Previous Events by Date
Pioneers in Science
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Proshansky Auditorium, CUNY
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
Ramachandran/Kurzweil
Humanity Now/Humanity Next
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Rubin Museum of Art (Cabaret)
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
Green Buildings
The Role of Government Policy
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Works & Process at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
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
Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives
With Mark Oliver Everett
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
The Paley Center for Media
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
Oxygen
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Martin E. Segal Theatre, CUNY
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
Bioart in the Age of Terrorism
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
EYEBEAM Art & Technology Center
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
You and Your Irrational Brain
An Evening of Experimentation Under the Stars
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Water Taxi Beach
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
Toil and Trouble...
Stories of Experiments Gone Wrong
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 7:30 PM - 9:00 PM
The Moth at Symphony Space
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
Einstein's Dreams
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Martin E. Segal Theatre, CUNY
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
Illuminating Genius
Unlocking Creativity
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
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
Echoes from the Beginning
A Journey through Space and Time
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Proshansky Auditorium, CUNY
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
Science of Morality
Thursday, May 29, 2008, 8:15 PM - 9:45 PM
92nd Street Y
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
Cool Jobs
Friday, May 30, 2008, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
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
The Brain and Bourne
Neuroscience in the Bourne Trilogy
Friday, May 30, 2008, 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
The Museum Of Modern Art
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
The Mind's Eye
Friday, May 30, 2008, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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
IJK
Friday, May 30, 2008, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
The New Victory Theater
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
Armitage Gone! Dance
The Elegant Universe
Friday, May 30, 2008, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Works & Process at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
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
The Sixth Extinction
Friday, May 30, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Miller Theatre, Columbia University
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
Future Cities
Sustainable Solutions, Radical Designs
Friday, May 30, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
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
Invisible Reality
The Wonderful Weirdness of the Quantum World
Friday, May 30, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
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
Einstein's Dreams
Friday, May 30, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Martin E. Segal Theatre, CUNY
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 of Disney Imagineering
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
NYU Skirball Center
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
WSF Street Fair
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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
Brain Tricks
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Lecture Hall, NYU
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
Einstein, Time & Cool Stuff
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Lecture Hall, NYU
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
Science of Disney Imagineering
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 12:30 PM - Thursday, April 9, 2009, 1:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
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
Your Biological Biography
Genes and Identity
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
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
Einstein's Dreams
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Martin E. Segal Theatre, CUNY
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
Science of Disney Imagineering
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
NYU Skirball Center
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
Science of Sports
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Coles Sports Center, NYU
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
Seeds, Survival, Stalin
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
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
Faith & Science
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
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
Mathemagician
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Lecture Hall, NYU
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
Greengenuity
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Lecture Hall, NYU
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
Music and the Brain
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Abyssinian Baptist Church
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
Peak Experience
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 7:00 PM - Sunday, June 1, 2008, 7:00 AM
Rubin Museum of Art (Cabaret)
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
Powering the Planet
A Townhall Meeting
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
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
Armitage Gone! Dance
The Elegant Universe
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Works & Process at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
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
QED
A Reading
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Miller Theatre, Columbia University
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
What it Means to be Human
Saturday, May 31, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
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
Beyond Einstein
In Search of the Ultimate Explanation
Sunday, June 1, 2008, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
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
Science Sunday at the Met
Sunday, June 1, 2008, 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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
Plague In Gotham
Sunday, June 1, 2008, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
New-York Historical Society
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
Looking for the Laws of Life
Sunday, June 1, 2008, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
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
Dear Albert
A Reading for the Stage by Alan Alda
Sunday, June 1, 2008, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Miller Theatre, Columbia University
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.
90 is the New 50
The Science of Longevity
Sunday, June 1, 2008, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
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
Opening Night Gala Performance
Wednesday, June 10, 2009, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
FEATURING
Alan Alda • Marin Alsop • Christine Baranski
Joshua Bell • Danny Burstein • Glenn Close
Todd Ellison • Yo-Yo Ma • Marcus Printup • Anna Deavere Smith
National Dance Institute • The Inspirational Voices of Abyssinian Baptist Church
Performance directed and produced by Damian Woetzel
HONORING
Edward O. Wilson, explorer, poet and champion of the natural world on his 80th birthday read more
Pioneers in Science
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Tishman Auditorium, The New School
In the second installment of this World Science Festival annual event, selected New York City High School students will interview Nobel laureate and co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Harold Varmus, and preeminent marine biologist, Sylvia Earle. In these insightful interviews, youthful curiosity compels unusually candid conversations, revealing the essence of pioneering science. read more
Navigating the Cosmos
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
Created especially for the World Science Festival, this presentation allows you to experience the Hayden Planetarium's Digital Universe with an immersive, three-dimensional tour of the cosmos that will change your perspective on home. Among other renowned scientists, theoretical physicists Jim Gates and Lawrence Krauss and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Frederick P. Rose Director, Hayden Planetarium, will lead a cosmic journey to explore the surprising factors that are firing a revolution in modern cosmology. read more
The Hudson Since Henry
A Natural and Unnatural History
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
New-York Historical Society
Celebrate the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival by exploring the eponymous river's history from its pristine days, through its decline during the industrial revolution, to its heartening rebirth as an environmental success story. The program will include a special presentation by Eric Sanderson of his remarkable Mannahatta Project, a 3D computer recreation of 1609 New Amsterdam, and dramatic readings by acclaimed storyteller and poet David Gonzalez. Join New York Times environmental reporter Andrew Revkin in a lively conversation with Riverkeeper President Alex Matthiessen and noted experts on American art history and the Hudson's rich aquatic life. read more
WALL-E's World
Designs for an Invisible Footprint
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Museum of Arts and Design
Beneath WALL-E’s whimsical surface lies a grown up, cautionary tale about humanity’s relationship with the environment. Carl Zimmer hosts leading scientists Mitchell Joachim, Christopher McKay and Ben Schwegler as they explore ingenious strategies for creating a sustainable future — from 'carborexic' cities made entirely from recycled trash to how the pursuit of "green" space exploration may one day help to revolutionize waste management here on Earth. read more
Transparent Brain
Visible Thoughts
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
So you thought nobody could know what you're thinking? Well, you're right. For now. But fMRI brain research, identifying patterns linked to thoughts, is moving forward at a pace that's surprising even experts. Host Scott Simon joins leading neuroscientists for a state-of-the-art tour through research that's closing in on an ability to make our thoughts visible. The program will also explore related research on brain controlled prostheses and the newly emerging field of neuroethics. read more
Nothing
The Subtle Science of Emptiness
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Tishman Auditorium, The New School
Why is there something rather than nothing? And what does ‘nothing’ really mean? More than a philosophical musing, understanding nothing may be the key to unlocking deep mysteries of the universe, from dark energy to why particles have mass. Journalist John Hockenberry hosts Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek, esteemed cosmologist John Barrow, and leading physicists Paul Davies and George Ellis as they explore physics, philosophy and the nothing they share. read more
Carbon Conundrum
Testing Earth's Limits
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Greenberg Lounge, NYU Law
In December, world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to negotiate the atmospheric level of CO2 beyond which we believe earth will fail to support life as we know it. Bill Ritter hosts a powerhouse panel including James Hansen,Thomas Lovejoy, Bill McKibben, Sylvia Earle, David Battisti and Robert Corell to probe the science and policy behind one of the most urgent debates of our times. read more
Watching Wilson and Watson
and the Future of Life on Earth
Thursday, June 11, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
Hailed by Newsweek as "the most exciting individual in American theater", Actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith melds journalism and performance to create insightful one-woman vignettes depicting two of the most influential scientists of our day – Nobel Laureate and co-discoverer of DNA, James Watson, and "father of biodiversity and sociobiology" E.O. Wilson. Following the performance, Charlie Rose hosts Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus and head of NOAA Jane Lubchenco in an exploration of the impact Watson and Wilson have had on modern life and how their work will profoundly shape the future. read more
Cool Jobs
Friday, June 12, 2009, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
This multi-media event invites curious minds of all ages to meet scientists with some of the coolest jobs out there. Join host Majora Carter to dive into remote caves with microbiologist Hazel Barton, hunt for hidden artistic treasures with Maurizio Seracini, and discover what frogs can tell us about our impact on the environment with biologist Tyrone Hayes. read more
WSF Spotlight
Friday, June 12, 2009, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
92nd Street Y - Tribeca
Strip away the trimmings of a traditional science presentation, add cocktails, and you have the WSF Spotlight. An intimate, cabaret-style setting provides an unobstructed glimpse into the minds of some of the world's most inspired thinkers. It's a science happy-hour featuring cutting edge science and one-of-a-kind talks that promise to entertain, engage and enlighten. read more
!@#$% Traffic
From Insects to Interstates
Friday, June 12, 2009, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
Can marching ants, schooling fish, and herding wildebeests teach us something about the morning commute? Robert Krulwich guides this unique melding of mathematics, physics, and behavioral science as Mitchell Joachim, Anna Nagurney and Iain Couzin examine the creative and sometimes counterintuitive solutions to one of the modern world's most annoying problems. read more
Da Vinci Detective
Friday, June 12, 2009, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
One of the great mysteries in the art world is the disappearance of a mural by Leonardo da Vinci. For centuries, "The Battle of Anghiari" was known as the "lost Leonardo" and believed to be destroyed. But now, using cutting-edge technology and art analysis, a bioengineer is convinced the work is hidden in the walls of the Palazzo Vecchio. 'Da Vinci Detective' Maurizio Seracini explains the technology and theories behind his quest. read more
Picturing Earth
The Story of Life in Images
Friday, June 12, 2009, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Elebash Hall, CUNY Graduate Center
Witness the power of legendary National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting’s breathtaking images of life on Earth from its earliest beginnings to its present diversity, and hear his incredible stories of how they were created. Lanting and his partner, Chris Eckstrom, present excerpts from their extraordinary multimedia project, LIFE: A Journey Through Time, and sit down for a discussion with leading paleontologists Michael Novacek (American Museum of Natural History) and Derek Briggs (Yale’s Peabody Museum of Natural History). read more
Matter
Stories of Atoms and Eves
Friday, June 12, 2009, 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
The Players Club
Presented with New York's storytelling organization, The Moth, Nobel-prize-winning scientists, renowned writers and esteemed artists tell on-stage stories about their personal relationship with science. In keeping with Moth tradition, each story must be true and told without notes in ten minutes. The result is a poignant, hilarious, and always unpredictable evening of storytelling and science. read more
Portraits of Perception
The Human Face
Friday, June 12, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Baruch Performing Arts Center (Engelman)
What makes Mona Lisa's smile so intriguing? What makes Picasso's portraits so compelling? Kurt Andersen hosts artists Chuck Close and Devorah Sperber, with neuroscientists Margaret Livingstone, Chris Tyler and Ken Nakayama, as they examine the power of brain imaging technology to illuminate how we perceive the most intimate yet public of features, the human face. read more
What It Means to Be Human
The Enigma of Altruism
Friday, June 12, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
Though many animals display cooperative behavior, human cooperation is distinct. Alan Alda hosts E.O. Wilson, Sarah Hrdy and other leading evolutionary biologists, anthropologists and humanitarians as they examine the origins and evolution of human cooperative behavior. read more
Rising Waters in a Thirsty World
Friday, June 12, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Greenberg Lounge, NYU Law
Climate change and rising sea levels threaten substantial flooding and droughts worldwide. How do we avoid mass migrations, food shortages, disease and political conflict that could accompany such devastation? Join the world's foremost adaptation experts as they survey threatened regions of the planet, including New York City, and suggest strategies for changing our strained relationship with H2O. read more
Notes & Neurons
In Search of the Common Chorus
Friday, June 12, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Gerald W. Lynch Theater, CUNY
Is our response to music hard-wired or culturally determined? Is the reaction to rhythm and melody universal or influenced by environment? Join host John Schaefer, scientist Daniel Levitin and musical artist Bobby McFerrin for live performances and cross cultural demonstrations to illustrate music’s note-worthy interaction with the brain and our emotions. read more
Battlestar Galactica
Cyborgs on the Horizon
Friday, June 12, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
92nd Street Y
Cast members from Battlestar Galactica join leading roboticists to explore scientifically, philosophically, and ethically the approaching frontier where intelligent machines are commonplace and cybernetic technology enhances human capabilities. Featuring sneak previews from the forthcoming Battlestar special The Plan as well as live appearances by some of the show's star cylons. read more
Einstein, Time & Cool Stuff
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
What is the relationship between speed and temperature? What does that have to do with making a perfect clock? Back by overwhelming popular demand, Nobel prize-winning physicist William Phillips takes audiences on a journey to the lowest temperatures ever recorded. Featuring jaw-dropping experiments, Phillips demonstrates what happens when ordinary objects are taken to the edge of absolute zero. read more
Bio Blitzing in the Boroughs
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Blitz Locations
New York City might be the epicenter of human diversity, but what about our biodiversity? Join us for a Bio Blitz in some of the city’s most beautiful parks and gardens. Professional naturalists and research scientists will guide urban explorers of all ages and backgrounds in a scientific inventory of the flora, fauna, fungi — and all things crawly. In honor of E.O. Wilson, pioneer of the Bio Blitz method, this event will inspire Wilson-like wonder and appreciation for the natural diversity found right in our own neighborhood. read more
Mathemagician
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Tishman Auditorium, The New School
Reader's Digest has called "Mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin "America's Best Math Whiz." Returning in an encore presentation, Arthur Benjamin displays feats of mental mathematical gymnastics and shares the secrets behind his skills. A combination of math and magic, this program will captivate the entire family. read more
Avian Einsteins
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
How do we learn to speak? What is the connection between language and movement? Join a broad and distinguished panel of biologists, psychologists, neuroscientists, philosophers, musicians and writers, including leading bird scientists Erich Jarvis and Irene Pepperberg, on an exploration of how striking parallels between bird and human brains are providing sharp new insights into how we acquire language and links between hearing and movement. Featuring a special appearance of Snowball, the dancing cockatoo of YouTube fame. read more
Science Faith Religion
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Tishman Auditorium, The New School
Public debate, pitting atheist against believer, typically yields a polarized picture. Might a more nuanced conversation that transcends simplistic assertions, and weaves insights from physics, biology, and psychology provide a more fruitful exchange of ideas? Bill Blakemore hosts scientists Lawrence Krauss, Ken Miller and Guy Consolmagno, and philosopher Colin McGinn to find out. read more
Flash of Genius
Stories of Invention
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Baruch Performing Arts Center (Engelman)
Alan Alda explores the nature of creative breakthroughs with innovators Dean Kamen, holder of more than 440 U.S. patents, and Hugh Herr, Director of the MIT Biomechatronics lab. The instant of inspiration can be as unpredictable as lightening, but true innovators create optimum conditions for transformative insights. What does it take to throw out conventional approaches to a problem and come up with something entirely new? Join us for a discussion about curiosity, passion, perseverance, collaboration and discovery. read more
Time Since Einstein
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Gerald W. Lynch Theater, CUNY
Albert Einstein shattered previous ideas about time, but left many pivotal questions unanswered: Does time have a beginning? An end? Why does it move in only one direction? Is it real, or something our minds impose on reality? Journalist John Hockenberry leads a distinguished panel, including renowned physicist Sir Roger Penrose and prominent philosopher David Albert, as they explore the nature of time. read more
Peak Experience
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 7:00 PM - Sunday, June 14, 2009, 7:00 AM
Rubin Museum of Art (Cabaret)
Peak Experience is the ultimate sleepover adventure for forty children, ages 9-12, as they work together to confront the challenges of climbing Mt. Everest. Led by Robert Anderson, sherpas, and some of the world's most experienced climbers, these young participants will explore the many scientific aspects of mountain climbing — from the physiological demands to the physics.
No adults permitted. read more
Yours to Decide
Fate, Free Will, Neither or Both?
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
92nd Street Y
Do we choose our actions or are they pre-determined? Is free will real or an illusion? In this special presentation with the 92nd Street Y, Nobel laureate Paul Nurse joins psychologist Daniel Wegner, neuroscientist Patrick Haggard, and philosopher Alfred Mele for a discussion that promises to illuminate this pivotal and perplexing age-old puzzle. read more
Time the Familiar Stranger
Mysteries of Mind and Time
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Gerald W. Lynch Theater, CUNY
Time allows us to live in the moment, reflect on the past, plan for the future. It’s our most familiar, precious, yet mysterious commodity. Celebrated author and neurologist Oliver Sacks and psychologist Daniel Gilbert draw on converging insights from physical, biological and neurological perspectives to reflect on this most vital factor shaping the human experience. read more
Infinite Worlds
A Journey through Parallel Universes
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
The multiverse hypothesis, suggesting that our universe is but one of perhaps infinitely many, speaks to the very nature of reality. Join physicist Brian Greene, cosmologists Alan Guth and Andrei Linde, and philosopher Nick Bostrom as they discuss and debate this controversial implication of forefront research and explore its potential for redefining the cosmic order. Moderated by Robert Krulwich and featuring an original musical interlude, inspired by parallel worlds, by DJ Spooky. read more
A New Look at Nuclear Power
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Tishman Auditorium, The New School
Some of the most ardent foes of nuclear power now believe it must be a large part of the mix to solve the worlds' energy problems. Join renowned broadcast journalist Garrick Utley and distinguished panel including James Hanson, Shirley Ann Jackson and Stephen Tindale to explore the science and rationale behind giving nuclear power a second chance. read more
Emily at the Edge of Chaos
With Lawrence Krauss and Janna Levin
Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Baruch Performing Arts Center (Engelman)
In this one-woman show, join writer/comedian Emily Levine on two parallel journeys: from Newton's rational universe to the universe of chaos and from her own perfect health to mysterious, devastating illness. A surprising, thought-provoking and entertaining meditation on what the lessons of science can teach us about ourselves, followed by a conversation with physicists Lawrence Krauss and Janna Levin. read more
Galileo
The Starry Messenger
Sunday, June 14, 2009, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
The Starry Messenger is a dramatic fun filled adaptation of Galileo's short treatise Siderius Nuncius. Galileo (dressed in 17th century costume) has arrived at the World Science Festival to present a public lecture on his most recent discoveries made using his newly devised spyglass. As he describes his discoveries, Galileo's new method of observation and measurement of nature become apparent. Throughout the presentation the “esteemed scientists” in the audience are actively involved in experiments and demonstrations. read more
Author's Corner
Sunday, June 14, 2009, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Author's Corner - Kimmel Center, NYU
Discovery Theatre and Author’s Corner will host some of today’s most dynamic science authors for a full day of readings, activities, and presentations in Discovery Theatre. Pick up a copy of the newest titles and meet our distinguished authors in person in Authors Corner. Great books make the most complicated topics accessible and exciting. Enjoy readings, discussions, and other activities throughout the day. read more
Surfing the Solar System
With Lucy Hawking
Sunday, June 14, 2009, 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
Lucy Hawking’s talk ‘Surfing the Solar System’ is a young person’s guide to the Solar System and the fascinating universe beyond. Lucy will discuss working with her father, Professor Stephen Hawking, on George’s Secret Key to the Universe, the children’s book that they have authored together. Discover the mysteries of physics, science and the universe in an informative and entertaining look at just what is — and isn’t — out there. read more
Move Speak Spin
Sunday, June 14, 2009, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
The Dr. Schaffer and Mr. Stern Dance Ensemble, under the direction of founders Karl Schaffer and Erik Stern, has entertained audiences throughout North America with their delightful mix of physicality, humor, and a playful sense of the mathematical. Spinning together rhythm, dance, and storytelling, the company entertains with performances that seamlessly blend art and science. From tap dance to the permutations of a single sheet of paper, from flying machines to the ancient Chinese puzzle tangrams, this dance company displays the magic and mystery that is both dance and mathematics. read more
BioBlitzing the Planet
Ants, Frogs and Crawling Wonders
Sunday, June 14, 2009, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
How do ants communicate? Are we more like them than we imagine? What is the biggest frog ever photographed? And why does it matter? Bringing Bio Blitzing in the Boroughs full circle, America's consummate naturalist E.O. Wilson and world-renowned insect scientist and photographer Mark Moffett share stories from their adventures in exploring the fascinating and surprising biodiversity of life on Earth. A lively and visually compelling conclusion to the WSF Street Fair in Washington Square Park. read more