NEWS RELEASE

Quantum to Cosmos Festival to include Mars Rover, Quantum Computing Demonstration - and more!

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, September 10, 2009 –Find out what happens when you mix liquid nitrogen, quantum physics and lasers – in 12 minutes or less. Then challenge your balance in a two-person gyroscope before ogling a full-scale model of the next Mars Rover, catching a sci-fi flick at the Q2C Film Festival or wrapping up your adventure with engaging debate at ‘Science in the Pub’ or captivating jazz with a physics flair in the intimate Black Hole Bistro.

Full details for Perimeter Institute’s 10th anniversary celebration, the Quantum to Cosmos Festival, are online now. Events will be held October 15-25 in Waterloo, Ontario. Free tickets for the Physica Phantastica Exhibit, Q2C Film Festival, and ‘Science in the Pub’ as well as paid cultural event tickets will be available Monday, September 14, 2009.

Exhibits

Bring your curiosity and questions to Q2C’s Physica Phantastica exhibit! Over 6000 square feet of stage shows, hands-on experiments and new ideas await your family. Highlights include:

• Mars Rover –the model of the next Mars Rover, scheduled to blast off to Mars in 2011, will amaze you with its size and complexity


• Quantum Computing Demonstration – this interactive exhibit will contain a real, live NQR (nuclear quadrupole resonance) quantum computer demonstration that you will be able to see, touch, and use
• Quantum Stage Show – these eye-popping demonstrations will introduce you to the world of quantum physics through the amazing properties of liquid nitrogen and lasers
• RealD 3D Theatre with NSCA visualizations that show the formation of the universe, dramatic colliding galaxies, and even a tornado’s growth in ultra-high definition 3D!
• 'PI Presents’ – these engaging multimedia presentations by PI’s award-winning outreach team explain current research on dark matter and quantum physics and will include screenings of PI’s new animated series of short films ‘Alice & Bob in Wonderland’

The Physica Phantastica Exhibit is open weekday evenings and weekends for all festival-goers (see ticket info below), and is reserved for school groups on weekdays from 9am-4pm.

Q2C Film Festival

Featuring some of the greatest names in the history of filmmaking (Méliès, Lang, Kubrick, Spielberg, Chaplin, Tarkovsky), the Q2C Film Festival offers an international selection of motion pictures in the science fiction genre – films that have changed the way we see science, and the way science sees itself. Screenings include:

• Early adventures in the genre such as ‘Metropolis’ (1926) and ‘Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon)’ (1902)


• A breath-taking new print of Kubrick’s classic ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’


• Family matinees of ‘E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial’, ‘The Iron Giant’ and ‘The Man in the White Suit’


• The Canadian premiere of Perimeter Institute’s ‘The Quantum Tamers: Revealing our Weird and Wired Future’ featuring Stephen Hawking

The Q2C film festival is curated by the Canadian Film Institute (CFI). CFI’s Executive Director, Tom McSorley notes, "Sci-fi is not only a perennially popular cinematic genre, it is also a narrative tradition within which science itself has been celebrated, investigated, and re-imagined. Many of these films have changed the way we see the world."

Science in the Pub

Charismatic host and experienced journalist Wilson da Silva invites you to debate big questions with the experts. Controversial and engaging topics of discussion in this informal series include the biggest gamble in physics, our future as robots, life in a quantum world and the fusion solution.

Commenting from Australia, da Silva remarks, “What’s great about ‘Science in the Pub’ is that it brings the excitement and the big ideas of science into a relaxed social setting. Everyone’s used to hearing tall tales in a pub. Difference is, these are really tall tales, and amazingly, they’re all really true.”

Cultural Events

A program of select arts and culture events that complement the scientific festival includes the world premiere of award-winning composer Kotoka Suzuki’s ‘Quantum Quartet’ for the Penderecki String Quartet, and a special appearance by Jaron Lanier, celebrated musician and pioneer of virtual reality. Other events include a demonstration by Cedric Ginart, scientific glass-blower, presented in partnership with the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.

Ticket and Location Details

Free tickets for the Physica Phantastica Exhibit including ‘PI Presents’, the Q2C Film Festival, and ‘Science in the Pub’, as well as paid cultural event tickets, will be available Monday, September 14, 2009.

The free tickets for the amazing lineup of lectures, panel discussions and “The Agenda with Steve Paikin” live broadcasts are sold out but you can still join in online from anywhere at anytime, with full access to all panels and talks as they happen.

Perimeter Institute makes every effort to ensure the scheduled programming, however, there may be occasions when content is subject to change without notice. The appearance of specific guests, artists, or attractions is not guaranteed. Perimeter Institute reserves the right to make substitutions and reschedule events if necessary.

Media contact: Angela Robinson, arobinson[at]perimeterinstitute[dot]ca, 519-569-7600 ext. 5051

About the Quantum to Cosmos Festival

For 10 exciting days this October, Perimeter Institute’s Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas for the Future (Q2C) will take a global audience from the strange world of subatomic particles to the outer frontiers of the universe. Q2C will transcend traditional festivals by streaming events live and on demand, offering virtual interaction with exhibits, and providing special opportunities for students and teachers. TVO, Ontario’s public educational media organization, is the Presenting Media Partner for the Q2C Festival.

The Q2C Festival is produced for Perimeter Institute by Title Entertainment Inc.

About Perimeter Institute

Canada's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is an independent, non-profit, scientific research and educational outreach organization where international scientists cluster to push the limits of our understanding of physical laws and develop new ideas about the very essence of space, time, matter and information. The centre provides a multi-disciplinary environment to foster scientific collaboration in research areas of cosmology, particle physics, quantum foundations, quantum gravity, quantum information, superstring theory, and related disciplines. PI also provides a wide array of award winning outreach resources and public lectures for students, teachers and the general public to share the joy of research, discovery and innovation. In partnership with the Governments of Ontario and Canada, PI continues to be a successful example of private and public collaboration in science research and education.