Research at Penn 2007

Research

health I natural science I technology I society I business

at

Advances in Knowledge from the University of Pennsylvania

Volume 5 Year 2007

Penn

Penn 2

6

Orthopaedics

Pharmacology

Microbiology

Chemistry

Dermatology

Neuroscience

Translational Research

Genetics

Public Health

www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | contents

Research

at

10 Electrical and Systems Engineering Biology Physics and Astronomy Computer and Information Sciences Cell and Developmental Biology

14 Linguistics Education Landscape Architecture Public Policy Social Welfare Law Popular Culture

20 Human Resource Management Information Management Management Marketing

Visit www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn for updates on powerful discoveries that are driving change and improvement in the world.

w

hen Penn osteopath Frederick Kaplan discovered

Cutting edge research on the nanoscale continues

the key to a rare skeletal disorder he spoke of

to thrive at Penn, with an Engineering School

reaching “the summit of a great mountain.” We

team investigating how to power electronics with

know many at the University have experienced

super fast nano-sized circuit boards and a physics

similar moments during the last year. The excite-

professor creating tiny nanosensors that can

ment of those discoveries has resonated far

identify odors and tastes.

beyond this campus, reverberating out into the world and adding to the global body of knowledge on topics vital to our health and well-being.

In the societal sphere, a Penn linguist has been tracking the shifts in American dialect, while a landscape architect has pondered similarities between

In this publication you can read about some of

flood ravaged New Orleans and Bangalore. The

these recent research projects, including several

factors that shape public opinion on same-sex

inspiring collaborations. In the Dental School, a

marriage occupied one Penn Law professor, and in

microbiologist has joined forces with a scientist

the English Department a scholar questioned why

from the Vet School to develop a smallpox vaccine.

our culture is so obsessed with prizes and awards.

Thousands of miles away, an Engineering School

Ronald J. Daniels

professor has teamed up with a researcher from

Provost

Penn Museum to survey an ancient Bolivian city.

Business experts at Wharton, meanwhile, have explored the implicit messages work/family policies send to employees, why it pays to make sure

Our scientists are tackling medical problems of

your workers are happy, and how marketing man-

paramount importance to the world. In the School

agers can use metrics to measure business success.

of Medicine, a team is training blood cells to fight disease—research that has huge implications for battling infection, cancer, or even HIV. Another group of researchers has created a technique that captures close-up snapshots of living cells, offering a powerful tool that will shed new light on how disease develops.

Just as the challenges we face in today’s world continue to grow in number and complexity, so our world-class researchers continue to apply their experience and knowledge to create workable solutions for a better future. To stay up to date with the University’s pioneering research, we encourage you to visit our companion web site, www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn.

Steven J. Fluharty Vice Provost for Research

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W H AT ’ S

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I N S I D E

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Finally, a Key to a O R T H O PA E D I C S

Rare Skeletal Disorder www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | 2 | 3

f Excess bone spreads across the skeleton of a 12-year-old FOP patient (left).

Telltale big toe malformations signal FOP in early childhood (right).

rederick Kaplan describes fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, the disease commonly known as FOP, as the “Mount Everest” of genetic skeletal disorders. This year Kaplan and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania got one big step closer to what has to be considered the summit of that mountain: a cure.

After more than a decade of work, Kaplan and his Penn colleague, Eileen Shore, recently identified the single gene responsible for the development of FOP. The gene is called Activin Receptor Type IA, or ACVR1, and its discovery brings much-needed hope to the roughly 2,500 patients worldwide battling this awful disease.

“If you were sitting here exactly one year ago and asked what causes FOP, I would have had to say ‘I don’t know,’” says Kaplan, a physician in Penn’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery who has spent his career working with FOP patients.

“But if you had a genie in a bottle, and that genie could just grant one wish, I would have asked to know the gene that causes FOP. It’s an astoundingly powerful piece of information.”

FOP is an extremely rare but horrific disease

that leaves its victims paralyzed. Found only in one of every two million children, FOP turns soft body tissue such as tendon and muscle into bone, leaving victims wrapped in a “second skeleton” that makes it impossible to move. Children with FOP appear normal at birth, except for small malformations of their toes, but by early childhood begin to develop the trademark bone expansions that cross joints and make movement impossible. “This is a truly catastrophic disease,” Kaplan says. “It’s one of the true disasters that affect children.”

According to Kaplan and Shore’s research, FOP is triggered by a mutation within ACVR1 that causes the gene to act like a “broken molecular switch.” Stuck permanently in the “on” position, the damaged gene causes muscle cells to grow like bone cells. The researchers have found that every victim of FOP has the same ACVRI mutation.

There is no effective cure or preventative treatment available to FOP patients. But with this new discovery, Kaplan and Shore, a research associate professor of orthopaedic sur-

Herpes Research Leads to Potential

Smallpox Vaccine M I C R O B I O L O G Y

T W O U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LV A N I A

Cohen a highly prestigious MERIT Award

STRIDES IN DEVELOPING A SAFE,

from the National Institutes of Health (NIH),

E F F E C T I V E VA C C I N E F O R S M A L L P O X

the team was called on shortly after the

T H AT C O U L D B E U S E D I N T H E E V E N T

anthrax scare in 2001 to become part of

O F A B I O T E R R O R I S T AT TA C K .

Their

developing a “subunit vaccine”—one that

groundbreaking research on the herpes

is only proteins, not the whole virus—for

simplex virus (HSV).

smallpox. The existing smallpox vaccine, a live virus, can cause health problems and

in the University’s School of Dental Medicine,

even death, especially in people with

and Roselyn Eisenberg, a professor of

compromised immune systems. “We’ve

microbiology in the School of Veterinary

proposed to take pieces of the virus

Medicine, have collaborated on herpes

important in virus entry and immunize

research since the 1970s. Much of their

them with those proteins to build up the

work has focused on discovering how one

immune system,” says Cohen. “So if people

of the surface glycoproteins of the virus—

come in contact with the disease they may

gD—works to allow the virus to enter a

be protected against death.”

susceptible cell and cause the disease.

“We focused on the four surface proteins

gery, have opened up the very real possibility that someday a cure might be found. That’s because, with the genetic “skeleton key” in hand, researchers now have a specific target to aim for when developing drugs.

In fact, Kaplan and Shore say their genetic breakthrough could help them conquer not only FOP, but other skeletal conditions as well. “Suddenly, we’re above the clouds at the summit of a great mountain,” Kaplan says, “and the horizon looks clear and promising.”

an NIH-funded poxvirus team charged with

progress stems directly from decades of

Gary Cohen, professor of microbiology

With the genetic “skeleton key” in hand, researchers now have a specific target to aim for when developing drugs.

Because of their work, which has earned

RESEARCHERS ARE MAKING BIG

The poxvirus team already has a candidate vaccine that works in animals and is

that are needed for entry,” says Cohen,

planning for clinical trials in humans. “We

“because these are the proteins that stimu-

knew exactly what to do because of our

late the protective responses of vaccines.”

work on HSV,” says Eisenberg. “That was

Now Cohen and Eisenberg are working to

our first love, but the fact is this may have

understand the structure and function of

a greater effect.”

the virus’ other three glycoproteins.

Top: Structural representation of a herpes simplex glycoprotein gD molecule

Hair Follicle Stem Cells

Help Heal Wounded Skin D E R M AT O L O G Y

T R A N S L AT I O N A L

R E S E A R C H

www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | 4 | 5

Training Blood

Cells

Fight

NEW RESEARCH FROM THE

researchers observed the stem cells

U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LV A N I A’ S

in a genetically engineered mouse as

S C H O O L O F M E D I C I N E S H O W S T H AT

they moved from deep within the skin

H A I R F O L L I C L E S T E M C E L L S P L AY A

to the surface wound site. “We could

PERSONALIZED MEDICAL CARE

Center, is unique in its approach to

MAJOR ROLE IN HELPING TO HEAL

see blue lines coming from the follicles

TA K E S O N A N E W M E A N I N G AT T H E

replenishing—and re-educating— a patient’s white blood cells.

When the skin is

going toward the center of the

U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LV A N I A’ S

injured, stem cells deep in the hair

wound,” says Cotsarelis. “They formed

C L I N I C A L C E L L A N D VA C C I N E

follicles rush to the site of the wound

a striking radial pattern like the spokes

P R O D U C T I O N F A C I L I T Y.

to assist the healing process.

of a wheel. Nobody had any idea stem

researchers can take a patient’s T-cells—

which controls how fast they divide,”

cells were moving in that way or making

the white blood cells that fight disease—

says Levine, director of the facility. “It

that pattern.”

and, after multiplying and altering

enables us to grow a patient’s T-cells

WOUNDED SKIN.

The Penn team, led by George Cotsarelis, associate professor of dermatology, had already made important

There,

“We use molecules that trigger what is, in essence, the cells’ on/off switch,

them, can return them to the patient

by the tens of billions before training

discoveries about the relationship

needed an injury to make them move,

better equipped to fight infection,

them to fight a specific disease,

between hair follicle stem cells and hair

and they were transient in nature. After a

cancer or even HIV.

whether by preparing the cells with a

growth. Their latest research shows that

few weeks, once their job at the wound

The researchers noted that the cells

these cells, residing in the “bulge” area of the follicle about

“Nobody had any idea stem cells were moving in that way or making that pattern.”

a quarter way down, site was finished, the cells were shed.

is wounded, generating daughter cells

The implications for wound healing

that ascend the hair follicle and ulti-

are significant, says Cotsarelis. “In the

mately make up about 30 percent of

future, we think that we will be able to

the new cells in a healing wound.

design treatments that enhance the

by the National Institutes of Health, the

flow of cells from the hair follicle to the epidermis” to improve wound healing.

vaccine or transferring them to replace

approach pioneered by Carl June and

defective genes or to confer enhanced

Bruce Levine from the University’s

immune function.”

School of Medicine. The cell therapy facility, part of Penn’s Abramson Cancer

also come to the rescue when the skin

In their study, which was partly funded

Cell therapy, as it is called, is an

The engineered T-cells are returned to the patient a few weeks later via an

The cell therapy facility is unique in its approach to replenishing—and re-educating— a patient’s white blood cells.

PESTICIDES Pose Risk to Farmworkers

P U B L I C

to

Disease

B E H AV I O R A L

H E A LT H

S C I E N C E

FA R M W O R K E R S C A N T R A C K H O M E

into the home they remain in carpets

MORE THAN JUST DIRT AND DUST

and on surfaces, increasing the risk

shared with farmworkers in the commu-

for exposure.

nity through a bilingual booklet that

AT T H E E N D O F T H E D A Y.

Harmful

The results of the study have been

chemicals on their clothes and boots

McCauley and her team studied 96

recommends showering on arriving

can put them and their families at risk

farmworkers in Hood River, Ore., taking

home, leaving work shoes outside,

for exposure to toxins, says Linda

samples of urine and house dust, during

mopping floors, and steam cleaning

infusion, repopulating the immune

McCauley, professor at the University

the mid-season spraying application,

carpets. More information can help

system with mature, capable cells.

of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

and administering psychomotor skill

keep workers and their families safe,

and cognitive functioning tests. At least

says McCauley. “They have a right to

The facility has participated in 17

Working with colleagues from Oregon

separate clinical trials so far, involving

Health and Science University and the

one of the six organophosphates they

be educated and understand what they

almost 400 patients, and is funded, in

Oregon Child Development Coalition,

tested for was detected in each of the

are told. Everyone has the right to

part, by the National Institute of

McCauley found that Hispanic immigrant

homes, and nearly all of the farmworkers

manage his or her own risk.”

Allergy and Infectious Diseases and

farmers have lower neurobehaviorial

the National Cancer Institute.

performance scores than people from

In one recent study, the researchers

nonagricultural populations. The study

used the technique to deliver a vaccine

is one of the first to find a connection

against pneumococcus, a common

between low levels of crop pesticides,

bacterial infection, to patients with

known as organophosphates, and

multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone

deficits in neurobehavior.

The study is one of the first to find a connection between low levels of crop pesticides, known as organophosphates, and deficits in neurobehavior.

marrow. Standard treatment for the dis-

These chemicals were made as substi-

ease involves high-dose chemotherapy,

tutes for banned products such as DDT,

organophosphate breakdown

which obliterates the immune system,

but McCauley warns, “some of them

metabolite, DMTP, in their systems.

leaving patients vulnerable to infection.

can be very hazardous to your health.

The study was funded by the National

Usually, pneumococcus vaccines are

They’re marked as toxic.”

Institute of Environmental Health

given a year after chemotherapy to allow the immune system time to rebound.

This new technique allows the vaccine to be given immediately, conferring immunity against the infection while also restoring the immune system.

Organophosphates degrade quickly in the sun and wind, but once brought

had above acceptable levels of the

Sciences through a Community-Based Prevention Research Grant.

A Close P H A R M A C O L O G Y

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Inside

m “We can, for the first time, name all the actors involved in the creation of a specified protein and, hopefully, we will be able to recreate the event.�

any of the mysteries behind disease could be solved if only researchers could see what was happening on the molecular level.

Now University of Pennsylvania researchers have found a way to get a close-up, real-time look at the proteinmaking factories within living cells that regulate these processes.

This discovery will pave the way for a greater understanding of how diseases develop and how some pharmaceuticals function within cells. The technique is called PAIR, the Peptide nucleic Acidassisted Identification of RNA-binding

Anti-inflammatory Properties Found in

-up Look

OLIVE OIL C H E M I S T R Y

Living Cells

ESSENTIAL TO FINE COOKING, OLIVE OIL IS ALSO CREDITED WITH S U B S TA N T I A L H E A LT H B E N E F I T S .

Research from the University of

proteins, and it was created by James Eberwine, a professor in Penn’s School of Medicine, in collaboration with a chemist at Sweden’s Stockholm University.

PAIR is a new technology that can ensnare a specific molecule of RNA— the genetic material that programs cells to make proteins from DNA’s blueprint—and all the proteins that interact with that molecule in moving it through the cell and translating it into a new protein.

“PAIR provides a biochemical snapshot that has confirmed some long held beliefs that were never proven, such as how certain pharmaceuticals manipulate the interactions of RNA and binding proteins,” says Eberwine.

“We can, for the first time, name all the actors involved in the creation of a specified protein and, hopefully, we will be able to recreate the event.”

Their work, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Swedish Science Foundation, provides researchers with a valuable tool for research.

Eberwine’s laboratory uses the PAIR protocols to examine questions of clinical and fundamental science interest.

“We know from our previous work that Huntington’s disease may have an RNA-binding protein RNA component and the work of others has shown a correlation between particular forms of epilepsy and these interactions,” Eberwine says. “Changes in these interactions underlie various disease processes and symptomology.”

Pennsylvania and the Monell Chemical

Penn Chemistry Professor Amos Smith

Senses Center may help to explain

created a synthetic form identical to that

why: Freshly pressed extra virgin olive

found naturally in olive oil. “Only by

oil contains a natural anti-inflammatory

de novo [from scratch] synthesis could

agent that acts in a similar way to the

we be absolutely certain that the active

common painkiller ibuprofen.

ingredient was oleocanthal,” says Smith.

Gary Beauchamp, Monell’s director,

Results show that, like ibuprofen,

who is also an adjunct professor in

oleocanthal inhibits the activity of

Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences and

COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes, suggest-

in the School of Veterinary Medicine,

ing that it is a naturally occurring anti-

hit on the idea of a link between olive

inflammatory agent.

oil and ibuprofen while attending a

Researchers emphasize that drinking

conference on molecular gastronomy

olive oil will not cure a headache because

in Sicily. At an olive oil tasting,

the levels of oleocanthal are too low.

Beauchamp noticed that the potent

The larger implication is that

substance irritated his throat in much

longterm exposure to oleocanthal may

the same way as ibuprofen, which his

partly explain why the Mediterranean

Monell colleague Paul Breslin had been

diet, which is associated with a reduced

studying. If the oil caused the same sen-

risk of coronary and cardiovascular dis-

sation, he reasoned, perhaps it con-

eases, as well as several kinds of cancer

tained similar pharmacological properties.

and dementia, is so healthy. “We’re

Back in Philadelphia, Beauchamp

following up on some issues of possible

worked with Breslin to isolate and eval-

efficacy of these kinds of compounds

uate the compound responsible for the

in a variety of models for different

throaty sting. Once the scientists had

diseases,” says Beauchamp.

identified and named it—oleocanthal—

Brain’s “SUPPORT CELLS” Play Vital Role

www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | 8 | 9

N E U R O S C I E N C E

FOR EVERY NEURON TRANSMITTING

the brain’s levels of adenosine, a mole-

nutrients to the energy-needy neurons.

A MESSAGE THROUGH THE BRAIN,

cule that is thought to be important in

Now, however, the Penn researchers have

THERE ARE 10 OR MORE SUPPORT

controlling wake-to-sleep transitions

shown that they also instruct the neurons.

C E L L S , C O L L E C T I V E LY K N O W N A S

and epileptic seizures.

“We have shown that the astrocytes

The team engineered mouse astro-

regulate adenosine, an endogenous

cytes to produce a protein that inter-

[internally derived] anti-convulsant,”

were thought to be passive in their

fered with the ability of these glial cells

says Haydon, a professor of neuro-

role. That notion was recently upended

to release chemical transmitters. That is

science. “We are now developing

by Philip Haydon and his research team

when they noticed events going on in

approaches to augment adenosine

at the University of Pennsylvania’s

the synapses between neurons that

accumulation, as it has the potential to

School of Medicine, working in collabo-

could not be explained by their original

prevent seizures.”

ration with scientists from the University

understanding of how astrocytes work.

of North Carolina. They have demon-

“We then realized that the predomi-

neuron-glial interactions, with the

strated how one type of glial cell—

nant effect was mediated by adenosine—

only National Institutes of Mental

called astrocytes because of their

a nice surprise considering all the clini-

Health-funded center that focuses

star-like shape—actually regulates how

cal implications,” Haydon says.

on these interactions.

GLIAL CELLS, WORKING BEHIND THE SCENES.

Traditionally, these cells

messages move between neurons.

Perhaps more significantly, they control

Astrocytes were once thought of as just “kitchen” cells of the brain, feeding

Astrocytes were once thought of as just “kitchen” cells of the brain, feeding nutrients to the energy-needy neurons. Now, however, the Penn researchers have shown that they also instruct the neurons.

Penn is a leader in the study of

G E N E T I C S

T H E S E T O F C H R O M O S O M E S T H AT

Kazazian. “In fact, humans have over

DEFINE THE PHYSICAL TRAITS OF

500,000 L1 retrotransposons within an

A HUMAN BODY—KNOWN AS THE

individual genome, but only about 100

HUMAN GENOME—CAN BE AN

are actively mobilized.”

U N P R E D I C TA B L E , S H I F T I N G T H I N G .

In a study funded by the National

Some genes, in fact, have been known to

Institutes of Health, the Penn researchers

reshuffle the genomic deck by “jumping”

inserted human L1 retrotransposons

from one portion of the genome to

and mapped their progress through the

another within a cell. These jumping

mouse genome over successive genera-

Mapping THE Progress OF

Jumping Genes

genes are known to be a rare cause of several genetic diseases, including hemophilia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine’s Haig H. Kazazian, Jr., is a pioneer of jumping gene research, in

These jumping genes are known to be a rare cause of several genetic diseases, including hemophilia and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

particular the class of genes known as L1 retrotransposons. His laboratory has

tions. The experiment enabled them to

they found that jumping genes that

tracked the mechanism by which retro-

clarify how these genes were able to

are “hot” in some individuals can

transposons can copy and re-insert

copy themselves and then seamlessly

suddenly become “cold” in others.

themselves elsewhere in the genome.

patch themselves back into the genome.

Their discovery indicates that some

What surprised researchers was how

individuals are more likely to develop

“L1 retrotransposons, which are the only active mobile DNA elements in

frequently the rate of jumping actually

gene mutations due to jumping genes

humans, have accounted for about 30

varied among individual mice over suc-

than others, according to Kazazian, but

percent of the human genome by their

cessive generations. In a subsequent

it also might offer hope that scientists

own insertions and by driving the inser-

study of so-called “hot,” or highly

could deliberately cool down poten-

tion of other kinds of elements,” says

active, L1 retrotransposons in humans,

tially threatening genetic jumpers.

Smaller, Faster Circuits E L E C T R I C A L

A N D

S Y S T E M S

E N G I N E E R I N G

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Powered by Light i

n electronics size equals speed, and the smaller, the faster. Nothing moves faster than light, which is exactly where engineers at the University of Pennsylvania are looking now to power the electronics of the future.

Nader Engheta, a professor in Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, says all the familiar elements of circuitry— inductors, capacitors, and resistors—could be replicated on the nanoscale (about a billionth of a meter) to operate using infrared or visible light. These optical electronics would make it possible to create faster computer processors, construct nanoscale antennas, or build high-density data storage devices.

“The wavelength of light can be measured in hundreds of nanometers, and the technology is now available to create structures that would operate on the same or smaller scale as the wavelength of light,” says Engheta. “This technology could have innumerable applications for consumer products, advanced instrumentation, and even medicine.”

According to Engheta, nano-sized spheres of common materials exhibit characteristics unique to their small size.

Engheta and his students hope to take advantage of a property called permittivity, which is the way a particular substance affects electromagnetic fields. A sphere of a few nanometers across would be affected differently by light, based on the innate permittivity of the materials.

The team demonstrated that a nano-sized sphere made up of a nonmetallic material, such as glass, with permittivity greater than zero would act like a miniaturized capacitor. A nano-sized sphere made up of a metallic material such as gold or silver with permittivity less than zero would act like a miniaturized inductor. Either material could also function like a miniaturized resistor, depending on how the optical energy is lost in it. If you stack these circuit elements one upon the other, says Engheta, “you could create advanced combinations of circuitry, only smaller and faster.”

Turning

FOOTSTEPS into Electricity B I O L O G Y

W A L K I N G W I T H A H E AV Y B A C K PA C K SLUNG ACROSS YOUR SHOULDERS TA K E S A L O T O F E N E R G Y.

What if

you could turn that exertion into usable electricity? A University of Pennsylvania professor has figured out a way to do just that.

Larry Rome, Penn professor of biology

watts of electricity. That’s enough to

in the School of Arts and Sciences and

power several portable electric devices

an expert in animal locomotion, was

at once.

asked by the U.S. Navy to come up with

Engheta and his students hope to take advantage of a property called permittivity, which is the way a particular substance affects electromagnetic fields.

ious invention that generates up to 7.5

The backpack is built on a rigid frame,

a way to take the mechanical energy

but the load is suspended from the

generated from the movement of

frame by a series of vertical springs.

marching soldiers and turn it into power.

This set-up allows the load to bounce

With U.S. troops carrying an ever-

up and down as a person walks forward.

increasing number of portable electronic

A small generator attached to the top

devices, such an invention could reduce

of the frame captures that bounce and

reliance on heavy batteries.

converts the motion to electrical energy.

“If these soldiers are out in the moun-

Though Rome is uncertain whether the

tains of Afghanistan and they run out of

pack will ever be put to use, he says it

batteries, they can’t just run out to the

could be useful for scientists,

store and get some more,” explains

researchers, and aid workers in remote

Rome. “They were lugging around

locations, all of whom could work more

almost 20 pounds in batteries.”

safely and effectively with sufficiently

Rome agreed to take on the challenge, and within 30 minutes had drawn up the

powered portable devices.

Rome is now working on an ergonomic

plans that would eventually become the

backpack that will reduce force during

“Suspended-load Backpack,” an ingen-

walking and running.

Mapping Shifts in

American Dialect L I N G U I S T I C S

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t

ravel south on Interstate 55, out of Chicago down toward St. Louis, and you just might pick up on what William Labov calls one of the most significant ongoing speech changes in North American English: The so-called “Northern Cities Shift,” a movement that is seeing more Americans speaking with a pronounced “eah” sound in words like “that” and “back.”

It may seem like a minor change, and to the untrained ear, the difference may be imperceptible, but to a sociolinguist like Labov, the Northern Cities Shift is a fascinating development.

“The main purpose of studying language change is to obtain a mirror of social processes,” says Labov, professor of linguistics in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Arts and Sciences.

Labov’s work on the dialects of African-American children in Harlem, for instance, revealed that children in that neighborhood often struggled with reading, because their teachers failed to acknowledge and take into account the way the students actually spoke. Labov’s research into the speech patterns on Martha’s Vineyard showed how speakers used the distinct dialect to stake their claim to the island’s privileges.

Labov has conducted dozens of highly acclaimed studies, but his most recent project—

which details the Northern Cities Shift and countless other speech changes—may be his most impressive yet. In “The Atlas of North American English,” Labov, and co-authors Sharon Ash and Charles Boberg, deliver the first-ever comprehensive mapping of all of the varied pronunciation and vowel systems of the dialects of the U.S. and Canada. The massive book, which draws on a survey of more than 750 speakers across North America and took a decade to research and write, redefines the regional dialects of American English on the basis of sound changes active in the 1990s.

The book shows the major dialectical battle in American English is not taking place between “northern” and “southern” English, but is rather a three-way scrum between northern speakers, southern speakers, and the so-called “midland” dialect. Though many Americans are not even aware of this midland dialect, it’s nonetheless a powerful force in North American English—so powerful, in fact, that it can be found today in the quintessentially southern city of Charleston, S.C. Keeping an eye on where the midland dialect is spoken is important because it functions as the nation’s default dialect: As unique regional dialects disappear, it is the language more Americans speak.

“When people say that Charleston is speaking northern,” says Labov, “what they’re really saying is they’re talking like Columbus or Indianapolis. …So really it’s not north vs. south, but rather, it’s north, midland, and south. That midland dialect is an important part of the national scene, but it’s not really in our national consciousness.”

Tiny Sensors to Sniff Out Danger

PHYSICS

AND

ASTRONOMY

C O M P U T E R A N D I N F O R M AT I O N S C I E N C E S

I M A G I N E A N A R R AY O F T I N Y S E N S O R S , A F E W B I L -

PENN COMPUTER SCIENTISTS ARE

L I O N T H S O F A M E T E R W I D E , T H AT C A N “ S M E L L ” A

HELPING AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL

S I N G L E M O L E C U L E O F E X P L O S I V E M AT E R I A L W A F T I N G

www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | 12 | 13

D O W N A N A I R P O R T C O N C O U R S E O R “ TA S T E ” A S I N G L E P R O T E I N I N A P AT I E N T ’ S B L O O D S A M P L E .

These are

just some of the applications that University of Pennsylvania Physics Professor A. T. “Charlie” Johnson sees

“The applications

WITHOUT EVER LIFTING A TROWEL.

are almost limitless—medical,

even a billion, others.

Johnson’s team of engineers and physicists, in collabora-

wherever you might want to sense danger before it becomes a threat.”

tion with colleagues from the Monell Chemical Senses Center, have coated carbon nanotubes with strands of

Led by Kostantinos Daniilidis, associate professor of computer and informa-

security, industrial, military—

for nanosensors, artificial “tongues” and “noses” that can be created to sense a single molecule amid a million, or

TEAM DIG DEEP UNDERGROUND—

tion sciences at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, the team is conducting a massive subsurface surveying project at the ancient site of Tiwanaku, in the Bolivian highlands, 13,000 feet

The specificity of single-stranded DNA is what makes

above sea level. Scientists hope to col-

DNA to create tiny sensors with the ability to identify

these sensors so capable. These biomolecules can be engi-

lect detailed, three-dimensional archae-

odors and tastes. Their research, funded by the U.S.

neered in a process called directed evolution to recognize

ological structural data from nearly 60

Department of Energy, the Army Research Office, and

a wide variety of targets, including small molecules and

subterranean acres at the site, and map

the National Science Foundation, will make it possible to

specific proteins. When a target molecule hits the DNA, it

90 percent of the city that is under-

create passive detection systems in almost any location.

results in a slight electric charge along the nanotube, which

ground. Their work is funded by a

then turns it into an electric signal that can be reported.

three-year, $1.05 million grant from the

“What we have here is a hybrid of two molecules that are extremely sensitive to outside signals: single stranded DNA, which serves as the ‘detector,’ and a carbon nanotube,

“In time, we could create arrays of nanosensors and practically coat the walls with them,” Johnson says. “The appli-

National Science Foundation.

“In the same way doctors get 3-D

which functions as ‘read-out,’” says Johnson. “Put the two

cations are almost limitless—medical, security, industrial,

models of what’s inside the body so

together and they become an extremely versatile type of

military—wherever you might want to sense danger before

they know where to operate, we want a

sensor, capable of finding tiny amounts of a specific molecule.”

it becomes a threat.”

3-D model of what’s inside the earth,” says Daniilidis. “We want to give [archaeologists] a much better sense of exactly where they should excavate.”

Using Laser Tweezers TO TEASE APART BLOOD CLOTS C E L L

A N D

D E V E L O P M E N TA L

B I O L O G Y

Ground-penetrating radar reveals slices of the ground beneath Tiwanaku (above); these slices are converted into smooth 3-D surfaces (left).

USING RADAR TO

noninvasive way, through groundpenetrating radar, magnetometry, and conductivity sensors.

“Most complex sites—cities, for example—can never be fully excavated,”

molecular interactions,” Weisel says.

A NOVEL TECHNIQUE TO BETTER

“It’s a very complex set of interactions

U N D E R S TA N D B L O O D C L O T S —

that is occurring, so that makes it diffi-

R E S E A R C H T H AT C O U L D E V E N T U A L LY

cult to study by conventional methods

L E A D T O N E W T R E AT M E N T S F O R

of biochemistry or molecular biology.”

HEART DISEASE OR STROKE.

John Weisel, professor of cell and

The research has relevance to many fields, including materials science, polymer

developmental biology in the University

chemistry, biophysics, protein biochem-

of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine, says

istry, and hematology. Its greatest value,

that by using so-called “laser tweezers”—

however, could be its potential to help

a focused laser beam used to “grab”

researchers develop ways of modulating

beads attached to microscopic elements

the formation and properties of clots.

of clots—his team can pull on the individ-

If clotting could be more closely con-

ual fibers that make up blood clots. Using

trolled, doctors could better prevent

this method, the researchers have been

and treat conditions, such as thrombosis,

standing of the general layout of the

able to study the mechanical properties

where clots block the free flow of

site without expensive excavation,”

of the fibers as well as the physical struc-

blood, causing heart attacks and strokes.

says Vranich.

ture of blood clots. Their work, largely

‘Dig’ Deep Researchers are collecting images in a

PENN RESEARCHERS ARE USING

been harvested over many years.

“This survey will allow a broad under-

“Once we understand the origin of

funded by the National Institutes of

the mechanical properties and the

since the 1970s, but the Penn project

Health, is the first to explain the mechani-

specific intermolecular interactions

at the University of Pennsylvania Museum

is uniquely large—researchers are

cal properties of a single blood clot fiber.

responsible for clot assembly, it will

of Archaeology and Anthropology and

using the greatest number of sensors

says Alexei Vranich, research associate

field director at Tiwanaku since 1995.

Tiwanaku presents particular challenges

Geophysical surveys have been done

The team is also studying, at the

be possible to modulate those proper-

in the largest area ever surveyed.

single molecule level, key interactions

ties,” he says. “If we can change a

Once the project is complete, the

responsible for clot formation. “We

certain parameter perhaps we can

to archaeologists due to its large size—

researchers will place images on an

know a considerable amount about

make a clot that’s more or less stiff

approximately four square kilometers—

open server, such as Google Earth, to

how the fibrin polymer forms, but what

and hence decrease the potential for

and the loss of surface stones that have

provide access to all.

we don’t know are the details of the

serious pathological conditions.”

Evaluating E D U C AT I O N

ABSTINENCE-ONLY Programs

SINCE 1995, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT

with children in elementary or middle

I N T O A B S T I N E N C E - O N LY S E X E D U -

schools who are not yet seriously con-

C AT I O N P R O G R A M S I N A M E R I C A’ S

templating having sex. For that reason,

SCHOOLS.

“The main purpose of studying language change is to obtain a mirror of social processes.”

Many federally funded programs work

HAS PLOWED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS

Now those programs are

says Maynard, “it seems unlikely that

being evaluated in the largest study

the omission of information on contra-

to date, designed by University of

ception is going to have a harmful

Pennsylvania Graduate School of

effect.” The majority of older children in

Education Professor Rebecca Maynard,

the study reported getting information

along with colleagues from Mathematica

on contraceptives from other sources,

Policy Research Inc. in Princeton.

such as health education classes.

The evaluation is analyzing programs

Abstinence education’s emphasis on

in Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, and

marriage has offended some, though,

Mississippi. Last year, the initial findings

Maynard says, in practice most of the

from a one-year follow up of 2,310

programs “go light” on marriage, “in

students were released. Results based

part because so many of the youth come

on two to five years of follow-up are

from single parent or stepparent families.”

expected to be released in 2007.

Maynard says much of what is taught

Because communities were keen to receive federal dollars, says Maynard,

in abstinence education programs is

they worked hard to come up with pro-

similar to comprehensive sex education

grams that conformed to the legislation,

classes, covering such topics as peer

but were also useful to their children.

pressure and healthy relationships. The

“Hundreds of communities nationwide

main difference is that they don’t

have found a way to operate in that

promote contraceptive use, she says.

zone,” she says.

L A BN EDHS AC VAI POER AA LR CS HC II TE ENCCTEU R E

TwoCities

www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | 16 | 17

A Tale of

A N U R A D H A M AT H U R S E E S A L O T OF SIMILARITIES BETWEEN NEW ORLEANS AND BANGALORE.

Though the cities seem worlds

Urban planning is failing them.

The shortcomings of New Orleans’

to those in New Orleans. When development and settlement occur

pumps and levees have been clear

without a proper understanding of

since Hurricane Katrina. But, while the

lands that are so dynamic, trouble

apart—New Orleans, one of the poor-

structural failures dominated discussion

almost always awaits.

est cities in the world’s most powerful

after the storm, Mathur has focused on

“A lot of the development [in

nation, and Bangalore, a rising global

a larger issue: Our inability to properly

Bangalore] does not work for the

power of more than 6 million residents

inhabit “dynamic” landscapes, such as

territory and land you’re dealing with,”

on India’s Deccan Peninsula—Mathur,

those found in the Mississippi Delta,

Mathur says. “It’s rampant develop-

where boundaries between land and

ment—Bangalore is a boomtown in

water are ever-changing.

that sense. But a sensibility and

When development and settlement occur without a proper understanding of lands that are so dynamic, trouble almost always awaits.

In her new book, “Deccan Traverses:

understanding of the terrain, of what

The Making of Bangalore’s Terrain,”

the land is about, is very absent in

Mathur and her co-author and hus-

what’s happening.”

band, Dilip Da Cunha, explore the his-

Mathur says there are signs the right

tory and development of Bangalore’s

people are finally beginning to think

associate professor of landscape

multifaceted landscapes, from the days

more clearly about Bangalore, its

architecture in the University of

of colonialism to its ongoing struggle

development, and its future. “You can

Pennsylvania’s School of Design, who

with rapid development.

only look at these issues differently,”

has written about the Mississippi Delta, says they share one common thread:

The residents of Bangalore, the authors write, face similar problems

she says, “if you change the sensibility with which you approach them.”

Gambling

Measuring the

on Rise Among Teenage Boys

SOCIAL IMPACT of the Arts

P U B L I C

S O C I A L

P O L I C Y

A L C O H O L A N D D R U G U S E H AV E LONG BEEN ON THE LIST OF

online gambling declined slightly.

Playing cards for money offline also

W E L FA R E

S O L I D E V I D E N C E T H AT T H E A R T S

Interviews with community residents

ARE BENEFICIAL TO SOCIETY IS

and artists rounded out the research.

But that’s exactly

In previous studies, Stern and Seifert

increased in the past year among 18-

H A R D T O C O M E B Y.

Only recently has gambling been

to 22-year-olds, while a decline was

what Mark Stern is working to unearth

found that poor neighborhoods with

added to that roster.

shown in those under 18. “It appears

through his Social Impact of the Arts

significant levels of cultural presence

that younger male youth have started

Project (SIAP). In his Knight Foundation-

were three times more likely to over-

to get the message about the risks of

funded Benchmark Project, he turned

come poverty and less likely to suffer

his attention to cultural participation in

population loss. They were also more

North Philadelphia and Camden.

likely to remain ethnically diverse—

R I S K Y A D O L E S C E N T B E H AV I O R S .

For the past five years Dan Romer, who directs the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Adolescent Risk Communication Institute, has overseen a wide-reaching survey on risky behavior. The National Adolescent

“Over the last five years we’ve watched this thing mushroom.”

Risk Survey of Youth (NARSY) annual-

Stern, professor of social welfare in

a stabilizing factor in poor neighbor-

the University of Pennsylvania’s School

hoods—and to have lower levels of

of Social Policy and Practice and co-

truancy and delinquency among their youth.

card playing for money,” says Romer.

director of Penn’s Urban Studies

of 14 and 22 about their involvement

“The strong drop in Internet use is

Program, launched SIAP with Susan

with tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, as

especially encouraging. However, the

Seifert, a city planner, to address what

found that, though large cultural insti-

older youth seem not yet to have

they saw as a serious gap in cultural

tutions are almost entirely absent from

ly polls youngsters between the ages

well as gambling.

Through the Benchmark Project, Stern

taken the message to heart. The

research. “In terms of data on the

the embattled neighborhoods of Camden

veys track drug use, no one has fol-

continued rise in card playing both

social impact of the arts,” as opposed

and North Philadelphia, “if you zoom

lowed gambling. “And over the last

Romer says while other national sur-

offline and on the Internet among

to its economic or educational benefits,

in, there’s actually quite a lot going on”

five years,” he adds, “we’ve watched

older male youth indicates that the

“there was almost nothing,” says Stern.

in terms of involvement with smaller

this thing mushroom.”

risks for problem gambling continue

The most recent NARSY numbers show that more than one million young people currently are using Internet gambling sites each month.

to mount for these players.”

Romer’s goal is to publicize this dis-

Working with Penn’s Cartographic Modeling Lab, the pair came up with a geographic strategy that brought

arts venues and cultural activities that take place in the home or at church.

Now that they have a “base line” of

turbing trend and create more aware-

together existing data, such as census

cultural participation, the researchers

ness of the problem. Beyond that, he

records, child welfare outcomes, and

will continue to study the areas over

Among males 18 to 22, Internet gam-

sees education as an important step.

property sales, and layered that with

time to assess the impact of recent

bling doubled in the past year, however,

“Everyone who’s addicted and pay-

information gathered from cultural

grants from the Knight Foundation to

ing the price says, ’No one told me.’”

organizations’ own databases.

19 neighborhood arts organizations.

for males under the age of 18, use of

What Shapes Public Opinion L A B W E H AV I O R A L

S C I E N C E

ARE OUR VIEWS ABOUT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE AFFECTED BY EXTERNAL FA C T O R S L I K E C O U RT D E C I S I O N S

www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | 18 | 19

AND MEDIA COVERAGE?

Nathaniel

on Same-sex Marriage?

Persily, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, explores that question in “Gay Marriage, Public

Gay rights issues became mixed up

the 2004 election cycle. However, public

Opinion and the Courts,” a paper

with the same-sex marriage issue after

opinion returned to pre-Lawrence levels

based on his analysis of polling data

that decision, says Persily, as the media

by the summer of 2005, and, during

from 2003 to 2005.

became preoccupied with the matter

the same two-year period, support for

and some politicians positioned the

civil unions rose.

Soon after the Supreme Court’s 2003 decision in Lawrence v. Texas struck

court’s decision as the first step down

down the criminal prohibition of homo-

the path toward legalized gay mar-

mer of 2005 because the issue vanished

sexual relations, Persily reports that the

riage. “When gay rights are framed in

from the headlines and therefore was

number of Americans who thought such

that vein,” says Persily, “people react

no longer perceived as a threat, says

behavior should be illegal rose dramati-

negatively.”

Persily. “The good news for supporters

cally, from 36 percent to 43 percent.

“Gay marriage is like other moral value issues in that there is a slow move towards liberalism that will periodically be interrupted by salient events such as a court decision.”

Public opinion leveled off in the sum-

Persily notes that, as the debate

of gay rights is the temporary backlash,

became more ideological, the post-

spurred by the court’s decision, did not

Lawrence backlash continued through

lead to a long-term backlash. Gay mar-

the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial

riage is like other moral value issues in

Court’s 2004 Goodridge v. Department

that there is a slow move towards liber-

of Health ruling—which legalized same-

alism that will periodically be interrupted

sex marriage in Massachusetts—and

by salient events such as a court decision.”

Prizes

P O P U L A R

C U LT U R E

Play a Complex Role in Cultural Life EVERY YEAR MORE THAN 9,000 PRIZES ARE AWARDED IN THE FILM I N D U S T R Y.

That’s twice the number of full-length movies produced annually and,

according to James English, professor of English and chair of the University of Pennsylvania’s English Department, is indicative of a culture obsessed with awards.

In his recent book, “The Economy of Prestige: Prizes, Awards, and the Circulation of Cultural Value,” English notes that the proliferation of contests and prizes is “perhaps the most ubiquitous feature of cultural life.” When English decided to study cultural prizes, though, he discovered that while plenty of histories of specific awards had been written, scholarly work on the phenomenon as a whole was nonexistent.

For his research, English traveled to Rome and London and spent six months in Los Angeles studying at the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Archives. The Academy Awards, says English, have spawned a wealth of competitors, both imitators and mockers. “There’s an inner logic that almost necessitates the creation of new awards,” says English. “If you establish a prize for the worst film of the year, there has to be a worst director, worst acting performance, and so on.”

English also explored the role of prizes in establishing artistic value. Although many adopt an “attitude of sneering indifference” or outright hostility to prizes, says English, the very existence of awards “supports a belief that there is such a thing as pure absolute cultural value, that there really is great art separate from the messy commercial mechanisms.” By thundering against prizes, he says, “we support a gold standard.”

Journalistic attacks and controversy actually help the industry since they keep the prize frenzy alive.

One shift that seems to be taking place, says English, is a growing self-consciousness about playing the game, with amusement replacing sincere outrage among critics. That could spell trouble

English notes that the proliferation of contests and prizes is “perhaps the most ubiquitous feature of cultural life.”

for the prize industry, he says, “and we’ll see shrinking public interest if they can’t continue to produce scandals and disagreement.”

Work/Family www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | 20 | 21

Send Strong p

eople who like to blur the boundaries of home and work life are known as “integrators.” Those who prefer to keep the margins distinct are “segmentors.”

According to Nancy Rothbard, an assistant professor of management at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, employers who offer work/family policies aimed at accommodating these two types of workers may actually end up making certain employees less happy with their jobs.

Rothbard surveyed more than 400 employees at a large public university and analyzed the results with colleagues from Northwestern University and George Washington University.

The researchers found that integrators appreciate options, like on-site childcare, that allow them to literally bring their home life to work, while segmentors value the possibility of flextime, with its clear work/non-work boundaries.

More surprising, was the finding that the mere presence of options that don’t fit with a person’s value system can make employees less satisfied with their jobs.

“It’s not about usage,” says Rothbard. “It’s about the message.” Offering an “integrating” policy like on-site childcare sends a message that may not sit well with an employee who wants to keep job/family boundaries clear-cut.

How to Make

Donors Dig Deeper

Policies H U M A N

R E S O U R C E

M A N A G E M E N T

Message to Workers

I N F O R M AT I O N

M A N A G E M E N T

IF YOU WANT PEOPLE TO GIVE

on-air fund drive at a public radio sta-

MORE MONEY TO A CAUSE, TRY

tion. Volunteers either informed donors

TELLING THEM HOW MUCH OTHERS

what a previous donor had given, or

H AV E P L E D G E D .

It’s an unusual tactic,

but according to two University of

People who were told other donors

Pennsylvania researchers, sharing such

gave $300 pledged an average of

information can significantly increase

$119.70, compared with $106.72 from

donations to a pledge drive.

those who were not told about another’s

“Our research looks at the impact of

“It’s not about usage,” says Rothbard. “It’s about the message.” Offering an “integrating” policy like on-site childcare sends a message that may not sit well with an employee who wants to keep job/family boundaries clear-cut.

Even if the employee declines to use on-site childcare, others are likely to be using it and talking about it, and that broadcasts a message that the company wants employees to see work and family as a continuum rather than two separate universes. “It acts on your psyche, just knowing it exists,” says Rothbard.

Integrators, conversely, tended to be less put off by the presence of segmenting options like flextime.

Rothbard and her colleagues are now exploring what situations make people more likely to want to integrate or segment. In their sample, which included 13 job categories, Rothbard found integrators and segmentors in each category, “so it’s not necessarily the job.”

told them nothing at all.

contribution. Reducing the figure to

social information on people’s giving.

$75 had little influence on donations,

Everyone wants to do the right thing,

while extremely high figures actually

to give the right amount. But nobody

decreased the level of contribution.

knows what that right amount is,” says

Croson says that’s because social infor-

Rachel Croson, associate professor of

mation has to be relevant, and for many,

operations and information manage-

a contribution of, say $1,000, is beyond

ment at Penn’s Wharton School.

what they would consider giving.

Potential donors want to know how

One other finding: When donors were

much other people are giving, says

told that another donor was the same

Croson.

gender, they were more inclined to

Croson and Wharton Ph.D. candidate Jen Shang examined the influence this

give a similar amount.

The researchers have received a

kind of disclosure has on contribution

grant from the Corporation for Public

behavior—and what figure would

Broadcasting to continue the study with

prompt people to dig deeper into their

other public radio stations. Croson

pockets. With funding from the

says, “We’re taking an effect that’s

National Science Foundation, the

pretty well-known in social psychology

Aspen Institute, and Wharton, Croson

and marketing, and applying it in the

and Shang set up their study during an

new domain of non-profit giving.”

Happy Workers Are More

CREATIVE A S T R O N O M Y

M A N A G E M E N T

For the study, Barsade and her col-

happy and positive is not only good

G O O D T O H AV E O N T H E PAY R O L L

leagues emailed a daily questionnaire

for the employees themselves,” says

B E C A U S E T H E Y ’ R E M O R E L I K E LY T O

to employees engaged in creative work

Barsade, “it is also good for the company,

COME UP WITH FRESH IDEAS AND

in the chemical, high tech, and consumer

because you are raising the likelihood

N E W W A Y S T O P R O B L E M S O LV E .

product sectors over five months. More

that employees are more creative.”

But how can businesses increase

than 220 people completed daily

workers’ creativity?

questionnaires about perceptions of

too. “We know from prior research,”

their day, including their mood, and a

says Barsade, “it relates to most things

of management at the University of

description of important things they

that are important in the workplace,

Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, set out

were doing at work that day. Study

including better decision-making, less

to answer this question with colleagues

participants also gave peer assess-

turnover, better performance, and

ments of their coworkers’ creativity

more commitment, to name just a few.”

www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn | 22 | 23

C R E AT I V E E M P L O Y E E S A R E

Sigal Barsade, an associate professor

“It relates to most things that are important in the workplace, including better decision-making, less turnover, better performance, and more commitment, to name just a few.”

each month. Analyzing these results, Barsade and her coauthors found strong evidence of a positive relationship between an upbeat mood and workplace creativity, even if moments of inspiration are rare—individuals

from Harvard, New York University,

reported only 364 “creative thought

and University of California, Berkeley.

incidents” out of a total of 63,789

Her findings confirm what laboratory

reported events.

science has discovered about creativity

If companies want to increase workers’

and emotions: Being in a positive

creativity the message is clear: Make

mood leads to greater creativity in

sure workers are happy. “Having a

organizations.

workplace where people are feeling

There are other positive side effects,

M A R K E T I N G

WHEN THE GOOD TIMES ON WALL

50 Metrics Every Executive Should

E A R LY T H I S D E C A D E , C A S H -

Master,” Reibstein attempts to bring

S T R A P P E D C O M P A N I E S Q U I C K LY

much-needed consensus to the world

B E G A N L O O K I N G F O R W AY S T O

of marketing metrics. Reibstein and

S A V E M O N E Y.

And marketing profes-

sionals started looking anxious.

“Companies began saying, ‘Tell us

Clearing up Confusion about

Marketing Metrics

In his new book, “Marketing Metrics:

S T R E E T C A M E T O A C R A S H I N G H A LT

his co-authors—Paul W. Farris, Neil T. Bendle, and Phillip E. Pfeifer—present more than 50 of the most commonly

how much money you’re making for

employed metrics and explain the

our company,’” says David Reibstein, a

right way to put them to use. Take,

professor of marketing at the University

for instance, the common “market

of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

awareness” metric: The book explains

“Unfortunately, marketing people had

what this metric measures (percentage

trouble answering that question.”

of potential customers who recognize

Looking for a way to prove their worth,

a brand), where data can be collected

they turned increasingly to marketing

(phone or web surveys), and what kind

metrics, a statistical means of measuring

of questions should be used in those

the financial outcomes of any initiative.

surveys (“When you think of cars, what

But Reibstein, a longtime expert in metrics, saw a flaw in the rising popu-

brands come to mind?”).

As well as clarifying the language,

larity of marketing metrics: While more

construction, and meaning of many

and more marketers were using them,

important marketing metrics, the book

there was no consensus about which

also has wider relevance. “Both mar-

were most effective or how they should

keting managers and CEOs should

be implemented.

be looking at these metrics,” says Reibstein, “because they’re making

“Companies began saying, ‘Tell us how much money you’re making for our company.’ Unfortunately, marketing people had trouble answering that question.”

budget allocation decisions, and the question is, are those decisions really working?”

Research at Penn: Volume 5 Š 2007 University of Pennsylvania Research at Penn is produced by the University of Pennsylvania’s Office of University Communications.

Contributing writers and editors: Heather A. Davis, Judy Hill, Timothy Hyland, Deni Kasrel, Greg Lester, Julie McWilliams

Office of University Communications 215-898-8721 www.upenn.edu/pennnews Vice President: Lori Doyle Executive Director: Phyllis Holtzman Director, Web & Publishing Services: Deni Kasrel Web Editors: Steve Minicola, Jackie Eschbach

Office of the Vice Provost for Research 215-898-7236 www.upenn.edu/research Vice Provost: Steven J. Fluharty

Office of the Vice President for Government and Community Affairs 215-898-1388 www.upenn.edu/ogcpa Vice President: Vanda McMurtry Executive Director: Carol de Fries

The University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, is one of America’s premier research and teaching universities. As a member of the Ivy League, Penn’s proud history ofofacademic excellence is rooted inisits 12ofschools, which offer The University Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, one America’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees to more than students. premier research and teaching universities.

As a member of the21,000 Ivy League, Penn has a proud history of academic excellence with 12 schools that offer undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees to more than 21,000 students.

www.upenn.edu/researchatpenn