South Side Science Festival brings hands-on discovery to thousands in Chicago

Thousands of children and adults explored science at the University of Chicago on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026, as the fifth annual South Side Science Festival brought experiments, games and conversations with researchers to campus. More than 130 hands-on demonstrations and activities covered subjects including biology, aerospace and physics.

The festival gave South Side families a chance to meet the people behind university research and ask questions about their work. Rather than simply watching presentations, visitors could conduct experiments and take part in activities designed to make scientific ideas approachable. Organizers described connecting the surrounding community with researchers as a central purpose of the gathering.

Maanasa Raghavan, an associate professor in the Department of Human Genetics and a founding organizer, said the inspiration came from Germany’s Long Night of Sciences. That event opens universities and research laboratories to the public. The Chicago organizers adapted the idea with a particular focus on South Side communities and on helping visitors see themselves as potential participants in science.

For doctoral student Michelle Bessiake, the festival also offers a valuable connection beyond the laboratory. She has led demonstrations at the event for three years and helped visitors play a board game she developed with colleagues at this year’s gathering. Bessiake said meeting attendees and hearing what matters to them helps keep her research grounded, even when her weeks involve more than 60 hours of research and experiments.

The activities created opportunities for questions to grow out of play. Bessiake described children working with slime while also asking about science and making connections to subjects such as vaccination. Organizer Luke Dyer said bringing people onto campus allows researchers to explain their work directly and respond to visitors’ questions.

Among the families attending were south suburban resident Nijel Mottley and his 4-year-old son, Remy. Mottley said his son already enjoys mixing things and watching science videos, making the hands-on festival a good match for his interests. He brought Remy to encourage that curiosity and introduce him to different ways science can be used, an example of the early connections organizers hope the annual event will foster.