The goal of the Indian River Lagoon Science Festival is to highlight the vast scientific and engineering resources along the Indian River Lagoon, which stretches 156 miles from Ponce de León Inlet in the north to Jupiter Inlet in the south. The festival celebrates the role of science in our everyday lives and our world through fun, exciting and downright fascinating exhibits, activities and demonstrations. Just a few of the activities that participants can enjoy this year include:
- Using upcycled materials to create toys for the chimpanzees at Save the Chimps, Inc
- Building robots with LEGO Education
- Making tornadoes with the National Weather Service
- Getting an up close view of live bees in Treasure Coast Beekeeper’s live observation hive
- Learning about and touching bones and tools from Florida’s prehistoric animals and humans with the Old Vero Ice Age Sites Committee
- Breaking boards with Sidekick Martial Arts and learning the physics behind why they break
- Making manatee puppets with the Save the Manatee Club
- Learning about sharks and rays with a hands-on question and answer game from Florida Oceanographic Society
- Plus much, much more!
A variety of food trucks will be on-site to satisfy the hunger of festival-goers and free parking will be available in the Downtown Fort Pierce Parking Garage with free trolley transport to the festival site. Admission at the St. Lucie County Aquarium will also be free that day.
Five weeks of satellite events that are science-focused will be taking place around the Treasure Coast leading up to the Festival on October 27. The satellite events begin on September 27 and run through October 20. For more information on these events, please visit the IRL Science Festival website at www.irlsciencefest.org/satellite.
The IRL Science Festival has been made possible through funding from the Smithsonian Marine Station, FAU Harbor Branch, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute Foundation’s Specialty License Plate Program, LEGO Education, Sunrise Ford, and the generous support of WGYL 93.7, WJKD 99.7, WPHR 94.7, WOSN 97.1, WTTB 1490, Waste Pro, Indian River State College and ECO Magazine.
Can’t get enough of IRL Science Festival events? They’re currently looking for event volunteers to assist with set up, break down, and everything in between on October 26 and October 27. Minimum age for volunteers is 16 years old. More information can be found here. If you are interested in being an exhibitor, registration is open online until October 5 at http://irlsciencefest.org/hostexhibit/.
About the Indian River Lagoon Science Festival
Established in 2014, the Indian River Lagoon Science Festival is a celebration of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) that culminates with a large-scale community event. The festival aims to demonstrate that science is meaningful, relevant, and fun, to make science accessible to all residents of the Treasure Coast, and to highlight STEAM resources in the IRL region. The Festival planning committee is made up entirely of volunteer organizers from local governments and research, education and non-profit organizations, and administrative support is largely provided by the Smithsonian Marine Station. A member of the Science Festival Alliance since 2013, the IRL Science Festival serves as a leader in promoting science and science festivals across the state of Florida. For more information about all Festival partners, sponsors, and scheduled activities, click here. #IRLsciencefest
