From Labs to Science at AT&T Park, UCSF Builds New Experiences for 2018 Bay Area Science Festival

Hands-on science at AT&T Park, visits to neuroscience labs and talks to engage Latinx youth in science are just a few of the many activities UC San Francisco has planned for this year’s Bay Area Science Festival.

The annual festival, which runs Oct. 26 through Nov. 3, is best known for its Discovery Day at AT&T Park, where hundreds of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities and demonstrations take over the playing field and many levels of the stadium.

In addition, UCSF – which organizes and leads the festival through its Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP) – is giving behind-the-scenes views of science through self-guided tours of exhibits at the University, having its scientists give talks at venues around San Francisco and hosting several laboratory tours during the festival.

“For more than 30 years, it has been SEP’s mission to bring science to students in San Francisco classrooms,” said Katherine Nielsen, SEP co-director. “The Bay Area Science Festival gives us the added opportunity of organizing events outside of the classroom to inspire and engage everyone with science.”

One of the community talks will be by UCSF professor Saul Villeda, PhD, about his path to science. Held at The Women’s Building in San Francisco’s Mission District, Villeda’s talk will be presented in Spanish and aimed at people aged 12 and older. The event will include Villeda’s talk about growing up in Southern California as the son of Guatemalan immigrants, an overview of his current research about “young blood” and aging, and hands-on activities related to his science.

The finale of the festival is the Discovery Day at AT&T Park, which is in its eighth year. UCSF will have its largest presence ever with more than 25 booths offering hands-on learning opportunities. Located along the first-base line on the field level of the ballpark, UCSF’s area will showcase the science of how our bodies work, including how cells divide, how we hear, and how neurons communicate with one another.

UCSF’s activities are among hundreds of science and engineering demonstrations, experiments and games throughout AT&T Park on that day. New this year will be a teen area with STEM activities for teenagers that are led by teens.

“The Bay Area Science Festival and its Discovery Day have become an annual tradition for Bay Area children and their families to engage with science in fun and exciting ways,” Nielsen said. “We are proud to again organize this festival and to help everyone who attends unleash their inner scientist.”

Learn more about the Science and Health Education Partnership’s roles in supporting science and health education in the San Francisco Unified School District »