Drexel's Rube Goldberg Device to Kickoff Weeklong Celebration of Science in Philadelphia

The press of a button triggering a chain reaction of more than 300 energy transfers will serve as the elaborate opening to the 2014 Philadelphia Science Festival. The harbinger of this year’s week of science excitement is a Rube Goldberg machine –a complex device designed to perform a simple task- built by Drexel engineering students with the goal of setting a world record.

The Dragons’ attempt at history will take place in Bossone Research Center’s third-floor atrium at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 25 as the official start of the festival. It will also be webcast live here. In the week that follows more than 100 science-related events will take place throughout the city, many of them hosted or directed by Drexel and the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Other Drexel and ANS related events at the festival include:

On Friday, April 25 at 6 p.m., at the Science Carnival After Hours, Drexel researchers will lead a discussion on chromatography of flowers at the Franklin Institute. For tickets click here.

On Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to noon, at Clark Park and Hunting Park, Drexel students from the Biomedical Graduate Student Association will lead a demonstration about using catalysts to make Styrofoam as part of Discovery Day: Clark Park and Discovery Day: Hunting Park. Undergraduates from the College of Engineering will also be putting on demonstrations about flying paper airplanes, making play dough, launching balloon rockets and building marshmallow towers.

On Sunday, April 27 Drexel’s ExCITe Center will host a seminar on wearable technology as part of PSF’s Explorer Sunday program at 10:30 a.m.

• At noon, the A.J. Drexel Plasma Institute will host an Explorer Sunday event on using plasma for everything from improving television picture quality to saving lives.
• Also at noon, the Academy of Natural Sciences is sponsoring Nerd Nite Brunch at Frankford Hall and leading a discussion called “Body vs. Booze” about what happens when you’re drinking and why your body feels the way it does after a night out. To reserve tickets, click here.
• At 1:30 p.m., the World Café Live will host Remix Interactive, a music-driven light show with an interactive mobile app. The app was developed by students at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in partnership with Drexel’s App Lab at the ExCITe Center. For tickets to the event, click here.
• At 2:30 p.m., a professor from Drexel’s biology department will help lead a simulated forensic investigation of a series of murders as part of the Murder at the Mutter: Serial Killer event at the Mutter Museum. For tickets to the event, click here.
• At 4 p.m., researchers from the Academy of Natural Sciences will help participants explore the human brain during Science Crawl: Brain Games, a four-stop crawl around Old City that will put memory, motor skills and taste buds to the test. For tickets to the event, click here.
• Also at 4 p.m., a professor from Drexel’s College of Arts and Sciences will be one of the speakers at Sounds Made Up: (True) Tales from the History of Science at the World Café Live. For tickets to the event, click here.

On Monday April 28, at 3:30 p.m., undergraduate science and engineering students and researchers from the Academy of Natural Sciences will help lead a number of Neighborhood Science After School demonstrations, including programs at the Charles Durham Library, Ramonita de Rodriguez Library, and Cecil B. Moore Library.

• At 6 p.m., the Academy of Natural Sciences is sponsoring and leading Science on Tap Quizzo at National Mechanics.
• At 6:30 p.m., researchers from the Academy of Natural Sciences will lead Feathered Friends, a science café all about birds, at Iron Hill Brewery.

On Tuesday, April 29 at 3:30 p.m., Drexel science and engineering undergraduates will lead a Neighborhood Science After School program about building and flying paper airplanes at the Logan Library.

• Starting at 5 p.m. professors from the College of Engineering will be among the presenters at Science Night at the Ballpark at Citizens Bank Park. The researchers will discuss the materials used in sports and the biomechanics involved in playing various sports. At 7:05 p.m. the Phillies will take on the New York Mets. Use the discount code: SCIENCE for an $8 discount when purchasing tickets to the game.
• At 6 p.m., researchers from Drexel’s College of Medicine and School of Public Health will present Perspectives on Health, a Science Café event held at Rembrandt’s.
• Also at 6 p.m., a researcher from the College of Engineering will take part in the West Philly Science Showcase, a Science Café on the groundbreaking scientific research being conducted in University City, at the World Café Live. For tickets to the event, click here.
• Also at 6 p.m., an Academy of Natural Sciences researcher will be part of a Science Happy Hour panel about Misunderstood Monsters, including fierce predators like the Siberian tiger and Tyrannosaurus Rex. The happy hour will be held at Continental Old City.
• At 6:30 p.m., researchers from the College of Engineering and Academy of Natural Sciences will participate in a Science Café program called ICK! Creatures That Make Your Skin Crawl and the Lovely Reasons Why, held at Frankford Hall.

On Wednesday, April 30 at 3:30 p.m., undergraduate science and engineering students and researchers from the Academy of Natural Sciences will lead a Neighborhood Science After School presentation at Charles Santore Library.

• At 5 p.m., Drexel’s Rush Building will host a workshop for teachers about getting students excited about computer science. The Educator Workshop: AP Computer Science Principles will be led by professors from Drexel’s College of Computing & Informatics. The event is free, but a reservation is required.
• At 6 p.m., a professor from Drexel’s College of Arts and Sciences will help lead a Science Café discussion called Playing With Numbers: How Math Can Help You Win, held at Rembrandt’s. For tickets to the event, click here.
• In another Science Café event at 6 p.m., a researcher from the Academy of Natural Sciences will take part in a program called Love, Lust and Loathing, held at Frankford Hall. For tickets to the event, click here.

On Thursday, May 1 at 10 a.m., the Academy of Natural Sciences will host a Science Festival Field Trip. For tickets and reservations, click here.

• At 3:30 p.m., engineering and science undergraduate students will lead a Neighborhood Science After School presentation at the Richmond Library.

On Saturday, May 3 Drexel researchers and students will take part in several exhibitions at the Science Carnival on the Parkway, including presentations on math and music; environmental conservation; the Drexel Smart House; polymers; air pollution; static electricity; rainwater management; nutrition; healthcare; physics in movie; and computer hardware. The carnival starts at 10 a.m. on the Ben Franklin Parkway. 

For information about all of the events taking place at the Philadelphia Science Festival visit www.philasciencefestival.org.