Each year, the University of Pennsylvania sponsors a series of events around a theme chosen by faculty, staff and students. This year the theme is the Year of Sound, an opportunity to explore sound and the many ways it shapes our lives. Some of the themes being explored include the role sound plays in defining a culture and an art form, In learning how to read and speak, and In the functioning of the brain or the heart.

WXPN’s XPN’s Bob Bumbera spoke with David Fox, the Director of New student Orientation and Academic Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, and the person in charge of Penn’s “Year of Sound.” Listen to the interview below.