All Events by Date

Could robots someday be our friends? And what would you like to know about how the universe works? A select group of high school students will interview Nobel Laureate physicist Leon Lederman and ground-breaking robotic engineer Cynthia Breazeal on a wide range of subjects in front of a live audience. read more

The Role of Government Policy — The New York Academy of Sciences' discussion group program turns its attention to an investigation of the policy imperatives to establish metrics and measurements that will drive a new era sustainable design. read more

With Mark Oliver Everett — Indie rock artist Mark Oliver Everett (“eels”) is joined by theoretical physicists Michio Kaku and Max Tegmark to explore his father’s astounding contribution to physics: a theory of parallel worlds. Presented in collaboration with the Paley Center for Media, the discussion follows the American premiere screening of Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives (to be broadcast this fall on NOVA). read more

Who deserves the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the chemical element, oxygen? Three scientists — Lavoisier, Priestley, and Scheele — lay claim to the prize in this play, written by renowned chemists Carl Djerassi and Roald Hoffmann and presented in the form of a reading by Break A Leg Productions. read more

Renowned researchers, writers, and artists, including Jim Gates, Nathan Englander, Lucy Hawking, and Michael Turner, take to the stage to tell uniquely personal stories about heroic failures, miscalculations and experiments — scientific and otherwise — gone wrong. Presented in partnership with New York's extraordinary storytelling collective, The Moth. read more

Presented by Science & the Arts at The Graduate Center of the City University, this work is the stage adaptation of Alan Lightman's internationally acclaimed book, Einstein's Dreams. read more

Unlocking Creativity — Choreographer and dancer Bill T. Jones and actor Michael York join neuroscientists V.S. Ramachandran, Nancy Andreasen, and David Eagleman to explore the brain’s creative impulses in a program that blends live performances and state of the art brain imaging to shine a spotlight on the latest research informing our understanding of creativity and innovation. read more

A Journey through Space and Time — Join Science Friday’s Ira Flatow in conversation with leading cosmologists Lawrence Krauss, Paul Steinhardt, and Lyman Page, and historian of science Helge Kragh as they discuss and debate new advances that are shaping our understanding of the cosmic order and our place within it. read more

Philosophers Patricia Churchland and Daniel Dennett, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio and evolutionary biologist Marc Hauser discuss the science of right and wrong, and explore how our scientific understanding of morality may affect society, from shaping justice systems to deciding whether to engage in wars or assist others in economic and humanitarian struggles. read more

This multi-media event for curious minds of all ages invites you to meet scientists with some of the coolest jobs in the world — from crime scene investigator and space explorer to oceanographer and Disney Imagineer. read more

Neuroscience in the Bourne Trilogy — Following a screening of The Bourne Identity, the film’s producer/director Doug Liman and psychiatrist/neuroscientist Giulio Tononi explore the science behind The Bourne Trilogy. Film scholar and producer/screenwriter James Schamus (Co-President of Focus Features) moderates. A special collaboration with MoMA. read more

In this special presentation with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks and NPR’s Robert Krulwich illuminate the often surprising relationship between vision and the brain. This wide-ranging discussion adds a new chapter to Sacks’ ongoing exploration into the fascinating mysteries of the brain and human experience. read more

In this special presentation with the New Victory Theater, planetary scientist Heidi Hammel sheds light on the connections between I.J.K., a whimsical physics-inspired showcase of sonic juggling, and the science of motion of large bodies — like planets, comets and galaxies — careening and spinning through space.  When purchasing tickets online, please use promotion code WSF408. read more

As part of the Guggenheim Museum's Works & Process series, director/choreographer Karole Armitage presents a new work inspired by physicist Brian Greene's bestselling book, The Elegant Universe. The performance will include a discussion between Armitage and her collaborators about the process of transforming scientific concepts into aesthetic expression. read more

Join renowned conservationist Richard Leakey and bio-acoustician Bernie Krause for a hard-edged exploration of the alarming rate at which animals and plants are becoming extinct, and the impact this may have on the world’s ecosystems as well as on humanity's prospects for long-term survival. read more

Sustainable Solutions, Radical Designs — In a program that celebrates human ingenuity while providing a stark reminder of looming challenges, leading innovators including the planner behind China's first eco-city, an inventor of stackable cars, and a pioneer of urban farming, lay out radical blueprints and innovative solutions as they imagine housing, feeding, transporting and sustaining city dwellers of the not too distant future. read more

The Wonderful Weirdness of the Quantum World - Join Alan Alda as he accompanies Brian Greene, Nobel Laureate William Phillips and other leading thinkers at the vanguard of quantum research on an accessible multimedia exploration of the astounding weirdness of the quantum world. read more

A stunning high-definition series from the Discovery Channel opens up space in a way as has never been done before. The missions, the people and the triumphs of exploration are revealed in a depth of detail as only previously experienced by the 500 astronauts who have been in space. read more

Presented by Science & the Arts at The Graduate Center of the City University, this work is the stage adaptation of Alan Lightman's internationally acclaimed book, Einstein's Dreams. read more

The World Science Festival takes to the streets with a non-stop program of interactive exhibits, experiments, games, and shows that will entertain and inspire. Clustered on the blocks around Washington Square Park and the NYU campus, open-air stages will feature well-known musicians, authors and artists in performance. Fun for everyone from pre-teens to the curious kid in us all. read more

Science meets "make believe" as Walt Disney Imagineering pulls back the curtain to reveal how science and engineering "make magic." Discover some of the secrets of your favorite theme parks. Learn about the science behind special effects, and the chemistry of fireworks. It’s innovative, it’s creative, it’s science! read more

Eric Haseltine, neuroscientist and contributor to Discover Magazine, is paired with a prominent magician, in a mind-boggling demonstration of magic, brainpower and illusion. Watch things appear from thin air and disappear before our eyes! Is it magic or is it all in your brain? read more

Sports fans of all ages will sharpen their minds and their skills at this high-energy, multimedia event. Olympic athletes and NBA players join top neurologists, physicists, nutritionists and trainers, to demonstrate just what it takes to be the best in the world, and why science is a major player. read more

Explore just how low you can go when Nobel prize-winning physicist William Phillips takes you on a journey to the lowest temperatures ever recorded. Featuring jaw-dropping experiments and a multimedia display, Phillips shows audiences what happens when ordinary objects are taken to the edge of absolute zero. read more

Science meets "make believe" as Walt Disney Imagineering pulls back the curtain to reveal how science and engineering "make magic." Discover some of the secrets of your favorite theme parks. Learn about the science behind special effects, and the chemistry of fireworks. It’s innovative, it’s creative, it’s science! read more

Genes and Identity — Nobel Laureate Paul Nurse talks with geneticists Francis Collins and Jim Evans and renowned ethicists about how personal genomics will affect our lives. To what extent do our genes determine our health and who we are? If your DNA can hint at your future, will you read your biological biography? read more

Presented by Science & the Arts at The Graduate Center of the City University, this work is the stage adaptation of Alan Lightman's internationally acclaimed book, Einstein's Dreams. read more

Persecuted by Stalin, Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov died before he could enact his grand vision of a comprehensive seed bank. Vavilov's biographer Peter Pringle and environmental scientist Robert Goodman discuss Vavilov's life, and examine strategies for ensuring the long-term survival of Earth's botanical heritage. Science writer Carl Zimmer moderates. Presented in collaboration with the New York Botanical Garden. read more

Fans of all ages will have something to cheer about when science and sports unite. Olympic athletes and NBA players join top neurologists, physicists, nutritionists, and trainers, to demonstrate just what it takes to be the best in the world and why science is a major player. read more

Science meets "make believe" as Walt Disney Imagineering pulls back the curtain to reveal how science and engineering "make magic." Discover some of the secrets of your favorite theme parks. Learn about the science behind special effects, and the chemistry of fireworks.  It’s innovative, it’s creative, it’s science! read more

In this highly entertaining show combining math with magic, "Mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin displays feats of amazing mental mathematical gymnastics and explains the secrets behind his skills. Find out how he can be faster than an electronic calculator! read more

An intimate look at what scientists have to say about their religious beliefs and what might be revealed by scientific studies of spirituality. Featuring a special presentation by actress Julia Sweeney, from her autobiographical work Letting Go of God. read more

Join self-described Lazy Environmentalist, media personality and author Josh Dorfman on an investigation of the ever-expanding marketplace for the would-be green consumer. With Dorfman will be the eco-electronics pioneer behind the super energy-efficient One Laptop per Child computer, Mary Lou Jepsen, and the young entrepreneurs of Ecovative Design, inventors of infinitely recyclable materials and products made from mushrooms. read more

A Townhall Meeting — The shock of climate change has spurred a worldwide quest to power the planet with clean, renewable energy. In this sweeping town hall meeting moderated by New York Times environmental reporter Andrew Revkin, pioneering scientists, conservationists and policy-makers consider the challenges presented by one of the most urgent problems of the twenty first century. read more

The ultimate sleepover: forty children (ages 10-12) — roped together alpine-style — confront the challenges of climbing Mt. Everest. Guided by an expert in wilderness medicine, Everest veterans, and Sherpas, the kids explore the physics and the physiology of mountaineering. A program created in partnership with the Rubin Museum of Art. read more

As part of the Guggenheim Museum's Works & Process series, director/choreographer Karole Armitage presents a new work inspired by physicist Brian Greene's bestselling book, The Elegant Universe. The performance includes a discussion between Armitage and her collaborators about the process of transforming scientific concepts into aesthetic expression. read more

Scientists, artists and philosophers draw on a range of disciplines including fundamental physics, anthropology and robotics to explore what it means to be human now and what it could mean in the future. read more

Emmy award-winning actor Alan Alda revisits his acclaimed performance as the Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman in Peter Parnell’s play QED — a reading followed by a conversation with renowned physicists who knew Feynman personally, or were inspired by him. read more

In Search of the Ultimate Explanation — Join leading physicists Leonard Susskind and Jim Gates, historian of science Peter Galison, and Nobel Laureate Paul Nurse for a spirited discussion of the progress and implications of Einstein's dream of a unified theory of physics. read more

Sunday at The Met celebrates science through a diverse range of all-ages programming taking place in several locations around the museum. Included in these will be gallery talks, educational programs for kids, audio presentations about science and art, and a series of lectures about the science of conservancy. This event is free with museum admission. read more

To coincide with the New-York Historical Society's exhibition exploring deadly cholera outbreaks in 19th-century New York, the World Science Festival assembles a high-level panel of epidemiologists, disaster-preparedness officials and public health experts to examine the city's fitness for facing future epidemics. Please note: the exact start time of this afternoon event is not yet determined. read more

Are there universal laws of life, much like the fundamental laws of physics, that govern or limit the characteristics that make life — in any form — possible? Hear a vibrant discussion with astrobiologists Paul Davies, Steven Benner, and Maggie Turnbull about the search for life as we don’t know it. read more

The Science of Longevity — Leading longevity researchers Robert Butler, David Sinclair and Richard Weindruch investigate the facts and implications surrounding emerging technologies, novel therapies, and innovative medical practices that forecast a radical extension of a healthy human life. read more