Scripps Florida invites Palm Beach County students and their families to celebrate the 3rd Anniversary of the opening of their state-of-the-art biomedical research institute. The “CELLebrate” Science community science festival will take place at The Gardens Mall on Saturday, February 04, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The festival is exclusively for Palm Beach county students and families. It will include interactive science exhibits, exciting new demonstrations, opportunities to interact with scientists, and lots of family fun!
Scientists and engineers from Scripps Florida invite members of the community to explore the wonder of scientific discovery and experience new hands-on activities for all ages at the third annual “CELLebrate Science with Scripps Florida” public science festival, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 4, 2012 inside The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Featuring exciting new demonstrations and fun, interactive exhibits designed to spark the curiosity of children and adults, “CELLebrate Science with Scripps Florida” will take visitors along the path to discovery with a series of activity stations located throughout the lower level of the Mall. Hosted by more than 100 Scripps scientists and engineers, activity stations will let visitors get up close and personal with the people behind the research while learning about the latest biomedical breakthroughs.
“We were thrilled when The Gardens Mall asked us to return for a third year,” said Deborah Leach-Scampavia, director of education outreach for Scripps Florida, the East Coast campus of The Scripps Research Institute. “More than 4,000 people joined us for the 2011 event, so this year we wanted to raise the bar and offer several fantastic new experiences, along with a few surprises and updates to favorites from previous years.”
Aspiring chemists can try their hand at creating virtual molecules from elements on the periodic table with a new exhibit on loan from the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. “Create a Chemical Reaction” lets visitors take a drag-and-drop approach to the elements, mixing and matching them in a virtual chemical lab. Visitors use pucks to choose elements from a projected periodic table, and pull them into a reaction lab to see what happens. Bring in more molecules of the same element, throw new ones into the mix or just start over. It's a fun way to learn how a single molecule can be the difference between fire and fizzle.
From exploding hydrogen bubbles to super-cold liquid nitrogen, chemistry demonstrations are a favorite of visitors, and will return this year to showcase the many different types of chemistry research taking place at Scripps Florida. Visitors will enjoy even more exciting chemical reactions along with new hands-on activities for kids.
Remarkable devices that speed up the process of scientific discovery will be on display in a booth devoted to technology development. Learn how Scripps Florida is using--and developing--new technologies that automate and accelerate research, from giant robots that conduct up to one million experiments in 24 hours to miniature laboratories embedded on microchips.
Learn how scientists study sea slugs, fruit flies, roundworms and zebrafish to understand basic human biology. Take a look at these amazing model organisms through a microscope and discover why they are so important to biomedical research. Nearby, a giant inflatable planetarium-style dome will show a series of amazing short videos to create the illusion that visitors have just stepped inside a living cell.
Meet the scientists searching for clues that may one day lead to treatments and even cures for devastating diseases such as cancer, HIV, diabetes, hepatitis C and Alzheimer’s—just a few of the diseases being studied at Scripps Florida. From bacteria to viruses to genetically induced illnesses, learn about the types of disease that impact human health.
Educating and inspiring the next generation of scientists is an important part of the Scripps Research Institute’s mission. In addition to a top-10 ranked graduate school, Scripps offers many programs for undergraduates, high school teachers and K-12 students. Scripps Florida graduate students and high school summer interns from Palm Beach County schools will host a booth highlighting Scripps Florida’s education programs. Many of the winning projects from Palm Beach County 2011 Science and Engineering Fair will also be on display nearby.
Safety and research go hand in hand and it takes a crew of experts to ensure the health and well-being of scientists and our community. Meet the Scripps Florida Environmental Health and Safety specialists who will illustrate some of the extraordinary safety measures Scripps employs in the laboratories, as well as the institute’s “green initiatives” designed to reduce our environmental footprint.
In addition to the interactive science booths, visitors to “CELLebrate Science with Scripps Florida” can participate in a Scripps science scavenger hunt by answering questions and solving simple puzzles based on information and activities at the various booths. Every visitor who completes the scavenger hunt while visiting the activity booths will receive a commemorative gift and also be entered into a raffle to win a special prize.
For additional details about this event, please visit: www.scripps.edu/CELLebrate.
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