| Penn Today

2026-03-05

The Future of Preservation

This panel about the future of preservation will feature Jonathan S. Bell, senior vice president for global preservation strategy and founding director of the Suzanne Deal Booth Institute for Heritage Preservation at World Monuments Fund, and Randall Mason, professor and chair of Penn’s Department of Historic Preservation. Bell and Mason will share their perspectives on where the field stands today and how their institutions are responding to and helping shape its future. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

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

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

2026-02-11

Brian Stelter: Media Analysis at Risk?

person's hand holding a phone with a news story visible

The Center for Media at Risk will host a colloquium with CNN Worldwide chief media analyst Brian Stelter will reflect on the changing role of media analysis in an era of rapid news cycles, platform disruption, and declining public trust. Stelter will raise pressing questions about the boundaries of journalistic self-scrutiny and the future of media analysis as a mechanism for public accountability. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Annenberg School for Communication, 3620 Walnut St.

2026-02-25

Pennsylvania’s Power Surge

Solar panels and three wind turbines set against a blue sky and setting sun.

This year’s Master in Law annual lecture will explore the intersection of data center growth and challenges to energy infrastructure. With a focus on Pennsylvania, panelists will discuss how this unprecedented demand is reshaping energy systems and challenging regulatory frameworks, prompting innovative legal and regulatory strategies. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

5:15 p.m. - 6:45 p.m.

Golkin Hall, 3501 Sansom St.

2026-02-17

Navigating Barriers to Optimal Health for All

This presentation will discuss ways to name, address, and overcome some of the rhetorical and narrative barriers to the framing of persistently unjust differences in health outcomes. The speaker, Derek Griffith, the Risa Lavizzo-Mourey Population Health and Health Equity University Professor, will argue that medical practitioners and researchers have an essential role to play in advancing this work. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Virtual

2026-02-12

Finding Common Ground: A Panel with Health Communicators

This panel will bring together expert direct-to-public communicators for a conversation about practical, real-world-tested strategies to improve the communication and uptake of public health recommendations, including vaccinations. Free and open to the public.

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

Biomedical Research Building, 421 Curie Blvd.

2026-02-12

Building Reproducible Research with LEGO Bricks

Participants in this interactive, team-based session are invited to build their research skills using LEGO materials, exploring what to document to make their research more reproducible. This workshop is appropriate for all levels of experience working with research. Free and open to Penn students, faculty, and staff. Register to attend.

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

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, 3420 Walnut St.

2026-02-11

Plastic, Microplastics, and Human Health

Participants in this session will learn about emerging research into the health impact that microplastics have living tissue, including the solutions within our reach to help reduce plastic-related harm. The conversation will feature Megan J. Wolff, executive director of P-SNAP, a network of physicians and scientists who speak, write, and testify on plastics and human health. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Virtual

2026-02-10

2026 Philadelphia Postdoc Preview

This program, geared primarily toward pre-doctoral students, is designed to promote the robust postdoctoral training opportunities in the Philadelphia area. Postdocs from various institutions will share their experiences, and Rebecca Grant, director of Life Sciences and Innovation at the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, will deliver the keynote presentation. Register to attend.

12:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Virtual

2026-04-15

Speculative Fiction as Truth-Telling

Exterior of the Kelly Writers House with a path to the front door.

Speculative fiction writers Alex Smith and Margaret Killjoy will share their work and join in conversation on the role of literature of the imagination—fantasy, science fiction, Afrofuturism, magical realism—in speaking urgent truths and holding up a mirror to society. The program, co-sponsored by Truth and Disinformation in the Writing Arts and the Wolf Humanities Center, will be hosted by Abbey Mei Otis, Penn artist-in-residence and author of Alien Virus Love Disaster. Free and open to the public. Register to attend.

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Kelly Writers House, 3805 Locust Walk

2026-04-17

A Song’s Journey from Haiti and Back

Part of America 250 at Penn programming, this music event will illuminate the tale, across centuries and continents, of Lisette quitté la plaine, an enduringly popular song from Haiti. The concert will be preceded by a screening of the short documentary “Lisette,” which traces the text’s evolving significance from its early popularity in colonial St. Domingue and France to its use as a symbol of Black pride and cultural heritage in modern Haiti and Louisiana. Free and open to the public. Registration is required for all guests outside of the Penn community.

6:15 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, 3420 Walnut St.