Photo Credit: Ajon Brodie

Chocolate lovers from Drexel University and the Philadelphia public alike were given the opportunity to indulge in both sweets and smarts at the Oct. 10 opening of Chocolate: The Exhibition at the Academy of Natural Sciences. The event — sponsored by both the Mars chocolate company and the National Science Foundation — aims to offer visitors an in-depth look into both the rich history and flavor of the world’s favorite dessert.

“It’s such a great response,” Christine Danowsky, museum naturalist and chocolate tasting operator, said as she observed from behind her bar of sweet treats. “I don’t know if it has to do with the fact that while people eat chocolate, it releases endorphins in your brain — so everyone is in a good mood — but everyone seems very receptive to learning about what they like.”

The exhibit offers a large number of ways to interact with chocolate as well: from standing under a life-size cacao tree, finding out what it means to be a super taster and seeing how factories produce tons of edible joy each day, the Chocolate exhibit will always have something to offer.

“This is something that runs the [gamut] of everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are, what background you’ve had, economic status — none of that matters when it comes to chocolate. It encompasses everyone,” Danowsky said.

The touring exhibition had been in the works with the exhibits department for two to three years, after a very successful run of a similar nature a few years ago. “The response was so fantastic that they thought this was something that we should bring back,” Danowsky continued.

Photo Credit: Ajon Brodie

Many children were enamored with the chocolate sample bar where Danowsky was working, but there is certainly more to the exhibit than just the tastes. “The entire exhibit is almost laid out like a timeline, and that’s what I like about it,” she said.

“You’re walking in to an Amazonian forest and you’re learning from the start where our ideas as humans even came from to cultivate cocoa. As you walk through, you come into the Aztecs and the Mayans and then to present day processing. It’s all history.”

For those out there who have appetites for both knowledge and different types of chocolate, the exhibition will be hosting many different events during its tenure at the museum, such as Sustainable Chocolate Day Nov. 2, Cuisine from the Collections: Chocolate Edition Nov. 8, Hot Chocolate Bars Nov. 28-30 and Dec. 27-30, and lastly, for the more adult chocolate lovers out there, One Last “Shot” of Chocolate: Beer and Chocolate Tasting Jan. 15.

The exhibit will have a four-month residency at the museum. Jada Parris, a Central High School student and Women in Natural Science participant described how the whole experience reminds her of making hot chocolate with her father. “I haven’t been in the exhibit yet,” she said, “but it smells good. Great. You can practically eat the atmosphere.”

Photo Credit: Ajon Brodie

Drexel continued its long-standing tradition of ringing in the new academic year with its 123rd convocation Oct. 7. The auditorium of the Main Building stood filled with proud staff, all dressed in traditional academic costume, gathered to celebrate this year’s theme: “The Year of the Faculty.” After Rabbi Isabel de Koninck’s invocation and blessings for the new year, James D. Herbert, interim provost, took to the stage.

“There’s one thing I’ve learned about this place, and that is it is far too dynamic and forward-moving for a leader, interim or otherwise, to just keep the trains running on time,” Herbert said of his plans for Drexel. “We are therefore compelled to move forward boldly and decisively.”

Photo Courtesy: Drexel University Communications

The interim provost then elaborated on key points that the administration would like to focus its attention on in the coming year. He noted the “overall shortage of research, office and classroom space,” which the provost’s office will attempt to address through renovations, as well as “rational reallocation” of existing classrooms to better serve the University.

Herbet also noted the steps to be taken for Drexel to retain its world-class academia, including “accelerated bachelor degrees, expanded travel-embedded course, greater use of online and hybrid courses and growth of the global classroom initiative.”

After a brief greeting from Richard A. Greenawalt, chair of the Board of Trustees, President John A. Fry took to the podium. Fry was quick to note Drexel’s recent fortune in receiving donations, such as the Silverman families’ gift of an endowed professorship to the School of Entrepreneurship, as well as Thomas R. Kline’s unprecedented generosity in giving the School of Law a $50 million gift, Drexel’s largest received donation to date. Fry also announced that an $800,000 three-year National Science Foundation grant would be given to the continued research and development of smart textiles, conducted on campus in the ExCITe Center.

Fry was quick to call attention back to what he believes to be a strong reason for much of Drexel’s achievement this year, by highlighting again the subject of this year’s convocation, the faculty. “In particular this year, we celebrate the unique talents, the innovative spirit and the true excellence of our faculty. Our professors are the core of our identity as a great research university. Their achievements drive Drexel’s reputation and help generations of students pursue knowledge and achieve success,” he said.

Before introducing the keynote speaker, Paula Marantz Cohen, dean of the Pennoni Honors College, Fry made a strong point to review and renew his plans for Drexel in the coming years. “I want like to take a moment to speak to this assembled community in specific terms about my absolute commitment to all of you to keep the academic enterprise at the center of our university. That commitment has driven every decision I have made in the last four years.” Fry proceeded to elaborate on how academia has remained the main focus of the university, especially with budgeting. “84 percent of our direct capital expenditure is directed to projects that serve academics, as compared to non-academic or residential purposes.” This is a stark contrast to numbers from 2009, when 20 percent of direct capital expenditure went to academics. “This year, 61 percent of the president’s strategic fund is being invested in academic projects. That’s up from 34 percent last year and 11 percent when I started.”

One of the biggest and most immediate changes Fry mentioned was that of “responsibility centered management” as a vector for budgeting. “What that means academically is that our colleges and schools who earn most of the revenue will now keep most of the revenue. They’ll decide how to invest it, they’ll pay their own expenses and those administrative units, in turn, must now operate with unprecedented transparency and accountability, much more than ever before.” Cohen was then introduced, welcomed by Fry as “a friend and a colleague who is quintessentially Drexel.”

“It may seem ironic that I am talking to you about teaching at this point of transition into administration,” Cohen began, in reference to her recent appointment as dean of the Pennoni Honors College, “but it also makes sense. Taking on a new role allows me to see my teaching career more clearly and to recognize its importance in shaping who I am and what I value.” Cohen cites her 32-year career at Drexel as the backbone for her understanding of how the modern university works. “I look back to my early years at Drexel with gratitude, for it was during that period that I learned to teach.” Cohen’s keynote address then shifted to how these years of learning have helped her to identify common defining traits of a Drexel student. “Most Drexel students can be characterized by the following constellation of qualities: curiosity, tenacity, a desire to problem-solve, a fundamental integrity and fairness, and a willingness to suspend judgment until all the facts are in.”

Cohen’s speech covered her time working as an English professor (now a Distinguished Professor of English) in a school dominated by the natural sciences. Her keynote concluded on an optimistic note, stating that “Drexel students, staff and faculty continue to surprise and delight me everyday, and I look forward to many sublime conversations with them in the years ahead.”

Convocation continues to be an honored university tradition where students and faculty ring in the new academic year together.

Photo Credit: Alissa Falcone

Outside the Recreation Center Sept. 26, students had the opportunity to meet Drexel’s newest and fuzziest addition to the staff. Jersey, a mixed Carolina breed, greeted students for the first time as resident therapy dog under the watchful eye of owner and colleague, Coordinator of Student Fitness & Wellness Kathryn Formica. Drexel is the first university to host its own permanent therapy dog in its recreation center.

“It all started with the Puppy Pawlooza and chill-out days that were going on and the immense amount of students that were interested. We were getting 500-800 students per event,” Formica said in regards to how Jersey got the job. “And I love dogs, but there was no way I could have one unless they were able to come to work.”

Soon enough, she had found a way to combine both the success of Drexel’s past dog events with her want for a four-legged friend.

“I thought of the idea and pitched it to a few people, but I never really knew if it would end up being grasped onto. It ended up being a big hit and preliminary talks with management began. They all quickly approved it and got behind it,” Formica continued. Soon enough, she had adopted Jersey and began arranging for his time here.

Formica sees Jersey being very popular with the students. “I’ve had a lot of interactions with students where they’ve told me, ‘This is really great, I miss my dog at home and seeing Jersey reminds me of them,’” Formica said of her interactions with students while walking Jersey.

Game art and production major Amanda Barbadora could be counted in the number of students who had to leave their furry best friend at home when going off to college. “I love dogs very much, and it’s a big change to leave them behind and not have that comfort of their fur always by you.”

Freshman animation major Julie McCloskey left a dog at home too, and said, “I miss my dog, but seeing Jersey makes me feel better since there’s a puppy here to pet.”

Jersey is more than just a cute face, though. His title of therapy dog was earned, not given. Both he and Formica had to complete a training course in order for Jersey to pick up his badge at Drexel.

“He completed his training in 2 ½ months, which was really impressive, considering most dogs finish in about a year,” Formica said. The nearly four-year-old pup was far from the youngest in his course, but was more than willing to prove that you can teach an old dog new tricks. “He’s older, but smart,” she continued.

Jersey and Formica encourage students to stop by and see them both in their office on the third floor of the Rec Center on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Jersey’s hours are subject to change, however, and so he requests that any students interested in visiting like his Facebook page, “Jersey Therapy,” to keep up with his updates. Formica does ask that visiting students greet others in the room before Jersey, as therapy dog protocol dictates, to keep Jersey from thinking “he rules the world” — though, based on the overwhelmingly positive attention he’s getting, it is possible that he already does.