Atlanta Science Festival to Start March 9

This year, the Atlanta Science Festival will be taking over Atlanta and the surrounding metro area from March 9–23. The festival will consist of more than 100 events, many of which feature Georgia Tech faculty or groups, are hosted on campus, or have other connections to Tech.

While the target audiences for these activities range from preschool-age children to adults to families, there are several that feature the Georgia Tech community and could be particularly interesting to students. Note that all ticketed events are subject to price changes or selling out as the festival draws nearer.

Escape Lab

March 9, 2 – 6 p.m.

Fee: $5

Location: Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons

Parts of Georgia Tech’s own Clough Commons will be transformed into abandoned labs, simulating “the ruins of civilization in the year 3018.” Teams of up to 10 will solve biology, physics, and chemistry-based challenges to try and escape these locked-down laboratories.

More information and tickets

Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition

March 9, 7 – 9:30 p.m.

Fee: Free

Location: Ferst Center for the Arts

Each year, the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition attempts to discover the next generation of musical instruments and highlight the newest innovations at the crossroads of engineering, music, and technology. In the past, the event has received rave reviews from The Guardian, The New York Times, and Atlanta Magazine, among others.

More information

Unreal Time with Lew Lefton

March 11, 8 – 9 p.m.

Fee: $5 for students, $10 for non-students

Location: Synchronicity Theatre, 1545 Peachtree St. NW #102, Atlanta, GA 30309

Lew Lefton, assistant vice president for research in the College of Sciences, will host an evening talk show that attempts to combine time travel and comedy. He will be pulling scientists from the past into the present to hear how it is that they actually made their discoveries. Rumor has it that Charles Darwin himself will be there.

More information and tickets

Preparándonos Para Lo Próximo: Líderes Latinos En Stem/Preparing for the Next: Latino Leaders in STEM

March 13, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Fee: Free

Location: Meadowcreek High School, 4455 Steve Reynolds Blvd., Norcross, GA 30093

Members of the Georgia Tech faculty will be hosting this bilingual panel to discuss their experiences in STEM and its impact on the Latino community. No registration is necessary to attend.

More information

Science Riot

March 14, 7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Fee: $15

Location: Highland Inn Ballroom, 644 North Highland Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30306

Another comedy event, Science Riot is what happens when you teach scientists the basics of standup and then throw them onstage for a performance in front of a live audience. The College of Sciences is teaming up with ScienceRiot.org to host this event.

More information and tickets

Silver Scream Science Spookshow

March 16, 10:30 p.m. – midnight

Fee: $12

Location: Plaza Theatre, 1049 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306

In honor of the festival, Professor Morte will be tailoring his usual Silver Scream Spookshow to fit the science-y occasion. Morte’s band, Leucine Zipper and the Zinc Fingers, will be playing after the film. Members of the band may look familiar — they claim to be genetically modified versions of Georgia Tech faculty members and alumni. (This performance is for adults, but a family-friendly show will be held at 1:30 p.m. on the same day.)

More information and tickets

Exploration Expo

March 23, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Fee: Free

Location: Piedmont Park, corner of 10th St. NE and Charles Allen Drive, Atlanta, GA 30309

Though not specifically hosted by Georgia Tech, the Exploration Expo will come at the conclusion of the festival and will be the city’s largest interactive science event, with more than 100 booths for attendees to visit.

More information

Further details about the festival, including the full event list, can be found on the Atlanta Science Festival’s website.