{"673670":{"#nid":"673670","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cosmic Curiosity: Georgia Tech Hosts Science and Engineering Day to Open Atlanta Science Festival","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech opened the 11th annual \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/atlantasciencefestival.org\/\u0022\u003EAtlanta Science Festival\u003C\/a\u003E (ASF) with record attendance for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/atlsciencefestival\/demos\u0022\u003EScience and Engineering Day\u003C\/a\u003E. Despite the drizzly weather, about 4,000 people of all ages from throughout metro Atlanta \u2014 more than double the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/science-and-engineering-day-buzzes-excitement\u0022\u003Enumber of attendees in 2023\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014 visited campus on Saturday, March 9, 2024, for the space-themed event. They explored more than 45 exhibitions and hands-on activities related to art, robotics, nanotechnology, chemical and systems engineering, and biology, as well as other STEAM areas.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EVisitors began their investigations at \u201cEarth\u201d (the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design), where they picked up a galactic passport specially designed to guide them from building to building \u2014 each designated with the name of a planet \u2014 and the demonstrations housed within.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAt \u201cMars\u201d (Marcus Nanotechnology Building), attendees measured their height in nanometers, experimented with fruit batteries, and took a window-tour of the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/archive\/features\/hidden-georgia-tech-cleanroom.shtml\u0022\u003Elargest cleanroom in the Southeast\u003C\/a\u003E, where semiconductors are developed. Inside \u201cVenus\u201d (Parker H. Petit Biotech Building), budding scientists examined bioluminescent bacteria under a microscope and made Play-Doh models of the human brain. When visiting \u201cSaturn\u201d (Ford Environmental Sciences and Technology Building), visitors studied density by making DIY lava lamps and inspected human brain specimens the way a pathologist would.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cGetting to hold a human brain was cool,\u201d said a 12-year-old participant from Alpharetta. \u201cAnd I also liked comparing it to the brains of a pig and a mouse.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EOther activities included math games and puzzles, the opportunity to build an artificial hand and a gallery display of research-inspired artwork. Georgia Tech faculty, students, and staff hosted all the demonstrations and served as volunteers who helped Science and Engineering Day guests navigate campus and the demonstration sites.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor many participants, the undoubted highlight was the chance to hear a presentation by former NASA astronaut and Georgia Tech alumnus Shane Kimbrough, MS OR 1998. Kimbrough spent 388 days in space over three missions and served as commander of the International Space Station (ISS) in 2016. He captivated the standing-room-only crowd with photos and descriptions of his time living and working aboard the ISS and answered questions from the kids in the audience.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting to see all the activities around campus today \u2026 we\u2019re inspiring the next generation of scientists and explorers for our country,\u201d Kimbrough said afterward.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe event was a resounding success for Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Science Fair.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELauren Overton-Kirk, who organized the event for the Institute, said, \u0022Georgia Tech Science and Engineering Day 2024 was so wonderful to share with the community. What started years ago as a day for young scientific exploration became an all-ages, space-themed scientific spectacular. You could feel the passion for learning fill the campus in a way only Georgia Tech could do.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBoth the Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Science Festival teams are looking forward to next year\u2019s Science and Engineering Day.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs one of the founding organizations of the Atlanta Science Festival, Georgia Tech has been deeply invested in sharing the Institute\u2019s innovations with the community,\u201d said Meisa Salaita, ASF co-director. \u201cAnd that investment was deeply evident on March 9th as they opened their doors to kick off the 11th annual Science Festival. Their students and faculty came out with enthusiasm\u0026nbsp;to showcase science to the public. We couldn\u0027t be more thrilled with this partnership \u2014 and the many ways Tech has helped us show our community that Atlanta is a science city.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EScience and Engineering Day at the Institute\u0026nbsp;included more than 45 exhibitions and interactive demonstrations, hosted by Tech faculty, staff, and students. The highlight of the event was a presentation by alumnus and former NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, who shared with audiences his experience of living and working in space.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"More than 4,000 guests visited Georgia Tech\u0027s kickoff event for the city\u0027s annual science extravaganza."}],"uid":"36123","created_gmt":"2024-03-21 19:30:17","changed_gmt":"2024-04-29 18:52:55","author":"Catherine Barzler","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2024-03-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2024-03-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"673462":{"id":"673462","type":"image","title":"4-Human Brain.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EA\u0026nbsp;young investigator holds a human brain. (Credit: Joya Chapman)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1711049862","gmt_created":"2024-03-21 19:37:42","changed":"1711049798","gmt_changed":"2024-03-21 19:36:38","alt":"A young boy wearing blue latex gloves holds a human brain","file":{"fid":"256861","name":"4-Human Brain.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/4-Human%20Brain.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/4-Human%20Brain.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":6072347,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/03\/21\/4-Human%20Brain.jpeg?itok=Pac9qgG0"}},"673463":{"id":"673463","type":"image","title":"2-Shane Kimbrough.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFormer astronaut and Tech Alumnus Shane Kimbrough described what it was like to live and work in space to a packed crowd at Science and Engineering Day. (Credit: Joya Chapman)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1711049961","gmt_created":"2024-03-21 19:39:21","changed":"1711049903","gmt_changed":"2024-03-21 19:38:23","alt":"A man in a blue shirt stands in front of a class of adolescents","file":{"fid":"256862","name":"2-Shane Kimbrough.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/2-Shane%20Kimbrough.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/2-Shane%20Kimbrough.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4520553,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/03\/21\/2-Shane%20Kimbrough.jpeg?itok=SqBYpkzf"}},"673461":{"id":"673461","type":"image","title":"1-ASF Galactic Passport.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe Atlanta Science Festival Galactic Passport that visitors used to navigate their explorations around Georgia Tech\u0027s campus (Credit: Joya Chapman)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1711049777","gmt_created":"2024-03-21 19:36:17","changed":"1711049587","gmt_changed":"2024-03-21 19:33:07","alt":"A blue booklet with an illustration of a pink astronaut","file":{"fid":"256860","name":"1-ASF Galactic Passport.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/1-ASF%20Galactic%20Passport.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/1-ASF%20Galactic%20Passport.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":4242606,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/03\/21\/1-ASF%20Galactic%20Passport.jpeg?itok=dZlUf9sD"}},"673464":{"id":"673464","type":"image","title":"5-Biotic Plot.jpeg","body":"\u003Cdiv\u003EThis guest at Science and Engineering Day examines tiny living organisms in a test tube. (Credit: Joya Chapman)\u003C\/div\u003E\r\n","created":"1711050045","gmt_created":"2024-03-21 19:40:45","changed":"1711049993","gmt_changed":"2024-03-21 19:39:53","alt":"Little girl in yellow headband examines a test tube. ","file":{"fid":"256863","name":"5-Biotic Plot.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/5-Biotic%20Plot.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/5-Biotic%20Plot.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3379179,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/03\/21\/5-Biotic%20Plot.jpeg?itok=7dAfl5fx"}},"673465":{"id":"673465","type":"image","title":"3-Glowing Bacteria.jpeg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EA budding scientist examines bioluminescent bacteria under a microscope. (Credit: Joya Chapman)\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1711050334","gmt_created":"2024-03-21 19:45:34","changed":"1711050253","gmt_changed":"2024-03-21 19:44:13","alt":"A person looks into a microscope. A sign with the text \u0022why do bacteria GLOW\u0022 is in the foreground","file":{"fid":"256864","name":"3-Glowing Bacteria.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/3-Glowing%20Bacteria.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2024\/03\/21\/3-Glowing%20Bacteria.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3667053,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2024\/03\/21\/3-Glowing%20Bacteria.jpeg?itok=K6l2mTJd"}}},"media_ids":["673462","673463","673461","673464","673465"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"66220","name":"Neuro"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"192249","name":"cos-community"},{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193652","name":"Matter and Systems"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003C\/a\u003E, Institute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}