The Wisconsin Science Festival partnered with the Madison Night Market to host “Science on the Square” Oct. 19 from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. on State Street.
“We started partnering with the Night Market around three years ago and it’s just evolved as an event. It’s the highlight of the festival for me every year,” Wisconsin Science Festival Director Sam Mulrooney said.
Science on the Square is part of the Wisconsin Science Festival, a larger statewide celebration of science that includes hundreds of events in 51 different Wisconsin counties throughout the year. The event focuses on making science accessible and bringing fun to the larger Wisconsin community.
The festival is headquartered out of the Discovery Building on the University of Wisconsin campus and is a collaborative partnership with campus researchers and other community organizations, according to the festival’s website. Event organizers match interested groups with either a tent display on State Street or when relevant, pair them with State Street businesses willing to host scientists.
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The event, which first started six years ago, now includes booths on State Street and inside local businesses where attendees can learn about science and participate in learning activities, according to the Wisconsin Science Festival website.
“Bringing science out to tents on State Street or into businesses along State Street in Downtown Madison makes science a little bit more accessible, a little bit more fun,” Mulrooney said.
Mulrooney spoke about how science is used in people’s everyday lives. The Wisconsin Science Festival is a “vibrant night” and helps build curiosity in the community in a unique way, she said.
In addition to tents covering science topics, other activities and partnerships such as live physics demonstrations and a nature-inspired exhibit called “Metamorphosis” by Frederico Uribe on display next door in the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.
Wisconsin Science Festival presenter and Ph.D. student in the Patrick Krysan Lab Cameron De La Mora said he partnered with Allen Centennial Gardens to educate the public on science concepts and make it hands-on and exciting.
De La Mora also said he presented at The Discovery Expo Field Trip Day presented by the Morgridge Institute Wednesday at the Discovery Building. The event was targeted toward fifth to eighth graders. They were interested and struck by De La Mora’s explanation of CRISPR and gene editing in plants, De La Mora said.
“There’s lots of great events happening statewide. On the Wisconsin Science Festival website, we have everything on a map so you can explore what’s happening in your area,” Mulrooney said.
Science on the Square is part of the larger Wisconsin Science Festival and continues with events through Sunday, Oct. 22, in Madison and throughout the state.
