In commemoration of Jim's and Jane's collective creative contributions to society (you can read about them and their contributions in the latest TERP Magazine feature: 25 Terp Innovations That Changed History), there will be numerous activities and events hosted throughout the week on and off campus promoting the themes: CREATE. MAKE. PLAY.  

We hope you can join the fun by discovering something new, sharing your creative vision, seeking out inspiration from untapped sources, and making a few new friends along the way. 

There will be dozens of activities events, workshops, and programs taking place before, during, and after Henson Week. 

Scroll below to preview the lineup of activities happening on campus, in the community, and online. 

You can also click on the following to jump to these sections:

• Activities Leading up to Henson Week
• Activities Across Campus
• Activities in the Community
• Activities Online
• Activities After Henson Week

Henson Week App

Members of the UMD community are invited to access the Henson Week app to see a listing of daily activities, events, and webinars taking place throughout the campus, in the local community, and online.

The app also includes Henson-related trivia, digital passport stamps that relate to the Create.Make,Play. theme, the ability to post selfies and photos from activities to a public gallery within the app (once they are approved), and even the chance to win prizes which will be awarded after Henson Week to select participants who check-in at various events and accumulate significant points throughout the week. 

*This app is only accessible via smartphones to UMD students, faculty, and staff as participants will need to sign in through CAS to view and interact with the Henson Week content.

PHOTOS: UMD community attempts to break sock puppet record

By Nathan VanSteenkiste

September 29, 2026

Henson Mania celebrates Jim Henson’s creative legacy

By Stella Henretta

September 29, 2026

University of Maryland community members expressed their “Henson Mania” on Thursday, making custom tie-dyed T-shirts and celebrating student artwork at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center.

The event, hosted by the Student Alumni Leadership Council and Student Entertainment Events, was part of Henson Week, an annual weeklong celebration honoring the legacy of the filmmaker and director, who is an alum of this university.

Tables set up outside the Alumni Center displayed information about the alumni council, SEE and Terps After Dark, all offering free merch. Students could then grab a white shirt reading “Henson Mania,” pick out their paint bottles and begin tie-dyeing on the tarps laid on the ground.

In partnership with Terps After Dark and SEE, the alumni leadership council has historically hosted a tie-dye night. This year, it decided to elevate the event into something bigger by honoring Henson, serving as a way to celebrate his creativity and impact he continues to have on this university.

During his time as a student, Henson began his career by designing sets, programs and posters for student theater shows. A poster he created for a 1955 student performance of the play “Dark of the Moon” remains in this university’s archives.

Although the university displays a memorial statue of Henson outside of the Stamp Student Union, senior communication major and Student Alumni Leadership Council member Joseph Cowen said many students are not exposed to his influence or legacy beyond that.

Henson Mania is about “celebrating one of our most famous alumni in a more meaningful way,” he said.

Henson Mania not only featured tie-dye, but also an opportunity to visit this university’s New Works Incubator and attend two drawing classes led by university alum Arielle Bruce.

Melina Andrews, a senior biology major and the vice president of alumni programming at the alumni leadership council, wrote in a statement to The Diamondback that a major part of the organization’s mission is bridging the gap between students and alumni. Having a recent alum lead the drawing classes was a meaningful part of the event and gave students the chance to connect with university traditions and alumni, she wrote.

“I really enjoyed seeing students engage with [Bruce] during the drawing sessions,” Andrews wrote in her statement. “Bringing current students and alumni together through events like this helps strengthen the sense of community at [the university].”

Senior environmental science and policy major Sofia Hall-Levin said that Henson Mania offered a chance to be creative and show her appreciation for Henson. The Muppets creator had the creativity and willingness to combine serious, real-world elements with the whimsy of puppetry, Hall-Levin said.

“I think sometimes Jim Henson movies can make ideas that are scary for kids seem approachable because they’re hidden behind puppets and fantastical worlds,” she said.

She said she still holds Henson’s movies close to her heart after growing up watching them. Being able to return to those stories, those puppets and those sets has allowed her to better adapt to changes in her life, she said, because they have provided a constant presence.

Hall-Levin has a lot of pride in being a Terp, she added.

“But I think that being able to express our creative legacy as a university by celebrating, in my mind, one of our most famous alums, and someone whose work I really treasure, just makes me even more proud,” she said.

Showered in Family Time

Thousands reuniting with their Terps came out to play games, sports or even with puppets.

September 28, 2026

By Maryland Today Staff

Families got a taste of Terp life, and Terps got a taste of home as thousands of parents, siblings and other relatives converged this weekend at the University of Maryland.

A month into the semester, Family Weekend welcomed visitors from across the country and around the world to reconnect with their students—and to experience the region’s wild shifts in fall weather.

In sunshine, mist and pouring rain, the three days of memory-making events led by the Office of Family Engagement included the annual giant tailgate, a reception at the President’s Residence, a gospel brunch and the 0.5K fundraising “run.”

Families bowled, played billiards and bingo, attended religious services, ate together in the dining halls, and made crafts including sock puppets for a Guinness World Record attempt. 

Units across campus hosted tours, information sessions and meet and greets, ensuring that parents missing their Terps (and wishing for more texts) left feeling a little more connected. 

Public health lessons from a Muppet

With in-depth research, furry puppets can be powerful tools for public health messaging

September 24, 2026

She's colorful, funny and furry and a pint-sized powerhouse for public health. Her name is Kami, and she's – in part – the product of SPH professor and health communications expert Dina Borzekowski, who told her story as part of UMD’s Henson Week. Kami is a cast member in Sesame Street’s international coproduction, Takalani Sesame, and was developed during the height of the AIDS crisis. 

Built on extensive and local research into the challenges faced by children in the period, much of it conducted by Borzekowski in South Africa, Kami came about when Sesame Street and its partners were looking to combat stigma about AIDS and HIV. The researchers found high levels of stigma, where people were scared to touch or care for people who were HIV positive. People went to great lengths to keep their health status secret. Many children were left in the dark as to why their loved one was sick. And while many adults would not talk about HIV or AIDS at the turn of the 21st century, children, in turn, made incorrect conclusions about the disease, despite its widespread nature and impact. 

Enter Kami. A bright and confident Muppet, she’s HIV positive and an orphan. She also likes healthy food and telling stories. 

“She’s written as a full child,” Borzekowski said. “She’s got a lot of curiosity, a lot of humor. And she’s never just reduced to her HIV status or her orphan status.”

After Kami’s introduction to Takalani Sesame, research from Borzekowski and others over several years found that children who knew her had a better understanding of HIV and AIDS, with less fear and more empathy towards people living with the disease. As Kami’s influence grew, she traveled the world – meeting dignitaries, sharing joy and raising awareness. 

The practice of using a Muppet to help educate on the most urgent public health problems of the time – gently, in an entertaining way – took flight, and later Borzekowski helped develop another Muppet, Raya, a playful and smart young girl in a yellow kurta, who talks unashamedly about poop and how to avoid a diarrheal disease, with lessons like washing hands after using the bathroom.

Developing Kami and other Muppets with health conditions, “we want to normalize conversations early, with warmth and honesty and age-appropriate information,” she said. “These are the most powerful tools to deliver information and change attitudes.” 

What kind of animal is Gonzo?

The Muppets won't say, so we asked biologists.

Niranjana Rajalakshmi

Published Sep 24, 2026 9:01 AM EDT 

In the 1981 film The Great Muppet Caper, the Muppets get shipped across the Atlantic in crates stenciled with the species inside. Kermit’s says FROG. Fozzie’s says BEAR. Gonzo’s says WHATEVER.

If you’re unfamiliar, Gonzo is the blue one with the long drooping nose. He’s covered in fuzz, has a feathery tuft on his head, three fingers on each hand, and a girlfriend named Camilla, who is a chicken (obviously). What does that all add up to? Nobody knows. 

Muppet writers have dodged that question for 50 years, so we asked three biologists to weigh in. Their answer is far weirder than “some kind of funny-looking bird.” Look closely enough at the anatomy and Gonzo stops being a bird at all. He ends up on a branch that split off tens of millions of years before the first modern feather, back to the dinosaurs. And none of the scientists could match his distinct nose to anything alive or extinct.

Where Gonzo came from

Gonzo began as something else. On December 20, 1970, CBS aired a Muppet Christmas special called The Great Santa Claus Switch, written by Jerry Juhl and narrated by Ed Sullivan. One of the villain’s henchmen was a small, shaggy blue creature with a long drooping snout and a sour expression that lived in a cigar box. He was called Snarl, the Cigar Box Frackle, and that puppet was later remodeled into Gonzo.

The Frackle label didn’t stick, though. Gonzo arrived on The Muppet Show on the same day the Christmas special aired. Dave Goelz has operated the puppet and voiced him ever since. But the writers gave Gonzo no species. What they gave him instead was a personality, built on Juhl’s idea of a character who does appalling things and thinks of them as art. Gonzo caught cannonballs, ate tires, and recited poetry while things exploded around him. 

However, Gonzo never was classified as a specific animal, and the joke turned into a running gag. In a 1977 episode in which English actor and comedian John Cleese guest-starred, Gonzo introduced himself with his job rather than his species: “I’m the ugly disgusting one who catches cannonballs.”

The 1999 film Muppets from Space has a scene set aboard Noah’s ark. While Noah records all the animal pairs aboard his ship, he asks Gonzo, “What are you, anyway?” Gonzo replies, “Oh, uh… Good question. Now, technically speaking, uh, let’s say, put me down as a ‘whatever.'”

That same film then answered the question, revealing Gonzo as an extraterrestrial.  But later films and shows mostly went back to treating him as “a whatever.”

One paleontologist says Gonzo is a flightless ibis

In order to classify the Muppet, Darren Naish, who studies the anatomy and relationships of extinct backboned animals, looks at Gonzo’s most obvious characteristics. Gonzo is fuzzy, Naish says, so he’s probably warm-blooded. His snout looks like a beak, he has no teeth, and he’s a four-limbed animal with a backbone.

“If you add all those things together, there isn’t anything else he can be,” Naish explained. “He can’t be anything other than a bird.”

Two other details suggest Gonzo is a bird. The tufts on Gonzo’s head have always been called feathers rather than hair, and his longtime girlfriend, Camilla, is a chicken.

Then there’s his face. Naish looks at that long curved snout and sees an ibis, one of the wading birds with a slender downcurved bill. 

However, ibises fly, and Gonzo doesn’t. But that’s no obstacle; ibises have lost flight before. A Jamaican ibis, extinct for around 10,000 years, had wings so heavy that the hand bones swelled into clubs. The extinct bird seems to have swung their club hands in fights. If an ibis ancestor couldn’t fly, a modern Muppet bird creature is not hard to imagine.

“Could be that he might be a highly derived, a very evolutionarily modified ibis?” Naish said. 

Gonzo isn’t a modern bird at all, says a second paleontologist

Thomas Holtz, a University of Maryland paleontologist who studies carnivorous dinosaurs, landed much deeper in time.

Holtz notes that Gonzo has three working fingers on each hand, and a body covered in simple down-like fuzz with a few more complex feathers only on the head. Both traits, he says, show up together in early carnivorous dinosaurs from a group called Tetanurae, which eventually produced raptors and true birds and also includes fuzzier earlier animals like Tyrannosaurs. (Yes, T. rex was fuzzy.)

Holtz then pointed at the show’s own cast. The Muppets who are clearly bird-like look nothing like Gonzo. Big Bird, Camilla, and the other chickens have modern vaned feathers and beaks with an obvious keratin shine. Gonzo has neither.

“This suggests that if he is a bird or bird relative, Gonzo is from a group that evolved prior to the evolution of modern feathers,” Holtz says.

Gonzo’s hands indicate the same. Modern birds have a fused hand with greatly reduced fingers. 

Gonzo’s hands are nothing like that. Holtz counts three separate fingers on each one, unfused and free-standing. Holtz thinks that might again put Gonzo before the origin of modern birds, which would make him far older than an ibis.

The tuft on Gonzo’s head could provide a big clue

Michel Milinkovitch, whose lab at the University of Geneva studies how hair, feathers, and scales develop, didn’t narrow Gonzo’s species to a single answer. Gonzo could be a mammal or something on the evolutionary line that led to theropod dinosaurs and birds, Milinkovitch says, and which one depends on a single question: What is that tuft made of?

Real hair is a follicle growing down into the skin, with a shaft growing out from inside it. “If Gonzo’s fur is made of real hair, he must be a mammal, because hair is a distinguishing character for mammals,” Milinkovitch says. The tuft would be specialized hair rather than feathers. And the snout would have nothing to do with birds at all—a beak-like structure that evolved separately from birds, similar to the way the platypus arrived at its bill.

If the tuft is real feathers, with barbs around a shaft, Gonzo sits on the lineage that produced theropod dinosaurs—two-legged carnivores like Tyrannosaurus—and eventually birds. The fuzz all over his body would then have to be feathers too: down, like a chick’s, or the loose shaggy plumage of a kiwi bird.

Blame the snout

Gonzo’s most distinct feature is also perhaps the most baffling to scientists: his beak.

For birds and turtles, the beak is the mouth itself—the jaw bones, with a keratin sheath over them. But Gonzo’s snout isn’t his mouth. Holtz describes it as an extension sticking out in front of the mouth rather than being the mouth. A structure like that, he says, is a bit odd anywhere among vertebrates. 

It doesn’t bend like a trunk. It also lacks the shine of chicken beaks, so Holtz isn’t even sure it’s covered in keratin. And a beak without keratin isn’t really a beak. 

Gonzo invites questions

Two of the three biologists ended up putting Gonzo on the branch that produced theropod dinosaurs and birds, but by different routes. Milinkovitch got there from the tuft on Gonzo’s head, Holtz from the shape of his hands. 

Holtz went a step further, saying Gonzo split off long before modern birds appeared. 

For Naish, questions like “what is Gonzo” could help people understand more about evolutionary biology.  He also has a theory about why nobody will let the question go. Most Muppets are either obviously something—Kermit is a frog, Camilla is a chicken—or don’t give any clues to raise the question at all.  

With characters like Grover and Elmo, Naish says, there is no feature that makes you stop and wonder what animal you’re looking at. But Gonzo has several such features. His snout has a shape. His tufts are called feathers. His girlfriend has a species.

The rule, according to Naish, is that specificity invites scrutiny. “The more precise, the more defined you make a character,” Naish says, “the more inclined people are to ask questions.”

All that said, 50 years on, the answer “to what really is Gonzo” is still whatever.

UMD honors Muppets creator Jim Henson with attempt at sock puppet world record

By Tisha Lewis

FOX 5 DC

Published September 25, 2026 4:35 PM EDT

The Brief

•  
  • The University of Maryland is celebrating Muppets creator and alumnus Jim Henson's 90th birthday.
  • The university came up short of breaking a Guinness World Record with a sock puppet party.
  • At least 629 participants wearing sock puppets at the same time were needed to break the record. The university had 500 participants.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland celebrated the 90th birthday of Muppets creator and alumnus Jim Henson by attempting to break a world record.

What we know:

Students, faculty, staff and family members gathered in the Stamp Student Union on campus to participate in the university’s first Sock Puppet Party. However, they came up short of setting a Guinness World Record for the most sock puppets worn simultaneously in a single venue.

The attempt was part of Henson Week, a campus-wide celebration dedicated to the iconic puppeteer.

Henson and his wife, Jane, both graduated from UMD, where they originally created the Muppets.

Festivities leading up to the event included "Henson-mania, which featured tie-dye activities and Muppet character drawing sessions.

To claim the official Guinness World Record, the university needed 629 participants wearing sock puppets at the same time. On Friday, officials said they had 500 participants.

Sammy Popat, UMD Manager of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, highlighted that the event's message centered on re-imagining creativity and encouraging artistic expression across the campus community.

An official representative from Guinness World Records was not present on site.

Over 300 gather at UMD for world record attempt at most sock puppets worn in one venue

By Winston Rogers

Fri, September 25, 2026 at 8:51 PM

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (7News) — Over 300 University of Maryland (UMD) students, staff, and family members gathered Friday to break a world record for number of sock puppets worn in one venue, as part of a week of celebrations for one of it's most famous alumni.

The University said Friday's Sock Puppet Party was the culmination of Jim and Jane Henson week, meant to celebrate creativity and innovation across the school. Jim and Jane Henson, the creators of Kermit the Frog and the Muppets, graduated from UMD in 1960 and 1955 respectively.

Organizers were hoping to break the Guinness World Record of 629 set in 2019 by The Blue Coat School Birmingham in the United Kingdom.

Officials said attendees gathered in the Grand Ballroom of the Stamp Student Union to create 500 sock puppets, though some brought their own. Ultimately though, the group fell short of the goal.

University of Maryland attempts to make history with sock puppets

Published by WUSA9: 7:50 AM EDT September 25, 2026

The Terps will attempt to set a world record for the number of sock puppets in one place as part of Henson Week.

How Did the Muppets Get Dressed? A New UMD Libraries Collection Shows Us.

A gift from a longtime costume designer for alum Jim Henson’s company lets the public in on the process.

September 23, 2026

By Sala Levin ’10

Costume designers are trained to create clothes that fit any shape or size of body. But what if the wardrobe is for a subject who resembles two basketballs stacked on top of each other? (Sorry, Miss Piggy, but it’s true.)

Polly Smith dreamt up a ship captain’s coat and hat for Kermit the Frog; sequined-and-feathered dresses for Miss Piggy; and a George Costanza-esque flannel shirt for Fozzie Bear to wear in a “Seinfeld” parody, among hundreds of other looks as a longtime costume designer for “The Muppet Show,” “Sesame Street,” and other films and television shows created by the Jim Henson Company. Now, much of her creative output during her 40-year career is housed in the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library (MSPAL), thanks to a gift she made in 2024. 

It adds to a trove of other materials housed in the University Libraries honoring the work of Jim ’60 and Jane Henson ’55, who are being celebrated on campus and in the community Sept. 20-26 for Henson Week.

“I’m very happy it’s at the University of Maryland,” Smith said of her memorabilia. “I’m happy it’s somewhere where it’s appreciated and not going to land in a landfill.”

Smith, who earned a bachelor’s degree in fashion design at the Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia and a master’s degree in costume design at New York University, was working in the human realm, largely in Manhattan theater, during the ’70s. She had a major breakthrough in 1977, when she and two other women designed and patented the first sports bra, called the Jogbra. 

Not long after, a friend connected her with Calista Hendrickson, the lead costume designer for the Muppets. Hendrickson hired Smith to work on “The Muppet Movie.” 

Smith only had a few weeks before leaving for a previously scheduled vacation, enough time for her to make a shirt and jeans for Gonzo. After she returned, Hendrickson “bless her heart, tracked me down,” said Smith. “That little blue work shirt was so perfect that she wanted me.”

That was the beginning of Smith’s nearly 30-year relationship with the Jim Henson Company. She helmed costume design for the last season of “The Muppet Show,” designing and creating some 15-20 costumes a week. “There wasn’t time to sketch at all,” she said. “There was one other woman there sewing, and we pretty much had to talk it through.” 

Henson, Smith said, was “pretty much as advertised”: kind, supportive, appreciative of his employees’ work. Face time with the big man was at a premium. “If he was walking by, I could grab him and go ‘How about this?,’ but that would be all you could get.”

Muppets can’t pull off all kinds of clothes, Smith learned. Their unnatural skin tones mean that careful attention must be paid to what colors look good on them, and on camera. “Their body types are a little bizarre,” she said. “Very few of them have any shoulders to speak of.” 

For the 1982 film “The Dark Crystal,” Smith took inspiration from the clothes of ethnic groups around the world for her designs for the puppet race known as the Pod People. Their costumes were full of beadwork, embroidery and hand-painting done by Smith. “I made all these beautiful shoes for the species, but I should have been focusing on hats,” she said. 

Retired for the last five years, Smith had been ready to free up some much-needed real estate in her one-bedroom New York City apartment. In 2023, she was seated next to then-University of Maryland, College Park Foundation trustee Eric S. Francis '71 at a dinner in Washington, D.C. They chatted about her career, and when he asked what she was doing in retirement, she told him that she was cataloguing her library—drawings, television and film scripts, Muppets books and magazine articles, personal photos, records and CDs, and more—and hoping to donate it somewhere. 

Francis expressed interest in the collection and connected Smith to UMD Libraries to talk about an acquisition. 

John Davis, curator of MSPAL’s Special Collections in Performing Arts (SCPA), said that Smith’s collection is an opportunity to enhance both the library’s Henson-related holdings—about 70 videos of “Muppet Show” episodes, movies, a few of Henson’s creations from his time as a UMD student, and publications and ephemera related to the Muppets, “Fraggle Rock” and more—and its broader collection of materials related to costume design. Smith’s collection includes books about art, fashion history and clothing around the world.

Already, several classes and researchers have visited the collection to pore over its contents. “We yearned for more archival materials at SCPA related to Henson that we could display and that researchers could come here to work with,” said Davis. “Smith’s collection helped make that a reality for us.” 

UMD’s Henson Week offers glimpse into alum Jim Henson’s creative journey

By Cait Heiderman

At the University of Maryland, the whimsical career of alumnus Jim Henson lives on through Henson Week, a campus-wide celebration UMD Arts for All and the Office of Innovation presents.

This year, the theme of Henson Week is “Create. Make. Play.,” with more than 50 events for the campus community to engage in to honor the creativity and experimentation that defined the careers of Henson and his wife Jane.

“Our ultimate goal is for folks, students, faculty, staff, community … to identify their own creative interest,” UMD’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Catalyst Sammy Popat said.

On Monday, Studio A in Adele H. Stamp Student Union held a public viewing of a mural Henson painted during his time as a student. A Hyattsville neighbor commissioned the artwork, which depicts the story of a matador and a bull.

Henson likely didn’t title the mural himself because it was a commissioned artwork, according to Tara Youngborg, manager of the STAMP Gallery and Studio A.  

Stylistically, this oil-painted mural is considered a unique outlier to his other artworks, according to Youngborg.

“We’ve also had an appraiser … look at our whole collection … and she has said that this is kind of unique in terms of Jim Henson memorabilia,” Youngborg said.

The mural offers a glimpse into the world Henson created long before gaining international recognition for projects like “The Muppets,” “Sesame Street” and “Fraggle Rock.”

“The way he’s using color and texture is really important, and that also is something that’s really important in puppeteering,” she said.

Youngborg shared that the faces of the bulls received praise from mural viewers for their detailed facial expressions.

“They feel the most Muppet-like to me,” she said. “I think that he’s put the most kind of personality into them.”

Henson’s time at UMD introduced him to people and artistic mediums that would later become important to his career. While taking a puppetry course, he met his wife, Jane Nebel, who became his early professional partner.

“[Henson] was on a local television station doing commercials,” Popat said. “He realized that if you were to put puppets on television, you had to innovate.”

Henson and Nebel won their first Emmy Awards in 1959 for “Sam and Friends,” a five-minute puppet show that aired on WRC-TV, a local Washington, D.C., network.

Drew Barker, a performing arts librarian at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library, credits Henson’s success to putting his heart in his work.

“The man truly respected childhood and how important it is to everyone,” Barker said. “I think his legacy has really been determined by the impact he made on children’s imaginations … adults too.”

Throughout his illustrious career, Henson used his innovation skills to elevate the medium of puppetry on screen. He worked with directors like George Lucas, who used Henson as a consultant on the building of the Yoda puppet used in the “Star Wars” films.

“I compare him to Shakespeare because he not only had a strong artistic vision, but he also had the business acumen to make his vision happen, just like Shakespeare did with the Globe,” Barker said.

Henson joined Saturday Night Live during its first season in 1975. He created an adult puppetry skit called “The Land of Gorch,” with hopes he would establish a career outside children’s television. After 11 sketches, Henson departed the late-night sketch show following poor audience reviews and creative differences with SNL writers.

“He was fearless from someone who wanted to dabble in a lot of different things,” Popat said. “The other part of being fearless is that he failed a lot … he created work that was experimental.”

For UMD, continuing to celebrate Henson’s legacy also includes encouraging students to find their own creative voices, according to Popat.

In honor of Henson Week, the College of Arts & Humanities is piloting a mini-grant funding opportunity that, if awarded, will provide up to $500 in seed funding to students, student groups or staff who want to explore an idea or initiate a project that sparks creativity or positively impacts UMD.

“Henson Week is really about giving us a moment to reflect in terms of our childlike wonder and help us to spark that curiosity that when we were younger, maybe we were more fearless,” Popat said. “We want to give people an opportunity to try new things.”

Featured Image: Jim Henson’s mural displayed in Studio A in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union on Sept. 21. Photo by Charlotte Florin.

The Scene

September 21, 2026 6:03 pm

News4’s Tommy McFly gets a look at Muppets history inside the University of Maryland’s Jim Henson archives.

Create, Make and Play in 50-Plus Ways at Expanded, Weeklong Henson Celebration

A Guinness World Record-seeking sock puppet party, new Maryland Dairy flavor and surprises top the lineup highlighting creativity and innovation.

September 21, 2026

By Lauren Frank ’27

Henson Week 2026 at the University of Maryland won’t have any boomeranging fish tricks, singing chickens or cooking segments gone awry. But it will be a most sensational, inspirational, celebrational lineup of events and activities including a Guinness World Record attempt. 

The showcase across campus, inspired by famed puppeteers and innovators Jim ’60 and Jane Henson ’55, has ballooned from one day to more than 50 events and activities spanning Sept. 20-26, including a chat with his biographer, improv and jazz nights, a scavenger hunt and what could be the world’s biggest sock-puppet party. 

“The whole point of Henson Week is to really create and foster a community of people who celebrate creativity and innovation across campus, and to that extent, it's sharing what you do, exploring something new, creating something different, having fun and being silly,” said Sammy Popat, UMD’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem catalyst in the Division of Research’s Office of Innovation. The office organized Henson Week with the campuswide Arts for All initiative. 

Jane majored in art education, and Jim studied home economics and focused on costume design, screen printing and set design. The pair first brought their puppets to TV on “Sam and Friends” (1955-61), a live show on WRC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Washington, D.C. Kermit the Frog, made from his mother’s felt coat and a split ping pong ball, first appeared on the show. 

The Hensons made their national television debut on “The Tonight Show” in 1965, “Sesame Street” premiered in 1969, and “The Muppet Show” (1976-81)—which debuted 50 years ago this month—became a global hit. 

The Muppets have remained relevant through movies, variety shows, a cartoon show and commercials. Kermit’s Commencement address at UMD last year garnered international headlines, and just this month, the latest revival of “The Muppet Show” won four Emmys.  

“People still love the Muppets, and they’re still excited about Kermit, and they’re kind of itching to hear more about what Jim and Jane Henson did,” Popat said.

Events will be held on campus, online and in the community, including at the College Park Aviation Museum and Busboys and Poets in Hyattsville. Visit the app for the full lineup. Here are seven not to miss: 

"They Call this Editing. I Call it Cheating!" Script Drafts From the Greatest (and Cheapest) Muppet Movies (N)ever Made"  

Noon-1 p.m. Sept. 22 
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Piano Room 

Paul Cote, principal lecturer in the English department, will discuss the unproduced screenplay, "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made!" as well as other Henson-related scripts. This event is open to all UMD students, faculty and staff. 

Misfits & Trailblazers: Fireside Chat With Jim Henson Biographer Brian Jones  

6-7 p.m. Sept. 22 on Zoom

Join Jim Henson biographer Brian Jay Jones and writer and Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House director Ross Angelella for a fireside chat about creativity, storytelling, and the people who defy the norm. They will discuss misfits and trailblazers and what Henson’s work can still teach us about making something distinctly our own.

It's Not Easy Being a National Treasure: The Henson Collection at the National Museum of American History  

1-2 p.m. Sept. 23 
Hornbake Library lobby in front of the Gallery and Maryland Room 

This Henson Week @ Hornbake event will feature Ryan Lintelman, entertainment curator, Division of Culture and the Arts for the National Museum of American History, who will share why the Henson collection is among the favorites of visitors, researchers and museum staff. The collection of over 40 Henson puppets and props there date back to 1975, when Ernie and Bert puppets from “Sesame Street” were displayed in the exhibition “We the People.” In 1980, Jim visited the museum to donate a Kermit puppet. In 2010, Jane gifted the original “Sam and Friends” puppets, including the original 1955 Kermit, to the museum. 

Kami’s Impact: When “Sesame Street” Took on HIV/AIDS  

3:30-4:30 p.m. Sept. 23 
Hornbake Library lobby in front of the Gallery and Maryland Room

School of Public Health Research Professor and UMD Global Health Initiative Director Dina Borzekowski will discuss the development and 24-year impact of Kami, South Africa's HIV-positive Muppet created for AIDS education effort. This Henson Week @ Hornbake event will include video clips and data. 

The Great Terp Quest  

10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sept. 24

Take on trivia, challenges and photo missions during a one-day campuswide adventure open to all UMD students. In honor of Henson Week and Jim Henson’s 90th birthday, the game will feature special Henson and Muppet trivia, plus questions that put your UMD knowledge and campus history to the test. Competitors can earn small prizes along the way, and the top three winners will earn a $100 bookstore shopping spree. Download the RandeVous App to participate.

Celebration of Jim Henson’s 90th Birthday   

Noon-1 p.m. Sept. 24 
Jim Henson Statue and Memorial Garden, outside the main entrance of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union 

Commemorate Jim Henson's 90th birthday by taking a selfie and enjoying some cookies.

Henson Mania: A Night of Art, Innovation & Imagination  

6-8 p.m. Sept. 24 
Orem Hall, Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center

The Student Alumni Leadership Council, SEE, Terps After Dark and the Immersive Media Design programs welcome Terps to celebrate the Hensons’ lasting impact by making Henson-themed tie-dye shirts, trying a guided drawing experience with a Terp alum and enjoying a showcase of student-created work. It is open to UMD students only, and registration is required. 

Sock Puppet Party  

2:30-4 p.m. Sept. 25 
Grand Ballroom, Adele H. Stamp Student Union

In collaboration with the Office of Family Engagement, students (and their families here for Family Weekend), faculty and staff will gather to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the number of people wearing sock puppets in one venue, which now stands at 628. Those without a sock puppet will get the opportunity to adopt one or make their own, while supplies last.

Also, thanks to the xFoundry's sponsorship of Henson Week through the Horizons Challenge, 500 attendees will receive a coupon to stop by the Dairy for a scoop of a new flavor, Imagination Inspiration!, a rainbow sherbet, or another flavor of ice cream, while supplies last.

NextNOW Fest features performances, workshops and other types of events by genre-pushing, nationally renowned touring artists, as well as campus-based artists. You can expect an eclectic lineup of artists across music, theater, dance, visual art, comedy and more genres.

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s annual NextNOW Fest is a multi-day arts festival featuring performances and other experiences by intriguing, inventive artists from around the country and the University of Maryland campus. A forward-looking gathering place where art transforms our future and connects us all, NextNOW Fest is where creativity and community converge.

Register for free now to receive priority access to the full 2026 lineup and schedule. You’ll also receive daily reminders throughout the festival week that will make your experience easy and convenient. Festival events will take place Wed, Sep 9-Tue, Sep 15 with festival nights taking place at The Clarice on Thu, Sep 10 and Fri, Sep 11. The full festival lineup and schedule will be announced in Summer 2026.

NextNOW Fest's 72-Hour Composition Challenge featured new works by students in the UMD School of Music. Participating composers had 36 hours to write a piece and another 36 hours to rehearse the music with the performers before it is premiered in concert as part of NextNOW Fest. 

The 72 Hour Composition Project partnered with the UMD Art Gallery. Composers selected one artwork on display from the UMD Art Gallery’s permanent collection as inspiration for their work.

The LANDLINE Exhibition at the UMD Art Gallery that paired works from the collection with our 72 Hour Composition Challenge participants in the UMD School of Music, which is now available in Digital Clarice for streaming!

Activity: Visit the Jim Henson Statue and Memorial Garden

Audience: Open to All

Time: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Location: Located on the left side the main entrance of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union.

Description: Spend a moment visiting this bronze statue of Jim Henson '60 and one his most famous creations, Kermit the Frog. Learn more about the statue and this prominent University of Maryland landmark.

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Activity: Visit the "Students Change the World" Exhibit

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Location: Thurgood Marshall Hall, Ground Floor and Do Good Plaza

Description: Visit this interactive exhibit that tells the stories of Terps who are making an impact on campus, in their communities, and across the world. Explore four touchscreen stations featuring life-size, in-depth storytelling, with overhead holosonic speakers that make it feel like each subject is speaking directly to you. 

Make sure to share: "Which story moved you most?" via @dogoodatumd — and if it's got you thinking "I want to do that too," please check out resources and opportunities to get started at dogood.umd.edu.

While you are visiting Thurgood Marshall Hall, snap a photo in the Do Good Plaza with these iconic campus landmarks: Do Good sign and The Do Good Rings where you can walk through them to be further inspired by stories of student impact.

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Activity: Celebrate Henson Week at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Audience: Open to the Public.

Time: Hours per activity are listed below

Location: Adele H. Stamp Student Union 

Description: Join or attend any of these events and activities taking place during Henson Week. More information on each activity can be found throughout the daily listing of activities across the campus.

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Activity: Visit the University Book Center

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: Check online for the latest on Store Hours

Location: Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: Check out all the University Book Center has to offer including its numerous Henson Week-related merchandise.

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Activity: Visit the Maryland Dairy

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: Check online for the latest on the Maryland Dairy Hours

Location: Adjacent to the Food Court within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: Stop by to savor a special flavor commemorating Henson Week - Imagination Inspiration!

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Activity: Visit the Special Collections in Performing Arts on Jim Henson

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: An appointment is required to access the Special Collections between Monday, September 21st - Friday, September 25th from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM.  The Special Collections are not accessible on Sunday or Saturday. Find the latest Libraries' hours online.

Location: The Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library is located within The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

Description: Make an appointment to explore the:

• Jim Henson Collection (Finding Aid)

• Jim Henson Video Collection (Finding Aid)

• Edward L. Longley Papers (Finding Aid)

• Polly Smith Collection on Jim Henson (Finding Aid)

• Sam and Friends scrapbook facsimile (Catalog Record)

Activity: Reflections with Jim Henson’s Red Book

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Location:  The Graduate School Conference Room in Lee Building, Room 2124

Description: In 1965, Jim Henson started a diary that he would go on to keep for over two decades. This diary, which became known as the Red Book, began with a list of the memorable events from the first 28 years of his life. 

Join us for a reflective zine-making session where you can create your own version of the Red Book! 

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Activity: Henson Week Collaborative Mural

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff; Registration is required

Time: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Location: Activities Room and Studio A within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: View Jim Henson’s mural that he created when he was a UMD student in the Activities Room, and then move into Studio A to participate in a collaborative Henson Week mural activity, which will be put on display in the Stamp Union for Henson Week! RSVP at stamp.umd.edu/HensonDayMural

Activity: Time to Play: Improv Games for Creative Expansion

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

Location: Edward St. John Learning & Teaching Center, Room 2101 (The Loft) 

Description: Improvisation is a scary word for some, but we’re doing it every day — actually every moment! — when we interact with the world around us: as we encounter other humans, objects, problems, and situations, to name a few. We might as well learn to have a little fun with it in the process, right? In this session, we’ll play some simple improv games that will give you a little boost of confidence and invite you to tap into your creativity. This is a zero-judgment environment where your inner creative spirit is the star, not your stage presence! RSVP here by Monday, Sept. 21!

Facilitated by Mira Azarm

Mira Azarm (Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship) is a designer, maker, improviser, and educator. As an Innovation Instigator and Relational Experience Designer, she provokes learners into becoming creative problem-solvers through classes, projects, and partnerships across UMD. In addition to teaching in AIE, she recently completed a certificate in Experience Design through Odyssey Works, and has started performing improv in the Washington, DC area with two indie teams. She’s a world-recognized leader of repurposed craft and building materials, leading to her designation as the Mayor of Toilet Tube Town. This makes her a triple threat: she can build real things with scrappy materials, pretend to build things with imaginary materials, or do some combination thereof.

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Activity: "They Call this Editing. I Call it Cheating!" Script Drafts from the Greatest (and Cheapest) Muppet Movies (N)ever Made"

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Location: Piano Room within the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center

Description: Paul Cote, Principal Lecturer for the English Department, will be discussing one of the most famous unproduced screenplays, "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made," as well as other Henson-related scripts.

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Activity: Artist Talk: Artist and Maker Chris Combs

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Location: The Stamp Gallery inside of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: Hear from Chris Combs, one of the artists whose work is included in Afterhours, an exhibition featuring six artists - Cecilia Kim, Leslie Holt, Chris Combs, Trystan Luah, McCoy Chance, and Electra Pelias - whose works examine how obsolescence shapes individual and collective experiences. Reflecting on capitalist definitions of purpose, utility, and worth, these artists invite viewers to reconsider how these systems of categorization have molded our relationships with objects, spaces, ourselves, and each other. 

Speaker Bio: 

Chris Combs is an artist based in Washington, D.C and Mount Rainier, Maryland, whose sculptural artworks both incorporate and question technologies. Chris was the 2025 Artist in Residence at the Sanford Underground Research Facility and is a five-time recipient of the DC CAH Arts and Humanities Fellowship. He is a graduate of the Corcoran College of Art + Design and was a photo editor for National Geographic. He has shown at VisArts, McLean Project for the Arts, IA&A at Hillyer, and other DC-area institutions. His artwork Periscopes is permanently installed in Buzzard Point, D.C., and Madness Method, a collaboration with David Greenfieldboyce, was part of Georgetown GLOW. The Next Big Thing (MoCA Arlington Innovation Studio, 2024) recreated Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa with E-waste that reacted to visitors’ faces and movements. His show Supercycle (IA&A at Hillyer, 2023) invoked cycles of hype, such as “AI” and cryptocurrencies. Outsized Effects (Gradient Projects, Thomas, WV, 2023–4) included the room-sized Allegheny Data Company, examining data mining through the visual lens of coal mining. Chris is a member of Otis Street Arts Project.

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Activity: Maryland 2050: Design the Future You Want to Live In

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Location: LeFrak Hall Undergraduate Computer Lab & Undergraduate Lounge (Room 1150)

Description: Explore Maryland through a creative, hands-on mapping experience. Participants will imagine a future Maryland and use GIS to design and map a solution to a spatial challenge of their choice. Work individually or collaboratively to experiment with maps, data, and ideas, and turn your vision for Maryland into something you can see and share. No prior GIS experience is required and everyone is welcome!

Please Register by Monday, Sept. 14 so the team can plan accordingly for food and supplies. Registration is encouraged but not required—you are welcome to drop in even if you haven't registered.

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Activity: Startup Shell Art Soirée

Audience: UMD Students

Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: Startup Shell within the IDEA Factory

Description: Join us for an evening of art, cookies, good music, and chill vibes! There will be paper, paint markers, bracelet making, sticker making, and a cricut!

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Activity: Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 8:00 PM

Location: Hoff Theatre within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: Catch a free screening of the Super Mario Galaxy movie as part of Henson Week, which celebrates beloved franchises Mario and Nintendo.

Activity: Henson-inspired Button-Making

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Location: Tawes Plaza

Description: Got 10 minutes between classes? Join the Office of Sustainability on September 23rd from 11am-1pm at the UM Farmers Market, taking place at Tawes Plaza where you can craft your own Henson-inspired button! You can wear it for the day, pin it on your backpack, or even give it to a friend. What's your vision? Come show us!

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Activity: TerpPALS: Advancing Neurodiversity

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Location: Outside LeFrak Hall and across from the South Campus Dining Hall

Description: Students are invited to create TerpPALS (Promote Allies and Leveraging Strengths) wee folk and also learn how they can help advance lifelong success and belonging for neurodivergent Terps within our campus community.

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Activity: How Do You Henson? Where might imagination take you? Dream up your own Jim Henson inspired creation!

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Location: Symons Hall Front Lobby

Description: Join AGNR Academic Programs for a special Sock Puppet Making Day.  

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Activity: Spin The Wheel with Technica!

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Location: Hornbake Plaza

Description: Have a minute? Come spin the wheel with Technica and have fun (and win free merch) by answering fun questions!

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Activity: Made in Japan: Movie Night with JASA!

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 5:00 PM

Location: Susquehanna Hall Room 1120

Description: Join the Japanese American Student Association (JASA) for a Japanese Movie Night celebrating Henson Week’s theme, “Create. Make. Play.” Experience the creativity of Japanese film making, storytelling, animation, and entertainment while enjoying a fun and relaxing night with the UMD community. Attendees can explore Japanese culture through film, and connect with others through a shared movie experience!

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Activity: Leggy Frog Crochet Workshop

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: Jimenez Hall Room 0220

Description: Join the Crocheting For A Cause student group for an evening of crocheting and fun.

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Activity: Terps After Dark: Build-A-Terp

Audience: UMD Students

Time: Event will be Rescheduled

Location: Grand Ballroom within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: It's Jim Henson Week! Come out and build a Terp Friend, have some ice cream, and celebrate all things Jim Henson. Only 600 students can RSVP, so be sure to sign up before all the spots are filled. To meet your pal, arrive by 7:00 PM. After 8:30 PM, any unclaimed pals may be matched with another adventurer (waitlist). Reserve your spot for the adventure!

Event Hosts: This enchanting evening is brought to you by Terps After Dark, UMPD, SEE, and STAMP.

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Activity: Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 8:00 PM

Location: Hoff Theatre within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: Catch a free screening of the Super Mario Galaxy movie as part of Henson Week, which celebrates beloved franchises Mario and Nintendo.

Henson Week @ Hornbake Events Agenda

Activity: M in Teamwork & Muppet Chaos Theory Board

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 07:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Location: INFO Commons (Hornbake Library Basement)

Description: Add your perspective to the White Board or take a few moments to explore how people around campus engage with one another in team settings or in larger organizations.

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Activity: Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio Pop-up Button Making Experience

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Location: Hornbake Library Lobby

Description: Print and make your own button using the Hornbake Library Letterpress Studio’s mobile Kelsey press! Use linocut carvings to add stamps to your print and create your own button! 

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Activity: It's Not Easy Being a National Treasure: The Henson Collection at the National Museum of American History

Keynote Speaker: Ryan Lintelman, Entertainment Curator, Division of Culture and the Arts, for the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. 

Watch this YouTube video on How Kermit the Frog got his start in DC (NBC4 Washington) to preview some of Ryan's keynote presentation.

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Location: Hornbake Library Lobby (1st Floor) in front of the Gallery and Maryland Room

Description: Find out why the Henson collection is among the favorites of visitors, researchers, and museum staff as well! Many visitors to the National Museum of American History walk past Abraham Lincoln's hat, the First Ladies' dresses, and the Star Spangled Banner to find the national treasures they're really looking for: Jim Henson's Muppets. The collection of over 40 historically significant Henson puppets and props date back to 1975, when Ernie and Bert puppets from Sesame Street were displayed in an exhibition titled We The People. Jim Henson himself visited the museum to donate a Kermit puppet in 1980 while in Washington DC for the World Puppetry Festival, and Jane Henson made a gift of the original Sam and Friends puppets including the original 1955 Kermit to the museum in 2010. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Muppets collection at the National Museum of American History, then explore the content in these Smithsonian Magazine articles:

• A Peek Inside Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, Where ‘Sesame Street’ Characters and Other Whimsical Puppets Are Designed
• A Theory About Muppet Master Frank Oz
• Kermit the Frog and Friends Join American History Museum’s Collections
• Kermit the Frog Was Just Trying to Put on a Variety Show. Fifty Years Later, the Muppets Are Some of the Biggest Stars in Television History
• The Muppets Take the Smithsonian
• Q&A: Cheryl Henson
• What Made Jim Henson, the Visionary Behind the Muppets, One of the Nation’s Most Beloved Cultural Figures

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Activity: Open House of Children's Television Workshop Archival Materials 

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Location: Hornbake Library Lobby (1st Floor) in front of the Gallery and Maryland Room

Description: The Children's Television Workshop (now known as the Sesame Workshop) is an American nonprofit organization producing educational children's programs, founded in 1966 by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett. With funding from the United States Office of Education, the Carnegie Corporation Foundation, and the Ford Foundation to support an experimental television program's research and production, Sesame Street premiered in November 1969. It became the first of several CTW programs: The Electric Company, Feeling Good, The Best of Families, and 3-2-1 Contact.

The Children's Television Workshop records consist of a wide variety of materials from the 1960s to the 1990s. The materials have been divided into multiple series based on the format and originating office of the materials. These series contain corporate records and reports, administrative documents, board minutes, program research, scripts, artwork, and press materials. While the series has been arranged to gather materials based on individual programs together, several divisions and offices contributed to program research, development, and outreach, meaning that program materials are widely available in series throughout the collection.

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Activity: Experience AADHum and NarraSpaceXR

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Location: Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities (MITH) Suite, Room 0301 (Hornbake Library Basement)

Description: Explore the intersections of arts, humanities, and technology with the African American Digital and Experimental Humanities (AADHum) and NarraSpaceXR through a range of hands-on creative computing and interactive technology stations.

• Remix with LiteraryDJ

• Play with Retro-Gaming

• Make Augmented Reality Zines

• Creative Computing (Co)Lab: DIY Lanterns

• Experience Interactive Projections

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Activity: Kami's Impact: When Sesame Street took on HIV/AIDS

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Location: Hornbake Library Lobby (1st Floor) in front of the Gallery and Maryland Room

Description: School of Public Health Research Professor Dr. Dina Borzekowski ("Dr. B"), director of the UMD Global Health Initiative, will discuss the development and 24-year impact of Kami, South Africa's HIV-positive, orphaned Muppet. Dr. Borzekowski helped develop Kami and served as head Principal Investigator for formative and summative evaluations.

Title: Terps After Dark: The Great Terp Quest

Audience: UMD Students

Location: Download the RandezVous App before you begin so you’re ready to participate and complete the Quest!

Time: 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM 

Description: Get ready for a campus-wide adventure filled with trivia, challenges, and photo missions using the RandeVous app! In celebration of Henson Week and Jim Henson’s 90th birthday, we’ll feature special Henson and Muppet trivia along the way, plus questions that put your UMD knowledge and campus history to the test. Some clues can be solved with a quick Google search, while others will send you exploring campus to find the answer. Complete challenges, earn points, and compete for prizes and bragging rights!

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Activity: Design Your Own Museum Magic

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

Location: Edward St. John Learning & Teaching Center, Rm 2101 (The Loft)

Description: Have you ever wished that you could have a museum all to yourself? Or that you could make a favorite gallery even better with humor or games? Join us as we experiment with making your museum visits totally unique to you or the people you visit with, using only what can fit in a backpack. No museum experience or magic skills required. All you need is a willingness to prototype and curiosity for how your own experiences can be transformed in simple, accessible ways.  RSVP here by Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Facilitated by Isabella Bruno 

Isabella Bruno creates hands-on experiences at the Lab for Radical Museum Futures that teach people to strengthen their creativity and stay open to new possibilities, even when the future feels uncertain. Her three-pronged approach involves building imagination as a muscle for everyday life, embracing uncertainty, and spotting possibility as it emerges. She believes museums should be better public services that take care of both their staff and visitors—which is the best way to keep them thriving long-term. She's tackled these challenges from every angle: working within the Smithsonian Institution, as an outside consultant, and as a partner with groups both big and small.

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Activity: Celebration of Jim Henson's 90th Birthday 

Audience: Open to All

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Location: Jim Henson Statute and Memorial Garden located on the left side the main entrance of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union.

Description: Join the festivities commemorating Jim Henson's 90th birthday by taking a selfie and enjoying a few tasty treats. Learn more about the statue and this prominent University of Maryland landmark.

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Activity: Garbology (Archaeology of Modern Refuse)

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Location: In front of Woods Hall facing McKeldin Mall

Description: Gain a greater understanding of the waste stream and the longevity of different materials that go into it, along with the principles of taphonomy, preservation, and material culture in archeology. You will leave with a greater appreciation of mindfulness about purchasing and discarding of plastics and other materials as "garbage".

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Activity: Minecraft Creative Build Competition

Audience: UMD Students

Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Location: Cambridge Community Center: Home of the New Esports Center

Description: Join Terps Esports for a Minecraft Creative Competition in our brand-new Esports facility! Build your best creation and compete for a prize, with entries judged by our creative student staff. Come create, compete, and get a look at our new space! Those wishing to compete should arrive early, as the competition begins at 4pm. The last 30 minutes will be allocated for judging & prizes. Please RSVP via this form to attend. 

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Activity: Henson Mania: A Night of Art, Innovation & Imagination

Audience: UMD Students; Registration is required

Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: Riggs Alumni Center

Description: Henson Mania: A Night of Art, Innovation & Imagination is a dynamic celebration hosted by the Student Alumni Leadership Council (SALC) that brings Terps together through creativity and campus traditions. Featuring Henson-themed tie-dye shirts, a guided drawing experience with a Terp alum and a showcase of student-created work, come celebrate the lasting impact of Henson's work and connect with others! 

Organizing Hosts and Activity Sponsors: Thank you to the following supporters and partners in making this event possible: Henson Week, Terps After Dark, Pepsi, Student Entertainment Events (SEE) and Immersive Media Design.

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Activity: Counted Cross Stitch: Terp Wall Hanger

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff; Registration is required

Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Location: Studio A within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: Join Studio A to learn the basics of counted cross stitch, and come home with your own Terp Cross Stitch Wall hanger! This event is limited to 30 participants

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Activity: Back to School Q&A Featuring...Lamorne Morris

Audience: FREE admission for UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff with a valid ticket and UID. 

Time: Doors open at 7PM with line up starting at 6:30! There will be a 30 minute open door period after the events begins, with doors closing at 8:30PM!

Location: Grand Ballroom within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union 

Description: Join SEE for an unforgettable night with actor Lamorne Morris!! Have your burning questions ready to be answered with a fun audience Q&A and engaging mini-games! Lamorne is starring in the unforgettable TV series New Girl and the recent Marvel crime series Spider Noir. 

For ENTRANCE into the venue, all participants MUST have a valid TICKET AND UID to present for scanning. Tickets can be found on UMDtickets.com. TICKETS ARE FREE FOR THIS EVENT. 

Event Sponsors: SEE, ODK, and Terps After Dark
 

Activity: Henson Mania: A Night of Art, Innovation & Imagination

Audience: UMD Students; Registration is required

Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Location: Riggs Alumni Center

Description: Henson Mania: A Night of Art, Innovation & Imagination is a dynamic celebration hosted by the Student Alumni Leadership Council (SALC) that brings Terps together through creativity and campus traditions. Featuring Henson-themed tie-dye shirts, a guided drawing experience with a Terp alum and a showcase of student-created work, come celebrate the lasting impact of Henson's work and connect with others! 

Please note that we will offer two sessions of the guided drawing experience:

• Session 1: 6:15-7pm
• Session 2: 7:15-8pm

*Supplies for all activities will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Event Timeline:

• 6 p.m. - Doors open
• 6 p.m. - Tie dying station opens
• 6:15 p.m. - First drawing guided session begins
• 7:15 p.m. - Second drawing guided session begins
• 8 p.m. - Event ends

Organizing Hosts and Activity Sponsors: Thank you to the following supporters and partners in making this event possible: Henson Week, Terps After Dark, Pepsi, Student Entertainment Events (SEE) and Immersive Media Design.

Activity: Erasable Inc.'s Weekly Friday Show!

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Location: Steps outside of McKeldin Library

Description: UMD's only all-improvised comedy troupe puts on their weekly Friday show! Swing on by for an hour of high-energy shenanigans and storytelling, made up completely on the spot.

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Activity: Computing Catalyst Henson-Inspired Music With Micro:bits

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Location: Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering Lobby

Description: Celebrate Henson Week with the Computing Catalyst and bring a little Henson-inspired magic to life through code! Stop by the Iribe Center lobby for a hands-on introduction to micro:bits, where our undergraduate staff will help you code Henson-inspired creations—from playful music and animations to colorful shapes and characters. No coding experience needed, just bring your creativity and get ready to create, make, and play!

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Activity: Sock Puppet Party

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, Staff, and Families

Time: 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Location: Grand Ballroom (Room 1206) within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: In collaboration with the Office of Family Engagement, attendees will gather to attempt to break the Guinness World Records number of sock puppets worn in one venue. Join the fun, as members of the campus community will bring their wacky and zany sock puppets to the Grand Ballroom for this historic moment. And for those without a sock puppet, you will get the opportunity to adopt a sock puppet or make your own puppet (as long as supplies last) as we will offer a facilitator-led creativity and prototyping session. 

Event Sponsor: Office of Family Engagement, Division of Student Affairs

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Activity: Henson-Inspired Music Mix

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Location: Outside of South Campus Dining Hall

Description: Watch Maryland's best DJ's show off their skills and blend Henson-inspired music into their set.

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Activity: Terps Against Hunger (TAH) x Delta Sigma Pi (DSP) x Beta Psi Omega (BPO) Sandwich Packing

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Location: Unity Center Multipurpose Room 1125 within Cole Field House

Description: Join Terps Against Hunger, Delta Sigma Pi, and Beta Psi Omega for a hands-on sandwich packing event supporting food-insecure children in the surrounding community. In the spirit of Henson Week’s “Create. Make. Play.” theme, participants will work together to make sandwiches, create a positive impact, and connect with fellow members of the UMD community through service. Come lend a hand and help turn a simple meal into meaningful support for local children in need!

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Activity: The Muppet Movie

Audience: UMD Students, Faculty, and Staff

Time: 8:00 PM

Location: Hoff Theatre within the Adele H. Stamp Student Union

Description: Round out Henson Week with a screening of The Muppet Movie.

Activity: Smith Alumni Tailgate

Audience: Smith School Alumni and Families

Time: Game Time TBD 

Location: Ludwig Field

Description: Get ready for an epic pre-game setup featuring great food, cold drinks, music, yard games, and quality time with fellow Smith alumni before the Maryland Terrapins take on UCLA! Reconnect with old friends, make new connections, and bring the Terp pride. For more information and to attend this event, please go online to register by September 22nd.

Activity: Science of Flight Pop-Up Exhibit

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: College Park Aviation Museum

Description: Jim and Jane Henson created many iconic bird characters, but not many of them could actually fly. This pop-up exhibit celebrates curiosity and imagination while exploring the science of bird flight. Learn about the forces that keep birds aloft, the formations they use when flying together, and the mysteries of migration. This engaging experience invites visitors of all ages to wonder at the natural world and see science take flight.

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Activity: PastPort to History: Rainbow Connection

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: After Story-Time Program from 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Location: College Park Aviation Museum

Description: What’s so amazing that keeps us stargazing, and what do we think we might see? Discover how light helps us unlock the mysteries of the universe. In this hands-on activity, participants will explore how light bends and separates into colors through refraction and learn how space telescopes like Webb are studying distant galaxies, stars, and exoplanets. After experimenting with color and the light spectrum, everyone can create their own rainbow window decal to take home. No registration required.

Activity: Henson Week Game Night

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Location: Board and Brew, College Park

Description: Spend an evening playing games and making new friends at Board and Brew.

Activity: Science of Flight Pop-Up Exhibit

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: College Park Aviation Museum

Description: Jim and Jane Henson created many iconic bird characters, but not many of them could actually fly. This pop-up exhibit celebrates curiosity and imagination while exploring the science of bird flight. Learn about the forces that keep birds aloft, the formations they use when flying together, and the mysteries of migration. This engaging experience invites visitors of all ages to wonder at the natural world and see science take flight.

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Activity: Floral Workshop

Audience: WeWork Members and Open to the Public

Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Location: WeWork College Park

Description: WeWork UMD is inviting members and the UMD community to let their creativity bloom! Inspired by Jim Henson’s legacy of imagination and creativity, attendees can choose their own vase, pick from a variety of flowers, and create a one-of-a-kind mini floral arrangement. Stop by, get creative, and leave with something beautiful to brighten your space!

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Activity: Science of Flight Pop-Up Exhibit

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: College Park Aviation Museum

Description: Jim and Jane Henson created many iconic bird characters, but not many of them could actually fly. This pop-up exhibit celebrates curiosity and imagination while exploring the science of bird flight. Learn about the forces that keep birds aloft, the formations they use when flying together, and the mysteries of migration. This engaging experience invites visitors of all ages to wonder at the natural world and see science take flight.

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Activity: A Jazz Jam @ Busboys and Poets, Hyattsville

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: Begins at 7:30 PM

Location: 5331 Baltimore Ave, Hyattsville, MD 20781

Description: Clarice Presents' Jazz Jams, in partnership with Busboys and Poets, brings D.C.-based saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed to perform and lead a community-wide jam! Elijah's band will play a set starting at 7:30PM. This is an opportunity to hear live jazz music and jump in, play music, experiment, and have a shared experience through the arts. 

After Balbed's band performs their set, you’ll have a chance to call a tune! 

Bring your instrument. All levels welcome!

Activity: Science of Flight Pop-Up Exhibit

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: College Park Aviation Museum

Description: Jim and Jane Henson created many iconic bird characters, but not many of them could actually fly. This pop-up exhibit celebrates curiosity and imagination while exploring the science of bird flight. Learn about the forces that keep birds aloft, the formations they use when flying together, and the mysteries of migration. This engaging experience invites visitors of all ages to wonder at the natural world and see science take flight.

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Title: Misfits & Trailblazers: Fireside Chat with Jim Henson's Biographer Brian Jones

Location: Watch the recording on the Startup UMD Business Fundamentals YouTube Channel

Description: Join Jim Henson biographer Brian Jay Jones and writer and Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House director Ross Angelella for a fireside chat about creativity, storytelling, and the people who refuse to fit neatly into the expected mold. A conversation about misfits and trailblazers, the creative lives we build around them, and what Henson’s work can still teach us about making something unmistakably our own.

Speaker Bios:

Brian Jay Jones - New York Times bestselling biographer who is known for covering iconic creative geniuses who have made indelible contributions to popular culture. He has explored the lives and legacies of Jim Henson, George Lucas, Washington Irving, and Dr. Seuss for serious fans and newcomers alike. Jim Henson: The Biography (Ballantine, 2013) was a New York Times bestseller, and chosen as the Best Biography of 2013 by Goodreads, as well as one of the year’s Top Ten books by CNN viewers. 

Ross Angelella, teaches creative writing at the University of Maryland College Park where he directs Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House, a literary center for the study of creative writing across cultures and languages. He is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter and professor. He is also the author of the irreverent and twisted coming-of-age novel Zombie (2012). His short fiction has been anthologized in Eight Very Bad Nights (2024) and appeared in various journals. 

Title: Copyright for Creatives

Location: Watch the recording on the Startup UMD Business Fundamentals YouTube Channel

Description: UM Ventures is pleased to support UMD's Henson Week via this webinar with its own Dr. Beth Sheckler, Innovation Manager. Everyone makes copyright protectable work, especially those in creative fields or with creative hobbies. Join us for a review of some copyright basics, while we explore case studies of some of the most famous copyright creators. Consider how to think strategically about your own copyrighted work, and learn how copyright works with the intellectual property policy here on the UMD campus. 

Speaker Bio:

Elizabeth Sheckler, PhD, RTTP (Beth), is an innovation manager for UM Ventures, College Park. She specializes in copyright and trademark-protectable intellectual property management, commercialization, and broad impacts, including software and creative works. 

At UM Ventures, Dr. Sheckler solicits innovation disclosures from the UMD community and guides those innovations toward business models for impact beyond campus, including liaising with companies. She facilitates licenses (from lead generation to negotiations), including startups; provides outreach, engagement, and education related to intellectual property and licensing; and works with community members on valuation and pathways for translation.

Activity: Environmental Justice in Prince George’s County: A community discussion on health disparities and Terrapin Think Tank's air quality initiative

Audience: Open to the Public

Time: 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Location: https://umd.zoom.us/j/9967244014?omn=91240827933

Description: Join Terrapin Think Tank, UMD's student-led policy incubator, for an interactive conversation about how air quality contributes to local health disparities—and what we can do about it. Hear from a guest speaker, exchange ideas with fellow students, and learn about our pilot project placing Corsi-Rosenthal air filters in daycares and childcare centers across the county. No matter your major or prior experience, come learn how you can join Terrapin Think Tank and get involved in hands-on policy work and community health initiatives.

In celebration of Jim Henson's 90th birthday, tet ready for a campus-wide adventure taking place Thursday, September 24th from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM.

We’ll feature special Henson and Muppet trivia along the way, plus questions that put your UMD knowledge and campus history to the test. 

Some clues can be solved with a quick Google search, while others will send you exploring campus to find the answer. Complete challenges, earn points, and compete for prizes and bragging rights!

Download the RandeVous App in preparation for The Great Terp Quest open to all UMD Students interested in participating in this one day campus-wide adventure filled with trivia, challenges, and photo missions.

Please join us on September 24th from 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM on Zoom to hear from several entrepreneurs addressing ecological and collective health in communities across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 

This online space is intended to highlight environmental and social entrepreneurs, helping to connect them to resources, build awareness of their work, and amplify their current needs (including funding, partnership-building, customer introductions, team-building, and more). 

Agenda:

Introductions from Dave Feldman and Scott Christensen (~10 minutes)

Presentation by Kathy Magruder (~20 minutes)

​Startup Pitches (~5-7 minutes each) 

• ​Venki Energy is making it easy to get solar, by offering innovative residential solar systems that are affordable, fast to install, and can be moved or expanded in the future.
• TerraFusion is developing centrifugal magnetic mirror fusion technology: a cost-effective and scientifically proven pathway to commercial fusion energy.
• ​OpenGrid is building a network of distributed energy assets by owning and operating behind-the-meter battery storage at everyday commercial sites.

​This online event is open to all. This event may be of interest to those who are:

• ​Interested in understanding novel and entrepreneurial approaches to ecological and social challenges in the watershed.
• ​Seeking to build partnerships and collaborate with ecological and social entrepreneurs in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
• ​Interested in finding an internship or job with an organization working on ecological or social challenges.
• ​Want to fund novel and entrepreneurial approaches to ecological and social challenges.

​Each entrepreneur will speak for no more than 7 minutes and will end their portion with a summary of their needs. Examples of needs might include talent, fundraising, customer intros, stakeholder and government connections, etc. Q&A for each entrepreneur will happen after all presentations in breakout rooms.

The value of this event is in increasing connectivity between different stakeholders in the regional climate and entrepreneurship ecosystems. By holding this call, we hope to facilitate connections between entrepreneurs, supporters, funders, government, community members, and more. 

College Park Day 2026 will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the College Park Aviation Museum and Airport (1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive, College Park, MD 20740)! 

This annual festival is the City of College Park's biggest event of the year featuring free activities and entertainment for all ages!

Participants can enjoy live music and performances on three stages throughout the day. The Main Stage will feature an exciting lineup of live bands while the Family Stage will offer interactive shows and kids music. There will also be a Performance Area that will include a mix of music and entertainment for all.

Guests can also expect non-stop action with wandering performers, inflatables, carnival-style games and a helicopter fly-in.

For those who prefer to stroll through the festival, there will be over 20+ local artists and craftsmen displaying and selling unique, handmade arts & crafts at Artist Alley, and exhibitors will be sharing great information with the community.

The day also includes free admission to the College Park Aviation Museum where attendees can explore historic aircraft and discover why the city is a birthplace of American aviation!

There will also be a wide variety of food and drink vendors with local restaurants, food trucks and breweries in attendance.

Free parking will be available nearby, along with free shuttle service from select locations, and bike racks will be available on site. The event site is minutes away walking from the College Park-UMD Metro Station (on the Green Line).

Jim Henson: A Creative Life in Six Objects - In Person

Date: Friday, ​October 23, 2026 - ​12:00 PM ​to 1:30 PM ET​ 

Code: 1J0580

Location:

National Museum of American History
Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music
14th St & Constitution Ave NW

Register: https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/jim-henson

Jim Henson’s boundless imagination and enduring legacy are best revealed through his creations. From inventing beloved characters such as Kermit the Frog and Rowlf and crafting fantastical worlds in The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth to creating television for the whole family in The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock, Henson’s creative genius was unparalleled.

The Jim Henson Company Archives Director Karen Falk and biographer Brian Jay Jones explore six extraordinary objects donated by Henson’s family to the National Museum of American History. Each offers a unique window into Henson’s creativity, artistic evolution, and long-lasting cultural impact. Ranging from early experiments to iconic creations, these artifacts reveal how Henson blended artistry, technology, and storytelling to reshape modern entertainment. Guided by Ryan Lintelman, entertainment curator in the Smithsonian’s Division of Culture and the Arts, the discussion weaves together biography, behind-the-scenes insights, and historical context.

Following the program, attendees have the rare opportunity to see objects from the National Museum of American History’s collection that are not on public display.

General Information

• Registration for this program will end by 2:00 PM ET on Thursday, October 22, 2026.

Rooted in this year’s theme of "Create. Make. Play." and presented by Arts for All, Office of Innovation, and the Office of Trademarks & Licensing, the Henson Week Mini-Grants will provide up to $500 in seed funding to individual students, student groups, or staff who want to explore an idea, test a novel approach, or initiate a project that sparks creativity, fosters collaboration, and/or positively impacts UMD and/or the community.

These mini-grants are envisioned to spark your creativity and curiosity in the initial phase of a project to explore the “art of the possible.” We encourage an openness to exploration and experimentation as you will not be expected to produce a successful outcome or polished project. Instead, your deliverable will be a report detailing your process, your learnings along the way, and your plan to pursue this idea further.

While these mini-grants will provide seed funding for an initial idea, it is likely additional support will be required to move your idea along. Over the course of the fall semester, our team will connect you to resources across campus that will help you refine your idea. The intention of this exploratory work is to test an early idea with the goal of applying for and increasing the potential of securing supplementary funding from other campus grant or award programs, such as the Do Good mini-grants, Arts for All ArtsAMP grants, Sustainability Fund and Sustainability Mini-Grant, and others.

One of the goals of the Henson Week Mini-Grants pilot is for us to understand how an initiative like this could more effectively meet needs and interests across the campus while also complementing existing university programs, initiatives and resources. Lessons learned from this pilot will inform possible future iterations and offerings.

• Application Opens: September 20, 2026
• Deadline to Apply: October 4, 2026
• Mini-Grants Awarded: October 13, 2026

For more information, visit: go.umd.edu/hwmg

To be eligible for a Henson Week Mini-Grant, the applicant(s) must:

• Be a current student at UMD’s College Park campus
• Be a current staff member at UMD’s College Park campus
• Be a registered and recognized student organization at UMD’s College Park campus
• And applicants must have attended at least one Henson Week 2026 event. All events are listed within the Henson Week 2026 webpage.

Undergraduate and Graduate Students of all majors and disciplines are encouraged to apply! All Staff are encouraged to apply!

For projects to be eligible for a Henson Week Mini-Grant, the proposal should:

• Engender or foster creativity, innovation, or experimentation in a tangible way
• Pilot a novel project or explore an idea that could be expanded upon in scope and impact with additional resources
• Describe the potential positive impact or transformation that could result from engaging in this process

Applicants may apply for either $250 or $500 per project. All Henson Week Mini-Grant funds must be used within one year of disbursement.  

Henson Week Mini-Grants Funds that are awarded must be sent to a university account:

• For students, funds will be sent directly to your student account.
• For student organizations, funds will be sent to your organization account.
• For staff, funds will be sent through payroll or to your home unit account.

Please complete the Henson Week 2026 Mini-Grants Application. If you have a multitude of ideas you’d like to explore, you may submit multiple proposals for the review committee to consider. However, please note that only one proposal per applicant could be funded.

To assist you in your proposal planning, we've outlined the information that will be essential to submit below:

Project Description (250 words max): This project narrative should detail your project’s objectives, outcomes, and connections to Henson Week. Be specific about:

• The connection of this project to the theme of Create. Make. Play.
• The need, problem, opportunity, or challenge your project or idea addresses
• The specific activities and creative methods you will carry out
• What the follow-up would be if your experimentation or project is able to be implemented

Project Timeline (200 words max): The general timeline of your project activities should detail the milestones that connect logically to your goals and the scope of your project. Please note when developing your timeline, funds must be used within one year of disbursement.

Project Budget (200 words max): Provide an estimated budget and explain planned use of funds or expenditures. Include any other sources of funding and whether those funds are committed or pending. Please note: the Henson Week Mini-Grant funds cannot be used for food, alcohol, or travel.

Henson Week Mini-Grant proposals will be evaluated by members of Arts for All, the Office of Innovation, and the Office of Marketing & Communications - Trademarks & Licensing  on the following criteria:

Creativity, Innovation, and Experimentation:

• What interdisciplinary collaborations, connections, or resources are involved in the project?
• How will this project explore a new idea? Or, how will this project explore an idea, issue, or problem in a new way?
• Does this project have the capacity to grow or continue beyond this initial seed funding?

As a reminder, if applicants have submitted multiple proposals, the review committee may only select one proposal to fund per applicant.

The Horizons Challenge is a nationwide competition that asks for student teams to identify critical problems in key areas that, if solved, could accelerate humanity's journey in space exploration while improving life on Earth. 

Participants will explore emerging problem spaces, collaborate across disciplines, and shape the questions that will drive future innovation. 

How to register for the Horizons Challenge:

Join ConneXions, xFoundry’s community of students and mentors, to get started:

• Register for programs, form teams, and access exclusive resources
• Participate in events, meet teammates, and connect with mentors
• Find more information at https://www.xfoundry.org/horizons-challenge