The 8th neighborhood workshop

2 - 3 April 2026, Penn State University, State College, PA

• 2 April 2026 (full day), 3 April 2026 (9am - 1pm)
• Main event: Innovation Hub
• Banquet: Happy Valley Brewing Company (137 Elmwood St, State College, PA 16801)

Workshop Description

The Center for Theoretical and Observational Cosmology of the Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos at Penn State will host an informal neighborhood workshop on Astrophysics and Cosmology beginning Thursday, 2 April through noon or so on Friday, 3 April 2026.

We want to provide a way for faculty, students and postdocs to meet each other, exchange ideas and hear about the latest research. Talks will be short and informal with a separate discussion session. The specific topics are flexible since the aim of the meeting is to explore the most interesting and active areas of research. Everyone is welcome to speak, and we will give a prize for the best student presentation.

Participating Institutions

Participating institutions in this year's workshop (3/27)

• Carnegie Mellon University
• Case Western Reserve University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Lehigh University
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• Penn State University
• Princeton University
• Space Telescope Science Institute
• Syracuse University
• University of Pittsburgh
• West Virginia University

Workshop Program

The workshop program: is here!

Registration

Registration is closed now.

Hotel Information

Please find the list of local hotels in State College here.

Banquet

Thursday night, we wil have the banquet dinner at Happy Valley Brewing Company. More information will be provided during the workshop.

Lunch and Discussion on Friday

Fridy lunch will be at the IGC lobby, and we will have a group discussion during the lunch time.

Contact

Please email Courtney Shaffer with any questions regarding the organization or content of the workshop.