| Penn Today

2026-03-27

Undergraduate Humanities Forum Research Conference

Each year, the Wolf Humanities Center’s Undergraduate Humanities Forum brings together undergraduate students from across the humanities and beyond to explore a common theme. The Penn community is invited to hear the 2025–26 Undergraduate Research Fellows present their research on “Truth.”

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, 3420 Walnut St.

2026-03-30

The World According to Sound

Radio producers Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett will set up a ring of speakers, hand out eye masks, turn off the lights, and surround participants with a curated sound experience. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St.

2026-02-25

Oney Judge Day Printing

Ona Judge Staines, also known as Oney Judge, was born into slavery in George Washington’s Mt. Vernon plantation in 1773, and escaped slavery from Washington’s Philadelphia household in 1796. Despite a massive effort on the part of Washington, she was never recaptured. Her story reminds us to question whose stories should be centered as inspirational examples of the early American fight for liberty and freedom. All are invited to stop by the Common Press to print a commemorative piece on this important day in Philadelphia history. Register to attend.

9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Fisher Fine Arts Library, 220 S. 34th St.

2026-02-17

Mardi Gras Printing for All

In New Orleans, Mardi Gras is a day of absolution during which residents enjoy the luxuries of life—often with people celebrating in the streets, sometimes in costume, sometimes by parading. Annually, Common Press director Jessica Peterson celebrates her adopted New Orleans roots in Philadelphia by inviting the public to pull a commemorative Mardi Gras print. Register to attend.

9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Fisher Fine Arts Library, 220 S. 34th St.

2026-02-06

45th Annual Edward V. Sparer Symposium

This year’s theme for the Edward V. Sparer Symposium, “Courts Without Counsel,” will examine pressing questions within the arenas of housing, family law, and immigration, where litigants face life-changing decisions. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

All Day

Silverman Hall, 3501 Sansom St.

2026-03-19

The Albert M. Greenfield Memorial Lecture

The 2026 Albert M. Greenfield Memorial Lecture will feature a conversation between Lily Brown, an assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry at Penn, and Jose A. Bauermeister, Albert M. Greenfield Professor of Human Relations. They will discuss this year’s theme, “Connection as Intervention: Digital Peer Mentorship in Suicide Prevention.” Free and open to the Penn community. Register to attend in-person or virtually.

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Hybrid; Holman Biotech Commons, 3610 Hamilton Walk

2026-02-19

The Housing Crisis: Innovative Solutions

Tiny homes under construction in Baltimore.

From repurposing underused office buildings and shopping centers to making sweeping changes in zoning, cities across the U.S. are taking concrete steps to increase housing construction. Penn IUR will host an expert panel discussing what the nation can do to alleviate housing shortages—one of the most critical issues facing the US economy in 2026. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Virtual

2026-02-09

Senator Nikil Saval on Housing Affordability & Urban Policy

Pennsylvania State Senator Nikil Saval will discuss the political, economic, and regulatory forces shaping housing affordability in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. Saval will explore the role of state and local government, barriers within existing land-use and financing frameworks, and the policy tradeoffs involved in expanding housing supply while protecting communities. This Penn IUR event is relevant for students interested in public policy, urban development, law, and political organizing. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

7:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.

Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics, 133 S. 36th St.

2026-02-13

Douglass Day 2026

Douglass Day is an annual program marking the birth of Frederick Douglass. Each year, the Price Lab for Digital Humanities gathers thousands of participants for a transcribe-a-thon—an event in which people work side-by-side on a crowdsourcing transcription project—to help create new and freely available resources for learning about Black history. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, 3420 Walnut St.

2026-02-24

How Critical Minerals Are Driving the Future of Energy

The exterior of the Vagelos building with its sun shades exterior.

In conversation with Karen Goldberg, Vagelos Professor of Energy Research, participants in this Penn Science Café will hear from Eric Schelter, Hirschmann-Makineni Professor of Chemistry, as he explains how these minerals play a vital role in daily life—from powering smartphones to paving the way for the clean energy transition. Schelter will also discuss the science that helps these minerals tick, transforming them into critical building blocks that fuel the modern world. Free and open to the Penn community. Register to attend.

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Vagelos Laboratory for Energy Science and Technology, 3200 Walnut St.