Celebrating Science in the City

This year's World Science Festival in New York City kicked off with a gala at Lincoln Center honoring Harvard's E.O. Wilson. Tracy Day, a former ABC producer who, with her husband, Columbia's Brian Greene, came up with the idea for the festival tells the New York Times that their strategy is: "Bring them in for the art and have them leave with science." Upcoming events include: "What It Means to Be Human: The Enigma of Altruism" with Alan Alda, E.O. Wilson, Sarah Hrdy, and others; as well as "Notes & Neurons: In Search of the Common Chorus" with John Schaefer, Daniel Levitin, and Bobby McFerrin. There are kid-friendly (and kid-at-heart-friendly) events, too, such as the street fair that includes a mock CSI experience, a wildlife theatre, a secret agent lab, and more.