Head outdoors this weekend with Penn Medicine to kick off the fourth annual Philadelphia Science Festival.The weather for Saturday and Sunday is predicted to be 0% showers, with highs in the upper 60s and low 70s. Join Penn Medicine faculty, students, and staff at two of the city’s most spectacular venues for free, all-day events – Clark Park in West Philly and Smith Playground in Fairmount Park.
On Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 a.m. visit Discovery Day: Science in Clark Park. Discover science in your own back yard! Meet local scientists and students while exploring the natural wonders of one of the loveliest parks in the city. This year the Center for Brain Injury and Repair (CBIR) is again reaching out to many audiences with their message of how to mind your brain from concussions with such demos as eggs in Styrofoam to mimic a human head in a helmet. CBIR scientists will also be taking their brainy displays to students at after-school programs on April 28, 3:30 p.m. at the Haverford Avenue Library and April 29, 3:30 p.m. at the Charles Santore Library.
Then on Sunday, April 27, starting at noon, come to Explorer Sunday: Mess Fest, at the Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse,3500 Reservoir Drive. The Franklin Institute brings the slimy and oozy MESS FEST to Philadelphia's favorite playground! Shoot off alka-seltzer rockets, make-and-take slime, and see how far the Soap Bubble monster will spread. While the kids are playing, learn about their brains, from toddling to teen in a talk with faculty from the Department of Neurology and others called What are They Thinking? How the Brain Develops from Infancy to Adolescence. Frances Jensen, MD, chair of Neurology, will talk about children and adolescents’ cognition, decision-making, coordination, and other developmental milestones. 
The Festival runs from April 25 – May 3, 10 days devoted to celebrating the region’s strengths in science and technology, bringing together more than 100 partners from academia to museums to restaurants. It will include an extensive line-up of programs and exhibitions designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and spark discussion among young and old.
For more information on the full list of Penn Medicine participation in the science festival, visit the Penn Med News blog.