Academy of Language, Art, and Science

Why do we see optical illusions?

View optical illusions (such as afterimage illusions, ambiguous images, the barber pole,

the grid illusions, etc) and see the current scientific explanations behind them.

 

Boy Scouts of America, Redwood Empire Council

What sorts of STEM activities are done in the Boy Scouts?

Boy Scouts will share STEM activities resulting in awards and merit badges.

 

Bird Rescue Center

What do flight feathers of birds of prey feel like?

Check out birds of prey such as hawks, owls, and falcons.

 

Buck Institute for Research on Aging

How exactly is ice cream made?

See ice cream made instantly with liquid nitrogen and then taste it.

 

Buck Institute for Research on Aging

What does science have to do with art?

Each uncommon image tells a detailed story of research, experimentation, biological mechanisms, and artistry. Learn firsthand from the Buck scientists who do the work!

 

Buck Institute for Research on Aging

What are the animals we can see with a microscope?

Check out unseen organisms with a light microscope guided by a scientist.

 

Buck Institute for Research on Aging

What is a Ph.D., and what do they do in a lab?

Talk to young post docs from the Buck Institute and receive hands-on explanation

on what a young scientist does every day in the lab.

 

California Destination Imagination

How to go from imagination to innovation?

Be instantly challenged to use critical thinking skills.

 

CAL FIRE Sonoma Lake Napa Unit

Is science used in fire fighting?

Check out equipment, pictures, and fire fighting displays.

 

California State Parks

Have you discovered your California State Parks?

See native animal skulls and pelts, plus basket weaving demonstrations.

 

Children's Museum of Sonoma County

How can gravity help your car move?

Design the fastest gravity car to send down the Sonoma Raceway Zucchini Car Ramp.

 

Dominican University of California

How do your senses work together?

Use candy to determine how taste and smell work together.

 

Electric Auto Association, North Bay Chapter

Why drive an electric vehicle?

Learn about the major components of an electric drive vehicle.

 

Engineering for Kids

How can magnets be used to make a train move?

Test various levitating vehicles by racing them down a metal track using

magnets and weights.

 

Enphase Energy

What is Solar Energy?

Pedal a bike to generate power for a toy car on a racetrack.  The faster you pedal,

the faster the cars go round the track.

 

Enphase Energy

How do shadows affect solar modules?

Become a shadow and see what happens when you block light from hitting a PV module.

 

Environmental Discovery Center

What are some of the local flora and fauna species in Sonoma County,

and how can you help protect them?

See local plant and animals and learn about their health, preservation, and protection.

 

Family Life Education

How can a printed ad come to life?

See demonstration of "Play Pages" coming to life using a smart phone app.

 

Felidae Conservation Fund

What do mountain lions look like?

Track and scat identification for mountain lions, bobcats, and other local wildlife.

 

Fred the Bubble Man

What exactly makes a soap bubble?

Make giant soap bubbles and find out how soap is made and how it works.

 

Girl Scouts of Northern California

What can you do with an electrical circuit?

Create a basic closed electrical circuit with on/off switch.  

Then build more complex circuits by adding switches, lights, and fans.

 

JDSU

What is "inside" light?

Watch interactive displays demonstrating the science behind JDSU products in the

visual, IR, and UV spectrums?

 

Kaiser Permanente

What is it like to work in the ER?

Assume role of ER doctor and save the life of Mr. Sim in an ER scenario.

 

Kaiser Permanente

How can healthy nutrition help you THRIVE?

Play a healthy nutrition game and win a prize.

 

Kaiser Permanente

Can I rescue Resusci Anne?

Use rescue skills learned when watching the program Save Mr. Sim,

and save Resusci Anne.

 

Kaiser Permanente

How is a splint applied to a broken arm?

Have your "broken" arm set and wrapped with material to make a splint.

 

KBBF Radio

How does radio work?

Stop by to check out radio technology from the largest Spanish-speaking station in

the North Bay.   Festival attendees will be interviewed by members of the Youth      

Media Project. Interviews will be broadcast live and taped for KBBF radio audiences.

 

Keysight Technologies

What does your cell phone signal look like?

Test your cell phone and "see" the signals on screens.

 

Keysight Technologies

How can math  help your accuracy of catapults?

Use science to calculate catapults for distance and accuracy.

 

Kid Scoop News

How can we engineer fast gravity-powered cars?

Use recyclables to create gravity-powered cars on a special Sonoma Raceway track.

 

KZST Radio

What will you do next?

Check out the KZST van and perhaps be interviewed on what you will do next after

attending this event.

 

La Tercera Elementary School

How does electricity work?

Create a circuit using conductive dough, LED lights, and batteries with wires.

 

LandPaths

What can my skull tell you about my life?

Investigate and identify local animal skulls and compare carnivores to omnivores

and herbivores.

 

La Tortilla Factory

What are food gums and how are they used in food?

See gum solutions become "gummy worms."

 

Marin County Free Library

Is there a difference between rocks and fossils?

Check out the green Bookmobile full of STEM materials.  

Dig for fossils and help classify more complex fossils.

 

Marin Master Gardeners

What critters live in the soil?

Sift through compost to find critters that live there and work to transform the soil.

 

Marin Medical Reserve Corps Foundation

Did you wash all bacteria from your hands?

View hands through bacteria detection equipment before/after washing.

 

Meadow Elementary

What is Making?

Use marble machines to explore speed, gravity, and movement.

 

New York Life Foundation

Why are fingerprints important?

Obtain a free child ID safety card and learn about forensics and identification.

 

NorCal Mars Society

How will astronauts operate robots on Mars in the future?

"Drive" a teleoperated robot with ground station laptop and joystick.

 

Pacific Coast Air Museum

What does an F-4 fighter jet cockpit look like?

Climb into the Pacific Coast Air Museum F-4 fighter jet cockpit simulator.

 

Pepperwood Preserve

What animals are found in our region, and what signs can we use to identify them?

See replica scat and paw prints to match to animal photos.

 

Petaluma High Marine Sciences

What is a whale like?

Walk through the inside of an inflated "whale" to feel its size; learn other cool things about whales.

 

Petaluma High

What is a polimer?

Make GAK as a polymer.

 

Piner High School

What is GeoSpatial Science and how does it affect your life?

Use GPS and Trimble hand held data collectors for a breadcrumb activity

revealing GPS power.

 

Play-Well TEKnologies

How do you make a motorized LEGO vehicle?

Drive and compete with others using a motorized LEGO car.

 

Robert Ferguson Observatory

Can we look at the Sun with a telescope and see anything?

See sun spots and converse with astronomy experts.

 

Safari West Wildlife Foundation, Junior Keepers

What can we do for conservation?

Come see the birds, bugs, and bones.  Discuss animal needs and adaptations.

 

San Marin High Penguin Empire Robotics

How does a robot handle an exercise ball?

Check out robots that throw around a 4-foot beach ball, shoot basketball hoops,

and throw frisbees.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College -- Chemistry Club

What is a chemical reaction?

Use reactions to demonstrate the wonder and prevalence of chemistry.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College -- Civil Engineering

How do we measure and map the earth?

Use GPS device and learn about mapping and land surveying.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College - Donald and Sutter Laird
Soda and Mentos Reaction Show
What causes the explosion when mixing cola and Mentos?

Watch the demonstration of the diet soda and Mentos candy reaction.

These shows were a huge hit at previous North Bay festivals.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College - Applied Technology / Electronics Program

What does an electrical circuit look like?

Use conductive paint to create a greeting card with an electric circuit.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College - Life Sciences

What do we look like inside, and how do we work?

Examine real human organs close up.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College - Math Club

What do mathematicians do?

Watch demonstrations of Encryption, Mobius Strips, and Flexagons.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College - Physics

Why is it harder to tip over on a moving bicycle?

Learn about torque/ motors, resonators, and more.

 

Santa Rosa Junior College - TEC - The Engineering Club

How can engineering be fun?

Use familiar household items to build all kinds of fun things.

 

Solar Schoolhouse

What is the primary energy source on Earth?

Discover solar energy and experience the power of sunshine

through solar etching, assembling a solar fountain, experimenting

with solar cells, and cooking with a solar oven.

 

Solar Universe

How does the sun power our home?

See how sunlight can power many things in your home.

 

Sonoma Clean Power

How does electricity work?

Manipulate interactive electrical wiring models using various power sources,

circuitry, lights, and motors.

 

Sonoma County Beekeepers Association

What do bees do for us?

Check out a live beehive and see the queen and workers in action.

 

Sonoma County Library

How do computer games work?

Explore the inner workings of the game Minecraft and look at actual code.

 

Sonoma County Library

Can science lead to literacy skills?

Young children can interact with textures and objects to build vocabulary.  School-aged children can build structures.  Everyone can see how a 3-D printer works.

 

Sonoma County Radio Amateurs

See different modes of amateur radio, robotics, radio astronomy, and satellite.  

Spell your name in Morse Code.

 

Sonoma County Water Agency

How can you reduce your water use?

Sort through ways of using and saving water.

 

Sonoma County 4-H Wildlife Project

Who belongs in the Web of Life?

Determine who belongs in various habitats and learn about ecosystems involving

people in the web of life.

 

Sonoma County 4-H

How does our body get energy?

Math food with the parts of the body it energizes.

 

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART)

How does a railroad crossing work?

See videos and pictures of crossings before, during, and after construction;

play with safety games on touch screen tablets earning prizes.

 

Sonoma Raceway

How can we engineer the fastest gravity-powered cars?

Use recyclables to create gravity-powered cars for special raceway

brought by Sonoma Raceway.

 

Sonoma State University, School of Science and Technology

Why do we need a watershed?

(Exhibit yet to be determined)

 

Sonoma State University

What is Making?

Use marble machines to explore speed, gravity, and movement.

 

Space Station Museum

Have you seen a real space suit?

Check out real space clothing and other space artifacts.

 

Stanford University - Gilly Lab, Squids4Kids, and Buck Institute

What makes a Humboldt Squid work?

Help dissect a huge squid and see its internal organs, tentacles, beaks, and eyes.

 

Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods

Why protect marine habitats?

Touch tide pool activity and interact with a seabird activity.

 

Technology High School

How can I extract DNA for experiments?

Extract DNA from strawberries using a simple lysis buffer and isopropanol.  Participants

isolate visible amounts of DNA from strawberries in just a few minutes.

 

Turtle Island Restoration Network

What do sharks, salmon, whales, and sea turtles have in common?

Sort marine debris and trace it to its origins.

 

UC Berkeley, Lawrence Hall of Science

How giant can you build?

Discover geometry by stacking, connecting, and building with long wooden dowels.

Explore edges, vertices, and faces while engaging in the construction of giant shapes.

 

UC Cooperative Extension, Sonoma and Marin Counties

What kind of critters live in the soil?

Look at soil or compost with magnifying glasses to see the

different kinds of critters living in the soil.

 

US Fish & Wildlife Service

How can you study and monitor wildlife in the San Francisco Bay wetlands?

Use binoculars in a special boot camp.  Check out the air boat.  Use radiotelemetry equipment to locate hidden stuffed animals.

 

USGS

What is an earthquake?

Make your own earthquake using a special model.

 

Veolia

How do Microbes keep our water clean?

Discover microscopic life forms that keep our water clean.