Penn Grad Talks Winners

The seventh annual Penn Grad Talks were held February 24, 2023, and featured TED style-talks from 19 Penn Arts & Sciences graduate students representing the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and professional master’s programs. Five students took home prizes of $500 each—one winner in each of the categories, and one winner chosen by the audience from all categories.

This was the first Penn Grad Talks to be held in person since before the pandemic. Talks ranged from competition to racial policy to mining lithium to aging virtuously.

“Penn Arts & Science graduate students are exceptional scholars, researchers, and teachers,” said Beth Wenger, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, as she opened the event. “They are a diverse group who are working to understand and interpret our world to create and transmit new knowledge and make meaningful change for the better. It gives me great pleasure to be here today to give you just a little taste of their original, creative, and groundbreaking work.”

The winners are:

Professional Master's
Edward Johnson, International Studies, The Lauder Institute
The Battle for Africa’s Sporting Heart: Can Basketball Overtake Football’s Popularity?

Social Sciences
Amber Mackey, Political Science
Racial Policy and Agenda Instability: Measuring Legislative Attention to Race

Natural Sciences
Mark Giovinazzi , Physics and Astronomy
From Zero to Five Thousand: The Current Census of Exoplanets

Humanities
Kyle West, Ancient History
Aging Virtuously: Cicero on Old Age, Disability, and Character

Audience Choice Winner
Valerie Averia, Applied Positive Psychology
Savoring the Shared Life: Strengthening Marriages Through Collaborative Legacy Writing

Visit the Penn Grad Talks page to learn more and see videos of the talks as they become available during the week of March 6.