The Penn Science Café and Penn Lightbulb Cafe are kicking off this week with a full lineup of engaging talks. As it has since 2005, the free public lecture series will continue to give attendees a glimpse into the innovative and impactful research at the University. But this fall, it will do so at two Center City locations—the Wilma Theater and the Suzanne Roberts Theatre—with an eye toward inviting a broader audience.
The lecture series, hosted by the School of Arts and Sciences in conjunction with the Office of University Communications, offers a casual setting in which researchers can present their work and engage with the attendees during a Q&A period. Audience members are welcome to purchase food and beverages from the Wilma and Suzanne Roberts cafe to enjoy as they learn from the top experts in various fields. The talks take place on Tuesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. throughout the academic year.
The first talk, “Promoting Coral Survival in the Face of Climate Change,” will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the Wilma Theatre as part of the Penn Science Cafe. Katie Barott, an assistant professor of biology in the School of Arts and Sciences, will discuss how climate change impacts coral reefs. Barott will dive into corals’ ability to not only sense climate change but also to respond to the subsequent changes in their ocean environment. Researchers aim to harness this ability to better facilitate reef restoration. As the ocean becomes warmer and more acidic, this knowledge will become imperative in the survival of coral reefs.
The second lecture, “Looted Jewish Books, Nazi Collections, and Their American Afterlives” will be held Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the Wilma Theatre as part of the Penn Lightbulb Cafe and will feature Kathy Peiss, the Roy F. and Jeannette P. Nichols Professor of American History in the School of Arts and Sciences. Peiss explores the “afterlives” of books from Germany during World War II—including both Judaica seized by Nazis and German texts containing Nazi militaristic content—and will discuss how these books remain as important as ever for a new generation’s Holocaust memory.
On Tuesday, Nov. 13, at the Wilma Theatre, Dawn Teele will present “Nudging Women to Run,” a Penn Lightbulb Cafe lecture that details her research on the psychological and economic factors that encourage women to run for political office. Teele, the Janice and Julian Bers Assistant Professor of Political Science in the School of Arts and Sciences, who has a joint appointment in Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies, will discuss the impacts and causes of voting-rights reform, versions of political bias, and social-science methodology.
And on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 6 p.m. at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Doug Durian, a professor of physics in the School of Arts and Sciences, will discuss “The Physics of Foam.” Foam has surprising properties; it’s made of mostly gas and a small amount of liquid, neither of which are white or solid, so why does it appear white and solid? Durian will clarify these foamy facts and explain why foam is becoming an exciting topic in mathematics and fundamental physics.
Those interested in attending a Cafe event are encouraged to RSVP to juliansh@upenn.edu. More information about the series, including a sneak peek at the Spring 2019 lineup, is available online.
