NEW YORK The festival, which will take place June 1-5 at various locations in Manhattan, is designed to make the esoteric understandable and the familiar fascinating. The world's leading scientific minds will be joined by renowned artists and influential thinkers for a five-day celebration of science through discourse and debate, the arts, exhibitions and free events designed for young scientists and their families. The festival is among the nation's most anticipated science happenings. Its collective activity underscores the pivotal role of science in shaping modern life and addressing global concerns.
Newly added programs include a day-long storytelling initiative that highlights how Nobel laureates, novelists, filmmakers, writers and musicians, including Alda, Brian Greene, Philip Glass and E.O. Wilson dramatize and interpret science for the general public; Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize winner Another Earth; an inaugural address by Nobel laureate and physicist Steven Weinberg; IBM's WATSON, the Jeopardy! supercomputer champion; and Grammy Award-winning jazz guitarist Pat Metheny.
A complete schedule of events can be found at the festival's official website.
Program topics will range from artificial intelligence to the dark contents of the universe, from a dramatic look into the discovery of DNA's double helix to the science of olfactory systems, from the latest thinking on dreaming to the interlaced neurological processes that produce a young genius.
Specially curated cultural programs, from theatrical performance to exhibitions in the visual arts, provide novel entry points, breaking down barriers and connecting leading scientists to a broader public. All-day events designed especially for budding scientists and their families include "Science on Site" at Governors Island on June 4, and the 2011 World Science Festival Street Fair in Washington Square Park on June 5.
The festival was co-founded in 2008 by Brian Greene, Columbia University professor of physics and mathematics and bestselling author of "The Elegant Universe" and the recently released "The Hidden Reality," and Tracy Day, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and producer.
More than 150,000 people are expected to attend the annual Festival's 50 programs. This year, more than 100 leading scientists, performers and high-profile newsmakers will guide audiences to experience science like never before.
Tickets are on sale now at the official site, which also offers e-mail alerts about new programs and program updates.
