Penn Humanities Forum Essay Contest
2006 Prize Winners

“If Ben Had Had His Way"

In Honor of the 300th Anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s Birth
(2005-06 Call for Applications)

Cosponsored by the Penn Humanities Forum and the
Marvin and Sybil Weiner Fund of the Penn Library

2006 Penn Humanities Forum Essay Prize, 1st Place

Tal Raviv, “Spark”

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Chemical Engineering, Class of 2009 (and a co-holder of the 2002 Guinness World Record for the Largest Ball of Tape). Palm Springs, Florida

I like thinking about ways of doing things differently, about good ideas, and about the science of good ideas. Once we understand what good ideas are built from, anyone—not just the experts and geniuses—should be capable of systematic, conscious inventing.

The obvious next target is education, and this essay made for an excellent soapbox. For the past three semesters, I've had fun teaching math, science, and robotics to middle schoolers at Drew Elementary School near campus.

But for now, as Mark Twain said, I plan not to "let my schooling interfere with my education." On leave from Penn this semester, I'm spending time with examples of good thinking from the past, making funny movies (my hobby), and tinkering with personal projects.

Click here to view pdf of Tal Raviv’s essay.
Click here for footage of Tal’s presentation at the
February 24, 2006 Franklin Symposium.


2006 Penn Humanities Forum Essay Prize, Honorable Mention

Gena Katz, "Franklin's Ivy Leagues and the
Junto of Education"

School of Arts & Sciences, The College, English, Class of 2006. Chicago, Illinois

I write and have been an editor for the 34th Street Magazine at Penn. I am the last of three siblings to attend the University of Pennsylvania. I love to travel, and most recently spent Christmas break (2005) with my family in India. In my free time I like to run. I ran the Chicago Marathon in October and am hoping to run another race this summer. I also love to paint. I hope to pursue a career in journalism.

In order to receive upper-level seminar credit for my Early American Literature English class last semester, I was required to produce a research paper along with additional readings and meetings. I chose to write this essay, instead of another independent project, because the prompt encouraged creativity. The challenge it presented was exciting. As a graduating senior I felt qualified and even compelled to assess Penn from the founder's standpoint based on my own findings as a student. It presented an opportunity for me to use two important primary resources: Franklin's original documents available through SCETI and my personal experiences at Penn.

Click here to view pdf of Gena Katz’s essay.


Dvorit Mausner, "If Ben Had His Way: Of Virtue,
Wit, and Wisdom"

School of Arts & Sciences, The College, Biological Basis of Behavior, Class of 2007. Oak Park, Illinois

As a junior, I am exploring options for how to spend my last (undergraduate!) summer vacation. Having done some independent travel in the last two years, I am now instead beginning to turn to opportunities relating to my possible future careers. (Though I am still uncertain what those careers may be, I currently work as a Student Coordinator/Team Leader for the Penn Fund's Red & Blue Calling Crew.) During my downtime last summer I was luckily able to read Franklin's autobiography to prepare for the Penn Reading Project as a Residential Advisor in Harrison College House and as a member of PHINS (Peers Helping Incoming New Students). I was surprised to learn that Franklin used both a sharp wit and satirical quality in his work. I also employ these writing strategies each semester as an executive member of Bloomers, the nation's only all-female, musical, sketch-comedy troupe. Around the time of this competition, Bloomers had been commissioned by Penn's Institute of Contemporary Art to write and perform Franklin-inspired bits—the research for which prompted me to enter this essay competition with the hope of bringing some light to Penn's most humorous (yet virtuous) Founding Father.

Click here to view pdf of Dvorit Mausner’s essay.