Science for everyone: Inside W&M's annual Sci-Fri celebration

On Friday, Oct. 2 from 5:30-8 p.m., W&M invites the Williamsburg community to a showcase of all things science in the annual event, Sci-Fri: an Open Night of Science for the Community. From lab tours and experiments to student research and hands-on demos, everyone is welcome to explore what W&M’s science departments have to offer.

But how did Sci-Fri come to be? Fifteen years ago, in the historic city of Aachen, Germany, something struck Associate Professor of Chemistry and Director of Undergraduate Research Tyler Meldrum about the place: the open nights. Twice a year, Aachen would open different parts of the city — from museums to churches — to invite the public to explore.

Meldrum thought this was a wonderful way to engage people in curiosity and conversation. Upon returning to W&M, he used these Aachen open nights as a blueprint to create a similar event that celebrates science: Sci-Fri. Since its first-ever run in 2023, Sci-Fri continues to grow, engaging W&M and beyond one experiment at a time.   

Sci-Fri features tours of labs, the greenhouse, and the computer center. Organizers also present fascinating live experiments; one year, Catherine Forestell, professor of psychological sciences and vice dean for natural, mathematical and health sciences, brought in berries that could trick your brain into thinking sour foods like lemons tasted sweet; Lisa Treidel, assistant professor of biology, hosted a live demonstration of teaching baby crickets to sing. W&M’s departments also gather to showcase their technology; a great example being when the psychological sciences and neuroscience departments brought in EEG machines and a human brain to give visitors a closer look at the science they study one year.

This year, the event expands to include the newly opened ISC 4, particularly its state-of-the-art makerspace. At this year’s Sci-Fri, there will be a feature on AI, exploring both how AI works and how it can be applied to scientific research and real-world problems.

Sci-Fri brings the local community together around a simple message: compelling scientific research is happening at W&M, science matters, and anyone can pursue it. By partnering with Williamsburg-James City County public schools, organizers hope to inspire young students to see themselves as future scientists and problem-solvers. Professor of Applied Science Margaret Saha, who serves as the director of Sci-Fri this year, emphasizes this idea.

“That is exactly what we want. The community and young kids can see that our W&M students love science, are passionate about it, and are having fun too. We want to show that science is something that is fun, worthwhile, and serving global needs,” Saha said. It is also vital to demonstrate the reality that science is accessible to the community.

Meldrum recalled a moment during a past Sci-Fri that made him realize the event’s public outreach had succeeded. 

“I had this high schooler who struck up a conversation with one of our presenters with the impression that W&M was just liberal arts. He was like ‘I didn’t know how good the science was here. I’m going to apply!’” Meldrum said, “I thought that this embodied the outcome we’re looking for. Let’s bring people here, have a wonderful time, but also change perceptions about what we are doing and the quality of it.”

But Sci-Fri can change more than visitors’ perceptions of W&M — it can also shape how young people imagine their own place in science. At Sci-Fri, W&M’s students — the next generation of scientists — get to inspire the generation that follows them. For younger visitors, meeting the people behind the experiments can make a future in science feel a little less distant.

Saha saw this come to life at a previous Sci-Fri: “One of my students was helping a little kid with a demo, and the kid said to my student, ‘I want to be like you when I grow up.’” It’s a small interaction, but one that captures what can happen when science moves beyond the classroom and into the community.

Sci-Fri isn’t just an event held every fall — it’s a culmination of curiosity, community, scholarship and empowerment. Excited to open its labs and doors to the public, W&M welcomes all to experience the real work done in these halls, and of course, the true wonder that is science.

More information about Sci-Fri. For questions, suggestions, or ideas, reach out to professors Margaret Saha and Tyler Meldrum: mssaha@wm.edu, tkmeldrum@wm.edu.