The annual San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering returns to Petco Park on Saturday, March 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public, and with activities for all ages, the festival is a full day of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math fun provided by hundreds of Sand Diego County areas of businesses, schools, libraries, and museums. Presented by Illumina Corporate Foundation, the festival will feature more than 100 booths, bringing back some old favorites, along with some new additions this year.
San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering Managing Director Sara Pagano said this festival has been happening for 17 years under different names, so it has changed hands a few times, but has grown to be the large festival that it is today.
“This is a pretty amazing opportunity for kids of all ages, starting with pre-K, elementary ages we have the pre-K zones, and then we have booths that are geared for elementary, middle, and high school,” she said. “For us, at those early stages, it is really about the introduction to just having fun with these different environments, and how to have fun with these different subject areas. Just the initial exposure.”
Pagano said as the festival gears towards upper elementary and middle school, it introduces more curriculum concepts that align with what a future pathway would be for them.
“As we are getting into high school, we are offering more career opportunities and how they can master that. Is that a certificate program after high school or is that going on to college and moving on further. It is really about making that right connection, depending on their age, and where they are in the learning process making sure that we create really great exposure to every age group so that they can continue to see how it can be incorporated into their world as they grow,” she said.
Pagano said this is the second year doing the Career and College Connection Space with colleges primarily from the San Diego County along with its community colleges.
“With programs that are tied with specific STEM degrees, whether it be science or engineering or technology, highlighting their career paths they have, whether it is a certificate program or four-year degree. There are lots out there right now that I do not think kids realize that are accessible to them. This gives them the opportunity to talk to these colleges, learn about these programs. And then, we are going to have two panels during the day of college students, and they will be talking about the transition from high school to college, how they balance their academics, their social, and how they adjusted to college life. These are students that are in STEM related fields, so they understand the workload that it takes, and the high school students can ask them questions if this is the pathway they want to go to,” she said.
Pagano said this year, there are many new areas that showcase all the different fashions of industry here in San Diego and is excited about new industry jobs that run across the entire STEM and STEAM fields.
“There are so much here in San Diego. There is lots of innovation and lots of career opportunities, so we are excited to feature some of those this year,” she said.
New to the event this year:
Construction Corner: From interactive building challenges to demonstrations of cutting-edge technology, this space highlights sustainable building, structural design and the latest construction materials.
Cyber security Zone: An interactive space to dive into the fundamentals of online safety, ethical hacking, encryption, and cyber defense. Also includes demonstrations on how to protect personal data and digital landscapes. ‘All Hands’: The Navy’s virtual reality experience gives attendees the chance to step aboard an aircraft carrier.
Algae Foundation: Explore sustainable solutions for the planet.
Pagano said the Navy’s virtual flight simulator, new this year, is a very unique opportunity to have a virtual simulator learning experience of being inside a flight simulator and going into a contained area, feeling like being inside. She said most people do not get to have this kind of experience and is really excited to have it back this year.
“We have great stage shows, and some of them are music related. We have two groups that sing about STEM. It is always an engaging way to get the audience into what is going on and what is happening on the stages. As always, we have our Future Innovators stage which has TEDx Kids from Cajon Valley School District who will have their TEDx talks, and people will be able to hear such brave kids get up on stage and practice all these speeches they have been learning.
“It is really a wonderful and thoughtful day for children of all ages, and for families to experience together,” she continued. “The best part is that it is all access open. There is no registration required. It is a free event. And we encourage people of all ages to come.”
Pagano said this experience is incredible because of the diverse activities, booths, and performances that bring STEM and STEAM opportunities to everyone.
There will be dozens of returning hands-on learning experiences, interactive activities, and experiments to inspire kids, and kids at heart, to engage in all things STEAM including:
DNA fun and genomics education with Illumina Corporate Foundation
The pre-K zone is filled with engaging activities for little learners
Virtual reality experiences
EcoVivarium, and Parks & Rec
Rockets and explosions with General Atomics
Make slime, learn about underwater sea life, play with robots and more!
Art Pavilion infuses the STEM experience with live artists
“The companies and nonprofits that come are all about providing this experience to the community and they really love to be here. It is really a fantastic day,” she said.
