As we step into the 2024/2025 academic year, here’s a handy list of biology-themed days, along with resources to help you celebrate them in your classroom and lab.
17 Days for Biology Buffs to Celebrate
October 7-14: Nobel Prize Announcements
November 8: National STEM/STEAM Day
November 10: World Science Day for Peace and Development
December 1: Worlds AIDs Day
January 11: Marie Curie’s Birthday
February 4: World Cancer Day
February 11: National Inventors Day and International Day of Women and Girls in Science
February 12: Darwin Day
February 28: Rare Disease Day
March 22: World Water Day
April 21: World Creativity and Innovation Day
April 22: Earth Day
April 23: World Lab Day
April 25: National DNA Day
May 22: International Day for Biodiversity
June 16: International Biotechnology Day (also Barbara McClintock’s Birthday)
Additional Science-y Days
- September 28 is Ask a Stupid Question Day: Yes its a silly holiday AND it’s also a very useful one. Asking simple, overlooked, or even seemingly silly questions is a crucial skill for both scientists and students. Imagine if Albert Einstein hadn’t asked, “What would happen if I rode a beam of light across the universe?” As this day falls at the beginning of the school year, it’s a perfect opportunity to encourage students to voice all their questions, even the seemingly trivial ones. It sets a tone of openness and curiosity and highlights the value of every question, no matter how unconventional.
- Number days: Corny but memorable these days are worth a mention. Fibonacci Day on November 23 (11/23) celebrates the famous number sequence, Mole Day from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. on October 23 (6.022 x 10^23) honors Avogadro’s number, and Pi Day on March 14 (3/14) is a playful nod to the mathematical constant π.
- Additional Awareness Days: There are so many awareness days, far too many to include in the concise list above. However, these days can serve as excellent tools to highlight the real-world context and motivation behind the science your students are exploring, and to connect your classroom to broader discussions. Here’s a larger list to skim through and choose days that align with your specific curriculum and experiments: September 01-07 National Nutrition Week, September 04-11World Pharmacy Week, September 16 World Ozone Day, October 11 World Mental Health Day, October 12 World Arthritis Day, October 16 World Anesthesia Day, October 20 World Malaria Day, October 21 World Iodine Deficiency Disorder Day, November 10 World Immunization Day, November 13 World Alzheimer Day, December 01 World AIDS day, December 10 Human Rights Day, March 12 World Kidney Day, March 24 World Tuberculosis Day, April 07 World Health Day, April 11 World Parkinson Day, April 11 National Safe Motherhood Day, April 17 World Hemophilia Day, May 05 World Asthma Day, May 08 World Thalassemia Day, May19 World Hepatitis Day, May 31 Anti-tobacco Day, June 14 World Blood Donor Day.
Resources to Help You Celebrate
Planning a STEAM Day
Brushes and Beakers (STEAM Scientists)
Agar Art
Happy Pi Day
Endangered Species Day
World Diabetes Day
Sickle Cell Awareness Day
Celebrating Earth Day in The Biotechnology Classroom
Earth Day Experimentation
Celebrating Charles Darwin
You can also explore our collection of posts and classroom resources for other festive occasions, including Halloween (also check out our pumpkin carving stencils), Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas (also check out our ornaments), Winter Solstice, St. Patrick’s Day, and the 4th of July. AND keep an eye out for new posts and resources.
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