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Several Media Lab community members will participate in the Cambridge Science Festival, an annual celebration of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).
Founded and produced by the MIT Museum, the Cambridge Science Festival will take place in-person across several venues across the city.
Explore Media Lab contributions to the festivities below: all of these events and performances are free, but many require registration, as space is limited.
This year's curated events fall into three themes:
Democracy in the Age of AI
MIT Museum @ 7pm ET
There has been widespread discussion of the potential dangers posed by AI to our democratic processes, including through the weaponization of disinformation. But could AI actually help democracy? Focusing on the potential of AI tools to increase participation in democratic processes, this panel explores new technological approaches to giving voices to those who are commonly excluded from public discourse. How can AI help empower varied and nuanced opinions to combat the polarization of political discourse? Will AI provide amplification for a larger set of voices and offer new insights into the issues that shape our political allegiance?
Following the discussion, guests will have an opportunity to participate in technology-enhanced small group deliberation.
Panelists:
Claudia Chwalisz (DemocracyNext)
Deb Roy (MIT Media Lab)
Audrey Tang (Former Minister of Digital Affairs of Taiwan)
Moderator: Michael John Gorman (MIT Museum)
Bring a Book to Life with OctoStudio!
Cambridge Public Library, O'Neill Branch @ 2:30pm ET
Families are invited to join us for a creative coding workshop using OctoStudio, a new app developed by the team behind Scratch. We will take inspiration from our favorite books, which you are welcome to bring from home or check out from the library. In OctoStudio, you could create an animation with your favorite character, put yourself inside a fantastical setting, make a game inspired by the story, and much more!
Game-Making Workshop with OctoStudio
MIT Museum @ 2:30pm ET
Experiment, play, and iterate as you work together to make your own game! Using the coding app OctoStudio, get creative with materials and merge digital and physical worlds to make your own interactives.
Planetary Play: Designing for Outer Space
Ragon Institute @ 10:00am ET
Combine your passion for space with the power of design in this hands-on workshop!
Through short talks and hands-on workshops students and educators will gain tools to explore how to design for outer space and closer to home. We will be joined by Nicholas de Monchaux, author of “Spacesuit” and head of MIT’s architecture department, Dr. Cody Paige, Director of the Space Exploration Initiative at the Media Lab, and MIT students studying design and outer space. The workshops will cover the important design learning goals of “research and interviews,” “low fidelity prototyping,” and “ideation.”
Lunch & Learn: Astronaut Insights from the Final Frontier
MIT Media Lab @ 12:00pm ET
Bring your lunch and enjoy a unique opportunity to dine with renowned experts! This engaging session will explore fascinating topics from space missions to cutting-edge research in astronomy. Free and open to all, this lunchtime event promises an inspiring conversation about the mysteries of space, providing a rare chance to interact with pioneers of the field.
Panelists:
Jeffrey Hoffman (MIT)
Michael Hecht (MIT)
Kyle Horn (AstroAccess)
Moderator: Dr. Cody Paige (MIT Media Lab)
MIT Media Lab Presents: Innovation Under the Stars
MIT Open Space @ 6:30pm ET
An Informal Outdoor Conversation Featuring Pioneering Women in Space Exploration and Sustainable Climate Solutions.
Join researchers from the MIT Media Lab for an informal, outdoor conversation at the Cambridge Science Festival! Enjoy videos showcasing Media Lab research on a large outdoor movie screen and hear captivating stories about experimentation, learning, and ground-breaking discoveries. Meet visionary women who are at the forefront of pioneering research in space exploration and sustainable climate solutions, part of the Future Worlds Research Theme. These leaders are driving transformative technologies and strategies to create a better future for all living beings on Earth and beyond.
Panelists:
Alissa Chavalithumrong (MIT Media Lab)
Rachel Connolly (MIT Media Lab)
Dr. Cody Paige (MIT Media Lab)
Moderator: Kim Slater (MIT Media Lab)
AI and Imagination: Enhanced Creativity
The Foundry @ 10am ET
Generating imagery, video and music with AI is already commonplace, but how are garment designers using AI tools to enhance their creative process? This inspiring panel introduces the leading-edge in AI-assisted fashion design, exploring the many possibilities presented by generative technology. Find out how AI is already influencing artists and creators, and join the discussion about what’s coming next.
Panelists:
Norma Kamali (Designer)
Ziyuan ‘Zoey’ Zhu (IDEO)
Onur Yüce Gün (New Balance Athletics)
Behnaz Farahi (MIT Media Lab)
Moderator: Fiorenzo Omenetto (Tufts University)
In Conversation with Jack Forman
The Foundry @10 am ET
Jack Forman is a PhD Student at the MIT Media Lab and the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms. In his current work, Jack develops shape-shifting fabrics that are electrically controlled yet entirely soft, breathable, and conformable. For the last five years, Jack has been the co-president of LGBTQ+ Grad @ MIT, growing it to become MIT’s largest queer organization. Prior to his PhD, Jack Forman received his MS from the Media Lab and his BS in Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering with Institute Honors from Carnegie Mellon.
Virtually Dressed: Fashion and Mixed Reality
The Foundry @ 10am ET
VR and AR applications for the fashion industry are legion, with early adopters already occupying digital spaces for creative and practical purposes. This panel explores the virtual tools, techniques and approaches at play in the contemporary fashion ecosystem, and investigates the notion of fabrication, in every sense, as a bridge between the physical and digital worlds.
Panelists:
Nicolas Robbe (Hoverlay)
Alfredo Luján (Lecturer & Designer)
Bolor Amgalan (Northeastern University)
Ganit Goldstein (MIT)
Moderator: Jay Calderin (School of Fashion Design)
AI, Data, and Design: Humanizing Emerging Technology
MIT Museum @ 11am ET
Gain insights into the state of technology in 2024, with an emphasis on how AI is reshaping our interactions with data and information and driving trends and opportunities exciting the industry for 2025. Experts from IDEO, MIT Media Lab, Loft Design and IDSA will showcase some of their most exciting work experimenting with and/or commercializing emerging technologies such as AI, XR, and robotics. A custom GPT will provide unique insights and real-time interaction, adding a new dimension to the discussion.
Speakers:
Jenna Fizel (IDEO)
Pat Pataranutaporn, PhD (MIT Media Lab)
Saloni Bedi (Loft Design; IDSA Boston)
Tiange Wang (IDEO)
Origin Stories: Cultural Exchange and Global Aesthetics
The Foundry @ 11:30am ET
Investigating intercultural influence in the fashion world, this panel showcases designers with bold aesthetics and stories to tell. Explore the process of cultural exchange and discover ways that an artist’s country of origin can inspire their creative journey.
Panelists:
Milain Fayulu (Congo Clothing Company)
Joëlle Fontaine (Kréyol)
Behnaz Farahi (MIT Media Lab)
Moderator: Deborah Tsogbe (Designer-Maker)
In Conversation with Irmandy Wicaksono: Living Knitwork Pavilion in Burning Man
The Foundry @ 11:30am ET
Explore the intersection of electronic textiles and architecture in this session with Irmandy Wicaksono, an MIT Media Lab researcher, as he discusses the inspiration and development process behind the Living Knitwork Pavilion in Burning Man—a large-scale knitted textile structure that merges functional yarns with digital knitting. Designed for the unique vast landscape of Black Rock Desert, this 26 ft-wide and 18 ft-tall artistic installation pushes the boundaries of interactive textiles and immersive spaces by integrating sensor networks, robotic lighting, and a spatial audio system.
Knitting: Past, Present, and Future
The Foundry @ 2:30pm ET
Join our panel of expert knitters, computational designers and engineers, and learn about why knitting has been in fashion for almost a thousand years. Delve into the intricate patterns that machine knitting and digital tools make possible, and find out how knitting is influencing the fabrication of the future.
Panelists:
Carmel Snow (Designer)
Irmandy Wicaksono (MIT Media Lab)
Ganit Goldstein (MIT)
Moderator: Megan Hoffman (Northeastern)
Wearable Lab: Smart Clothing For A Healthier World
The Foundry @ 4pm ET
Find out how tomorrow’s clothing will help us stay healthy. Bridging the fashion and medical worlds, this panel explores developments in wearable health-clothing – from garments that monitor our vitals to fabrics that respond to changing temperatures, from the aesthetics of prosthetics to the wearable innovations we won’t be able to live without.
Panelists:
Svetlana Boriskina (META Research Lab/MIT)
Chrissy Glover (MIT Beaver Works)
Nataliya Kosmyna (MIT Media Lab)
Moderator: Michelle Farrington (AFFOA)
Electric Skin: The Scene
The Foundry @ 7pm ET
Join Boston Fashion Week and Cambridge Science Festival at The Foundry for a fashion show without a catwalk. Immerse yourself in the designs that will shape the next generation of wearable tech. Meet designers, engineers and thought-leaders, and explore ground-breaking exhibits close enough to touch. Electric Skin is an experiential networking event devoted to the future of fashion, with cutting-edge technology and interactive prototypes on display.
Expect DJs, digital art and a cash bar.
Exhibiting designers and artists include: Ganit Goldstein (MIT Self Assembly Lab), Yiyue Luo (University of Washington) & Devin Murphy (MIT), Rachele Didero (Cap_able), Zoey Zhu (IDEO), Jack Forman (MIT Media Lab) & Megan Hofmann (Northeastern University), Fiorenzo Omenetto & Giulia Guidetti (Silklab, Tufts University), Pin-Sung Ku (Cornell Hybrid Body Lab), Nataliya Kosmyna (MIT Media Lab).
Compose a Tune!
Presented by New Harmony Line
MIT Open Space @ 12pm ET
Using Hyperscore, you'll compose an original piece of music in minutes. It’s like finger painting with a computer screen, using colored lines to compose tunes and beats. Once you get the hang of it, there’s no end to what you can create. Discover the singular power of music to communicate your story.
New Harmony Line promotes creativity, self-expression, and story telling through music composition using Hyperscore, an innovative, user-friendly web application invented at the MIT Media Lab.