The Washington Square Park area is transformed into a science wonderland when the World Science Festival Street Fair returns to New York City, Sunday, June 14, 2009. This year’s extravaganza will feature a non—stop program of interactive exhibits, experiments, games, and shows designed to entertain and inspire. Join us for a full day of free family fun.
A sampling of the day’s events includes:
Come find out what makes a banana a banana (and not a strawberry), by learning how to extract their DNA. Sessions in English and in Spanish.
Ever thought you could make art from bacteria?
Biologist Kristin Baldwin and artist Amy Chase Gulden can, and they'll share their secrets and showcase the work of some talented, young bio artists from the Thurgood Marshall Academy in Harlem.
Discover your probability as you spin the Universal Wheel of Chance, ride a Square—Wheeled Tricycle, and make a Mechanical Monkey walk the Number—Line Tightrope at the carnival—themed Math Midway.
Explore the microscopic world inside the earth-friendliest bus and mobile laboratory. Meet Dr. Ben Dubin-Thaler and his BioBus and say hello to our smallest neighbors – single-celled life forms. All of this powered by wind, solar, and biofuel! Ages 5+
Visit our “hands on” Science Labs for “take home” science activities experiments throughout the day. Here’s your chance to build your own paper helicopter, plant your own edible seeds, and combine art and science to make your own original creation.
Join Robbie the Roach in “Big Bug Boogie” for a fun and scientific journey to discover why insects are important to plants, animals and even humans. Then fly like a butterfly on a 3,000 mile—adventure with “The Tale of Flutterby and Piggle” as you explore the collaborative relationships in nature.
The CSI Experience will include hands on crime scene activities led by real criminologists from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Visitors to the exhibit will evaluate a crime scene, identify trace evidence, compare ballistic evidence and collect fingerprints.
Can liquid nitrogen be used to make a cannon? Does air really take up space? What does it take to launch a rocket or a hot air balloon? This band of merry scientists will get to the bottom of these questions and more through a series of demonstrations that are certain to amaze.
Explore the science behind bubbles, get a close up view of a Cow eye dissection, and learn about symmetry as you create fluttering butterflies to “make and take.”
Math For America hosts an all day “sit—and—go” SET competition, an addictive and fast paced game that challenges players of all ages to strengthen their skills of logic and visual perception.
Dig in and get your hands dirty as you plant Vegetable seedlings, grind up wheat grass to make flour and watch a chia seed grow right before your eyes.
Racing fans and the merely curious can get their hands dirty exploring a Formula SAE racing car researched, built and designed in the Cooper Union labs by Engineering students. Learn about the math and science of going really, really fast.
Join Liberty Science Center as they deliver their own signature hands—on science excitement to the World Science Festival! Participate in some Trash Talking, discover the Global Microscope then take part in the “coolest” demonstration ever.
The Philadelphia Zoo on Wheels will be cruising by with live animals. From owls to alligators and porcupines to parrots, The Zoo on Wheels is guaranteed to bring out the animal lover in everyone.
Lend a hand and join in the fun as the Center for Architecture Foundation erects a large—scale geodesic dome in Washington Square Park. You can also design and build your own structural model to take home with you.
Celebrate the International Year of Astronomy through the amazing images of the From Earth to the Universe (FETTU) collection. These astronomical photographs showcase the most dramatic views of our Universe including planets, comets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies.
Test your knowledge by answering questions from the NewScientist Magazine’s team of experts. Why does Diet Coke and Mentos cause an explosive reaction? How much does your head weigh? Does talking on your cell phone really slow your reaction time? We’ll put you and science to the test!
Meet the New York City/New Jersey FIRST robotic program students, who will share and show their state—of—the—art robot creations that will keep you saying “How do they DO that?”
Saturday before the Street Fair, NYU Poly is hosting a FIRST Lego League Tournament
The Carbon Cube Project & 350.org
What is the size of climate change? The Carbon Cube Project and 350.org will help you visualize the invisible scale of carbon dioxide emissions with their participatory mural structures. By comparing the volumes of the Carbon Cube murals to volumes of CO2 emissions, you can begin to conceive the carbon dioxide emissions on a human scale while simultaneously envisioning a brighter future with a group mural project.
Join Thirteen/WNET at three hands—on and fun—filled activity tents featuring the hit PBS Kids shows: Cyberchase, Sid the Science Kid, DragonFly TV and Fetch!
Get your cameras ready and be sure to keep an eye out for Digit, the wacky bird from Cyberchase, and Sid the Science Kid as they take in the sights and sounds of this exciting event!
Experience the Coriolis effect first hand, make your own personnel cloud appear in a bottle and visualize what it is that makes the wind blow. Come and be part of these exciting hands on weather activities at an exhibit brought to you by the City College of the City University of New York’s NOAA—CREST Center.
Popular Mechanics magazine celebrates the intersection of science and technology with every issue. Swing by its booth for a free copy of July’s “25 Bold Ideas” issue, which features solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges—from fuel—guzzling airliners to nuclear waste and crumbling infrastructure. Popular Mechanics will also be raffling off a computerized Meade telescope and five hands—on science kits from Thames and Kosmos.
Explore forensics and become science sleuths in this hands—on look at crime scene investigation. We’ll examine and break codes, reconstruct a suspect’s picture using eyewitness accounts and use spying devices to gather clues. Use your Personal Profiler kit to capture your fingerprints, save a hair sample and record vital information.
Divine K—9 Dog Training will show how science is a driving force in dog training, using the exciting world of agility. See how they create a positive, fun experience for both the dog and handler using motivational games and laying down a solid foundation to help build a long, successful agility career.
Do you think microbes are all bad, like germs that make us sick? With the American Society for Microbiology, you’ll find out that most microbes are good, and that we couldn’t live without them. Test your knowledge of microbes, and you could win a Giant Microbe of your very own!
Join us as for even more science fun as you explore chemistry and get to create ooey—gooey polymers using our own brand of Mad Science. Mix up a Mad Science Slime sample you get to keep. For the little ones (under 5 years), our special Mad Science Faux Dough is just perfect for getting squishy with.
Kenny The Kidney will be bringing awareness to PDK (Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease) which is one of the most common, life—threatening genetic disease, affecting 600,000 Americans and 12.5 million people world wide.
Explore the physics of gravitational waves and how they can be detected by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational—Wave Observatory. Listen to black hole collisions and to the sound of a one—millionth—inch gravitational wave you simulate.
Early life emerged and developed under water. The quest for the unknown and the vast treasures under water have invoked a new interest in the oceans which have become the new frontiers. Underwater research ranges from the study of evolution, to discovering the biodiversity of life, learning how the oceans are providing novel molecules for new medical treatment and understanding the effects of pressure in medicine and space flight. Shipwrecks and artifacts underwater provide clues leading to historic findings. Come explore with scientists how they investigate the secrets of the water world, be it in your local estuaries or the vast oceans. Things change underwater - learn how scuba diving aids research and how the effects of pressure and depth determines how long someone can spend underwater or how perceptions change underwater, what happens to sound, light or temperature as you dive deeper. Dive right in!