The 14th annual Wisconsin Science Festival offered more than 650 events virtually and in-person at 200 unique venues across the state. Thousands of participants — from the young to the young-at-heart — had the opportunity to unleash their curiosity and discover how science connects to everyday life.
We’ve collected some of our favorite moments at events in Madison during the 2024 Wisconsin Science Festival, held Oct. 14-20. Photos credited to Jeff Miller (UW–Madison) and Romulo Ueda Photography (freelance photographer).
Which photo do YOU think best captures the essence of #WiSciFest?
The voting has closed. The winner was “Chemistry of Crystals”.
“Chemistry of Crystals” — As night falls during Science on the Square, an outreach team from the UW–Madison department of chemistry shows off luminescent crystals to explain how chemical structure is related to certain properties. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW–Madison)
“The Immersive World of VR” — A festival attendee reaches out to experience the intersection of the virtual world and the real world with the Virtual Environments Group, an emerging technologies research lab at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. (Photo by Romulo Ueda Photography)
“Roll for Biodiversity” — A child at Science on the Square plays a game designed by the Great Lakes Bioenergy Center at the Wisconsin Energy Institute to simulate how biodiversity affects crop systems geared toward sustainable bioenergy solutions. (Photo by Romulo Ueda Photography)
“Fitting for a Free Mummy Costume” — An attendee at Science on the Square volunteers to be transformed into a mummy through the magic — or science — of toilet paper and a leaf blower during the Wonders of Physics show. (Photo by Romulo Ueda Photography)
“From Trash to Treasure” — The Dane County Department of Waste and Renewables created the Trash Lab, a mobile exhibit designed to educate and motivate people to produce less trash and rethink their relationship with waste. (Photo by Romulo Ueda Photography)
“A Seat at the Surface Circus” — At the Discovery Expo, the outreach group from the department of chemistry at UW–Madison gives two attendees the opportunity to join the “Surface Circus,” as they create a giant bubble chamber to showcase the power of surface tension. (Photo by Romulo Ueda Photography)
“The Many Facets of Science” — The Morgridge Institute Fab Lab built a giant kaleidoscope on display at the Discovery Expo, where students and families can take a closer look at the everyday science around them. (Photo by Romulo Ueda Photography)
“Just Bee Yourself” — A child takes a peaceful moment to sit in one of the giant honeycomb cells in the Nice Age Trail exhibit at the Madison Children’s Museum. (Photo by Romulo Ueda Photography)
“It’s All Fun(gi) and Games…” — Wearing mushroom-inspired headgear, graduate students from What’s Eating My Plants (WEMP), an outreach group in the department of plant pathology at UW–Madison, encourage a child to “infect” a plant with a fuzzy “spore” during Science on the Square. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW–Madison)
“What’s on Your Mind?” — A curious child holds a brain on display at the Discovery Expo presentation from Docs Out to Care (DOC), an outreach organization comprised of UW–Madison medical students that offers health-related information and activities and promote well-being geared toward the K-12 audience. (Photo by Romulo Ueda Photography)