Penn Engineering Graduate Newsletter 02-16-2026

Penn Engineering Graduate Newsletter 02-16-2026

Penn Engineering Graduate Newsletter 02-16-2026

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Announcement for the Month| Grants, Scholarships, & Fellowships |Events| Career & Networking| Previous Issue

Important Dates:

Date	Event
February 23rd	Last Day to Drop a Class with a partial refund (50%). Must withdraw after this date. Last Day to Apply for May Graduation
March 7th-15th	Spring Term Break (No Classes)
March 16th	Classes resume
March 23rd	Grade Mode Change Deadline
March 30th	Last Day to Withdraw from a Course
April 29th	Last day of Classes
April 30th – May 3rd	Reading Days
May 4th – 12th	Final Exams
May 12th	Spring Term Ends
May 18th	Commencement

Spring 2025 Semester Advising Hours

Day of the week	Time	Location
Mondays	10:00 am – 12:00 pm (EST)	Virtual
Tuesdays	1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST)	In-Person, Towne 107
Wednesdays	1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST)	In-Person, Towne 107
Thursdays	1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (EST)	Virtual
Fridays	No Advising

* Information with Zoom links for virtual advising days (Monday/Thursday) is emailed to students throughout the semester. If you are unable to attend scheduled advising hours, additional times may be available by appointment only. Please email to request an appointment.

Announcements for the month

TIME TO GET YOUR CAP AND GOWN!

The Penn Bookstore is pleased to serve as the University’s academic regalia provider for all
current and alumni graduates, as well as participating faculty, marshals, and trustees. If you choose to order online, it’s recommended to do so by March 20 to ensure delivery prior to Commencement ceremonies. If the above deadlines pose significant challenges for you, please call the Bookstore at 215-898-7595 or email capandgown@upenn.edu as soon as possible to explore alternative options.

Grants, Scholarships & Fellowships

Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellowship at Netter Center

The Provost’s Graduate Academic Engagement Fellowship at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships (PGAEF@NC) is an opportunity for PhD students across all schools and fields at the University of Pennsylvania. Fellows are outstanding students who are involved in community-engaged scholarship and related activities, including Academically Based Community Service (ABCS), participatory action research, service-learning, and learning by teaching in public schools. Click here to learn more and apply. Application deadline: February 23rd, 2026

Grant-Writing Workshop

The CURF Spring Grant deadline on March 16 is fast approaching. Come learn how you can better position yourself to be a competitive applicant for many available research grants! This workshop will cover common elements of grant applications, tips for writing a strong research proposal and budget, and common mistakes to avoid. Even if you are not planning to apply for a grant this semester, this is a great opportunity to start learning about the CURF grants and the skills that will make you a stronger writer and communicator of your research! Click here to learn more.

Friday, February 20th
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
CURF, College Hall G08/09
Just Show Up at the Event (No Action Needed)

Events

Penn Engineering’s ENIAC 80th Anniversary Celebration

Join us for birthday cake and opportunities for photos as we celebrate 80 years of the ENIAC.

Tuesday, February 17, 2026
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Moore Building | Room 100
Click here to learn more about the ENIAC

2026 Energy Week @Penn Poster Session

A reminder that you are invited to participate in the 2026 Energy Week @Penn Poster Session, Wednesday, February 25, 2026, from 4:30-6:30 pm in the VLEST building. This is a great opportunity to meet like-minded peers and faculty, showcase and get feedback on your work, learn about the breadth of energy research happening at Penn, and get a free Energy Week t-shirt!

If you would like to present a poster, please register by Monday, February 9th, 2026.

All students and postdocs who have research related to energy are encouraged to participate. Poster presenters will be assigned an hour-long block where they are expected to be at their poster, but are otherwise encouraged to visit other posters, network with the attendees, or enjoy some refreshments.

Wednesday, February 25, 2026
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
VLEST building
Click here to register

Advancing Women in Engineering (AWE) Undergraduate Summer Research Opportunity at Penn Engineering

AWE is pleased to offer an initiative that supports undergraduate students pursuing summer research experiences. Applicants are required to submit a personal statement, a resume, and a faculty recommendation letter. All application materials must be received by March 2nd,2026. For additional details or questions, interested students should contact Nita Guzman Del Vecchio at ngdv@seas.upenn.edu

2026 Energy Week @Penn Poster Session

Wednesday, February 25, 2026
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
VLEST building
Click here to register

2026 KSEA Philadelphia Symposium

Interested in joining the 2026 KSEA Philadelphia Symposium? This year, it focuses on AI, Biomedical Science & Engineering. It will be held on February 27th, 2026. Click here to learn more.

The Peking Acrobats

The Peking Acrobats push the limits of human ability, wowing audiences with spellbinding trick-cycling, precision tumbling, juggling, somersaulting and gymnastics. With a three-decade legacy of elite talent, this world-record-setting troupe takes ancient Chinese traditions to new heights, pairing artful athleticism with live music and festive pageantry. Bring the whole family–these masters of agility and grace are, quite literally, defying gravity. Student tickets are only $10.

Sunday, March 15th
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Annenberg Center| 3680 Walnut Street

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Penn Global Health Day 2026

We are happy to announce that CGH is celebrating its 10th anniversary (see flyer below)! We are kicking off the celebration with a Penn Global Health Day, scheduled for March 6th, 2026, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Jim Yong Kim

This event will also feature poster presentations showcasing the latest research from students/trainees, faculty, staff, and other Penn-affiliated individuals across a wide range of topics related to Global Health. We invite submissions of abstracts for research posters that will highlight innovative work, including completed projects, preliminary findings, or research in progress.

Benefits:

Abstracts will be presented in a poster booklet and are eligible for CV listing under ‘Publications and Presentations.
Prizes will be awarded based on visual impact, content, and presentation.
Students/trainees presenting posters will be invited to a private Global Health Leadership workshop with the keynote speaker, Dr. Jim Yong Kim at the close of the event.

Eligibility:

Open to all students/trainees, faculty, and researchers affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania.
Research should be relevant to Global Health in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Submission Guidelines:

Abstract Length: Abstracts should be no longer than 250-300 words.
Format: Include the following sections:(Title, Author(s) (including affiliations), Background, Objectives, Methods, Results (if applicable), Conclusions)

Submission Deadline: All abstracts must be submitted by February 23, 2026. Please submit your abstract via Box Upload in Word [.doc] or PDF formatting. Please title the document with your surname and given name first initial [ex. – SurnameA.doc, SurnameB.pdf]

Important Dates:

*Abstract Submission Deadline: February 23, 2026
*Research Day: March 6th, 2026

Global Health at Penn

This year marks the 10th anniversary of PSOM’s Center for Global Health (CGH). Over the past decade, CGH has built a vibrant global health community at Penn grounded in partnership, rigorous scholarship, and a shared commitment to health equity. Today, our faculty, staff, and trainees are engaged in research, clinical care, and capacity-building in more than 80 countries.

To celebrate this milestone, the CGH Penn Global Health Day will be held on March 6, 2026, 8:00 am – 2:30 pm, Rubenstein Auditorium. The event will highlight the breadth and impact of global health work across Penn with a look toward the future of our field.

We are honored to welcome Jim Yong Kim, MD, PhD, as our keynote speaker. A co-founder of Partners In Health, Dr. Kim’s leadership roles include President of the World Bank Group and President of Dartmouth College. Dr. Kim is currently Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda and Vice Chairman of the Board of Global Infrastructure Partners. His career reflects a deep commitment to equity and systems-level change.

Friday, March 6th
8:00 am -2:30 pm
Rubenstein Auditorium
Click here to register

Lessons from the White House: Climate, AI, and the Future

Join us for a wide-ranging conversation with Professor Ali Zaidi, former White House National Climate Advisor to President Biden and current Professor of Practice in the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Penn. This student-invited speaker event is co-sponsored by the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) and the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy.

Drawing on his experience leading national climate strategy, shaping major industrial policy initiatives, and working at the crossroads of technology and public service, Professor Zaidi will explore the driving forces transforming today’s energy landscape—and the challenges and opportunities they present for the next generation.

The event format will be a fireside chat, led by two VIPER student moderators, with time for audience questions at the end.

Pizza lunch will be provided! Click here to learn more about this event

Tuesday, February 24th
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Kleinman Center for Energy Policy Energy Forum at the Kleinman Center|220 S. 34th Street Fisher Fine Arts Building, 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19104

Click here to register (*Register by Feb 17th to help plan catering accordingly!)

Career & Networking

Summer 2026 Internship Opportunity for Undergraduate/Graduate Students & Alumni

On behalf of the faculty at the Computational Health Informatics Program (CHIP) at Boston Children’s Hospital & Harvard Medical School, we would like to extend an invitation for you to apply for the upcoming Summer 2026 internship.

Our research at CHIP and the various faculty labs explores the intersection of medicine/bioinformatics, public health, the social sciences, and computation within a variety of fields such as AI/machine learning, natural language processing/LLMs, genomics, population health, regulatory science, technology development, data science-driven social justice/political science, and more.

Our faculty have been recognized by and previously advised various institutions, including the White House, the CDC, the US Department of State, USAID, NASA, and many others. Additionally, CHIP has established partnerships with companies like Uber, Lyft, Quest Diagnostics, and Eli Lily and has developed platforms, such as pioneering/inventing the first personally controlled health records and APIs mandated by law, that have been widely adopted by Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and others.

Additionally, CHIP graduates hold leadership positions in academia and industry, both nationally and globally, that provide students access to an extensive alumni network for their professional development.

The internship application and further information/details may be found at: https://www.chip.org/internship/chip-ai-internship.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at admissions.chip@childrens.harvard.edu.