THE NEW GEOPOLITICS OF ENERGY

HOW THE DRIVE TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS TRANSFORMING GLOBAL POLITICS

The Russian invasion of Ukraine brought the issue of energy security to the top of the global agenda, placing it on par with international concern about climate change. As countries, businesses, and individuals increase their efforts to move away from carbon-intensive energy, their actions will increasingly change how counties interact with one another, affect prospects for war and peace, and influence the pace of globalization.

In this talk, Professor Meghan O’Sullivan will explain how the drive to address climate change will be one of the biggest geopolitical forces of the coming decade.

Questions?

Contact Anne Kalbach, akalbach@sas.upenn.edu

Thursday, March 16, 2023 • Noon – 1 p.m. Café 58, Irvine Auditorium • 3401 Spruce Street

Criminal Justice Reform Guided by Evidence

Meghan L. O’Sullivan

Featuring MONDAY MARCH 27 5 P.M. HALL OF FLAGS HOUSTON HALL

What criminal justice reforms should we adopt? In this talk, MacDonald discusses the need for reforms to be guided by evidence of effective social programs that are consistent with the basic facts of crime and guard against the tail risk of surges in serious crime and violence. He will review evidence showing that programs focused on increasing informal and formal social control in families, schools, communities, and by the criminal justice system are effective at preventing serious crime and make recommendations for their success.

Penn Arts & Sciences’ long-running Knowledge by the Slice lunchtime series offers educational talks led by our insightful faculty experts. Did we mention there’s pizza? So, come for the discussion and have a slice on us.

Cotogna Sports Group, an investment group founded by six Wharton MBA students, recently purchased the professional Italian basketball team Pallacanestro Trieste.

Prab Sekhon, Fitzann Reid, Richard Johnson, Richard de Meo, John Jefferies, and Connor Barwin are all second-year students in the Wharton MBA Program for Executives. They founded CSG in 2022 to invest in sports franchises. The purchase of the Italian basketball team marks CSG's first acquisition.

CSG brings together students with diverse skills and experiences, including lawyers, doctors, and former professional athletes.

De Meo, the founder and CEO of London-based financial service firm Foenix Partners, said that none of the members knew each other before starting at Wharton.

“The courses gave us common ground and established a shared interest,” de Meo told The

Daily Pennsylvanian. He also added that the Wharton MBA Program for Executives, a two-year curriculum designed for professionals who are already working fulltime, empowers students to build momentum for projects.

The idea of acquiring a team in Italy began when some of the group members took a sports management course taught by Robert DiGisi. DiGisi noticed their interest in sports acquisition and connected them with industry contacts in Italy.

De Meo then traveled to Trieste, the hometown of Pallacanestro Trieste, to speak to the team about a potential deal.

“The power of the alumni network is real,” de Meo said. “It can feel daunting and difficult to know where to start, but there is incredible openness for people to have conversations, to try and support people across the Penn community.”

In addition to DiGisi's support, de Meo stated that Gus Gooney's negotiations course taught him skills that he was able to utilize in discussions with the previous owners of the Italian team.

“We really feel a significant debt to the broader Penn community,” de Meo said.

Sekhon, an energy strategist and CleanTech investor at NextEra Energy Resources, said that the six group members are “intimately involved” in the operations of the basketball team. They are focusing on establishing operational excellence, fiscal discipline, and new revenue streams.

According to Sekhon, CSG is also interested in accumulating sports teams in Europe and North America. The group is currently evaluating the women’s sports market, particularly soccer.

Sekhon credited the successful acquisition to the diverse and complementary skill set of its members.

“Penn brings people with a similar mindset together,” he said. “The biggest value has been the people you meet and the connections you make to build the right team to achieve your goal.”

A new, 250,000-square-foot commercial lab and office space in University City is nearing completion and is now leasing tenants.

University City development firm University Place Associates’ latest development, 3.0 University Place, is a mixed-use commercial property located at 4101 Market St. with thousands of square feet of rentable space. The property includes lab space, office space, and retail space spread across eight floors. The space also features a 14,000-square-foot green roof. The Sheward Partnership served as the architect of the building.

This project is a part of University Place

Associates’ Platinum Corridor vision, which seeks to create a sustainable, pedestrian-based development area from 39th to 42nd streets on Market Street. Fulton Bank will be the first retail tenant of the building, occupying 2,250 square feet on the building’s ground floor, according to a press release sent in an email to The Daily Pennsylvanian. The Wistar Institute, currently located at 3601 Spruce St., previously signed a lease in 2020 to occupy 8,000 square feet of space in the building.

The building also includes 25,000 square feet of retail space which developers said they hope to fill with a restaurant, urgent care center, and a cafe. The building is certified LEED and WELL platinum.

The DP sat down with the developers of University Place Associates to speak about their vision for the area and plans for the building.

Partner and President of University Place Associates Anthony Maher said that one of the missions of the building is making way for the intellectual capital and opportunities at Penn to reverberate through West Philadelphia.

“We want this building to be a significant contributor to the community,” founder and CEO of University Place Associates Scott Mazo said, citing how Penn’s research prowess encouraged the development of world-class labs and research spaces housed within the building.

In line with the impact on the community, Maher added that University Place 3.0's sustainability is unique for the area it is located in.

“I think the staples of what University Place Associates will bring to the table will be bestin-class community development, aligned with the best-in-class sustainability development,” Maher said.