Demos
Join us for a full day of fun and interactive STEM demonstrations and hands-on and activities in the UChicago Science Quads! With over 50 activities to explore, there will be something fun for everyone: use lasers to make diamonds glow with quantum engineers, take a trip to the South Pole and meet astronomers who use telescopes to map the Universe, crack the DNA code with computational biologists, explore 3D printouts of Jurassic mammal jaws with paleontologists, extract fluorescent chlorophyll from spinach with chemists, and much, much more!
See below for some examples of the many exciting activities and demos!

- What do polymer beads, bouncy balls, and gummy bears have in common? They are fantastic ways to explore how chemical engineers at UChicago design innovative and sustainable materials for a wide variety of uses and needs. Join scientists from the Patel and Rowan Labs to learn about materials science and molecular engineering at the #SouthSideScienceFestival!
- Come to the #SouthSideScienceFestival to learn about the incredible jellyfish! Molecular geneticist Jocelyn Malamy from @ScienceLife will walk us through the anatomy and life-cycle of these interesting marine creatures in a fun and safe space!
- Don’t miss out on learning about the wonders of cryogenic temperatures in a fun and safe space! Join physical chemist Dmitri Talapin at #SouthSideScienceFestival! Help his @UChicagoPSD lab make ice cream with liquid nitrogen!
- Synthetic chemist Bryan Dickinson and his @UChicagoPSD lab will guide you on an exploration of how you are made! Extract DNA from a strawberry, make a DNA model with candy, and detect fingerprints based on amino acids. You won’t want to miss this hands-on chemistry at #SouthSideScienceFestival!
- Join the students from @ScienceLife Medical Physics and @UChicagoMedPhys at #SouthSideScienceFestival! Explore MRI imaging through demos with guitar acoustics and Real Time Spectrograms that visualize audio signals! Don’t miss out on learning how sound can help diagnose what ails you!
- Can quantum effects be seen in everyday objects? How do light and matter interact? Participate in hands-on quantum science demonstrations, and learn how these quantum effects are being researched to create faster computers and secure internet communications. Learn about local programs for high school and undergraduate students, high school teachers, and STEM professionals from the Chicago Quantum Exchange Education staff at the #SouthSideScienceFestival!