IU Science Fest: Biology

Join us for Science Fest on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Indiana University Bloomington campus. Fun for all ages!

Stop by the Biology Building at 1001 E. 3rd St. in Bloomington to check out a variety of activities designed to teach, thrill, and amaze you. Stations will be located both outdoors and indoors. Masks are required for indoor actitivies and optional for outdoor activities.

FREE admission.

Some of the exciting activities included in past years:

• 1, 2, 4, 8—Microbes double and double and double!
  Learn how microbes can go from 1 to 2 to millions in a matter of hours. Get ready to pick a microbe and ‘race’ the others at the table to see who can double the most!
• Bacterial viruses
  Meet viruses that make bacteria sick and learn about how these unsung heroes of the microbial world are being recruited to fight bacterial infections.
• Beekeeping
  Learn about bees and beekeeping.
• Bioluminescent bacteria
  Experiment with bioluminescent bacteria and watch them glow!
• Birds battle for boxes
  Learn what IU researchers have discovered about how tree swallows compete for nesting sites. Learn how to provide birds with a safe nest box.
• Bloomington Urban Woodlands Project: RESTORE
  Learn about BUWP’s education and community science initiative to investigate the connections between deer, invasive plants, and native plants in local woodlands. Come make a biodegradable pot and plant a deer-resistant woodland species to take home.
• Build your own virus
  Learn about eukaryotic viruses—including the structure of the virus and virus infection—by building your own virus activity. Pick up a coloring sheet.
• Go with the flow
  Learn about a powerful and colorful laser-based technology—flow cytometry—and how it is used in the life sciences.
• Killer worms and germs
  Be amazed by the cooperation and warfare that IU researchers have discovered in our local soils and the dangers that lurk within for insects.
• Plants get sick, too
  Look at diseased plants under a microscope, see the pathogens and pests that make them sick, and learn how IU research will protect our food supply from these devastating diseases.
• Skulls
  Explore the skulls of over 40 species of mammals, including humans! Play detective to discover what an animal ate; is it a predator, a prey, or both; who is it closely related to; and perhaps how it died.
• Tortoises
  Meet a group of live tortoises and learn about their biology.
• Ushering proteins into structures
  Learn how molecular chaperone Hsp60 assists proteins to fold into their functional structures.