May 04, 2026

Penn Engineering Weekly 05-04-26

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Important Dates:

Date	Event
May 4th – 12th	Final Exams
May 12th	Spring Term Ends
May 16th	Penn Engineering Undergraduate Commencement
May 18th	University Commencement Ceremony

Announcements for the week

Teaching that Made a Difference

The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CETLI) invites you to share your thanks for Teaching that Made a Difference.
The survey is brief (likely less than two minutes), and CETLI will share your gratitude with the course instructor or TA who had a meaningful impact on your learning experience at Penn.

Registrar Reminders

–Final exams begin today, Monday, May 4, and run through Tuesday, May 12
–Degree Conferral
Graduating students can view the diploma checklist from OUR here. Students can view their degree(s) awarded and grades on their unofficial transcripts via Path@Penn. Degree conferral can be seen under the Degree Awarded section on the unofficial transcripts. Degrees will start to be awarded on May 18. The process takes time for all grades to post, program, and school review, and final OUR processing. We appreciate your patience.

-Letters and Verifications
The Office of the University Registrar (OUR) will provide standard enrollment verification letters and degree verification letters, and can complete some document verification processing as well. Full details and instructions can be found here. Degree verification letters, including those required for H1-B visa applications, will not be processed until the degree has been awarded.

Events (Engineering)

GIC Alumni Brunch & Celebration of Grads

Greenfield Intercultural Center (GIC), 3708 Chestnut Street. Join GIC Alumni, Class of 2026 graduates, families, and significant others for our Annual Brunch on Sunday, May 17, 2026, from 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. EST on our Patio and in our Lenape Native Garden.

NOTICE: Photographs and/or video may be captured at this event. By attending this event, you understand that your likeness may appear in photos and/or videos taken during this event.

Sunday, May 17

11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Greenfield Intercultural Center| 3708 Chestnut Street

No need to register

Lavender Mixer

Join the LGBT Center and fellow alumni for the LGBT Center Alumni Mixer. This event is open to the community attending the Alumni Weekend. Drinks and food will be served – supplies limited.
For more information about alumni weekend and where to register, please follow this link: www.alumni.upenn.edu/alumniweekend.
Friday, May 15th
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
LGBT Center
Click here to learn more

Events (Penn)

It’s Time to Apply for Spring 2027 Abroad!

Applications for Spring 2027 Study Abroad are now open – and don’t forget – you can now start your own application directly in PASSPORT!

Before starting your application, please be sure to:

* Watch the General Advising Videos
* Attend Regional Advising
* Identify your first-choice program and confirm you are academically eligible by reviewing the Eligibility tab on the PASSPORT brochure.
* Identify up to three alternate programs for which you are also academically eligible.
* You will be required to confirm your eligibility for your first-choice program along with three alternates within your application.

Get familiar with how the application works:

* Visit the Penn Abroad website and pay special attention to Step 4, which walks you through opening your Penn Abroad application and includes several important notes about the process.
* As you move through each application step, you’ll receive messages outlining your status, required next steps, and deadlines. All messages will come from messages@via-trm.com – mark this address as “safe” to avoid missing important instructions.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Sonya Gwak sgwak@seas.upenn.edu

Scholarships & Grants Opportunities

Amazon Research Awards (ARA) Program

Proposals will be reviewed for the quality of their scientific content, creativity, and their potential for impact at scale. Proposals related to theory, practice, and novel techniques are all welcome. The spring 2026 call for proposals is in seven research areas listed below.
1. AI for Information Security
2. Agentic AI
3. Amazon 2030
4. Amazon Security
5. Build on Trainium: Accelerating Post-Training
6. Build on Trainium: Kernels for ML Acceleration
7. Robotics
Learn more here. Application Deadline: May 6th, 2026

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Fulbright Grants fund 8-12 months of international experience in over 140 countries. With a long-standing mission of promoting mutual understanding through educational and cultural exchange, Fulbright opportunities can be categorized into two main grant types:

Study/Research grants offer the opportunity to carry out your own international research project in any discipline (or in some countries, to pursue a graduate degree)
English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) grants place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to teach English and share American culture

Interested candidates should enroll in CURF’s Canvas site for Fulbright applicants(link is external). Application Deadline – October 7th, 2026. Click here to learn more.

Contact Information:
Walter Lohmann: wlohmann@upenn.edu

Career & Networking Opportunities

HirePhiladelphia Multi-University Alumni Career Fair

The HirePhiladelphia Multi-University Alumni Career Fair connects Philadelphia-area alumni, graduate students, and doctoral candidates with 60+ top employers across all industries. Held on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at The Arts Ballroom, 1324 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA, this expo-style event gives job seekers a free opportunity to network face-to-face with actively hiring companies. While employers gain direct access to a pre-vetted pool of 500+ accomplished candidates — complete with ATS integration, booth display, two representative passes, and lunch. Whether you’re an alumnus ready for your next chapter or an employer looking for proven talent, HirePhiladelphia is where it all comes together.

Wednesday, May 13th
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
The Arts Ballroom 1324 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 1910
Click here to register

Clubs & Organizations

Engineering Entrepreneurship

More information about Engineering Entrepreneurship

Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, & X/Twitter.
Tag on these platforms @PennEngEntrep with your own posts.
Join their subscription-based semi-monthly email to notify you of entrepreneurship-related events, competitions, opportunities, and more. If you wish to receive this type of information, please visit https://groups.google.com/a/seas.upenn.edu/g/pennengentrep/ and then click on “ask to join the group” (Image). You have the option to unsubscribe at any time as well, and this is completely optional. Emails will be sent on the second and last Wednesday of every month.