In praise of Science Festivals
We need more of them right now
Last Saturday, I participated in our local science festival in Santa Rosa, CA, the North Bay Science Discovery Days on March 8. This all-volunteer event had 107 exhibitions and 150 activities. Around 12,000 people turned out, most of them families with children. You could see the magic on the faces of the kids.
I’m not sure how many science festivals there currently are in the US. A Google search’s AI says that there are 50 of them but I noticed that many of them are no longer active, such as the U.S. Science and Engineering Festival. The Bay Area Science Festival, on its website, says that it had paused in producing a science festival, but planned to bring it back in the fall of 2025.
Lyman Black, the lead organizer of the Santa Rosa event, told me that the North Bay event was in its 13th year. North Bay Science Discovery Days was once connected to the Bay Area Science Festival but when it stopped happening, Lyman and others organized supporters to keep it going on their own.
In general, science festivals happened with funding from large corporations and some government funding, which often went to university partners who were not especially committed to the event (IMO). Public events are still trying to make a comeback after Covid and I bet that the number of Science Festivals today is much smaller than it was ten years ago. That’s not good.
That’s why I was happy to see that the North Bay Science Discovery Days was such a vibrant event. To see that many people came out on a beautiful day and stay for hours roaming around the six or so buildings filled with interesting exhibits and local organizations — well, as an event organizer myself, I was happy to see it run so smoothly and soak in the joy, playfulness and positivity around science.
Science Festivals that engage families are more important than ever as government support for both science and education is getting reduced or eliminated. This event’s volunteer team of 150 may be the secret to organizing the next wave of Science Festivals.
If you have any doubt of the event’s impact, you can read the messages left on the graffiti wall:
Yippee for science
I will never forget it
I am a STEM girl
I love the tidepool animals – now I’ll know them when I go to the beach
I’m having a good time
We’ll be back
It is so fun to connect science to everyday life
Give me more science – plz do it again
I saw a queen bee!
I really liked the science fair because there are bilingual people
Maker Ed’s Next Level Tinkercad Workshop - April 7th
You are invited to a free virtual workshop about new features in Tinkercad on Monday April 7 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET. Workshop will be 1.5hrs and conducted via Zoom.
The workshop will be lead by Jason Erdreich. Jason Erdreich, author of Taking Tinkercad to the Next Level, will share his expertise about the newest features of Tinkercad including remote control in Sim Lab and the new Draw tool. You can learn more about Jason's work at www.mrerdreich.com
If you attend live (the alternatives aren’t any better), you will be able to ask questions and join the discussion. The full event will be recorded and email to registrants for those who can not attend that day/time.
You must register to receive the Zoom link. Please complete this short form: https://forms.gle/oHDyg3rdp6Ncqouu9
Contact Godwyn Morris at Godwyn@make.co with any questions.
Summer Educator Workshops
I would like to publish a listing of upcoming summer workshops for teachers that relate to maker education. If you are organizing one, please send me (dale@make.co) the details soon.
Happy Pi Day!