Gallery: 17th annual San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering

This year’s festival at Petco Park draws a crowd of over 21,500 STEM enthusiasts

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Members of SDSU’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) work with students to construct designs out of marshmallows and pasta. (Bryana Quintana/SDSU)

Saturday’s San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering, hosted by Generation STEAM at Petco Park, attracted San Diegans of all ages for a full day of STEM excitement. This year, over 21,500 attendees flocked to the stadium, up from last year’s 17,000 attendees, to partake in hours of immersive learning covering an array of science and engineering topics.

Throughout the event, volunteers from San Diego State University led community members in hands-on activities, showcased STEM-inspired art pieces and demonstrated important lessons in cybersecurity.

"It was great to see all the kids getting excited about cybersecurity,” said Max Carrillo, second-year computer science major and secretary of the SDSU Cyber Defense Team. “I hope with this event we inspired children to become the next generation of leaders in cybersecurity."

Local families, high school students aspiring to STEM careers, educational institutions, and other industry and government organizations came together for the day dedicated to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Trianna Nguyentu, first-year computer science major and SDSU Cyber Defense Team member, added, “Being at the booth for cybersecurity at SDSU and tabling for the Cyber Defense Team is an unforgettable experience where I was able to not only connect with the community, but have a fun time interacting with the kids making cipher bracelets!”

A young student smiles while exploring marine creatures at the 2025 San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering. (Bryana Quintana/SDSU)

The gallery below shows all the STEM fun SDSU delivered at this year’s event, from touch tanks with sea stars to neurons made of pipe cleaners, encrypted bracelets, and even VR simulations of the cosmos.

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