New York City Will Host World Science Festival Again in May, Program Unveiled

As a great opportunity to experience science, the World Science Festival will take place between May and June in New York City and just unveiled its 2013 program lineup today. Numerous events and locations will present many of the world's leading scientists, artists and influential thinkers, bringing science to life in imaginative ways throughout NYC.

The five-day festival celebrates science with original programming that includes free events for young innovators, scientists-in-the-making, and families - as well as discourse and debate, theater, competitions, music, exhibitions, culinary adventures and social experiences that transform the city and bring the world's leading scientists in direct contact with the broader public.

The annual Festival has counted around 850,000 visitors in the 5 years of its existence, frequenting the 250 programs in locations throughout New York City. It is said to be the nation's most anticipated science event, aiming to allow everyone to experience science in unique and thrilling ways.

Just the highlights of the program unveiled by the non-profit organizers make quite a list:

Events include "a theatrical exploration of quantum mechanics, a special address from Nobel Laureate James Watson, stargazing with astronomers in Brooklyn Bridge Park, a tech fest that turns downtown Brooklyn into "Innovation Square," Nobel laureate David Baltimore assessing progress toward ending the AIDS epidemic, artist Mathew Ritchie discussing art and the mind, pioneering scientist Nora Volkow in a global town hall discussion with students, actor and science enthusiast Alan Alda illuminating the nature of time for kids, beer-brewing with scientists (and 3,500 year old yeast), mathematician Steven Strogatz guiding audiences through the labyrinth of infinity,  and basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joining family and youth at the Ultimate Science Street Fair in Washington Square Park.

Locations and dates:

• Spooky Action: The Drama of Quantum Mechanics (May 29 at the New Victory Theater) - In 1935, Albert Einstein and two colleagues published a landmark paper revealing that quantum mechanics allows widely separated objects to influence one another, even though nothing travels between them. Einstein called it spooky and rejected the idea, arguing instead that it exposed a major deficiency in the quantum theory. But, decades later, experiments established this unsettling concept correct, upending conventional notions of reality. Brian Greene takes the audience on a journey that brings this insight and the remarkable history of reality-bending quantum mechanics vividly to life.

• Innovation Square (June 1 at NYU Polytechnic Institute)- A daylong tech fest in downtown Brooklyn celebrating innovation by transforming NYU Poly's MetroTech outdoor quad into a technophile's playground, teeming with innovations, demos, challenges, and interactive fun from all over the world.

• Insect Love Songs (May 31 at The New York Botanical Garden) - After 17 years underground, cicadas throughout the Northeast are emerging in time for the 2013 World Science Festival to sing, mate and die. Join us for a musical performance between the bugs and musicians.

• Dance of the Planets: An Evening Under the Stars (June 1 at Brooklyn Bridge Park) - A free evening of urban stargazing with professional and amateur astronomers.

• Cheers to Science (May 30 at The Bell House) - Biomolecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern and pioneering brewmaster Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head revisit the 11,000 year old craft of beer brewing, examining ancient ales from around the world, and share a newly reconstructed 3,500 year old Nordic Grog. Expect to make and try a brand new brew, and be among the first people to taste it in thousands of years.

• Cool Jobs (June 2 at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts) -The Festival's ever-popular Cool Jobs is back with a jaw-dropping show that brings you face-to-face with amazing scientists with amazing jobs. Hear from scientists who have these jobs-find out what they do, how they do it, and how they got the coolest and weirdest gigs on the planet.

• Ultimate Science Street Fair (June 2 at Washington Square Park) - The Ultimate Science Street Fair returns to Washington Square Park with another action-packed day of interactive exhibits, experiments, games and shows, all designed to entertain and inspire.

• The Whispering Mind: The Enduring Conundrum of Consciousness (May 30 at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts) -Featuring Christof Koch from CalTech and the Allen Institute, this provocative program explores one of the newest areas of cognitive science. We join the world's leading researchers on a journey, from which they hope to write, for the first time ever, the theory of consciousness.

• Infinity (May 31 at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts) - Featuring W. Hugh Woodin from UC-Berkeley, this looks at a subject extensively studied by philosophers, mathematicians, and - more recently - physicists and cosmologists. Through an interdisciplinary discussion of infinity, this program will delve into infinity's many facets and address some of the deepest questions and controversies that still surround infinity.

• Ending the Epidemic: Science Advances on AIDS (May 31 at New-York Historical Society) - Join a stellar panel of experts as we examine the past, present, and future of the AIDS epidemic. The World Science Festival brings this remarkable ensemble together on the same stage for the first time to challenge one another, collaborate, and craft their shared vision of an AIDS-free future.

The preliminary list of programs for the 2013 World Science Festival can be found at: https://www.worldsciencefestival.com/events

Tickets range from Free to $35 , with public ticket sales beginning on April 25^th, 2013.