center for Health Disparities Research at the School of Nursing, received The Baxter International Foundation's 2007 Episteme Award earlier this month. Jemmott earned the award for researching and developing strategies to reduce HIV risk-associated sexual behaviors among African-American, South-African and Latino youth and adults.

Penn's Graduate School of Education announced a new program earlier this month that will prepare teachers for public secondary-school education in Mandarin Chinese language and culture. The 10-month program is designed for students with an undergraduate background in Chinese languages, culture, history and literature who are seeking a Master's degree in education and faculty recommendation for certification from the Pennsylvania Department of Education in secondary education.

The Ph.D. program in the Annenberg School for Communication was named the top program in the country in the Third Annual Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, a measurement conducted by Academic Analytics, earlier this month. Academic Analytics, a company that sells research on faculty productivity, rated the Ph.

Division of Public Safety officials said yesterday they have no major security changes planned for the area around 38th and Chestnut streets, the site of two shootings in the last month. In an interview yesterday, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said DPS had already made a temporary increase in security in the area after the shooting of a Philadelphia Police officer at Koko Bongo Oct.

Last December, Economics professor Rafael Robb "lost it" during a fight with his wife, Ellen, about whether their daughter would return from an upcoming vacation in time to attend school. That day, Dec. 22, 2006, Ellen Robb was found bludgeoned to death in the couple's Upper Merion home - a crime for which Rafael Robb admitted guilt yesterday.

Politics met music last night in the Arts Cafe of the Kelly Writers House. Four award-winning political journalists, along with musical guests The Spinning Leaves, visited Penn for a public recording of "LIVE at the Writers House," the center's monthly radio program.

With Wharton's towering Huntsman Hall to the west, the University Hospital Complex to the south and the Engineering School to the east, Penn's campus can be an intimidating place, especially for College students pursuing majors without direct career paths.

Penn Medical School researchers have discovered that using an immune-system gene to enhance a vaccine used to study HIV can help prevent simian HIBV, according to a report released last week. When given a vaccine enhanced with a molecule called Interleukin-15, macaque monkeys had greater protection against simian HIV than those with an unmodified vaccine.

A Penn Police officer shot and killed a man accused of shooting a disc jockey early yesterday morning inside a strip club at 38th and Chestnut streets, leading to its closure. It was the second shooting at the intersection in the past month: Larry Bembry, a West Philadelphia resident, was killed by Philadelphia Police on Oct.

Police say they have no leads into the investigation of last Monday's sexual assault of a female student in her apartment on the 4000 block of Spruce Street. Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit Capt. John Darby said detectives are still reviewing surveillance footage of the surrounding area to try to pinpoint a suspect.

Ducks flew together last weekend. Team Mighty Ducks, comprised of 10 of 527 Wharton freshman taking Management 100, pulled out all the stops for part of their class's requirement that they put on a community-focused event, part of a semester-long project.

The executive committee of the Student Activities Council elected Wharton and Engineering junior Eric Van Nostrand as their new chairman earlier this month. SAC is responsible for dispersing funds to the over 200 student groups on campus and serves as a liaison between student groups and the University administration.

Assault Nov. 11 - A female employee was hit on the back of the head by a male suspect while she was walking westbound on the 3800 block of Spruce Street at about 12:00 a.m. Wharton senior Seamus Scanlan, 21, of the 300 block of S. 39th St. was arrested and charged with assault.

The InterFraternity Council will have to elect a new president after College junior Matt Dwyer resigned due to personal issues less than a week after being elected to the post. Dwyer, the current president of Alpha Tau Omega, would have assumed his post after the spring rush.

Economics professor Rafael Robb pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Montgomery County court this morning. Robb, 57, admitted to having killed his wife, Ellen, in the couple's Upper Merion home on Dec. 22, 2006. Rafael Robb said in court that he killed Ellen Robb with a chin-up bar after the couple had an argument about whether their daughter, Olivia, would return from an upcoming vacation before the end of Christmas break.

Yet another round of pre-litigation letters from the Recording Industry Association of America hit Penn students last week. The RIAA, which represents the country's major music labels, continued its legal onslaught against college students last week, sending pre-litigation letters to 16 Penn students and 401 other students across the country.

College sophomore Jessica Fuccello and College junior Natalie Capuano used the locks on the bedroom doors in their off-campus house for the first time this week.