This annual event celebrates the life and legacy of Benjamin Franklin. This year’s theme is Exploring New Worlds, with a focus on astronomy and astrophysics.

THE LUNCHEON (Registration Required)

Our luncheon includes a presentation by the 2025 Franklin Founder Honoree Dr. John C. Mather, Senior Scientist, Cosmology at NASA. Dr. Mather received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2006 and has been the Senior Project Scientist for the Webb Space Telescope. Over a sit-down luncheon, Dr. Mather will give a talk and receive the Franklin Founder's Award.

THE MORNING SEMINAR (Registration Not Required)

In addition there will be a free Morning Seminar moderated by Dr. Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer at The Franklin Institute Science Museum. He will provide an overview of this year’s theme and introduce:

1) Dr. Emily A. Margolis, curator and a social and cultural historian of spaceflight at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum; her focus is women's roles in space exploration. Her talk is entitled: Crossing the Karman Line: Private Spaceflight in the 21st Century.

2) Dr. Mariangela Bernardi, a Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Pennsylvania. She will speak on, "Exploring New Worlds: From the First Galaxies to the Milky Way".

3) Dr. Tess Lavezzi Light of the Electromagnetic Sciences and Cognitive Space Group, Intelligence and Space Research, Los Alamos National Laboratory, talking about "Lightning: Mystery in the Mundane".