| Penn Today

2025-11-10

Book Talk and Conversation with Erick Guerra

Erick Guerra, a Penn IUR Faculty Fellow and a faculty member at the Weitzman School, will discuss his new book exploring how outdated policies, flawed funding systems, and misguided metrics led to overbuilding the U.S. roadway network. Guerra examines the lasting consequences of this overbuilding and outlines how policymakers can “unbuild” to create a more sustainable transportation future. Register to attend.

12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Meyerson Hall, 210 S. 34th St.

2025-09-11

Record Borrowing Amid Budget Strains

A blurred hand holding a stack of dollar bills, pushing them toward the camera.

Organized by the Penn Institute for Urban Research, this expert panel—moderated by William Glasgall, Penn IUR Fellow and Volcker Alliance Public Finance Advisor, and Susan Wachter, co-director of Penn IUR and Wharton professor—will address the unparalleled boom in state and local borrowing in the face of federal spending cuts and pressure on budgets. Register to attend.

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

Virtual

2025-09-04

Wharton Neuro Initiative Welcome Back Party

This celebration, free and open to the Penn community, provides a chance for attendees to learn about the role of neuroscience at Wharton. Light fare and refreshments will be served. Register to attend.

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall, 3620 Locust Walk

2025-11-04

Fireside Chat: Award-Winning Journalist Richard Lui

magnifying glass on top of laptop keyboard with newspaper visible through the glass

Renowned journalist, MSNBC/NBC news anchor, and documentary filmmaker Richard Lui will share insights from his 30-year career in journalism, including his historic role as the first Asian American male to anchor a daily national cable news broadcast. Facilitated by Karu Kozuma, Vice Provost for University Life, this conversation will explore the intersections of identity, storytelling, and leadership.

5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

The ARCH, 3601 Locust Walk

WebMD

The Internet is turning you into someone you’d hate IRL

A study co-authored by Stefano Puntoni of the Wharton School suggested that chatbots could curb loneliness as good as or more effectively than humans could.

Cosmos Magazine

Adolescent brain complicates youth justice debate

Frances E. Jensen of the Perelman School of Medicine explains how the human brain is something of a “paradox” at birth.

Time

Does sleeping on a problem really work?

Alyssa Sinclair of the Annenberg School for Communication says sleeping on a difficult task can help people make more level-headed decisions the next day.

WHYY (Philadelphia)

Do concerts have to be so loud that you need earplugs?

Mary Kim of Penn Medicine says the hearing damage resulting from loud noise is permanent.

Philadelphia Business Journal

Women of Influence 2025: Meet the second group of honorees

Regina Cunningham, CEO of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, is one of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2025 Women of Influence.

CNBC

Three simple conversational fixes that turn your failure to communicate into successful influence: Wharton word guru

Jonah Berger of the Wharton School says simple word choices can be the difference between failure and success in communicating.