Third annual South Side Science Festival set to bring a day of discovery for all ages on Oct. 5

Those interested in deeper engagement can attend three Science in Your Life panels throughout the day. Panels will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and art, the recent rise of weight-loss medications and their impact, and global and local sustainability initiatives and what they might mean for humanity’s future.

Creating opportunities like the festival for South Side residents to learn about emerging areas of science is also at the heart of the broader Inclusive Innovation initiative UChicago is leading in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Argonne National Laboratory, and Fermilab. The initiative seeks to engage local students, educators, and workers and connect them to the city’s growing scientific ecosystem, thereby helping to generate a diverse talent pipeline in the sciences and spur economic growth on the historically under-resourced South Side.

“The South Side Science Festival allows for wide-reaching public engagement, with the aim of stimulating curiosity and excitement about STEM,” says Nadya Mason, Dean of the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering; Robert J. Zimmer Professor of Molecular Engineering; and Interim Vice President for Science, Innovation, and Partnerships. “The next generation of innovators may well find their passion from our hands-on science activities and demonstrations during the festival. We’re excited to engage with our neighbors and share our activities and enthusiasm. Everyone benefits when science and engineering are inclusive.”

For UChicago’s Vice President for Civic Engagement Christian Mitchell, the festival embodies the University’s commitment to leverage its strengths in a way that positively impacts its broader shared community: “This event is a chance for the campus community and the broader South Side community to come together and really take advantage of all the incredible STEM resources the University has to offer.

“Science only gets better when it draws on more perspectives, so opportunities like this to spark and stoke curiosity about STEM are critical—especially when those sparks are igniting in people who haven’t always seen themselves in these spaces,” he said. “We’re looking forward to our students, faculty, and staff sharing their passion for STEM with attendees, and we’re hopeful that the exchanges and experiences will inspire especially our young attendees to see science as a place where they can belong.”