Science After Hours inspires curiosity at the Franklin Institute

Science After Hours inspires curiosity at the Franklin Institute

Science After Hours” is The Franklin Institute’s popular monthly evening event series featuring experiments, demonstrations and engaging science curated by The Franklin Institute. In collaboration with organizations all across the city, the series has drawn sold-out crowds this year and continues to grow. Merging quirky science with colorful cocktails has proved to be the perfect formula for inviting adults to become curious kids again. July leads into summer with “The Sixties” as its theme.

“There was a lot of science in the ‘60s,” says Director of Museum Programs Gerri Trooskin in an interview. “The first laser was developed. The first kidney and heart transplants happened. There was the first man in space.” She continues down the list of significant accomplishments in the sciences from that decade, many of which are not widely known or are often forgotten. The cultural icons typically associated with the ‘60s aren’t grounded in science, and Trooskin wants to implement more than just the tye-dye and the music. “We’ll be focusing a lot on space, including tours of the lunar lander we have at the Institute.”

Trooskin and her team at the Franklin Institute are successfully engaging adults with science. “People who grew up here see the Institute as a place where they can be kids again,” Trooskin says. Since its 2014 debut, Science After Hours has quickly grown into one of the Institute’s most popular and highest in-demand events drawing a range of 700-2200 attendees each month. “They ask questions the way that kids do and they feel comfortable here.”

Science After Hours continues with “Don’t Try This At Home” on August 22 and wraps up summer with the “Wizard School” on September 26. Both events return after immense turnouts last year. “It’s one of my favorite events of the year because it’s so authentically us,” Trooskin says of “Don’t Try This At Home.” “We break out our messiest, biggest, wackiest and most explosive experiments that we do all year and put it into one night.”

“Wizard School” also proves to attract the most avid “Harry Potter” fans around, and Trooskin promises that “the enthusiasm is intense.”

“Science After Hours” takes place the second Tuesday of each month from 7p.m. to 10 p.m. and continues for the rest of the year. Tickets are available at fi.edu. Admission is $15 for the public and $10 for members of The Franklin Institute. All events are 21+.