Recap: 16th annual San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering

Despite the rain, more than 17,000 attendees turn out for this year’s STEM festival at Snapdragon Stadium

By Bryana Quintana
Monday, March 11, 2024
A young student participates in a mini lava lamp necklace activity during the 2024 STEM Festival at Snapdragon Stadium.
SDSU’s Society of Women Engineers facilitated a DIY mini lava lamp necklace activity to teach about liquid density. (SDSU)

San Diegans of all ages took part in STEM fun during San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering on March 2, hosted by Generation STEAM at SDSU Mission Valley’s Snapdragon Stadium. This year’s event saw over 17,000 attendees, an increase of nearly 2,000 from last year which was the festival’s first year back since the pandemic.

The family-friendly event was teeming with interactive activities, STEM-inspired art installations and engaging talks, as San Diego State University and other exhibitors came together to celebrate all things science, technology, engineering and mathematics with the community.

The festival “was such an amazing event; the ability to connect the local public to SDSU and the kids to all sorts of science is quite the inspiration,” said Jenna Luc, a cell and molecular biology graduate student who works with the Marine Ecology and Biology Student Association, demonstrating that many different interests and areas of science can be intertwined. 

“One of my hopes in introducing the children to marine creatures that are right in their backyard of San Diego is to emphasize that scientific exploration is everywhere around us,” said Luc. “SDSU is one of the places where very unique multidisciplinary research can be done, and this STEAM festival provides the perfect outlet for immersing and connecting the future generation of scientists.”

From sea urchin touch tanks and soil painting to lava lamp necklaces and color-coded bracelets, even VR and 3D printing demonstrations, catch a glimpse of the fun SDSU brought to the event in the gallery below.

More information on the SDSU-affiliated groups that attended the event and their role in the festival can be found here.

  • A student shows attendees art pieces that combine mechanical and electrical components with fluid, soft forms.
  • At the College & Career Pavilion, volunteers informed attendees on STEM capabilities and programs at SDSU.
  • A professor and students are showcasing art pieces that highlight the field of soft robotics.
  • SDSU Center for Autism volunteers provided a range of fun activities for attendees, including mazes and building models of brain neurons with pipe cleaners.
  • Attendees were able to immerse themselves into the world of STEM with virtual reality headsets provided by the Virtual Immersive Teaching and Learning (VITaL) Research Center.
  • Volunteers pose with a robotic hand, educating attendees on a range of engineering principles and capabilities at SDSU.
  • Members of MEBSA and Assistant Professor Cat Schrankel’s lab provided a window into a kelp forest with touch tanks featuring marine organisms like seaweed, sea cucumbers and sea urchins.
  • A volunteer from the National Society of Black Engineers SDSU chapter helps a young attendee create a color-coded bracelet.
  • Attendees witnessed firsthand how everything around us is made of chemicals through a series of fun reactions performed by SDSU chemists from the Chemistry Graduate Student Association (CGSA).
  • People line up at SDSU's booth at the STEM Festival.
  • SDSU’s Society of Women Engineers facilitated a DIY mini lava lamp necklace activity to teach about liquid density.
  • Sritin Ghosh gave a TED-Ed talk on his academic and professional journey in the field of chemistry.
  • SDSU’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) pose for a picture at their table, where attendees could build magnetic stick structures.
  • A volunteer from SDSU’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) helps a young attendee build magnetic stick structures.
  • Cell and molecular biology grad student Jenna Luc gave a TED-Ed talk on her academic and professional journey.
  • SDSU Center for Autism volunteers helped attendees build models of brain neurons with pipe cleaners.
  • SDSU’s Society of Women Engineers facilitated a DIY mini lava lamp necklace activity to teach about liquid density.
  • Volunteers from the Chemistry Graduate Student Association (CGSA) revealed the magic of chemistry through a variety of awe-inspiring reactions and interactive activities.
  • Volunteers from the National Society of Black Engineers SDSU chapter led a binary coding bracelet activity at the festival.
  • A teacher uses a soil painting activity to teach a young attendee about sustainability and environmental science.

SDSU’s sponsorship of this event was made possible through a partnership between the College of Sciences, Division of Research and Innovation, College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Health and Human Services, Enrollment Services, FASS, SDSU Imperial Valley, Information Technology, SDSU Library, Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, and College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts

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College of Arts and Letters (CAL)College of Sciences (COS)College of EngineeringCampus NewsCollege of Health and Human Services (CHHS)College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts (PSFA)Sustainability