2020 Bay Area Science Festival: 125+ Free Events (Oct. 21-25)

The 10th annual Bay Area Science Festival, northern California’s largest free educational event, is going virtual in 2020 with more than 125 all-ages experiences October 21- 25.

Let’s discover science together – virtually! Join us for 5 days of fun and amazing science, technology and engineering events, hands on projects and experiences.

2020 Bay Area Science Festival
October 21-25, 2020
Online Only for 2020
FREE – Registration Required

See the full schedule – Over 125 free online event

Pick a day: Wed 10/21 | Thu 10/22 | Fri 10/23 | Sat 10/24 | Sun 10/25
Topics: Astronomy | Biology | COVID | Environmental Science | See all topics

Collaborators include California Academy of Sciences, Chabot Space & Science Center, KQED, Microsoft, Lawrence Hall of Science, Oakland Zoo, Stanford University, and many more.

There are hands-on virtual experiences for children, teens, families and adults. Current event topics include climate change, racism and science, wildfire science, and talking to kids in Spanish about COVID-19. Hands-on virtual fun for the uber-curious involves the Science of Pulling Noodles, Oakland Zoo Scav-venture Hunt, and a Bee Colorful Poster Contest. \

Behind the scenes tours include UCSF’s Makers Lab, UC Berkeley formula race car lab and Dept. of Energy’s Bay Area SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory COVID-19 testing facility. Another event brings together Bay Area residents by radio and live streaming internet audio to collectively view the setting Moon, planets and star clusters.

More than 25 STEM at Home events include supplies, while they last, that are mailed to households to build paper microscopes, tiny cars and fiber optic flashlights.

In less turbulent times, BASF would have 50,000 people participating over the course of 10 days and culminate with a major gathering at Oracle Park for Discovery Day.

2020 Event Highlights

 

Wednesday, October 21

• “Breakfast Moon” Live Reading & Activities Summary: Join the Astronomical Society of the Pacific  for a live reading of the illustrated children’s storybook, Breakfast Moon, along with activities and a discussion with the author and illustrator. Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 11:00 am–12:00 pm

• Behind the Scenes Virtual Tour of the UCSF Makers Lab. Summary: Discover how technology such as 3D printers, 3D scanners, virtual reality, and die-cutters are used in the UCSF Library’s Makers Lab showcasing how their efforts support research and health care. Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 12:00 pm — 12:30 pm

• Live Science! Summary: Watch a thrilling demonstration of one thought-provoking phenomenon of science with Live Science! by Chabot Space & Science Center. We’ll ask for observations and explanations of what YOU think is happening before revealing the science behind it. Wednesday, October 21, at 3 p.m. on Facebook Live

Thursday, October 22

• Bee Colorful. Summary: Learn about and color hand-drawn pictures of bees; submit drawings to be featured on Instagram. Q+A with graduate student researchers about bees along with live drawing, presented by UC Berkeley – CLEAR / Plant & Microbial Biology. Thursday, October 22, 2020, 11:00 am–12:00 pm

• What Leonardo da Vinci Looked Like as a Young Man: Contemporary Sources and Computer Validation Summary: Advances in computer face recognition provide the insight into the persona of STEM pioneer and early vision scientist, Leonardo da Vinci, through facial age regression.Thursday, October 22, 2020, 2:00 pm–3:00 pm

• The Shocking Nature of Wildfires. Summary: Spark an interest in fire safety and electricity! Learn about the science of wildfires and how charges impact the world around us,  presented by UC Berkeley scientists and Lawrence Hall of Science educators.Thursday, October 22, 2020, 3:00 pm–4:00 pm

• Berkeley Formula Racing: Behind the Scenes Tour and Q&A Summary: A brief presentation about the UC Berkeley Formula Racing team and our school followed by a Q&A session focused on our school, our team, and our engineering.Thursday, October 22, 2020, 4:30 pm–5:30 pm

• Science Trivia for Teens Summary: Compete against other teens in a fun and interactive science trivia event, hosted by Careers in Science Interns at the California Academy of Sciences Thursday, October 22, 2020, 5:00 pm–5:30 pm

• Share the Night Sky Summary: Via radio/smartphone, Urban Astronomer Paul Salazar and KPOO-FM DJ Marilynn will broadcast/stream a guided tour of the Moon, planets, and constellations. Thursday, October 22, 2020, 8:00 pm–9:00 pm

• Chevron STEM Zone Summary:  ChevronSTEMZone.com, opportunities to learn more about Chevron partnerships, take a Career Quiz and watch inspiring STEM videos. (Everyday)

Friday, October 23

• ZooQuest. Summary: Teams of up to four explore the Oakland Zoo in-person through a series of fun wildlife-themed clues and tasks Friday, October 23, 2020, 10:00 am-4:00 pm

Saturday, October 24

• Science Day – Science of COVID-19 (In Spanish) Summary: This event is aimed at parents, so they know how to talk to their children about the current COVID-19 pandemic, by the Consulate General of Mexico in San Francisco, in partnership with UC Berkeley’s Science at Cal, will host “Science Day” Saturday, October 24, 2020, 11:00 am–12:00 pm

• A Conversation with the Creators of The Nocturnists Summary: Join UCSF physicians Emily Silverman and Ashley McMullen for a conversation about The Nocturnists, a SF-based independent medical storytelling community, and its latest audio docu series, “Stories from a Pandemic” and “Black Voices in Healthcare”. Saturday October 24, 2020, 6:00 pm –7:00 pm

Sunday, October 25

• Women In STEM: A Career Panel. Summary: Four women involved in different STEM disciplines and at different stages of their career talk about their career path and their jobs, followed by a moderated Q&A session, for teens by American Association of University Women – San Francisco Branch Sunday October 25, 2020, 12:30 pm –1:45 pm

• The Science Behind Hand-Pulled Noodles. Summary: In this fun science experiment, The Stanford Polymer Collective  uses common kitchen items such as flour, oil, water and salt to demonstrate interesting phenomenons in polymer science. Sunday, October 25, 2020, 1:00 pm– 2:00 pm

See the full schedule