Wednesday, Oct. 2 ,will be declared Beckman Institute Day by the mayors of Urbana, Champaign and Savoy, who, along with others at the University of Illinois Campus, will mark the science centers 30th anniversary in song, word and artistic visualization.

The Jupiter String Quartet of the College of Fine + Applied Arts will be giving an encore performance of Quantum Rhapsodies, originally presented in April, with narration by creator and physicist Smitha Vishveshwara on Wednesday at 6 pm The program, shown in the centers atrium, features visualizations of the quantum world and is a meditation on quantum physics and its role in our universe through live music, narration and visuals.

A reception will precede the performance and proclamation at 5:30 pm. The 30th anniversary celebration kicks off with Mayors Diane W. Marlin of Urbana and Deborah Frank Feinen of Champaign, along with Savoy Village President Joan Dykstra making the official proclamation at 5:50 pm in the atrium of the Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology.

An informal Q&A session with the shows creators will follow at about 7 pm. The Beckman Institute is also hosting several other events in conjunction with its anniversary celebration, including a sold-out pop-up escape room.

On Oct. 3 at 4 pm, a talk from Columbia University Professor Yaakov Stern on how lifestyle, genetics and brain anatomy may affect age- or dementia-related brain changes, Cognitive Reserve: An Evolving Concept.

Following the lecture at 5:30 pm there will be light refreshments served in the atrium, where a few of Beckmans graduate students and postdoctoral researchers will share informal and compelling stories about their research. The students are currently attending a three-day workshop with NPR podcast host Sandra Tsing Loh.

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Quantum-inspired Beckman Institute celebration will be anything but small - Central Illinois Buzz