Biosphere provides an exciting and fun atmosphere to all residents with an interest in the environment and in how people interact with the world around them. One of the youngest programs in the House, Biosphere evolves each year with its residents, who themselves control the specific direction the program will take. Volunteerism tends to characterize the spirit of student participation, with members often occupied with such activities as UC Green tree-plantings, involvement in the MLK Day of Service, and the House’s Courtyard Garden upkeep. Exploring all that Philadelphia has to offer means outings to the Franklin Institute, Morris Arboretum, Chinatown, the Italian Market, the Liberty Bell, and the Zoo, as well as sampling Philly restaurants. Horseback riding, skiing, canoeing, and exploring Philadelphia-area nature preserves are fun ways to interact with the natural environment, while regular faculty talks, workshops and educational opportunities better acquaint students with their academic environment.

Whether you are pre-medical student interested in health, society, and community outreach; the student scientist hoping to save the rain forest; the business major who wants to start up a company; or the student in the humanities examining the cultural and ethical impacts of greenhouse effect and climate change, the Biosphere program can offer a great living and learning experience unlike any other.

Goals: Biosphere sets out to provide participating students a greater appreciation for and understanding of their impact on the ecosystem and on one another, through their explorations of Penn, the greater Philadelphia area, and their own community interactions.

To apply: Write an essay that describes your present interests and activities related to your preference, the contributions you expect to make to the residential community, and the benefits you hope to derive from community membership. Your essay should be no longer than 500 words. For more information, see: http://kcech.house.upenn.edu/biosphere, or contact any of the KC staff through the e-mails listed on the Web page.

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The Huntsman Program for International Studies and Business (IS&B) is the residential component of the IS&B academic program co-sponsored by the School of Arts and Sciences and The Wharton School. Located on the 3rd floor of Kings Court, it fosters global awareness and understanding of economic, cultural, social, linguistic, and technological issues in the international arena.

First-year students accepted into the academic program must live in Kings Court English College House. After the first year, some students choose to live together as a community on the 22nd floor of Harnwell College House.

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Perspectives in the Humanities is a community focused on the elevated appreciation of the arts and the humanities through shared experiences. Members of Perspectives in the Humanities come from diverse backgrounds, but are united by a common passion for the humanities. One need not study humanities to apply—the program merely calls for a genuine interest and desire to spend time with fellow humanists. PiH is dedicated to fostering an appreciation and the discussion of the humanities at Penn: in the arts, literature, languages and linguistics, history, philosophy, archeology, religion, jurisprudence, ethics, and beyond. PiH is open to all (undergraduate) members of the Penn community. Membership is extended to those students who don’t live in KCECH, but attend PiH events and activities. PiH is a student run program and functions like a club.

Goals: The goal of PiH is to create an environment conducive to studying and enjoying the humanities beyond the classroom, where students feel comfortable discussing their creative thoughts with others, both formally and socially.

To apply: Write an essay that describes your present interests and activities related to your preference, the contributions you expect to make to the residential community, and the benefits you hope to derive from community membership. Your essay should be no longer than 500 words.

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Extending beyond Kings Court English House, the Science and Technology Wing (STWing) is a network of over two hundred undergraduates, graduate students, professors, and alumni from the University of Pennsylvania whose members share a strong interest in the science and technologies that permeate everyday life. While its reach is campus-wide, however, STWing’s simultaneous status as a residential program helps maintain a flourishing intellectual and social community foundation both for the College House and the larger society. A great synergetic learning community, STWingers are always getting together to build something – from blimps to space camera – relying on their collective knowledge of physics, engineering, computer science, as well as art and sense of humor to do so. In addition to these inventive pursuits, the pioneering residents of STWing have for years owned and maintained their own timesharing servers, raised money to fund a research fellowship, and helped produce a science journal of undergraduate research. Throughout the year the program hosts a dinner-discussion series to which University faculty, staff, and interesting non-Penn guests are invited, as well as purely social events planned by students. The program is entirely student run by its Continuum (Student Governance), though students often work closely with faculty on their projects and with House staff in planning their social activities.

Goals: STWing sets out to provide its members with the connections, structure, and resources (financial and otherwise) necessary to pursue projects of their own interests. The network faculty and alumni of associated with the program provides a personalized mentoring experience within this community context. The program teaches students to dare, but also to have fun and be collaborative in the process.

For more information: Visit the House website, at http://kcech.house.upenn.edu/stwing; e-mail info@stwing.upenn.edu, or visit STWing's homepage at http://www.stwing.upenn.edu/.

To apply: Choose the STWing residential program as your first choice when applying for housing; include in your application an essay that answers the questions on STWing's prospective student website (http://www.stwing.upenn.edu/index.php?page=./incoming-freshmen/joining); you’ll see that there are two different sets of questions to choose from for your essay.

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Women in Computer Science, Kings Court English’s newest program, was born out of an awareness that with women representing fewer than 15% of all computer scientists, female undergraduate who aspire to enter the field of Computer Science could benefit from the structure, community, and mentoring of a residential program. WiCS provides residents with opportunities to study together, to mentor and advise one another, and to build confidence within a non-competitive environment. Members of the well-established KCECH program, the Science and Technology Wing (STWing), also work supportively and collaboratively with the WiCS program. Topics of learning include Web development, Android development, Linux, and more through workshops held in the House or co-sponsored with the departments of Computer Science or Digital Media Design. Activities include social coding programs, dinners with faculty members, and trips to visit tech companies like Google; these events may be co-sponsored with organizations such as the CSE-sponsored, non-residential WiCS organization, Weiss Tech House, the Dining Philosophers, and the Women’s Center, among others.

Goals: WiCS’s mission is to provide a safe, supportive living-learning environment for women who study computer science and hope to one day make their careers in that field. As part of that mission, the program seeks to provide faculty and peer mentorship especially to the youngest members of the community.

To apply: Interested students must write an essay detailing why they would be an asset to the program and how they hope to benefit from the experience. Any student, freshman to senior, with an interest in the support of women in computer science may apply to this program.

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