Celebrate STEAM to Launch 2026 Atlanta Science Festival
Children participate in a demo during the 2025 Celebrate STEAM event at Georgia Tech. Photo by Joya Chapman.
To kick off the 13th annual Atlanta Science Festival, Georgia Tech will host its Celebrate STEAM event on March 7. Free and open to all, the event invites visitors to campus for hands-on demonstrations and experiences showcasing the innovation and excitement at the intersection of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
After surpassing 6,000 attendees in 2025, Celebrate STEAM is back and bigger than ever, giving people the chance to touch a human brain, build robots and rockets, explore cleanroom spaces at Georgia Tech, and more. Over 50 demonstrations will take place throughout the day, and guest speakers will share insights into how STEAM is shaping the future.
"Georgia Tech has been a founding partner of ASF since it started in 2014 and continues to showcase a variety of engaging programs, including Celebrate STEAM. This event features amazing Tech researchers and students and is a great way to learn about science right on campus,” said Jennifer Leavey, assistant dean in the College of Sciences and one of the founding organizers of the Atlanta Science Festival at Georgia Tech.
When: Saturday, March 7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: Check in at the registration tent in the Area 4 parking lot. Events will take place in various locations on the Georgia Tech campus.
- The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design.
- Marcus Nanotechnology Building.
- Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience.
- Molecular Science and Engineering.
- U.A. Whitaker Building.
- Christopher W. Klaus Advanced Computing Building.
Visitors are encouraged to park in the North Campus Parking Deck on State Street (Area 5) or in the Dalney Parking Deck (Area 12).
Just Getting Started
Celebrate STEAM is the first of more than 150 Atlanta Science Festival events across the city, running through March 21 and culminating with the Exploration Expo at Piedmont Park on the festival’s final day. Georgia Tech experts will provide engaging and informative demonstrations throughout the festival at various events.
When: Saturday, March 14, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
From President Jimmy Carter’s 1970s solar panels on the White House to today’s high-tech solar vehicles, the look and efficiency of clean energy have been rapidly changing. Join the Carter Library and the Georgia Tech Solar Racing team for an engaging panel discussion on the evolution of clean energy.
Hear from experts about how Carter’s early response to the energy crisis helped spark a clean energy revolution and see modern innovations in action. The racing team will bring their solar vehicles on-site for the public to view and interact with, offering a hands-on look at the future of sustainable transportation.
When: Saturday, March 14, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Where: Zoo Atlanta
Ever wonder how orangutans swing, or how an elephant's trunk works? This event at Zoo Atlanta celebrates the diversity of animals on Earth and the incredible ways they move. With help from biomechanics experts at Georgia Tech and other universities, visitors can participate in live demonstrations and presentations designed to engage and inspire them to learn more about biomechanics and its applications in bio-inspired design.
When: Saturday, March 14, 7 – 9:30 p.m.
Where: Ferst Center for the Arts
Attendees will see the world's most innovative new musical instruments, meet the creators, hear them in concert, and vote on their favorites. The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition is a celebration of how science, engineering, art, and design help us imagine new ways to express ourselves through music.
When: Friday, March 20, 7 – 8 p.m.
Where: Room 103, Instructional Center
The Musical Chemist Walker Smith turns atomic spectra into sound through data sonification, allowing visitors to hear a variety of elements and the ethereal chords they create together. His live show, The Sound of Molecules, features lasers, live music, and audience interaction, so “buckle your seatbelts, because things are about to get elemental.”