Vowing to make New York City the center of the scientific universe  as it is for commerce, art and expensive dining  a panel of university presidents, Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein of New York, the actor Alan Alda, the Columbia physicist Brian Greene and a Muppet announced plans on Wednesday for a World Science Festival to be held here at the end of May.

“The most exciting city in the world is going to be a little more exciting,” Mr. Alda said at a news conference at New York University.

From May 28 through June 1, festival organizers say, the canyons of the city will be alive with the sound of science. Biologists will discuss the perils and promises of humans’ knowing their own genetic codes. Quantum physicists will debate the nature of reality. Neuroscientists will ponder the mysteries of creativity. The Abyssinian Baptist Church Sanctuary Choir will serenade scientists to demonstrate the effects of music on the brain.

The festival, the first of what is expected to be an annual event, is the brainchild of Dr. Greene, and his wife, Tracy Day, a former Emmy Award-winning television producer. They said they were concerned that the public was missing out on the excitement and relevance of science.