What's HapPENNing?

Guy, how crazy was the Super Bowl last night? No really, how was it? We heard it was a tough game between the Giants and the Tebows or something, but probably not half as competitive as the classic match between the TuneSquad and the Monstars.

Anyway, this is a big week! We got speed reading, we got Penn professors being awesome, we got van Gogh– we got everything!

Penn Research Week Who: CURF When and where: Februrary 6-10 p.m.; ARCH and Houston Hall (check link for details) Why: Research is, like, puhretty cool. Science! Beakers! Beep beep! Alright, research is actually so much more than mixing chemicals and making liquids change color. Penn has one metric butt-ton (1 MBT) of money sitting around for grants for students to pursue their interests and discover much more about the academic field that most appeals to them- science, history...even communications! Go for it!

Speed Reading Challenge Who: Penn Memory Team When and where: Thursday, 7 p.m.; Huntsman G92 Why: We can't read, but if we could, we would totally go to this. The Penn Memory Team, which exists, is bringing in Paul Novak of the Iris Organization, to help participants measure their current reading speed and help to improve upon it.

Abstract Painting Conference Who: Professor Kaja Silverman When and where: February 8-11; ICA and Cohen Hall (check link for details) Why: Penn professor and $1.5 million grant recipient (!) Kaja Silverman will be hosting a series of talks, discussions and interviews from the 8th to the 11th at Institute of Contemporary Art and Cohen Hall. If you like art, or even if you think that painting you did in second grade that your mom got framed is pretty neat, you should go. Registration is required (but free!), and though it's full, you can still sign up for a spot on the waiting list. With guests like Charline von Heyl (currently on view at the ICA) and superstar Penn professors Christine Poggi and André Dombrowski (among others), you'd be making the worst decision in your life so far if you didn't go.

"Van Gogh: The Life": Talk and Book Signing Who: The Philadelphia Museum of Art with Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith When and where: Sunday, 3-4:30 p.m.; Van Pelt Auditorium at the PMA Why: It's no secret that we like pretty things over here at UTB, and van Gogh's works are no exception. The PMA has just opened their Van Gogh: Up Close exhibition, and we hear it's pretty rad. For only $5 with your Penn card, you can join the authors of Van Gogh: The Life for some interesting discussion on the troubled times of van Gogh. Then go see his canvases. You won't regret it, we promise.