Second annual "Science Saturday" draws families for hands-on learning

In its second year, Science Saturday attendance grew by nearly a third, bringing more than 1,000 guests—over half of them children—to Rockefeller to experience a day of hands-on science activities. Jointly hosted by the Development Office’s Parents & Science initiative and the Science Outreach Program, Science Saturday was open to children ages 5 to 18 and their parents, grandparents, and teachers. The festivities included 33 learning stations scattered throughout the CRC, which were conceptualized and staffed by more than 100 volunteers, including Rockefeller lab heads, postdocs, students, and former Summer Science Research Program participants.

Attendees were invited to observe scientific demonstrations—communicative signals transmitted by electric fish and 3D imaging of the human body, for example—and to take part in experiments, such as growing a set of fluorescent microbes, understanding chemical bonding through tie-dye, and extracting DNA from strawberries. There were also interactive lectures given by Ali Brivanlou, Robert and Harriet Heilbrunn Professor and head of the Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, and A. James Hudspeth, F.M. Kirby Professor and head of the Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience.