This Saturday, May 18 marks the third year of WestFest on Ohio State’s West Campus, an opportunity for the university to showcase some of its research and accomplishments in the science of sustainability. Partnering with COSI, the Franklin Park Conservatory and Columbus GreenSpot, WestFest will feature stations managed by the university’s Sustainability Institute, the Byrd Polar & Climate Research Center, the Museum of Biological Diversity, the Orton Geological Museum and many others.
Since its inception in 2017, WestFest has been held on the same weekend in May each year. Courtney Price, an education and outreach specialist for the Arabidopsis Biological Resource Center and the Center for Applied Plant Sciences at OSU, as well as one of the festival’s lead organizers, said the event’s primary goals are to get families excited about science and to introduce locals to research at Ohio State they might not be aware of.
“I think Ohio State is a key part of the Columbus community,” said Price. “But many people can go their entire lives without ever seeing the inside of a laboratory there, or really knowing in depth some of the research that’s taking place, so it provides that sort of behind-the-scenes look.”
Price said WestFest is specifically designed for families and individuals of all ages.
“We make sure that every partner that joins the event has at least something interactive that’s appropriate for families with young children,” said Price. “But on the flip side of that, some of the experiences will be very interesting to adults that have an interest in science.”
WestFest starts at 10 a.m. Saturday at the West Campus Quad on Carmack Drive and runs until 2 p.m. The festival is free to all, though attendees will have to pay for parking.
For more information, visit byrd.osu.edu/west-campus-science-technology-festival.