The Wisconsin Science Festival is celebrating its 15th year in 2025 with an exciting, 10-day festival planned from October 16-26! Central Library has been participating in the Wisconsin Science Festival for several years through the Wisconsin Book Festival by welcoming amazing authors on topics and themes relevant to each year's science festival. This year, we're going a step further!
The Wisconsin Science Festival's theme for 2025 is Rock and Roll, so they're looking at everything from music and motion, to the geology that shapes Wisconsin, and all the ways in which these topics show up in science, technology, engineering, art, and math. Check out the events Madison Public Library is hosting in partnership with the Wisconsin Science Festival this year!
Science on the Square at Central Library
October 16, 5:30-8pm
On the first day of the festival, alongside the Madison Night Market and as part of Science on the Square, we'll be hosting STEM-themed activities on the 3rd floor of Central Library, including...
- Stargazing on the Patio: Stargaze, learn about space, and play astronomy-themed trivia. Presented by UW-Madison Department of Astronomy.
- Instrument Petting Zoo: Try a new instrument or test your skills on something familiar. Presented by Ward-Brodt Music.
- Biomechanics of Rock 'N Roll: Participate in marker-less motion capture and see a skeletal model of yourself...being a rock star. Presented by the American Society of Biomechanics - Student Chapter.
All ages are welcome! No registration required; this is a drop-in event.
Privacy and Security Online
October 23, 7-8pm | Sequoya Library and Online*
Heard about data breaches? Concerned about identity theft? Don’t like being tracked online? Bring your concerns for a frank discussion of online privacy and security, as well as workable tips to improve them. All community members are invited to this Q&A with Dorothea Salo, Distinguished Teaching Faculty with UW Madison's Information School. You can send questions in advance to sequoya@madisonpubliclibrary.org.
This event is presented through UW Madison's Badger Talks program and is being hosted as part of the Wisconsin Science Festival!
*If you would like to attend this program virtually via Zoom, please register.
Wisconsin Book Festival x Wisconsin Science Festival Events
The Wisconsin Book Festival Fall Celebration takes place October 23-26, 2025 with more than 70+ local and national authors visiting Madison over a four-day period! The events listed below are a small selection of the overall lineup, and are focused on authors featured as part of the Wisconsin Science Festival.
You can see the full book festival lineup on the Wisconsin Book Festival website.
- October 25, 12-1pm | Discovery Building - DeLuca Forum: Fish Tales: Why Fresh and Saltwater Fish are Worth Knowing and Saving by Rebecca Hogue Wojahn, Joe E. Meisel, and Anne Moser
- October 25: 12-1pm | Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium: The Year Science Changed Everything by Mark O'Connell
- October 25: 12-1pm | Central Library (Community Room 302): What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis by Malcolm Harris
- October 25: 1:30-2:30pm | Discovery Building - DeLuca Forum: Submersed: Wonder, Obsession, and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines by Matthew Gavin Frank
- October 25: 1:30-2:30pm | Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium: White Light: The Elemental Role of Phosphorous - In Our Cells, In Our Food, and In Our World by Jack Lohmann
- October 25: 3-4pm | Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium: Strata: Stories from Deep Time by Laura Poppick
- October 25: 4:30-5:30pm | Wisconsin Historical Society Auditorium: The Wisconsin State Park System 125th Anniversary: A Celebration in Books by Scott Spoolman, Betsy Korbinyr, and Randy Hoffman
- October 26: 10:30-11:30am | Central Library (Community Room 301): Birds of the Great Lakes by Dexter Patterson
- October 26: 1:30-2:30pm | Central Library (Community Rooms 301 & 302): Replaceable You by Mary Roach and Michelle Wildgen
Please note: The most up-to-date information will be available on the Wisconsin Book Festival website. Any changes to the schedule or room locations will be posted there first. Please be sure to check their website before traveling.