6th annual UK Curiosity Fair seeks proposals

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2023 Curiosity Fair intubation stations | Arden Barnes, UK Photo

LEXINGTON, Ky (Oct. 14, 2024) — The 2024 UK Curiosity Fair is an annual event open to students, staff, faculty and members of the Lexington community interested in learning about various initiatives taking place on the University of Kentucky’s campus. The event will be 4-6 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Gatton Student Center Grand Ballroom.

From juggling and brains to meteorites and axolotls, the Curiosity Fair consists of “curiosity stations” created by students, faculty and staff that showcase concepts they are passionate about in their classes, fields, research or organizations. The purpose of this event is to promote the role of curiosity in higher education, by inviting participants to engage in interactive demos designed to highlight an area of interest or research that sparks curiosity about learning about something new.

“The Curiosity Fair is unique in that it brings together so many different people — from middle school students in the Lexington community to Ph.D.s in neuroscience — all interested in finding out more about the cool things being studied on campus,” said Stacy Smith, UK College of Pharmacy Academic Advisor and former Curiosity Fair co-chair. “It is a relaxed, fun, interactive environment that is conducive to networking and learning.”

In addition to building connections, hosting a curiosity station gives presenters a chance to explain their topic of interest in a way that makes the information more accessible to a general audience. Past presentations at the Curiosity Fair ranged from holding a human heart, growing mushrooms and trying aerial silks to extracting DNA from food. View previous Curiosity Stations here.

Students, staff and faculty are invited to submit their curiosity station proposals through the fair’s presenter signup.

The event is open to students, faculty, staff and members of the Lexington community. For more information about the fair and what to expect, click here.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.