2008 Partner Events

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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