Paper rockets took to the skies, drones flew around collecting data on carbon dioxide levels, and model neural circuits were made from thin copper strips. This means that for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, Science Saturday has resumed in earnest on the Rockefeller campus.
RockEDU’s annual science festival for children in kindergarten through 8th grade features 28 students led by more than 175 volunteers from Rockefeller and nearby educational institutions, local high schools, and the New York City STEM Education Network. A practical station was held. There were also talks on topics ranging from why neuroscientists study fruit flies to extracting new antibiotics from soil. Nearly 1,000 people attended, including families, teachers and students from more than 180 schools from the city’s five boroughs, the tri-state area and as far away as Pennsylvania and Michigan.
The event, held this September, is free and made possible through the generous support of the Andreas C. Dracopoulos Family Science and Society Initiative, the Bessent Freeman Family Foundation, the Quadrivium Foundation, and the Steinman Family Foundation. New York City’s under-resourced middle schools and local nonprofit organizations with a mission to provide educational opportunities to children were invited as part of the university’s ongoing community engagement efforts.
The event photos below were taken by Jonathan Heisler.