Experience Penn

Penn Alumni Lifelong Learning invites you to “Experience Penn” through a variety of exclusive, on- and off-campus educational opportunities. This exciting series brings alumni together with faculty to learn through shared, often behind-the-scenes, experiences. At each event, faculty members will participate with alumni, facilitate learning and reflection, and offer short talks on related topics as an academic complement to the activity.

 

Upcoming Events

Experience Penn: Penn Park Farm

June 8, 2023 | 5:00 – 7:00 PM ET
Co-sponsored by Penn Alumni Lifelong Learning | Penn Food and Wellness Collaborative | Penn Alumni Club of Philadelphia

THIS EVENT HAS SOLD OUT.  

The Penn Food and Wellness Collaborative (PFWC) is a unique, multidisciplinary initiative that engages stakeholders from across the Penn community around four central pillars of wellness, food access, sustainability, and education. The flagship site of PFWC is the Penn Park Farm, which is Penn's first and only on-campus farm. Join fellow Penn alumni for a special tour of this space with Penn Park Farm staff and learn how the farm uses regenerative agricultural practices to grow approximately 2,000 pounds of organic produce each year while serving as a living laboratory that hosts hands-on learning and research opportunities for Penn students and faculty. Then hear from Penn Professor Jennifer Pinto-Martin, the Viola MacInnes/Independence Professor of Nursing, who will explain how her research and work aligns with the work at the farm and how its thousands of pounds of produce support food access initiatives on campus and in the hospital systems. Reception to follow. Rain Date: June 13 | 5:00 PM

Past Events

Experience the Penn Museum's NEW Middle East Galleries
Faculty talk by Lauren Ristvet, Associate Professor of Anthropology; Dyson Associate Curator, Near East section of the Penn Museum
Private visit to the new Middle East Galleries, reception, and lecture.
Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Macbeth
Faculty talk by Zachary Lesser, Professor of English on the play and its author, after which we’ll enjoy a three course lunch at Riva at Navy Pier. Together we’ll walk to the brand new, flexible performance space, The Yard, to enjoy a matinee performance of Macbeth.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Faculty talk by Professor Paul M. Cobb, Chair of the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations followed by a private tour of the special exhibition Bestowing Beauty: Masterpieces from Persian Lands at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) with Aimée Froom, Islamic Art Curator at the MFAH.
Prospect.4 New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans
Private tour of Prospect.4: The Lotus in Spite of the Swamp followed by a lecture by Penn History of Art Professor Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw and tips on navigating international art exhibitions and the Modern and Contemporary art scene and a reception will follow.
Inside the Bibliothèque nationale de France
Lecture and reception with Penn English Professor and former Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Rebecca Bushnell. Then discover the BnF’s history, architecture, and reading rooms on a private, 90 minute tour.
Inside Shakespeare's Globe, London
Private tour of the iconic Globe Theatre. Afterwards, enjoy lunch and an interactive lecture with English Professor and former Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Rebecca Bushnell on the dynamics of Shakespearean performance and early modern English theater.
Behind-the-Scenes at Penn Vet's New Bolton Center
Behind-the-scenes look inside the New Bolton Center. Take a tour of the main hospital, surgical suites, and adjacent buildings. Afterwards join us for a Penn Vet faculty-led discussion and lunch.
Inside Conservation at the Penn Libraries
A unique glimpse into the rare collections at the Penn Libraries. Come learn from Sarah Reidell, the Margy E. Meyerson Head of Conservation, about the technology and techniques being used to conserve our materials’ integrity and history.
Inside Conservation at the Penn Museum
Learn from Lynn Grant, Head Conservator, about the state-of-the-art techniques being used to safeguard the Museum's priceless collection. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Museum's "In the Artifact Lab" and watch conservators actively work on objects from the renowned collection.
Art Basel Miami Beach
An inside look at Art Basel Miami.  Meet Stefanie Block Reed,C’85, VIP Representative/ Art Basel, and learn how to navigate Art Basel and the Modern and Contemporary art scene from History of Art Professor Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw.
Penn Pioneers West
Penn Film and Media Pioneers, an annual symposium that brings together Penn students, faculty, parents, and alumni to highlight careers, current projects, and the state of the media industry at 20th Century Fox Studios with Meredith Stiehm, C'90, Matt Selman, C'93, Ari Emanuel, and Stacey Snider, C'82 .
The Golden Age of King Midas
C. Brian Rose, James Pritchard Professor of Archaeology and Curator-in-Charge of the Mediterranean Section of the Museum hosts a behind-the-scenes tour of this exclusive world premiere exhibition and discover what was behind the legendary story of King Midas.
Good Housekeeping Research Institute
A behind-the-scenes tour of the GHRI laboratories and test kitchen with Miriam Arond, director of GHRI and Penn alumna. Followed by a faculty talk from Wharton Professor David Bell, an expert in consumer shopping behavior.
The Martian viewing at 20th Century Fox Studios
Join us at Fox Studios, ordinarily closed to the public, for an advanced screening of The Martian. Afterwards, engage in Q&A about the film and film industry with Penn alumna Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman of 20th Century Fox, and Penn Professor Peter Decherney.
If/Then
 Matinee performance of If/Then, a Broadway musical starring Idina Menzel and meet the producers, Penn alumni David Stone and Marc Platt. Followed by short faculty talk by Cary M. Mazer, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Theatre Arts and English.