FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 10, 2009

For more information, contact: Beth McClure Saint Louis Science Center 314.289.1455 or 314.267.9916 bmcclure@slsc.org

     DEAN KAMEN, LAURELL K. HAMILTON, SYMPHONY HEADLINE SCIFEST 09 AT THE SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER
Science Festival to Feature Segway Inventor, Science Fiction Author, Saint Louis Symphony’s Arda Ensemble and Member of President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology  

ST. LOUIS – The Saint Louis Science Center announced the dates and program for SciFest 09, the second installment of its popular science festival for the masses. The festival, sponsored by Monsanto Company, will run Wednesday, Oct. 7, through Sunday, Oct. 11, and promises to teach attendees a few things about the science of social networking, string theory and stars, among other things. 

“With 60 individual sessions and numerous free activities throughout the building, SciFest provides more than 90 ways over five days to engage with science and technology,” said Doug King, President and CEO of the Science Center. “The best way to describe the SciFest format is to compare it to a conference, but it’s much more fun than any conference I’ve ever attended.” 

Dean Kamen, inventor and entrepreneur, will kick off this year’s festival on Wednesday evening. He will highlight his invention the Segway® Human Transporter and the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) program he founded, both of which play a prominent role at the Science Center, and give attendees a peek at what else he sees on the horizon.

On Thursday night, beneath the stars of the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, the Arda Ensemble, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra’s world-music ensemble, will play “Earth’s Greatest Hits,” taken from the gold record of Earth sounds sent into space on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. On Saturday night, New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton will discuss the impact today’s changing technology has on her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. 

“We’re even more excited about this year’s program than we were for SciFest 08, which I didn’t think was possible,” said King. “The quality of the new presenters is testament to the credibility of SciFest and proof that word has spread it’s a great time.”

Day sessions will highlight the science of the tango, baseball and Ted Drewes, plus robotics, climate change, honeybees, genetic diagnosis and more. One presenter of note is S. James Gates, Ph.D., John S. Toll Professor of Physics, University of Maryland, Department of Physics and a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Gates will discuss the DNA of Reality. 

“Key to our mission at the Science Center is creating and sustaining interest in science and technology among people of all ages,” said King. “With SciFest, we’re trying to create an entertaining, neutral ground, where that can happen.” 

A few favorites from SciFest 08 return, including “Rock Doctor” Mark Lewney, the physicist who demystifies string theory using his electric guitar, and Dr. Giovanni Fazio, Senior Physicist, Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who can captivate even the most non-astronomical thinkers with his session on the life of a star.

St. Louis is well-represented on the roster, with presenters from Washington University, the Saint Louis Zoo, Monsanto, Boeing and others, proving King’s stance that St. Louis is a hotbed of science and technology activity. 

“St. Louis is on the cutting edge of so many facets of science and technology, and SciFest is meant to help remind the world of our region’s impressive status as a scientific leader,” said King.

SciFest 08 attracted more than 23,000 attendees and Science Center organizers expect the second year’s attendance to be even bigger.

A Celebration of Science Extravaganza will be held Friday night, benefiting the Science Center’s education programs. Attendees will receive a taste of the whole SciFest program. Ticket includes complimentary admission to all SciFest 09 weekend sessions. 

Tickets are $6 for single day sessions, $10 for evening sessions and $20 for a day pass. Extravaganza tickets are $100. Members can purchase day passes for half price. Full schedule, information and tickets available at scifeststl.org

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Trademarks: 
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Saint Louis Science Center
The Saint Louis Science Center is one of the top five science centers in the United States, serving 1.2 million visitors annually. Recently named one of the Top 10 Science Centers for Families by Parents magazine and one of America’s most visited museums by Forbes Traveler Magazine, - the only museum in Missouri to be named to either list - the Saint Louis Science Center complex includes a four-story OMNIMAX® Theater, the air-supported EXPLORADOME and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. Its mission is to ignite and sustain lifelong science and technology learning.