Campus & Community

Lawrence Lessig, a University of Pennsylvania alumnus and public intellectual, is leading a charge to overhaul the U.S. Constitution.

Joseph R. Biden, Jr., vice president of the United States, will deliver the address at Penn’s Commencement on Monday, May 13, 2013.

According to the Mayor’s Office of Reintegration Services for Ex-Offenders, thousands of people are released from state, local, and federal detention centers each year, making the successful reintegration of ex-offenders, both juvenile and adult, a critically important workforce and public safety issue in the Philadelphia region.

As the days lengthen and temperatures rise, gardeners are beginning to venture outdoors to tend the pots and beds that have sat neglected throughout the winter. But before sowing their carrot and kale seeds, many city-dwelling green thumbs may wonder whether the food they will harvest from their urban plots is truly safe to eat.

University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann and other experts will explore online learning and what it may have in store for higher education at the Silfen University Forum at Penn on April 5.

In an effort to break the cycle of recidivism, the Goldring Re-entry Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, will host “Breaking Down Walls: Intersections of Mass Incarceration and Its Implications,” Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the International House, 3701 Chestnut St.  It is free and open to the public.

Earlier this year, Penn Engineers Without Borders (PennEWB) traveled to Cameroon to improve an aged, inefficient water distribution system.

Typical happy hour events have a smart alternative, the Science and Lightbulb cafés, where scholars and professors from the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) step out of the classroom for live, public discussions in nearby bars and restaurants.

After seven years of widespread support and alumni participation, Penn culminated its Making History Campaign in February, raising $4.3 billion.

United States patent law is undergoing a major overhaul, and Penn’s Center for Technology Transfer, which helps University members commercialize inventions, file for patent protection, and incubate spin-off businesses, is preparing for the changes.