2008 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 interviewed 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

In this special presentation with the Rubin Museum of Art, neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran explored the origin of human abilities while inventor and futurist, Ray Kurzweil presented his vision of the future dynamic between humans and technology read more

The New York Academy of Sciences' Green Building initiative turned its attention to an investigation of the policy imperatives that will drive a new era of sustainable design. read more

Indie rock artist Mark Oliver Everett (“eels”) was 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 followed the American premiere screening of Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives, which aired on NOVA in the fall of 2008. 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

Moderated by Carl Zimmer, this collaboration with Eyebeam Art & Technology Center was a provocative and timely exploration of controversial questions about the use of bio-materials as a medium for artistic expression. Featuring a panel that includes Steve Kurtz, the bio artist accused of illegally obtaining bio-medical materials for use in his work. read more

In this special presentation of WNYC’s popular show Radio Lab, behavioral economist Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, joined science writer Jonah Lehrer and program hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich to explore the often surprising factors which motivate and dictate human behavior. read more

Renowned researchers, writers, and artists, including Sam Shepard, Jim Gates, Nathan Englander, Lucy Hawking, and Michael Turner, took 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 was the stage adaptation of Alan Lightman's internationally acclaimed book, Einstein's Dreams. read more

Bill T. Jones, Michael York, Matthew Ritchie and Saul Griffith joined renowned neuroscientists to explore the brain’s creative impulses in a program that blended live performances and state-of-the-art brain imaging to shine a spotlight on the latest research informing our understanding of creativity and innovation. Moderator: John Hockenberry. read more

Our audience joined 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 discussed and debated 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 discussed the science of right and wrong, and exploreed 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. Moderator: Jon Meacham. read more

This multi-media event for curious minds of all ages invited our audience 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

Following a screening of The Bourne Identity, the film’s producer/director Doug Liman and psychiatrist/neuroscientist Giulio Tononi explored the science behind The Bourne Trilogy. Film scholar and producer/screenwriter James Schamus (Co-President of Focus Features) moderated. 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 illuminated the often surprising relationship between vision and the brain. This wide-ranging discussion added 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 shed 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. read more

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

Our audience joined renowned conservationist Richard Leakey and bio-acoustician Bernie Krause for an intimate look at some of the world's most endangered species of plants and animals. Featuring astonishing sounds from the wild and stunning new footage from the Arctic, the program took us on a visceral journey through the past, present, and possible future of life on earth. read more

In a program that celebrated 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, laid out radical blueprints and innovative solutions as they imagine housing, feeding, transporting and sustaining city dwellers of the not too distant future. read more

Our audience joined Alan Alda as he accompanied 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

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

G-Force simulators , elephants with GPS, turning audience members into video game controllers, sounds coming out of your head, and things that go "boom" — it was all part of the science behind the "make believe" at Walt Disney Imagineering. No one left empty-handed with all the fun giveaways! Did we mention walking dinosaurs, talking turtles, and more surprise guests? read more

The World Science Festival took to the streets in 2008 with a non-stop program of interactive exhibits, experiments, games, and shows designed to entertain and inspire.  Thanks for joining us in the streets around Washington Square — it was fun, it was science, and it was free! Click here to download the Street Fair's schedule (PDF, 268 kB) read more

Eric Haseltine, neuroscientist and contributor to Discover Magazine, was 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

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

G-Force simulators , elephants with GPS, turning audience members into video game controllers, sounds coming out of your head, and things that go "boom" — it was all part of the science behind the "make believe" at Walt Disney Imagineering. No one left empty-handed with all the fun giveaways! Did we mention walking dinosaurs, talking turtles, and more surprise guests? read more

Nobel Laureate Paul Nurse talked 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

Science & the Arts at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York presented the stage adaptation of Alan Lightman's internationally acclaimed book Einstein's Dreams, performed by Boston's Underground Railway Theater. The play, an inventive and charming work, was the inaugural event in a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Underground Railway Theater, conceived to develop new plays about science. read more

G-Force simulators, elephants with GPS, turning audience members into video game controllers, sounds coming out of your head, and things that go "boom" — it was all part of the science behind the "make believe" at Walt Disney Imagineering. No one left empty-handed with all the fun giveaways! Did we mention walking dinosaurs, talking turtles, and more surprise guests? read more

Fans of all ages found something to cheer about when science and sports united. Olympic athletes and NBA players joined 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

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 discussed Vavilov's life, and examined strategies for ensuring the long-term survival of Earth's botanical heritage. Science writer Carl Zimmer moderated. Presented in collaboration with the New York Botanical Garden. 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. read more

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

Our audience 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 wasthe 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

The Abyssinian Gospel Choir joined neurologist/author Oliver Sacks in an exploration of the power of music, as the choir's performance provides a stimulating context for accounts of music’s biological foundations, and of patients whose lives were altered by the empowerment of music. read more

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

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 considered the challenges presented by one of the most urgent problems of the twenty first century. read more

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

Emmy award-winning actor Alan Alda revisited his acclaimed performance as the Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman in Peter Parnell’s play QED, in a reading followed by a conversation with astronomer Vera Rubin and physicists Pierre Hohenberg and Stephon Alexander about Feynman's life and work. read more

Scientists, artists and philosophers drew 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

Our audience joined 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 celebrated science through a diverse range of all-ages programming taking place in several locations around the museum. Included in these were gallery talks, educational programs for kids, audio presentations about science and art, and a series of lectures about the science of conservancy. read more

The New-York Historical Society's exhibition Plague in Gotham, about the deadly cholera outbreaks in 19th-century New York City, was on view through November 2, 2008. See maps illustrating the rapid spread of the epidemic and displays of remedies that reflect the limited scientific understanding of the disease at that time. Please visit our blog for further information. 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? Our audience joined John Hockenberry for 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

This new play by Alan Alda delves into the treasure trove of letters written by Albert Einstein, his wives and his friends, tracing an intimate and unfamiliar line across his life and work. read more

Leading longevity researchers Robert Butler, David Sinclair, Richard Weindruch, and embryonic stem cell biologist Renee Reijo Pera, investigated the facts and implications surrounding emerging technologies, novel therapies, and innovative medical practices that forecast a radical extension of a healthy human life. Featured a special performance by acclaimed singer, Marilyn Maye. read more