Schedule of Events
Learn from ongoing drop-in programs and timed demonstrations in Nichols Hall, or sign up for a host of free classes in the Regenstein Center on everything from soil science to surviving the zombie apocalypse.
Trolley service will be provided to and from the Glencoe Metra Station from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for the Unearth Science festival on Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22. Round-trip trolley tickets are $2 per person. Garden members and children 5 and under ride free.
Friday, April 20
Symposia: Reaching New Audiences
Learn how we can all become advocates for science through communication and the arts at Reaching New Audiences, a Janet Meakin Poor Research Symposium.
Alsdorf Auditorium, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Science Poetry Slam
Experience science through spoken-word performance with a Science Poetry Slam. Science meets balladry, as five Chicago Botanic Garden scientists are paired with incredible spoken-word artists from Young Chicago Authors and RHINO to collaborate on a new performance.
Burnstein Hall, 8–9:30 p.m.; doors open at 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 21, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Participate all day in ongoing drop-in programs in Nichols Hall and learn about pollinators, water, fruits & seeds, and the building blocks of life (featuring DNA and carbon).
All events are free; events in bold require registration | ||
| 10 a.m. | Botanical Balladry | Plant Science Lab |
| 10 a.m. | What Makes Your Garden Grow: Soils 101 | Design Studio |
| 10 a.m. – noon | Meet artist Vaughn Bell and scientist Pati Vitt | Burnstein Hall |
| 10:30 a.m. | Water Wonders with Mad Science | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 11 a.m. | SkyDayChicago begins | Esplanade |
| 11:30 a.m. | Water Wonders with Mad Science | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 11:30 a.m. | Surviving the Zombie Apocalypse | Plant Science Lab |
| 12:30 p.m. | pH Magic with Stephen Woynerowski, UL | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 12:30 p.m. | CSI: Underground | Design Studio |
| 1 p.m. | McDonald Woods Wildflower Walk | Meet at the entrance to McDonald Woods |
| 1 p.m. | Botanical Balladry | Plant Science Lab |
| 1:30 p.m. | The Rock House Ensemble | Alsdorf Auditorium |
| 1:30 p.m. | Water Wonders with Mad Science | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 2 – 4 p.m. | Talk with scientist Pati Vitt | Burnstein Hall |
| 2:30 p.m. | Water Wonders with Mad Science | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 2:30 p.m. | CSI: Underground | Design Studio |
| 3 p.m. | Native Bee Homes | Plant Science Lab |
| 3:30 p.m. | pH Magic with Stephen Woynerowski, UL | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 7:30 p.m. | Night Sky Exploration with the Adler Planetarium | Nature Play Garden, Learning Campus |
Sunday, April 22, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Participate all day in ongoing drop-in programs in Nichols Hall and learn about pollinators, water, fruits & seeds, and the building blocks of life (featuring DNA and carbon).
All events are free; events in bold require registration | ||
| 10 a.m. | Botanical Balladry | Plant Science Lab |
| 10:30 a.m. | Water Wonders with Mad Science | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 11:30 a.m. | Water Wonders with Mad Science | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 11:30 a.m. | Could You Grow Potatoes in Martian Soil? | Plant Science Lab |
| 12:30 p.m. | pH Magic with Stephen Woynerowski, UL | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 1 p.m. | Botanical Balladry | Plant Science Lab |
| 1:30 p.m. | Water Wonders with Mad Science | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 1:30 p.m. | What Makes Your Garden Grow: Soils 101 | Design Studio |
| 2 p.m. | Exploring Plants in the Fossil Record | Plant Science Lab |
| 2:30 p.m. | pH Magic with Stephen Woynerowski, UL | Nichols Hall Stage |
| 2:30 p.m. | CSI: Underground | Design Studio |
| 3 p.m. | Unearthed Crowd-Sourced Poem Performance | Nichols Hall Stage |
Is a tree a diamond in the rough?
Carbon is the main element in all living things, trees included. It’s also the only element in both graphite and diamond!
What do bats and bees have in common?
They let plants have sex. We'll leave that talk to the scientists.
How many miles are in a pound of honey?
About 55,000.
Get involved in crowd-sourced science.
Observe phenology (when plants bloom) and pollinator attractiveness (which pollinators visit flowers).
Sign up to be part of the Garden’s own Budburst citizen science project and get a receipt for a set of plant starts (natives and cultivars of New England aster). Return to the Garden during Get Growing Weekend to pick up your plants.
Admission is free for the Unearth Science festival. Regular parking fees apply; Garden members park free every day.
Unearth Science festival is generously supported by
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