This month, Penn scientists and engineers will take the latest research in fields from astronomy to neurology out of the labs and into the streets, parks, breweries, and other neighborhood spots to celebrate the eighth annual Philadelphia Science Festival.
With The Franklin Institute at the helm, the nine-day festival, which runs April 20 to 28, brings together 200 of the region’s universities, museums, and cultural centers to get people excited about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and show them how it influences their lives.
The event will kick off with a citywide star party on Friday April 20, with Penn’s efforts focused on the nearby Woodlands location where faculty, postdocs, and graduate students from the Department of Physics and Astronomy will hold a panel discussion on Ancient Skies, guide DIY crafts such as making your own constellation viewer, and give participants the opportunity to stargaze through telescopes.
On Saturday April 21, Penn and other institutions in West Philadelphia will participate in Science in the Park at Clark Park. Faculty, staff, and students from the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM), the Penn Museum, and the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) will put together demonstrations and hands-on activities about topics ranging from vaccines to preserving archaeological treasures to the science behind bubbles.
On Sunday April 22, the Be a Pennovator event will take place at the Pennovation Center, Philadelphia’s hub for robotics research and entrepreneurial initiatives which is rarely open to the public. The event will include researchers from the schools of Engineering and Applied Science (including the GRASP Lab), Medicine, Arts and Sciences, and PennDesign. Although the event is free and open to the public, it is recommended that families preregister to guarantee admission to demonstrations limited by space.
Also on April 22, physics prof. Douglas Durian will demonstrate the physics of foam at the Beer Brunch: Fizzics class, a 21+ ticketed event at Yards Brewery.
Throughout the week of April 23, Penn researchers will participate in various events all over the city, such as the Fishtown Science Crawl, Science After School, Science in the National Park, and Brain Food at Reading Terminal Market.
On April 28, the Festival will culminate with the Science Carnival on the newly renovated Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Penn will have its very own alley at the Carnival full of booths where attendees can learn about things such as how scientists see the invisible, what bacteria look like, and what makes molecules stick together.
Jane Horwitz, director of Penn’s Science Outreach Initiative (SOI) who is tasked with coordinating all of Penn’s activities during the Festival, says that some of the biggest contributors to the event are graduate students.
“Our grad students especially look forward each year to this popular Philadelphia-areawide event,” Horwitz says. “It enables them to present their work while honing their skills as science communicators because they are the ones that are on the frontline with the public. At the same time, it meets the need for Penn to present really dynamic and fun programming to our community.”
Horwitz adds that one of her favorite aspects of the Festival is that it’s “not only a means of showcasing the innovative research that’s happening at Penn but also an opportunity for us to collaborate on an initiative which – in a very accessible way - conveys the value of science to society.”
More information about the Festival is available on the event website.
