Concrete on Paper examines concrete's past and present as a construction material. The exhibit showcases scientific papers on hydraulic materials and specialized imitation stone products in the late 18th century, along with popular do-it-yourself house building manuals of the mid-19th century.
On the first and second levels of the Penn Museum Library, visitors can view a collection of photographs by Penn students that reflect key themes from their fieldwork experiences in the past year. Contributing student photographers are from Penn's departments of Anthropology, Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World, Classics/Ancient History, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, and History of Art. Free with Penn ID.
The Institute of Contemporary Art presents the first in-depth survey of the work of Carl Cheng, who has worked through six decades presenting work in a variety of media to reflect on environmental change. The exhibit covers both floors of the ICA.
Penn Libraries and the Penn Museum present materials held in their collections that reflect upon the creators, modes, and influences of the Ainu, Indigenous peoples connected to the northern islands of Japan and parts of Russia. This exhibit is co-curated by Stephen A. Lang, Eri Mizukane, Rebecca Mendelson, and Deborah Stewart.
Yingyi Ma, a professor of Sociology and director of the Asian/Asian American Studies Program at Syracuse University, will join Penn GSE faculty and staff for a conversation about the topic “Navigating Excellence and Uncertainty: Supporting Chinese International Students.” Lunch will be provided, and no registration is needed.
This expert panel, organized by Penn’s Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL), will address the complex ethical and legal landscape of national security reporting, including key takeaways from the latest volume in CERL’s Oxford University Press series, “National Security, Journalism, and Law in an Age of Information Warfare.”
Presented by the Asian American Studies Program in Penn's School of Arts & Sciences, the 2025 Yoonmee Chang Memorial Lecture will feature author, filmmaker, and activist Curtis Chin. Participants will hear Chin reflect on his recent award-winning memoir, “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant.” Meet the author and get your copy signed after the lecture. Register to attend.
Students, researchers, and professionals are invited to learn best practices for research poster design and effective visual communication. RSVP to attend.
Juan Llamas-Rodriguez, an assistant professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, presents a new book about “Y tu mamá tambien,” published as part of a series on Queer Film Classics. Attendees will view a screening of the film organized and hosted by the Philadelphia Film Society and learn more about the book. Free with RSVP.
Led by Mara Karlin, a professor at Johns Hopkins University-School of Advanced International Studies and who has served in national security roles for six U.S. secretaries of defense, this event will focus on how the U.S. military’s role in wars since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has influenced civil-military relations—including how the military thinks about war and the enduring impact of these wars on those who waged them.
The James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies presents a career talk featuring Hyunsun Ahn, a former Kim Center undergraduate fellow and current Wharton MBA student. Ahn will share her experiences, discuss her career path, and offer valuable advice for students interested in consulting, business, and entrepreneurship. Participants will learn about her journey and gain insights into career development.
In this lecture and musical performance organized by the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) and moderated by Davesh Soneji of the Department of South Asia Studies, renowned vocalist Shubha Mudgal (pictured) will provide brief illustrations of the vocal forms known as khayal and thumri-dadra, accompanied by Aneesh Pradhan on the tabla and Kedar Naphade on the harmonium. The event, part of CASI’s Saluja Global Fellows lecture series, is presented in partnership with the South Asia Center, Department of South Asia Studies, and Penn Music. Register to attend.
Attendees will hear from Elizabeth DeYoung, a research scientist at the School of Social Policy & Practice and the author of “Power, Politics and Territory in the ‘New Northern Ireland’: Girdwood Barracks and the Story of the Peace Process,” about major investments in a former conflict zone and globally significant peacebuilding efforts. Register to attend.
Presented by the Wharton School and Penn Live Arts, the Wharton Dance Studio Spring Showcase brings together MBA students and the broader Penn graduate community to celebrate movement, music, and artistic expression. The showcase features over 300 performers representing 15 multicultural dances including Hip-Hop, Chinese, Bollywood, Latin, Street, and more, showcasing the diverse talents and cultural influences of Penn's student body.
Drawing on lessons learned from collaborating with Native American and First Nations peoples, Emily Jean Leischner, in-resident researcher at the Kislak Center for 2024-2025, will share stories and snippets from her initial survey of Indigenous knowledge in the archives—and propose directions for their future stewardship and engagement with the Indigenous communities it came from. Register to attend.
This event, sponsored by Penn’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, will involve a panel of experts discussing federal and state policies that improve economic stability and opportunity, as well as their effects on public health. Participants will learn about evidence-based policies that foster healthier communities.
A new exhibition curated by students in Penn's School of Arts & Sciences will explore the deep human history associated with the color blue. Into the Blue will span 4,000 years—displaying 20 objects from across the Penn Museum’s collections, including select artifacts from the Middle East, China, Africa, ancient Egypt, and Central America. The exhibition will examine three themes: Obtaining Blue, Making Blue, and Synthesizing Blue. On view through spring 2026. Included with Museum admission.
Within everyone lies the potential for a “volta”—a moment that reshapes how we see the world and ourselves. Penn hosts the largest student-run TEDx conference in the world. At TEDxPenn 2025, explore the power of these moments and engage with the talks of 10 incredible speakers, tracing their journeys to the turning points that defined them.
Penn Masala, the world’s first South Asian a cappella group, will perform a live show featuring Bollywood and Western pop mashups.
Penn’s premier pop and R&B a cappella group, Dischord, will present a night of performances, featuring hits from Beyoncé, Sia, Hozier, Mariah Carey, and more.
Through a series of presentations and discussions, participants will examine how scholars have balanced the weight of suffering with accounts of creativity, adaptation, and joy in Jewish life. This conference aims to foster dialogue about the place of suffering in Jewish historiography and the possibilities for reimagining its role in scholarship. Register to attend.
This talk will explore a proposed definition and theory of trends. Hosted by the Annenberg School for Communication’s Center on Digital Culture and Society, Devon Powers, a professor of communication and media at the University of Michigan, will explore how “trend” increasingly names both a media form and a type of media content, as well as discuss important lessons about media industries, history, and environments. Register to attend.
Philadelphia locals Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby, the visionary chefs and co-owners of the renowned Vedge restaurant, will share insights about the innovations and challenges involved with shaping the future of food, discuss the impact of plant-based eating, and share unique perspectives on gastronomy amid the climate crisis.
The Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing presents author, scholar, and researcher Wendy Kline, Dema G. Seelye Chair in the History of Medicine at Purdue University. Registration is required.
Senior Vice Provost for Research Dawn Bonnell will lead a discussion with members of the Penn AI Council to explore AI’s societal implications and Penn’s potential to influence a more sustainable future. Register to attend.
Karine Macarez, a Ph.D. student in French and Francophone Studies at Penn, will discuss the role of postcards and sound archives in shaping the media's influence on the spread of French antisemitism during the Dreyfus Affair and World War II. Register to attend.
Attendees will view a film screening that explores the history of Chinese American women nightclub performers and their lasting cultural legacy. Following the screening, director Luka Yuanyuan Yang will engage in conversation with film scholar Lynette Shen about the project and its reception.
This conference will unite leading experts, law academics, and legal professionals to discuss emerging global topics through a comparative perspective, featuring panels on international arbitration, mergers and acquisitions, AI and data privacy, and financing renewable energy.
The inaugural Penn AI Governance Workshop will unite researchers across Penn working on responsible and safe artificial intelligence. The event, so-sponsored by the Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative, the Wharton Accountable AI Lab, the School of Engineering & Applied Science, the Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition, and the Perry World House, will include panel discussions and lightning talks from researchers. Free and open to the Penn community. Register to attend.
Participants will learn and practice the basics of letterpress printing and typesetting. Instructed by Erica Honson, the studio coordinator of Common Press, attendees will use metal and wood typefaces to create prints. This orientation is required for working on independent projects at Common Press. No experience necessary.
Participants will learn best practices for communicating with faculty at Penn. This session will focus on how to craft a clear, well-thought-out email to a faculty member to request support in coursework or research interests. Register to attend in-person or virtually. A graduate student ID is required.
Brìghde Chaimbeul, a leading purveyor of Celtic experimentalism and master of the Scottish smallpipes, will give an artist talk and demonstration. This event is supported in part by The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation. Free and open to the public.
Penn will recognize outstanding staff members who play key roles in the University’s successes. The awards are presented in three categories: Models of Excellence, Pillars of Excellence, and Model Supervisors. Special guests include Penn's Glee Club and the 2025 Models of Excellence staff honorees.
The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation will hold a reception and artist talk celebrating the opening of “Makoto Fujimura: Transfiguration,” a triptych to be displayed in the Arts Lounge at the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Free and open to the public.
Convened by Ellen Munsterman of Penn’s School of Nursing, this workshop will feature a panel discussion on strategies for leading a classroom in English as an instructor who speaks English as a second language. Facilitated by Se Hee Min, who specializes in family and community health, and Hyejeong Hong, a biobehavioral and health sciences expert. This is part of the Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Teaching Certificate Series. All graduate students are welcome.
Organized by Penn's Faculty Senate, this panel will focus on the sustained criticism of higher education and ask whether the four-year college degree will (and should) survive, and whether there are plausible alternatives to the conventional college degree. The event will be moderated by Penn Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. Register for in-person or virtual attendance.
Deirdre de la Cruz, an associate professor of History and Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan, will discuss how the historical and contemporary specificities of the Philippines and its diaspora both contribute to and complicate ongoing conversations around museums and historical justice. Free and open to the public.
In this virtual talk, Mia D’Avanza, the Penn Libraries’ Director of the Fisher Fine Arts Library, and Michael Carroll, Assistant Director of the Fisher Arts Library, will share how sustainable, recycled, and eco-friendly materials spark innovation and creativity. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look into how the Materials Library supports research at Penn. This event is open to the public. Register to attend.
Proxy Landscapes is a two-day symposium that will explore how numerous landscapes act as proxies for remote sites, processes, and transformations that are otherwise inaccessible or unobservable. Designers, historians, anthropologists, and theorists will discuss landscapes that carry traces of hidden phenomena or act as indicators of latent processes. The symposium is organized by associate professor Robert Pietrusko of the Department of Landscape Architecture and hosted by the McHarg Center for Urbanism and Ecology. Free and open to the public.
Penn Jazz Ensembles will present a night of jazz repertoire. The group’s style is varied, drawing influence from early jazz, 1950s-era straight ahead jazz, Cuban jazz, vocal jazz, and jazz arrangements of current popular music. Free and open to the public.
This panel, hosted by Penn Engineering Entrepreneurship as part of their day-long 25th anniversary celebration, will highlight the importance of AI for the next generation of business leaders and showcase how Penn will continue to be at the forefront of this evolving field.
This panel, moderated by Paniz Musawi Natanzi, a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Humanities at the Wolf Humanities Center, brings together artists, librarians, and scholars to discuss challenges in maintaining archival collections related to Afghanistan and its diasporas.
This multimodal, milestone performance will honor the past five decades of the Penn Dance company. Each piece will reflect a journey through the company’s evolution, from its founding in 1975 to the thriving community it is today. The event will also pay tribute to Penn Dance alumni who have shaped the company over the years.
Presented by Penn’s Makuu: The Black Cultural Center, this event will allow community members to connect on conversations around cultural heritage, exciting research opportunities, shared experiences, and more. Sign-ups to be released.
This panel will explore the barriers to productive dialogue and examine the roles that Penn faculty and students have to play in cultivating classrooms that support critical thinking, curiosity, and civil discourse. Lunch will be provided. Register to attend.
Marcy Norton, an associate professor of History at Penn, explores how ongoing encounters between Indigenous and settler communities in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Amazonia transformed the modern world. During this talk, as part of the Global Discovery Lecture Series presented by Penn Alumni Lifelong Learning, Norton will challenge the idea that treating animals as livestock is a natural and normal way to interact with other creatures. Attendees will be invited to question the notion that animal domestication and husbandry are necessary for cultural progress. Register to attend.
Graduate students Max Johnson and Eliana Fishbeyn take the stage in this edition of Music in the Stacks, a collaborative series between the Albrecht Music Library and the Department of Music bringing musicians into Penn library spaces for performances throughout the year. Registration is required for those without a PennCard.
During the week of Earth Day, Penn Sustainability presents an opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to engage in cross-disciplinary events designed to foster environmental stewardship and positive change. This year’s theme is Our Power, Our Planet.