The first ever, state-wide Virginia Science Festival which runs from Oct. 4 through 11, will feature events in Roanoke as well as a a dozen communities across the state including Arlington, Danville, Hampton Roads, Grundy, Richmond and Blacksburg
The festival will highlight Virginia’s growing influence as a hub of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics research and education.
On Saturday, Oct. 4 Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands and Stephen Jurcyzk, director of NASA Langley Research Center, will preside over the opening ceremony for the statewide event at 9:45 a.m. at the Moss Arts Center, in Blacksburg. Virginia senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are the honorary festival chairpersons.
The festival’s two signature days will be Saturday, Oct. 4 with the opening in Blacksburg followed by a day of activities in Roanoke on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute that will feature a STEAM trail, the WDBJ-7 Weatherfest, robot demonstrations, and the inaugural U.S. Pea Shooting Championships.
VTC will also offer tours of the facility with hands-on activities and displays of 3D imaging technology, a demonstration of using the human mind to control a robotic vehicle, electric fish, meet the scientists, and cameos by Grayton the Wonder Dog, a pioneering pooch in cancer research. Shuttles will run from the Market Square events in downtown Roanoke to the institute throughout the day.
Many of the events held on Oct. 4 in Blacksburg will be located at the Moss Arts Center and will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibits will also be located on the university’s Drillfield, Derring Hall (1405 Perry Street), Davidson Hall (1040 Drillfield Drive), the Inn at Virginia Tech (901 Prices Fork Road), the Ware Lab (320 Stanger Street), Seitz Hall (155 Ag Quad Lane), the Blacksburg Nature Center at historic Price House, and the Blacksburg Children’s Museum.
Other notable events include:
- Tuesday, Oct. 7, 3 to 6 p.m.: Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Open House. Visitors will be able to take a 15-30 minute facility tour and ride on Virginia’s Smart Road.
- Tuesday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.: Virginia Bioinformatics Institute Panel Discussion: The Science in Science Fiction: An Evening with Authors and Scientists. Guests can talk with scientists and authors on how science has influenced science fiction and vice versa and how science fiction continues to inspire discovery.
- Oct. 7-11: Radford University Planetarium Show at Reed/Curie Hall Room B43. Oct. 7 and 9 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 11 at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. Space is limited. A full list of Radford University events is available on the festival web page.
- Thursday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Virginia Tech Food Science and Technology Sensory Laboratory Open House. Human and Agricultural Sciences Building 1 (1230 Washington Street SW). Activities include the Spice Rack Aroma Challenge, the Sweet Smell of Success, and Food Fears. Visitors can taste food and see how the human face responds while food is tasted.
The festival was made possible in part through a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Science Museum of Western Virginia, Virginia Tech, and through the contributions of sponsors including Appalachian Power.
A full list of events and locations can be found at the virginiasciencefestival.org.
