SUNfiltered

Science and the city

June 11, 2009

Brian Greene, festival co-founder and theoretical physics professor at Columbia University, with the respected Dr. Bunson Honeydew

From June 10-14, New York City will host the second annual World Science Festival, a series of programs and lectures that highlight the big questions in science and how they influenced the big questions in other fields, like philosophy, ethics, and the arts. The festival’s primary mission is “to cultivate and sustain a general public informed by the content of science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for the future,” a reminder that that science part of all of our lives, from the philosophical to the practical, and is worth knowing about.

Last year’s inaugural event was a glowing success, with a majority of events selling out in advance and people lining up hoping to obtain spare tickets. A vast spectrum of people could be found there, from working scientists to people who were awed just by the basic properties of the topic, whether it was the universe or the human genome.

Highlights of this year’s festival include :

Cyborgs on the Horizon, examining the future of intelligent machines and cybernetic technology. To all the sci-fi geeks out there, it’s worth mentioning that cast members from the TV series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA will be there. For more on the pending robot apocalypse, check out our post on Project Natal.
Rising Waters in a Thirsty World, discussing humanity’s strained relationship with H20 and how water shortages are threatening vast regions of our planet. To see how artists and filmmakers have commented on this issue, take a look at some animated shorts and documentary films from our H2.0 series.
Bio Blitzing in the Boroughs, exploring the biodiversity found in New York City’s gorgeous parks and garden on location at Swindler’s Cove and the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Learn more about the benefits of bringing back green spaces into the urban landscape with the HIGH LINE STORIES on Digital Shorts.