It's less than a week away! The Festival, a citywide collaboration showcasing science and technology every April, will run from April 20-29. Penn students, staff, and faculty will be participating in all kinds of events throughout the entire festival. For the next two weeks, watch this news blog and Penn Medicine on Twitter and Facebook for detailed information on individual Penn events.
To start, on the first night of the Festival, Friday, April 20, Ben Stanger, a Penn cancer biologist who studies tissue regeneration, and amphibian biologist Carlos Martinez Rivera from the Philadelphia Zoo, will be part of a science café called Bringing Up Baby at 6:30pm at Rembrandts restaurant, 741 North 23rd Street. It’s free! No registration, so just show up!
The speakers will explore what all animal life on our planet – starting out as a single cell, the product of a sperm and an egg – has in common. They will guide the audience through the amazing set of events that led each one of us to be here, viewed from the worlds of molecular biology, cell biology, and zoology, with a Q&A session to follow.
Next up, on Saturday, April 21, from 11am to 4pm, come visit Penn participants at the Science Carnival on the Ben Franklin Parkway, another free event. The Carnival features more than 100 exhibitors offering family-friendly experiments, interactive activities, games, and a line-up of live entertainment. Penn is hosting several tents:
Animate, Create, and Investigate! Have you ever wondered why scientists use zebrafish to learn about humans? How can these small fish provide us with so much information? Come visit the live fish to learn about genetics and development.
Discover DNA! Explore the exciting world of DNA! All living organisms contain DNA - but what is it? Learn all about this fascinating molecule while you have fun isolating your own DNA.
Music with Robots! Can you strum a chord on a robot or make a robot play the piano? In this exhibit visitors will have a chance to make noise using LEGO NXT Robots.
Maya: Lords of Science. Explore some of the science, technology, engineering, and math that the ancient Maya employed in their remarkable civilization. Help build a Corbel arch with large construction blocks, construct a miniature Maya temple, play a Maya number matching game, and explore the complex Maya calendar.
Mind Your Brain! With hands-on activities, staffers to answer questions, and visuals, visitors will learn about brain biology, brain injury, and concussion prevention.
Penn Vet. Discover the world of veterinary medicine. From cats to dogs to birds to pigs to horses and more, there's no limit to what a career in veterinary medicine looks like.
What's Your Secret Code? Write a message in DNA! Learn how your DNA makes you unique. Come encode a secret message in DNA on a bracelet for you to take home!
Check back in a few days for more details, as the Science Festival progresses!