Membership and Registration
Membership
The Fall 2026 Series of the Swarthmore Discussion Group membership fee is $199. This includes a catered dinner with each of the four lectures in the series, which are in person and on Wednesday evenings. The evening begins with an optional happy hour from 5:15–6 p.m., then dinner from 6–7 p.m., and then the lecture from 7–8:15 p.m.
The Fall 2026 Series membership registration is due by Sept. 2, 2026. When membership is paid, registration is confirmed via email. Membership is capped at 100 participants.
Membership includes a catered dinner at The Inn at Swarthmore Gathering Room, located at 10 S. Chester Road, Swarthmore, PA 19081. Please note that no refunds are available.
For more information about registration, contact sdg@swarthmore.edu
Online Registration
If registering online for a membership for yourself and a partner, spouse, or friend, please make sure to add that person as a guest.
Fall 2026 Series Registration
Single Talk Registration:
SEPT. 16, 2026
Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time — An Imminent Era of Revolutionary Discovery
Beth Willman, CEO, LSST Discovery Alliance
After 25 years of development, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) is creating a once-in-a-lifetime map and movie of our universe. In its first year, LSST will collect more data than all previous optical and infrared telescopes combined. In addition to showing remarkable images, Willman will discuss how the technical marvel, open data, and science community-centered design of LSST create the conditions for revolutionizing humankind’s understanding of our place in the universe.
Willman Single Talk Registration
OCT. 21, 2026
Natural History, Human History: Finding Ourselves in Crum Woods and Beyond
Betsy Bolton, Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor of English, Swarthmore College
Which local inhabitants shaped early colonial encounters, transforming landscapes across the continent? What connects a famous Elvis song about an impoverished woman to the Declaration of Independence? Swarthmore’s Crum Creek and Woodlands offer a fascinating microcosm of colonial settlement and its ecological impacts, including impacts on human residents. With photographs, poems, videos, and anecdotes, we’ll explore some of the unexpected connections the Woods have to offer, including impacts reaching far beyond our borders.
Bolton Single Talk Registration
Nov. 18, 2026
Behavioral Economics, Social Media, and AI
Syon Bhanot, Associate Professor of Economics, Swarthmore College
In an age of social media and artificial intelligence, our digital social tools and technologies are developing rapidly. Yet at the individual level we are more static — we are stubbornly human. Behavioral economics investigates how humans behave in social and economic environments, and how that behavior deviates from the calculating rationality that economics often assumes. This talk explores how the field of behavioral economics might inform how we think about and navigate a rapidly changing technological world as individuals, communities, and societies.
Bhanot Single Talk Registration
DEC. 9, 2026
Priorities, Partnerships, and Politics in Historic Preservation: Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park
Lucy Strackhouse, Former Senior Director of Preservation and Property Management, Fairmount Park Conservancy
Fairmount Park of Philadelphia encompasses over 10,200 acres and includes an eclectic roster of sites: historic house properties, recreation and education centers, music venues, and open spaces. Philadelphia relies on many partners to invest in, maintain, and manage these publicly owned assets. In this talk, we will discuss the history of how resources get allocated in this sprawling entity — and how the historic properties most in need of preservation are often the most underfunded.
Strackhouse Single Talk Registration
Registration through the Mail
Please make checks payable to “Swarthmore College” and note in the memo line that your check is for the "Swarthmore Discussion Group." Send the check with your name, address, phone number, and email to The Swarthmore Discussion Group, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA 19081.
