WHAT: The University of Texas at Austin welcomes science enthusiasts everywhere to the Texas Science Festival, a virtual celebration featuring rapid-fire and deep-dive presentations by world-changing scientists, live hands-on demonstrations of explosive experiments, telescope viewings and opportunities to interact with experts from Texas' flagship public research institution.
WHEN: The event kicks off Tuesday, Feb. 16 and concludes Friday, March 26.
WHERE: Live events are streamed via online platforms such as Zoom webinar, YouTube and Facebook. Register to receive access details, and find the schedule at: www.sciencefest.utexas.edu
WHO: The event is free and open to the public. Notable presenters include:
- Nobel laureates and Breakthrough Prize winners Jim Allison, the UT Austin alumnus and cancer-research pioneer, and Steven Weinberg, the beloved physicist;
- Texas researchers working on the front lines of pandemic science such as Lauren Ancel Meyers, director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium, and Jason McLellan, whose technology is integral to four of the five leading coronavirus vaccines;
- "Kate the Chemist" Biberdorf, whose explosive demos have been featured on the "Today" show and "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"; and
- dozens of other STEM experts from the UT Austin student, faculty and friend community.
BACKGROUND: The inaugural Texas Science Festival encompasses and builds upon several popular existing events featuring University of Texas STEM faculty members and students, including Explore UT and Girl Day at UT Austin, all of which are being held virtually this year. The six-week event also includes new public talks, "Science Sparks" events where pairs of experts each provide rapid-fire presentations on a theme, skywatching tours from the McDonald Observatory, the Visualizing Science Showcase with science-themed art and more. The virtual event is hosted by UT Austin's College of Natural Sciences.
