Graduate students in the School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) have a unique chance to showcase their research to peers and the overall Penn community. On Friday, March 17, International House Philadelphia at 3701 Chestnut St. will host the inaugural Grad Ben Talks. 

“These [Grad] Ben Talks will be community-building and an official recognition of the work graduate students do—especially for Ph.D. students worried about the meaning of their work in the greater world,” says Eve Troutt Powell, associate dean for graduate studies at SAS. Master’s and Ph.D. students have until 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17, to submit entries.

The talks emerged out of a twofold desire: to give these scholars the opportunity to practice describing their specialization to lay audiences in an engaging, comprehensive way, and to remind the larger community about the role such researchers play in the University’s intellectual life.

“This kind of venue helps put a face on graduate students and helps tell their story,” says Loraine Terrell, executive director of communications at SAS, who conceived the Grad Ben Talks.

During the event, which is on St. Patrick's Day, up to five students will present in four distinct groups: Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Professional Master’s Programs/Other. Any graduate students in SAS can enter by filling out a submission form, which requires the student’s program and year, along with a 150- to 200-word abstract.

Based on those brief descriptions, Terrell and members of the SAS graduate student government will decide who presents on March 17. On the day of the event, a panel of judges will determine one winner per category, each of whom will take home $500. Audiences will award a separate people’s choice winner, who will also earn $500.

Event organizers say the idea is to have a fun afternoon, but also to boost the confidence these scholars have in their ability to talk about their work.

“When students are working on research, whether capstones or dissertations, the tendency is to get so into the weeds of what you’re doing,” says Nora Lewis, vice dean for professional and liberal education at SAS. “That’s necessary, of course, but at a certain point, the impact and value come from being able to translate and communicate it to people who don’t have your background and level of expertise, and haven’t spent months or years thinking about a subject.”

The talks will be videotaped and archived. Students selected to participate should receive notification by Wednesday, March 1.