Chicago Science Festival

The Chicago Science Festival features awe-inspiring talks by Chicago-area researchers and mind-blowing demos from local universities and businesses.

This Year’s Event

You’re guaranteed to have fun and learn something new! Space is limited though, so get your tickets today.

Get Event Details & Tickets

See Photos from Past Events

Details from Past Events

Past Topics

Science of Superheroes: Wonder Woman vs. Captain Marvel — Who’s faster? Who’s stronger?

Tracking the Elusive Neutrino Particle — the Physics of a Subatomic Trip from Fermilab and Supernovas to a Gold Mine in South Dakota

Food Allergies and the Microbiome — What’s the Connection? What’s the Answer?

Tracking Endangered Species by Their Spots! Individual Whale Sharks, Turtles, Giraffes, Whales, and More Monitored in the Wild using AI and Citizen Science

Are You Sure You Understand Climate Change? Explaining Climate Change and Finding Solutions

Sleep and Memory: How much are you getting and how’s that working out for you?

The Biology of Human Mating

Understanding the Human Microbiome

Using Evolution & Viruses to Cure Disease

Mapping the Human Brain’s ‘Connectome’

Neuroscience of the Addicted Brain

Science of GMO Foods

You and Your Microorganisms – a bacterial guide to your health

The Brain & Pain – How it’s studied and treated

Body & Brain: How using your hands can change your mind

Brain implants create bionic arm with sense of touch in prosthetics

Circadian Rhythms, Sleep & Your Health – What? How? & When?

Your Brain on Psychotropic Drugs

Deep Ocean Research Adventure – Discovering Life Waaaay Down Under

Holding science in your hands – 3D printing at the interface of art & research

The Physics of “Game of Thrones

Dangers & Risks of Artificial Intelligence — Insecurity & Hacking of Systems

Don’t Call Me Pollyanna: The Science of Positive Emotions, Stress, and Health

Language and Artificial Intelligence – Communication, Connecting, and the Practical Applications of Machine-Generated Language

Brains and Bionic Hands — Artificial Touch and the Neuroscience of Prosthetics

What Climate Change Means for Infrastructure and the Built Environment — Can We engineer Our Way Out of This?

Bionic Limbs: What’s really possible and what’s science fiction?

Science of Marijuana: What’s Really Known and What’s Just Rumor?

The Mysteries of Dark Matter, Dark Energy and the accelerating Universe

Electric Vehicles and Battery Research

How to Bake Pi – The logic and beauty of mathematics through baking

Detecting the Invisible – the study of the ghostly neutrino particles

Chimpanzees and innovation

Film screening of “This Has Been to Space”

Microorganisms – in you, on you, around you

Chicago’s Urban Wildlife – What you might encounter in your neighborhood

Saving Monarchs and More – Trials, tribulations, and citizen science of tracking and saving species

The End of Water As We Know It

Black Holes & Gravitational Waves – Why a massive galactic occurrence requires mind-blowingly precise detection

Microscopy and the Mystery of Pablo Picasso’s Paints

Science and Art of Risk Taking – Courage, Caution, and Chance

Past Speakers

Cathryn Nagler – University of Chicago

Ben Zhao – University of Chicago

Thomas Wall – Argonne National Laboratory

Tanya Berger-Wolf – University of Illinois – Chicago

Doug Sisterson – Argonne National Laboratory

Brian J. Ingram – Argonne National Laboratory

Dan Hooper – Fermilab

Elise Jennings – Fermilab

Stephen Moose – University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign

Daniel Casasanto – MIT

Eugenia Cheng – University of Sheffield, UK

Sliman Bensmaia – University of Chicago

Melissa Farmer – Northwestern University

Jack Gilbert – University of Chicago

Rex Twedt – University of Illinois – Chicago

Sid Nagel and Heinrich Jaeger – University of Chicago

Sarah London – University of Chicago

Marc Berman – University of Chicago

Stephanie Palmer – University of Chicago

Jason MacLean – University of Chicago

Monika Bickert – Facebook Inc.

Shane Larson – Adler Planetarium

Janet Voight – Field Museum

Elizabeth Addington – Northwestern University

Kristian Hammond – Northwestern University

Kayt Sukel – Author of The Art of Risk

Moran Cerf – Northwestern University

Becky Thompson – American Physical Society

Lisa Lehrer – Lincoln Park Zoo

Anne Schukraft – Fermilab

Seth Darling – Argonne National Laboratory

Volker Rose – Argonne National Laboratory

Allan Drummond – University of Chicago

Martha Hotz Vitaterna – Northwestern University

Doug Taron – Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Richard Miller – Northwestern University

Robert Martin – Field Museum

Bobby Kasthrui – Argonne National Laboratory

Bryan Dickinson – University of Chicago

Celeste Napier – Rush University

Dara Randerson – ComEd

Jack Hermann – University of Illinois – Urbana/Champaign

Sadie Witowski – Northwestern University

Todd Kuiken – Northwestern University

illinois science council chicago river blog

Science Is Everywhere. Donate Today.

We know you’re busy. Life is pretty hectic. But there are more ways to help. We’re an independent 501c3 verified nonprofit, and all our donations go to bringing science to the community. Help our mission continue to grow.

Donate Today