The Franklin Institute - The Philadelphia Science Festival returns this spring to spotlight the very vital role science and technology play in today’s world, April 21-29 2017. Organized by The Franklin Institute, in collaboration with Philadelphia’s premier science, cultural, and educational institutions, and presented by The Dow Chemical Company for the seventh consecutive year, the 2017 Philadelphia Science Festival offers more than 80 events over nine days in communities all across the region.
About the Philadelphia Science Festival: Established in 2011 by The Franklin Institute as one of the first of its kind in the country, the Philadelphia Science Festival is a nine-day celebration of science and technology in everyday places—parks, restaurants, bars, libraries, and museums. It aims to inspire not only the next generation of scientists and engineers but also create homegrown citizen scientists. More than 200 partners work together to produce the Festival, which was founded by The Franklin Institute and is presented by The Dow Chemical Company. To learn more, visit PhilaScienceFestival.org. #GetNerdyPHL April 21-29
The Festival debuts innovative new programming for 2017 including Life on Mars, Fake Out: The Science of Deception, Dance Engineered, Geek Out Gameshow, Sensory Overload, and Be a Scientist—and adds new elements to popular favorites like citywide star parties, Murder at the Mütter, Science On Tap, Fishtown Science Crawl, Cookie Lab, Cocktail Lab, and Tinker Lab. This year, the Philadelphia Science Festival aims to illuminate the essential work of scientists on Sunday, April 23 when the region’s finest institutions open their lab doors inviting attendees to Be a Scientist (Conservator, Food Psychologist, K’Nex Architect, Farm Scientist, H2O-ologist, Ecologist, Surgical Nurse, Engineer, Paleontologist, Architect, Engineer, Audiologist, and Marine Biologist) for a day.
Returning this year to the vibrant Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing is the Festival’s signature program, the Science Carnival at Penn’s Landing, which last year attracted more than 50,000 attendees. The massive outdoor science carnival is one of the most highly anticipated festival events, providing a packed day of non-stop familyfriendly activities, hands-on experiments, live performances, educator opportunities, and explosive visuals from more than 150 partnering exhibitors to close the 2017 Philadelphia Science Festival, Saturday, April 29.
Throughout the Festival, Philadelphians can engage with the curiosities of science and technology through these and dozens more uniquely themed innovative events, self-guided tours, creative workshops, and stargazing parties. Events take place across the region in parks, cafés, breweries, libraries, museums and other neighborhood places—with many of them free of charge. A full calendar of events for the 2017 Philadelphia Science Festival is available here, with tickets now on sale.
Each year, the Philadelphia Science Festival effectively leverages the collaboration of more than 200 of the region’s STEM organizations to deliver hands-on science education to the community, impacting on average 75,000 people over the course of nine days. On Saturday, April 22, the Festival coincides with Philadelphia’s March for Science, offering daylong opportunities for the public to take an active role in participating in science within their communities. “The best way to stand up for science is to encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to appreciate and engage directly with science,” said Larry Dubinski, President & CEO of The Franklin Institute, lead organizer of the Festival. “The Franklin Institute, and by extension the Philadelphia Science Festival, continues to be a leading resource for science education in our community,” Dubinski continued. “We are a place for people to go to ask questions, discover new ideas, and become inspired to learn more about science and technology, and its impact on our daily lives.”
“Each year, through innovative collaborations and unique partnerships, the Philadelphia Science Festival reaches thousands of people all across the region, sparking curiosity, and passion around key STEM topics,” said Robin Sprague, Northeast Public and Government Affairs Manager at Dow, presenting sponsor of the Festival. “We are honored to be one of those partners, and since 2011, The Dow Chemical Company has worked closely with The Franklin Institute, playing an essential role in evolving STEM education and fueling the STEM pipeline in the Delaware Valley specifically through the Festival.”
