SCIENCE FESTIVAL
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(Redirected from Science Festival)
A 'science festival' is a public event featuring a variety of science- and technology-related activities—from lectures, exhibitions, workshops, live demonstrations of experiments, guided tours and panel discussions to cultural events such as theater plays, readings and musical productions, all with the aim of involving the general public in explorations of the different facets of science. Many science festivals are annual events, and for most of them, the actual festival takes place over a period between a few days and more than a week.
Modern science festivals have a number of different roots. The British Association for the Advancement of Science's Festival of Science evolved out of the society's annual meetings, first held in 1831, which were originally meant to provide a discussion forum for scientists, but later became a public showcase of science.[1] The oldest science festival in the modern sense appears to be the Edinburgh International Science Festival, which was first held in 1988.[2]
As science organizations and funding bodies put ever more emphasis on outreach to foster public understanding both of the results and the wider relevance of science, recent years have seen the creation of a number of new science festivals. Since 2002, there is an umbrella organization for European science festivals and similar events, the European Science Event Association.
The US has been something of a late comer as far as regular science festivals are concerned, although the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science includes a number of public events. Since 2004, there has been a science festival in Pittsburgh (the SciTech festival; from 2005 on known as the SciTech Spectacular), and ambitious new science festivals are being organized both in Cambridge, Massachusetts (the Cambridge Science Festival, starting in April 2007) and in New York City (the World Science Festival set to start in summer 2008).[3]
Festivals can vary greatly in size and scope. A university might stage a small festival in its hometown; on the other end of the scale, the 2006 BA Festival of Science held September 2-9 in Norwich, England, was attended by more than 174,000 visitors.[4]
Science festivals feature a great variety of events. A classic format is to have a series of lectures, with topics ranging from cutting-edge research to unusual perspectives on science. For instance, the 2007 Edinburgh festival Big Ideas series includes talks on what makes racing cars fast, the molecular basis of food preparation, the neurobiology of love and beauty and the properties of quarks.
Most science festivals include hands-on activities similar to those found in science centers. For instance, in the Edinburgh festival's 2007 Wonderama children can dig up dinosaurs or try their hand as surgeons in a mock-up emergency room.
Another popular theme is the interaction of science and culture. For example, the upcoming Cambridge, Mass. science festival promises the performance of Songs of Life and Evolution by a local opera company, and of a play based on Alan Lightman's book Einstein's dreams.
Science festivals are also aimed at playing an important, if informal part in secondary science education. Many have events specifically aimed at students and/or teachers, such as workshops or, in the case of the Edinburgh festival, a Schools Touring Program offering curriculum-linked workshops and science shows to regional schools throughout the year.
★ Science museum
★ Science outreach
★ Cambridge Science Festival (since 2007)
★ World Science Festival (New York City, starting in 2008)
★ SciTech Spectacular (Pittsburgh)
★ Wonderfest (San Francisco Bay Area)
General link:
★ European Science Events Association
Specific festivals:
★ Science Week (Austria)
★ Printemps des Sciences (Belgium)
★ British Association for the Advancement of Science Festival (in the UK, in changing locations)
★ Cambridge Science Festival
★ Cheltenham Science Festival
★ Edinburgh International Science Festival (since 1988)
★ Festival della Scienza (Genoa, since 2003)
★ Luxemburg Science Festival
★ Newcastle
★ Wissenschaftssommer (in Germany, in changing locations)
★ Australian Science Festival
★ New Zealand International Science Festival
1. The history of the BA Festival of Science
2. Science festival gets ready to reveal Big Ideas
3. New York, Cambridge To Host Citywide Science Festivals
4.
The BA Festival of Science 2006 ; for the attendance, see The BA Festival of Science 2006 (Report)
A 'science festival' is a public event featuring a variety of science- and technology-related activities—from lectures, exhibitions, workshops, live demonstrations of experiments, guided tours and panel discussions to cultural events such as theater plays, readings and musical productions, all with the aim of involving the general public in explorations of the different facets of science. Many science festivals are annual events, and for most of them, the actual festival takes place over a period between a few days and more than a week.
| Contents |
| History |
| Typical Festival Events |
| See also |
| External links to specific science festivals |
| America |
| Europe |
| Oceania |
| References |
History
Modern science festivals have a number of different roots. The British Association for the Advancement of Science's Festival of Science evolved out of the society's annual meetings, first held in 1831, which were originally meant to provide a discussion forum for scientists, but later became a public showcase of science.[1] The oldest science festival in the modern sense appears to be the Edinburgh International Science Festival, which was first held in 1988.[2]
As science organizations and funding bodies put ever more emphasis on outreach to foster public understanding both of the results and the wider relevance of science, recent years have seen the creation of a number of new science festivals. Since 2002, there is an umbrella organization for European science festivals and similar events, the European Science Event Association.
The US has been something of a late comer as far as regular science festivals are concerned, although the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science includes a number of public events. Since 2004, there has been a science festival in Pittsburgh (the SciTech festival; from 2005 on known as the SciTech Spectacular), and ambitious new science festivals are being organized both in Cambridge, Massachusetts (the Cambridge Science Festival, starting in April 2007) and in New York City (the World Science Festival set to start in summer 2008).[3]
Festivals can vary greatly in size and scope. A university might stage a small festival in its hometown; on the other end of the scale, the 2006 BA Festival of Science held September 2-9 in Norwich, England, was attended by more than 174,000 visitors.[4]
Typical Festival Events
Science festivals feature a great variety of events. A classic format is to have a series of lectures, with topics ranging from cutting-edge research to unusual perspectives on science. For instance, the 2007 Edinburgh festival Big Ideas series includes talks on what makes racing cars fast, the molecular basis of food preparation, the neurobiology of love and beauty and the properties of quarks.
Most science festivals include hands-on activities similar to those found in science centers. For instance, in the Edinburgh festival's 2007 Wonderama children can dig up dinosaurs or try their hand as surgeons in a mock-up emergency room.
Another popular theme is the interaction of science and culture. For example, the upcoming Cambridge, Mass. science festival promises the performance of Songs of Life and Evolution by a local opera company, and of a play based on Alan Lightman's book Einstein's dreams.
Science festivals are also aimed at playing an important, if informal part in secondary science education. Many have events specifically aimed at students and/or teachers, such as workshops or, in the case of the Edinburgh festival, a Schools Touring Program offering curriculum-linked workshops and science shows to regional schools throughout the year.
See also
★ Science museum
★ Science outreach
External links to specific science festivals
America
★ Cambridge Science Festival (since 2007)
★ World Science Festival (New York City, starting in 2008)
★ SciTech Spectacular (Pittsburgh)
★ Wonderfest (San Francisco Bay Area)
Europe
General link:
★ European Science Events Association
Specific festivals:
★ Science Week (Austria)
★ Printemps des Sciences (Belgium)
★ British Association for the Advancement of Science Festival (in the UK, in changing locations)
★ Cambridge Science Festival
★ Cheltenham Science Festival
★ Edinburgh International Science Festival (since 1988)
★ Festival della Scienza (Genoa, since 2003)
★ Luxemburg Science Festival
★ Newcastle
★ Wissenschaftssommer (in Germany, in changing locations)
Oceania
★ Australian Science Festival
★ New Zealand International Science Festival
References
1. The history of the BA Festival of Science
2. Science festival gets ready to reveal Big Ideas
3. New York, Cambridge To Host Citywide Science Festivals
4.
The BA Festival of Science 2006 ; for the attendance, see The BA Festival of Science 2006 (Report)
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psst.. try this: add to faves
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