Wisconsin Science Festival Mad Science Saturday

To celebrate the Wisconsin Science Festival, we are turning into mad scientists all month long! Unleash your inner innovator with special programs that will get you experimenting, tinkering, and learning — and see just how fun science can be!

Are you mad about science? Put on your thinking caps and delve into the exciting world of science with hands-on experiments and activities just for the Wisconsin Science Festival!

Explore the science of fall colors, tree rings, weather, phenology and more! See the illuminating Science on a Sphere! Try out our touch drawers and a mad science lab experience! Examine our EcoSphere! Give a mad climate cast forecast as you practice being a meteorologist in our green screen studio!

The day will feature fun for all ages with exciting exhibits, centered on renewable energy, climate science, and sustainability, feature multimedia, interactive technology, and hands-on and immersive experiences.

So throw on a lab coat, roll up your sleeves, and jump into some serious science.

CREATE – Orientation Theater – Saturday and Sunday
A young mad scientist sets out to create a pet monster within parallel worlds of an imaginary laboratory and the reality of the boy’s bedroom. Run-time 2:09

MAKE Presents: the LED – Orientation Theater – Saturday and Sunday
Take a tour through the world of the light-emitting diode. Learn – who invented it, how to use it, and how to make your own. Run-time: 5:29

Phosphorescence! – Immersion Theater – Saturday and Sunday
Check out some cool DIY experiments you can do with household items and blacklights. Create a phosphorescent mural and light up your face and hands with glowing bodypaint!

Weather Report – Kids’ Climate Cast – Saturday and Sunday
Learn about the science behind some weather phenomena and give your own on-screen weather report!

GLOBE: Students of the Earth – Science on a Sphere – Saturday and Sunday
Our planet is constantly being observed by satellites in space, collecting information about hundreds of different components of the Earth-system. All of these variables can be examined for features and patterns, and color helps in this process. Run-time: 7 minutes

Phenology Microscopy – Nina Leopold Bradley Family Phenology Center – Saturday and Sunday
Use microscopes and hand lenses to touch, explore, and record observations about plants and animals, bones, skulls, bark, and more!

Dendrochronology – Exhibit Floor – Saturday and Sunday
Scientists examine tree rings to study trees – and also to learn clues about the environment, atmosphere, and ecosystems around the tree. See what you can discover!

Plus, stop by for these exciting special presentations from Dupont!

The Science of Cheese Making – Exhibit Floor – Saturday and Sunday
Working closely with small farmers in Columbia, scientists at DuPont provide important ingredients and education to these communities — introducing modern food science to rural farmers to aid in safe, efficient, increased cheese production.

Food Science Lab – Lobby – Saturday and Sunday
Explore the science of food with DuPont! View these displays to learn about testing of bacteria, fermentation, and more. See how clinical studies and scientific lab work can produce the helpful probiotics and innovative ingredients that help to make our food healthier and safer.

Don’t miss the exciting displays and presentations from DuPont! DuPont™ Danisco® company is using science every day to innovate and deliver ingredient solutions that meet our growing population’s increasing demand for healthier and safer food products with greater cost efficiency and lower environmental impact.

(Special programs and activities are free with paid admission which is free for ALNC Members and $5.50/person for non-members. Visit aldoleopoldnaturecenter.org for more information)