Go here to get tickets for world science festival!
Partial listing below:
The James Webb Space Telescope
Tuesday, June 1, 2010, 9:00 AM – Sunday, June 6, 2010, 9:00 PM
Battery Park
The world’s most powerful future space telescope is coming to New York
City as part of the World Science Festival. NASA’s James Webb Space
Telescope will allow us to unveil the very first galaxies formed in
the Universe and discover hidden world’s around distant stars when the
mission launches in 2014. For six days in June, a full-sized model of
this successor to the famed Hubble Space Telescope will be on public
view in Battery Park.
LIGO on View
Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Broad Street Ballroom
Free for all ages
Experience the power and beauty of LIGO, a new kind of telescope—one
that observes not light but gravitational waves from millions of light
years away.
LIGO, which stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory, is made up of two installations in Louisiana and
Washington. Operated as a single powerful observatory, LIGO is at the
cutting edge of our exploration of the cosmos. By delving into the
fundamental nature of gravity, the massive physics experiment is
hoping to open an entirely new window onto the universe.
2010 Kavli Prizes
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Kimmel Center, Rosenthal Pavilion, NYU
Winners of the prestigious 2010 Kavli Prizes—biennial international
awards, with a cash prize of $1 million that recognize seminal
advances in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience—will be
announced via live satellite from the Norwegian Academy of Science and
Letters, in Oslo. Following the announcement, a panel of
internationally renowned scientists will discuss the scientific
achievements of the 2010 Kavli laureates and provide insightful
commentary on the next wave of research and opportunities being
pursued in these dynamic fields.
LIGO on View
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Broad Street Ballroom
Free for all ages
Experience the power and beauty of LIGO, a new kind of telescope—one
that observes not light but gravitational waves from millions of light
years away.
LIGO, which stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory, is made up of two installations in Louisiana and
Washington. Operated as a single powerful observatory, LIGO is at the
cutting edge of our exploration of the cosmos. By delving into the
fundamental nature of gravity, the massive physics experiment is
hoping to open an entirely new window onto the universe.
Machover and Minsky
Making Music in the Dome
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Hayden Planetarium Space Theater
How does music help order emerge from the mind’s chaos? How does it
create and conjure thoughts, emotions and memories? Legendary composer
and inventor Tod Machover will explore these mysteries with Artificial
Intelligence visionary Marvin Minsky.
Eye Candy: Science, Sight, Art
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
TBD
Are you drawn to Impressionism? Or more toward 3D computer art? Beauty
is in the eye of the beholder. Or is it? Contrary to the old adage,
there may be universal biological principles that drive art’s appeal,
and its capacity to engage our brains and our interest. Through
artworks ranging from post-modernism to political caricature to 3D
film, we’ll examine newly understood principles of visual perception.
The Moth: Gray Matter
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
The Moth (Webster Hall)
Presented with New York’s innovative storytelling organization, The
Moth, scientists, 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.
The Search for Life in the Universe
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Galapagos Art Space
Are we alone? It’s a question that has obsessed us for centuries, and
now we have the technology to do more than wonder. Scientists on the
hunt for distant planets and extraterrestrial intelligence will take
us on their expeditions into faraway galaxies and barely visible
realms. We will journey to the brink of discovery and contemplate what
it would mean to have company in the cosmos.
Good Vibrations
The Science of Sound
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College
We look around us – constantly. But how often do we listen around us?
Sound is critically important to our bodies and brains, and to the
wider natural world. In the womb, we hear before we see. Join
neuroscientists, biophysicists, astrophysicists, composers and
musicians for a fascinating journey through the nature of sound—how
we perceive it, how it acts upon us and how it profoundly affects our
well-being—including a demonstration of sounds produced by sources as
varied as the human inner ear and gargantuan black holes in space.
Our Genome Ourselves
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
There is a revolution underway in the world of medicine. As
researchers identify the genetic variants responsible for cancer,
schizophrenia and diabetes, and doctors tailor medications and
diagnostic tests specifically for your genomic makeup, we inch closer
to personalized medicine. But what does this mean for you today? And
how will it impact your health care ten, 20 or 30 years in the future?
Join scientists standing on the leading edge of genomics to learn the
promise, pitfalls, and realities barreling toward us.
Black Holes and Holographic Worlds
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
Black holes are gravitational behemoths that dramatically twist space
and time. Recently, they’ve also pointed researchers to a remarkable
proposal—that everything we see may be akin to a hologram. Join
renowned researchers on an odyssey through one of nature’s most
spectacular creations, and learn how they are leading scientists to
rewrite the rules of reality.
Brutality and the Brain
Thursday, June 3, 2010, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Baruch Performing Arts Center (Engelman)
Why do humans commit violent crimes and go to war? How to explain Abu
Ghraib? Is human violence wired into our brains and genes? What role
does it play in human evolution? Join scientists who are using brain
imaging and the study of psychopaths to explore the science of moral
judgment and behavior, shedding fresh light on the dark side of human
nature.
LIGO on View
Friday, June 4, 2010, 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Broad Street Ballroom
Free for all ages
Experience the power and beauty of LIGO, a new kind of telescope—one
that observes not light but gravitational waves from millions of light
years away.
LIGO, which stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory, is made up of two installations in Louisiana and
Washington. Operated as a single powerful observatory, LIGO is at the
cutting edge of our exploration of the cosmos. By delving into the
fundamental nature of gravity, the massive physics experiment is
hoping to open an entirely new window onto the universe.
Pioneers in Science
Friday, June 4, 2010, 11:00 AM
Pioneers in Science gives middle and high school students the rare
opportunity to interact with world-renowned scientists. In this
installment, Nobel laureate and NASA astrophysicist John Mather—whose
groundbreaking research has greatly advanced our understanding of the
origin of the universe—will meet live and online with both local New
York City-area students and others joining from Africa and Asia. This
event is by invitation only.
This event is free. Admission will be first-come, first-served.
FREE
Einstein’s Messengers
Listening to the Universe
Friday, June 4, 2010, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Broad Street Ballroom
It’s taken nearly a century, but technology has finally caught up to
Einstein’s brilliance. His 1916 General Theory of Relativity predicted
the existence of gravitational waves—undulations in the very fabric
of space and time—and scientists are now poised to detect them. Two
observatories on opposite sides of the country, called LIGO (Laser
Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory), have embarked on a
joint experiment, seeking whispers of far-away violence—like the
collision between distant black holes—rippling through the cosmos.
The Science of Star Trek
Friday, June 4, 2010, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Galapagos Art Space
The original Star Trek and its numerous successors were far ahead of
their time, but just how far? Will science eventually catch up to this
series’ nearly five-decade-old creations? Explore the plausibility of
scientific phenomena from the Star Trek universe, including warp
speed, time travel, humanoid aliens and whether anyone in our universe
will be “beamed up” by transporter anytime soon.
To the End of the Earth and Beyond
Friday, June 4, 2010, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
LeFrak Theater at AMNH
At the dawn of the last century, two intrepid explorers—Norwegian
Roald Amundsen and British Captain Robert Falcon Scott—famously
competed to be the first to reach the magnetic South Pole.
Feeding a Hungry World
Friday, June 4, 2010, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Baruch Performing Arts Center (Engelman)
By 2050, one of every four people on Earth will go hungry unless food
production more than doubles. Science-based agriculture has proposed
unconventional new tools — earthworms, bacteria, and even genes from
sunny daffodils — to meet this towering challenge. But will such
innovative ideas be enough? And can we bridge the ideological divide
over genetically modified foods that separates scientists and
environmentalists? What role does eating and farming locally play in
the next green revolution?
Armitage Gone! Dance
in the New York Premiere of “Three Theories”
Friday, June 4, 2010, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Cedar Lake Theatre
Internationally renowned choreographer Karole Armitage has created a
stunning dance of high-speed duets, sensual undulating moves and
shape-shifting formations. Inspired by Brian Greene’s book, The
Elegant Universe, Armitage translates key concepts in contemporary
physics into a thrilling kinetic ride.
From the City to the Stars
Star-gazing with the Webb Telescope
Friday, June 4, 2010, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Battery Park
Join professional and amateur astronomers at the base of the
full-scale, tennis court-sized James Webb Space Telescope model for a
free evening of star-gazing in Battery Park. Dr. John Mather, Nobel
laureate and the Webb telescope’s senior project scientist; Dr. John
Grunsfeld, astronaut, physicist and “chief repairman” of the Hubble
Telescope and planetary astronomer Dr. Heidi Hammel will be with us to
talk about the discoveries anticipated when the world’s most powerful
space telescope, the successor to the Hubble, launches in 2014.
The Limits of Understanding
Friday, June 4, 2010, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Tishman Auditorium, The New School
This statement is false. Think about it, and it makes your head hurt.
If it’s true, it’s false. If it’s false, it’s true. In 1931, Austrian
logician Kurt GÀÜdel shocked the worlds of mathematics and philosophy
by establishing that such statements are far more than a quirky turn
of language: he showed that there are mathematical truths which simply
can’t be proven.
Mind And Machine
The Future of Thinking
Friday, June 4, 2010, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
Creative thought is surely among our most precious and mysterious
capabilities. But can powerful computers rival the human brain? As
thinking, remembering and innovating become increasingly interwoven
with technological advances, what are we capable of? What do we lose?
Join experts in cognitive neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, and
computer science for a thought-provoking program about thinking.
This program is made possible with the support of the John Templeton
Foundation as part of the Big Ideas Series.
LIGO on View
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Broad Street Ballroom
Free for all ages
Experience the power and beauty of LIGO, a new kind of telescope—one
that observes not light but gravitational waves from millions of light
years away.
LIGO, which stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory, is made up of two installations in Louisiana and
Washington. Operated as a single powerful observatory, LIGO is at the
cutting edge of our exploration of the cosmos. By delving into the
fundamental nature of gravity, the massive physics experiment is
hoping to open an entirely new window onto the universe.
Mathemagician
and the Mathemagician’s Apprentice
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Tishman Auditorium, The New School
Mix math with magic and the result is thrilling. Mathemagician Arthur
Benjamin returns in an encore presentation, with mesmerizing feats of
mental mathematical gymnastics. Followed by Mathemagician’s
Apprentice, at Wollman Hall, where Benjamin will divulge his secrets
of doing lightning-fast mental math.
Tickets to Mathemagician’s Apprentice available for an additional fee;
Apprentice limited to 50 people.
Einstein, Time and the Explorer’s Clock
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
Back by popular demand, Nobel prize-winning physicist William Phillips
takes us on a voyage to the lowest temperatures ever recorded. What is
an atomic clock and why do they keep better time when they’re cold?
And just what is the relationship between speed, temperature and
relativity? Phillips will show us with jaw-dropping experiments what
happens when ordinary objects are taken to the edge of absolute zero.
Back To The Big Bang
Inside the Large Hadron Collider
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Tishman Auditorium, The New School
Come venture deep inside the world’s biggest physics machine, the
Large Hadron Collider. This extraordinary feat of human engineering
took 16 years and $10 billion to build, and just weeks ago began
colliding particles at energies unseen since a fraction of a second
after the big bang. We’ll explore this amazing apparatus that could
soon reveal clues about nature’s fundamental laws and even the origin
of the universe itself.
This program is made possible with the support of the John Templeton
Foundation as part of the Big Ideas Series.
All Creatures Great And Smart
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
Does your dog really think and feel like a human? Do our closest
primate relatives have brains and emotions similar to ours? What about
the storied intelligence of dolphins and singing humpback whales? And
do other species hold surprises for us if we’re willing to look
closely? Join leading scientists whose research is challenging
long-held assumptions about the differences between “animal” and
“human”—and learn about pin-sized brains that can count, categorize,
and hold a grudge against those who’ve tried to swat them.
Faith and Science
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Baruch Performing Arts Center (Engelman)
For all their historical tensions, scientists and religious scholars
from a wide variety of faiths ponder many similar questions—how did
the universe begin? How might it end? What is the origin of matter,
energy, and life? The modes of inquiry and standards for judging
progress are, to be sure, very different. But is there a common ground
to be found? Leading thinkers who come at these issues from a range of
perspectives will address the evolving relationship between science
and faith.
Armitage Gone! Dance
in the New York Premiere of “Three Theories”
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Cedar Lake Theatre
Internationally renowned choreographer Karole Armitage has created a
stunning dance of high-speed duets, sensual undulating moves and
shape-shifting formations. Inspired by Brian Greene’s book, The
Elegant Universe, Armitage translates key concepts in contemporary
physics into a thrilling kinetic ride.
Illuminating the Abyss
The Unknown Ocean
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
The Paley Center for Media
The oceans remain a realm of mystery, with an astonishing 95% still
unmapped, but their secrets are starting to be revealed. Journey into
the deep to explore exciting discoveries like sea sponges with
cancer-fighting potential and underwater mountain ranges that may hold
the clue to life’s origin. Rare footage of pioneer Jacques Cousteau
will take us back to the early days of passionate ocean exploration;
the premiere of “behind-the-scenes” footage from Jacques Perrin’s new
film Oceans will inspire with a vision of what lies ahead.
Cool Jobs
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
Imagine hunting extraterrestrial life for a living. Or getting paid to
study South African penguins. Meet scientists with some of the coolest
jobs in the world; watch as a neuroscientist scans a brain and a robot
inventor brings his complex and novel creations to life. Get inspired
by the possibilities.
Spotlight
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Rubin Museum of Art (Cabaret)
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.
This program is presented in collaboration with the Rubin Museum of
Art.
Armitage Gone! Dance
in the New York Premiere of “Three Theories”
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Cedar Lake Theatre
Internationally renowned choreographer Karole Armitage has created a
stunning dance of high-speed duets, sensual undulating moves and
shape-shifting formations. Inspired by Brian Greene’s book, The
Elegant Universe, Armitage translates key concepts in contemporary
physics into a thrilling kinetic ride.
Hidden Dimensions
Exploring Hyperspace
Saturday, June 5, 2010, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
NYU Skirball Center
Extra dimensions of space-the idea that we are immersed in hyperspace
— may be key to explaining the fundamental nature of the universe.
Relativity introduced time as the fourth dimension, and Einstein’s
subsequent work envisioned more dimensions still—but ultimately hit a
dead end. Modern research has advanced the subject in ways he couldn’t
have imagined. Join leading thinkers on a visual tour through wondrous
spatial realms that may lie beyond the ones we experience.
World Science Festival Street Fair
Sunday, June 6, 2010, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Washington Square Park
The New York University/Washington Square Park area will become a
science wonderland when the World Science Festival Youth and Family
Street Fair returns to New York City on Sunday, June 6. This free,
day-long extravaganza showcases the intrigue and pure fun of science
with a non-stop program of interactive exhibits, experiments, games,
and shows, all meant to entertain and inspire. Join us for a day of
family fun. Some highlights of this year’s Fair include:
This event is free. Admission will be first-come, first-served.
FREE
LIGO on View
Sunday, June 6, 2010, 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Broad Street Ballroom
Free for all ages
Experience the power and beauty of LIGO, a new kind of telescope—one
that observes not light but gravitational waves from millions of light
years away.
LIGO, which stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave
Observatory, is made up of two installations in Louisiana and
Washington. Operated as a single powerful observatory, LIGO is at the
cutting edge of our exploration of the cosmos. By delving into the
fundamental nature of gravity, the massive physics experiment is
hoping to open an entirely new window onto the universe.
Astronaut Diary: Life in Space
Sunday, June 6, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Kimmel Center, Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
Astronauts who’ve lived on the International Space Station and
“walked” in space tell all: what it’s like to ride on a space ship,
and to eat, sleep, exercise, and even do science – in space. Come hear
firsthand from the world’s most intrepid explorers about what it’s
like to soar upward and leave our home, planet Earth, behind.
Icarus at the Edge of Time
Sunday, June 6, 2010, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
NYU Skirball Center
What if Icarus traveled not to the sun but to a black hole? This
40-minute 62-piece orchestral work is a mesmerizing adaptation of
Icarus at the Edge of Time, Brian Greene’s book for children. A
re-imagining of the Greek myth, which brings Einstein’s concepts of
relativity to visceral, emotional life, it features an original score
by Philip Glass, script adapted by Greene and David Henry Hwang and
film created and directed by Al and Al. Performed live with narrator
and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, conducted by Brad Lubman.
