Popular science holiday program ‘sold out’

The ever-popular holiday lectures of Bassam Shakhashiri, scientific spectacles intended to amaze audiences through the power and fun of science, are “sold out,” its organizer said Monday, Nov. 29.

All of the free tickets for the four scheduled programs of “Once Upon A Christmas Cheery in the Lab of Shakhashiri,” set for Dec. 11 and Dec. 12, have been given away, Shakhashiri said. The UW–Madison professor of chemistry is a well-known figure in Madison and his programs of dazzling experiments, exploding balloons and liquids that glow in the dark have entertained generations of Madisonians.

Tickets for the four scheduled programs were given away on a first-come, first-served basis. Although free, the tickets help control admission and avoid overcrowding in the large lecture hall used for the program in the Farrington Daniels Chemistry Building.

For those unable to get tickets, however, the program will be broadcast on Wisconsin Public Television at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 23, and again at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 26.

The show, said Shakhashiri, has always played to packed audiences in Madison and elsewhere. While serving as an assistant director of the National Science Foundation, Shakhashiri was invited to present his show at the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian’s Air & Space Museum for audiences that included much of official Washington, including members of Congress and at least one vice president.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Shakhashiri’s program, distinguishing it as one of the university’s longest-running and most popular programs of public service. “The main purpose is to share the joy of science with kids of all ages and to promote understanding and appreciation of science among all members of the community,” Shakhashiri said.