Awards Week Sponsors
The Franklin Institute is pleased to present a series of informative and engaging in-person and hybrid events highlighting our 2026 laureates. All times listed are Eastern Time (ET).
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
7:00–8:30 PM
Engineering Hope: How Gene Therapies are Rewriting Medicine
Honoring the innovations of 2026 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science Laureate David Liu, this interactive event will explore how gene therapies are transforming biomedical research and changing people’s lives.
Featuring:
David R. Liu, Ph.D.
Broad Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Harvard University
Defne Amado, M.D., Ph.D.
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Juliette Hordeaux, DVM, Ph.D.
GEMMA Biotherapeutics
Tracey Sikora
National Organization for Rare Disorders
Location:
Levitt Gershman Education and Conference Center, 1st Floor
The Franklin Institute
222 N 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Price: General Admission: $20, TFI Members: $10
Limited seating. Online tickets only; no tickets will be available at the door.
Hosted by The Franklin Institute in partnership with the Penn Memory Center, Gemma Biotherapeutics, and the National Organization for Rare Disorders
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
8:45 AM–12:00PM
Laureate Symposium honoring Pedro Alvarez, 2026 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Civil Engineering
Featuring:
Pedro J.J. Alvarez, Ph.D., Laureate
Rice University
Donna Fennell, Ph.D.
Rutgers University
Chuck Haas, Ph.D.
Drexel University
Joe Hughes, Ph.D.
Drexel University
Mengyan Li, Ph.D.
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Jason Ren, Ph.D.
PrincetonUniversity
Sharon Walker, Ph.D.
Drexel University
Location:
Villanova University
Dionisio Lecture Hall, Drosdick Hall 031
800 Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, PA 19085
Price:Free
Hosted by Villanova College of Engineering in partnership with The Franklin Institute, the Villanova Center for Human-Environmental Systems, and the Villanova Center for Resilient Water Systems
9:00 AM–1:30 PM
BASE EDITING AND PRIME EDITING: PRECISIONTHERAPEUTIC GENOME EDITING IN CELLS, ANIMALS,AND PATIENTS
Laureate Symposium honoring David Liu, 2026Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science
Featuring:
David R. Liu, Ph.D.
Broad Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Harvard University
Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, M.D., Ph.D.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania
Mandana Arbab, Ph.D.
Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Kiran Musunuru, M.D. Ph.D., MPH, M.L., MRA
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Gregory Newby, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Location:
The Gaulton Auditorium
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
BRB II Building, 421 Curie Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Price: Free
Hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Genetics, and the Penn Neurogenetics Therapy Center, in partnership with The Franklin Institute
9:00 AM–3:30 PM
CHARTING THE COSMOS: FROM DISTANCE LADDERS TOPRECISION COSMOLOGY
Laureate Symposium honoring Wendy Freedman, 2026 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics
Featuring:
Wendy Laurel Freedman, FRS, Laureate
University of Chicago
John Carlstrom, Ph.D.
University of Chicago
Jo Dunkley, Ph.D.
Princeton University
Josh Frieman, Ph.D.
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Barry Madore, Ph.D.
Carnegie Observatories
Priya Natarajan, Ph.D.
Yale University
Location:
University of Pennsylvania
Singh Center for Nanotechnology
3205 Walnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Price: Free
Hosted by the University of Pennsylvania Department of Physics andAstronomy and Center for Particle Cosmologyin partnership with The Franklin Institute
9:30–10:30AM
ALGORITHMS AND BARRIERS FOR FAST MATRIX MULTIPLICATION
Laureate Address by Josh Alman,
2026 Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award
Featuring:
Josh Alman, Ph.D., Laureate
Columbia University
Location:
Drexel University
3675 Market Street
Room 1052
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Price: Free
Hosted by Drexel University in partnership with The Franklin Institute
Thursday, April 30, 2026
9:00 AM–12:00PM
SUSTAINABLE PLASTICS
Laureate Symposium honoring Geoffrey Coates, 2026 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry
Featuring:
Geoffrey W. Coates, Ph.D., Laureate
Cornell University
LaShanda Korley, Ph.D.
University of Delaware
Bradley Olsen, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location:
University of Delaware
Trabant Theater, Trabant University Center
17 West Main Street
Newark, DE 19711
Price: Free
Sponsored by the University of Delaware in partnership with The Franklin Institute
11:00 AM–12:30PM
WHY WE’RE SO SMART: ANALOGY AND ABSTRACTION DRIVE HUMAN LEARNING
Laureate Address by Dedre Gentner, 2026 BenjaminFranklin Medal in Computer & Cognitive Science
Featuring:
Dedre Gentner, Ph.D., Laureate
Northwestern University
Location:
Temple University
Charles Library, Room 102
1900 North 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
Price: Free
Hosted by Temple University in partnership with The Franklin Institute
2026 FRANKLIN INSTITUTE AWARDS CEREMONY AND DINNER
Presented by
