2020 Grad Ben Talks (Video)

Penn Arts and Sciences graduate students present on myriad topics in TED Talks fashion.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Video by Lilly Dupuis

What does Philly’s “street gunk” tell us about pollutants? How do different generations interact in the workplace? What can we learn from racism in medieval England? Why is it so hard to eat green?

On February 21, some of Penn Arts & Sciences' top graduate students addressed these and many other topics to a packed house (and online audience) at the latest Grad Ben Talks. Students from the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and the professional masters' programs gave TED-style talks on their research, vying to win prizes of $500. Check out the winners here, and visit our website to see all of the contestants.


Darlene Marshall, Master of Applied Positive Psychology: "Building the Self So You Can Give It Away - The Upward Cycle of Self-Improvement"
Winner: Professional Masters and Audience Choice


Justin Thompson and Cameo Hazlewood, Behavioral and Decision Sciences: "Leveraging Behavioral Economics to Increase Concussion Symptom Reporting Among High School Athletes"
Winner: Group Presentations


Nicole Welk-Joerger, History and Sociology of Science: "It's Not Easy Eating Green"
Winner: Social Sciences


Johanna Kaiser, Classical Studies: "Making Scents of Ancient Rome in the Epigrams of Martial"
Winner: Humanities


Michael O'Shea, Earth & Environmental Science: "Urban Road Dust: Investigating Philly's Street Gunk as Both Source and Sink for Pollutants"
Winner: Natural Sciences