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2021 Virtual North Bay Science Discovery Day
Saturday, March 13, 2021
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On Saturday, March 13, 2021, 18 organizations provided 37 STEM demonstrations, talks, and activities to spark young people’s interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics!
Discovery Day is a FREE event that will spark curiosity and excitement about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Previous Discovery Days have been in-person events at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. We hope to return in person in the future, but the 2021 event will be virtual due to COVID-19.
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Participant Home Zip Codes
9:00 AM
Pacific Time (PT)
Kaiser Permanente
What is life like for doctors in an ER? How does the COVID-19 vaccination work?
Emergency Room Doctor Perspectives (45 minutes)
View a tour of a local emergency room with a doctor explaining what an ER looks like in the COVID 19 pandemic. Learn about COVID-19, how it is treated and what you can do to stay safe. Pre-recorded video with a live question & answer.
Keysight Technologies
What if you could see the soundwaves made by music?
​Music and Math (45 minutes)
Join us on an exploration of the musicality of 3D shapes. See a visualization of the sound waves they generate.
Children's Museum of Sonoma County
​How can rockets fly? How high can you make your rocket fly?
Blast Off! (45 minutes)
Join the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Children's Museum of Sonoma County to explore how rockets launch and to learn about the Snoopy and space connection. Make and launch your own rockets from home and experiment with how high and far you can make them fly. Also, learn to draw Snoopy in his space suit and help him land safely back on Earth!
ClimateChangeEducation.org
How do scientists & firefighters use infrared satellite cameras to fight North Bay wildfires?
Infrared sensing satellites help build North Bay wildfires resilience. Live labs where YOU use IR cameras, as firefighters do (60 minutes)
Middle School student volunteers lead fun, interactive experiments into infrared viewing. IR truly is invisible light - amazing, surprising and quite real. Then, we'll conduct live experiences with IR satellites orbiting in space, monitoring California wildlands day & night. YOU ask the questions, and YOU direct the experiments!
10:00 AM
Pacific Time (PT)
California Section - American Chemical Society
​What makes a polymer weak or strong? Can it be recycled?
Sustainable Polymers - Reducing Our Footprint with Chemistry (30 minutes)
We use polymers everyday around the house. Polymers are long chains of repeating molecules. Natural polymers include wool, silk, and rubber while synthetic polymers include plastics, nylon, and silicone. In this session, we will combine simple household ingredients to make surprising materials, from slime to super balls. We will discuss where these materials come from and whether they can be reused or recycled.
Keysight Technologies
What if you could see the soundwaves made by music?
​Music and Math (45 minutes)
Join us on an exploration of the musicality of 3D shapes. See a visualization of the sound waves they generate.
Planet Bee Foundation
Why are there different kinds of bees?
​Adapta-bee-lity (60 minutes)
In the Adapta-bee-lity lesson, students take part in age-appropriate, highly interactive activities as they gain an understanding of how bees and other organisms have adapted to a variety of ecosystems. Students will discover how nature has equipped organisms to survive in their environments and how adaptation is an on-going process. Students will discover how temperature and light affect bees’ biological needs to pollinate and forage for food.
Medtronic - Santa Rosa
How do regulatory affairs professionals ensure safe and effective pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostic tools?
​Alternate careers in STEM – Regulatory Affairs (30 minutes)
Join Medtronic professionals to learn about a little-known career in STEM: regulatory affairs. Professionals work with companies to ensure that drugs, medical devices, and other products are safe and effective. Professional regulatory affairs careers typically require scientific or technical training as well as skills in project management, organization, negotiation, and communication. Speaker: Kurt Sollanek, Ph.D., Medtronic Regulatory Affairs Specialist, would love to teach you about this profession as an alternate career in the STEM field.
11:00 AM
Pacific Time (PT)
Petaluma Wildlife Museum
​What are some of the challenges that global wildlife and wild
habitats will face in 2021 and beyond?
Animal Ambassadors of the Petaluma Wildlife Museum (60 minutes)
Join us to learn about wildlife conservation from our expert docents and the Animal Ambassadors from the Petaluma Wildlife Museum.
Sonoma State University Center for Environmental Inquiry
​¿Te gustaría trabajar ayudando a las personas y al planeta?
Aprende con un Naturalista: Caminos Hacia la Ciencia (60 minutes)
Acompáñanos a escuchar las aventuras de tres científicos Latinx asombrosos que trabajan en la investigación, educación y conservación. Aprende que hicieron a tu edad para llegar a ser científicos, y que problemas tuvieron en el camino. Tendrás mucho tiempo de hacerles preguntas y escuchar consejos para saber como llegar a ser un científico. Para encontrar soluciones a los problemas ambientales, necesitamos muchos científicos que piensen de maneras distintas y sean de lugares diferentes, así como tú. ¡Te invitamos a ser parte de la solución y a que te diviertas en el proceso! Este evento se grabará en video. Más información: cei.sonoma.edu/ciencia y crecerconciencia.org Líder: Gaby Arango, UC Berkeley Estudiante de doctorado y Fundadora de Crecer ConCiencia (CCC). Con Lmar Babrak, Investigadora Científico, U. of Applied Sciences & Arts NW Switzerland FHNW; Mayte Guerrero, Maestra de Ciencias, Pomolita Middle School; Elias Lopez, Especialista en Conservación del Medio Ambiente en LandPaths y Fundador de CCC. Más información: cei.sonoma.edu/ciencia y crecerconciencia.org. Contacto: Kerry Wininger.
ClimateChangeEducation.org
Can you try the SWIR cameras students use to spot energy waste and protect the climate?
Middle School students use Short-Wavelength Infrared camcorders to help the North Bay becomes more energy-efficient and defend our climate! (60 minutes)
Middle School students will lead experiences with SWIR camcorders. Immediately spot the energy used by lighting from far away. Compare LED's, fluorescent, incandescent and other types. Students are helping schools, neighborhoods, and cities with energy surveys. This is a powerful use of Short-Wavelength Infrared technology that few adults are even aware is possible.
Keysight Technologies
What if you could see the soundwaves made by music?
​Music and Math (45 minutes)
Join us on an exploration of the musicality of 3D shapes. See a visualization of the sound waves they generate.
Keysight Technologies
What are sine waves and why are they everywhere?
​Periodic Motions (45 minutes)
A smooth wave - referred to mathematically as a sine wave - is a continuous up and down wave. Sine waves are so important because they are the most basic and most common, found in electricity and rotating objects (like a pendulum). Use a pendulum to explore repeating motions and to discover where they exist throughout the world.
12:00 PM
Pacific Time (PT)
Buck Institute for Research on Aging
​How can we find out what owls eat?
What do Owls Eat? (45 minutes)
(Maximum 200 owl pellets to be mailed to participants who register by
Friday, March 5.)
What is an owl pellet, and why would I want to look inside one? In this hands-on activity, we will learn about how owl pellets form are and all the exciting information contained within one. Register by March 5 to obtain your own owl pellet to dissect. Everyone is welcome to attend this session and observe an owl pellet being dissected.
Charles M. Schulz Museum
​How do we animate still objects and images to create the illusion of movement?
The Art of Animation (45 minutes)
Animation is a method to make drawn, painted, or CGI imagines to appear moving. Join us to learn the science behind animation with several hands-on projects you can do at home.
Keysight Technologies
What are sine waves and why are they everywhere?
​Periodic Motions (45 minutes)
A smooth wave - referred to mathematically as a sine wave - is a continuous up and down wave. Sine waves are so important because they are the most basic and most common, found in electricity and rotating objects (like a pendulum). Use a pendulum to explore repeating motions and to discover where they exist throughout the world.
California Section - American Chemical Society
​What makes a polymer weak or strong? Can it be recycled?
Sustainable Polymers - Reducing Our Footprint with Chemistry (30 minutes)
We use polymers everyday around the house. Polymers are long chains of repeating molecules. Natural polymers include wool, silk, and rubber while synthetic polymers include plastics, nylon, and silicone. In this session, we will combine simple household ingredients to make surprising materials, from slime to super balls. We will discuss where these materials come from and whether they can be reused or recycled.
1:00 PM
Pacific Time (PT)
UC Davis Science Says
​Who are scientists? What is the day-to-day life of a scientist?
What skills or paths can I take to become a scientist?
Meet Scientists with UC Davis Science Says! (60 minutes)
Meet real-life scientists from UC Davis to learn about their day-to-day lives as researchers, hear about their science journeys, and ask them your science questions!
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Claudia Carter (she/her) is a food scientist and the Executive Director of the California Wheat Commission. She loves working with local schools to grow wheat and mill the flour for making tortillas, pastas, and breads with the students.
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Heather Mayer (she/her) is a psychologist researching how babies bond with their mothers. She loves studying how the brain affects our behaviors.
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Gabrielle Wyatt (she/her) is a plant biologist and first year graduate student in the plant biology graduate group where she aims to study plant natural products. She loves plants and believes that plants are the best chemists on earth.
Keysight Technologies
What are sine waves and why are they everywhere?
​Periodic Motions (45 minutes)
A smooth wave - referred to mathematically as a sine wave - is a continuous up and down wave. Sine waves are so important because they are the most basic and most common, found in electricity and rotating objects (like a pendulum). Use a pendulum to explore repeating motions and to discover where they exist throughout the world.
Sonoma State Nursing Student Association
Do you think you wash your hands correctly?
​Hand Hygiene (30 minutes)
We will be demonstrating proper versus improper hand washing techniques and discussing the importance of hand hygiene. Please bring a condiment (ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, etc) or pudding and a pair of nitrile or latex gloves, and be near a sink to participate in the activity. You may still watch even if unable to acquire these items and pretend with us.
[Note: The time changed to 1:00pm from the previous listing of 5pm.]
2:00 PM
Pacific Time (PT)
Medtronic - Santa Rosa
​What does a real heart look like?
Real Heart Dissection (30 minutes)
Human hearts are similar to pig hearts: they consist of four chambers, four valves, and an aorta. Pig hearts are so similar to human hearts that tissue from pig hearts can be used to make heart valve replacements for humans. Join Medtronic engineers virtually for a fascinating experience dissecting a real pig heart. Learn about the anatomy, how the heart functions and where engineering can improve health.
Sonoma State University Center for Environmental Inquiry
Do you think your local spiders are scary or cool?
​Local Nature: Neighborhood Spiders (60 minutes)
Spiders! Are they scary? Cool? Depends upon how well you know them. Learn about their silky skills, hunting habits, and generally shy and gentle nature. Learn about jumpers, wolf spiders, tarantulas, the “bird turd spider,” and, of course, the black widow! Learn about types of webs, how and where to discover spiders, spider anatomy, common relatives... even a spidey quiz to test your creepy crawly knowledge. During the event, we will take a few minutes to go out into our own ""local nature"" areas such as your back or front yard, or on your porch, or even around your home to search for spiders. So join us to see what we can see. This event will be recorded. Led by Patrick Stadille, author of author of "Spiders in Your Neighborhood: A Field Guide to Your Local Spider Friends," and science teacher at Carmel Middle School. http://cei.sonoma.edu/spiders Contact: Kerry Wininger.
Sonoma County Radio Amateurs
​How do radio operators locate each other without cellphones?
Automatic Packet Reporting System demonstration (60 minutes)
APRS is used for tracking between two radio operators. If you were out hiking and got lost, the other radio operator could find you.
ClimateChangeEducation.org
Can you control infrared cameras to track and respond to North Bay wildfires?
North Bay wildfires tracked by Firefighters in Infrared from satellites. Live Science Lab where YOU use IR cameras (60 minutes)
Perform interactive experiments to understand infrared cameras. Learn that different types of IR are useful for science - AND firefighting. Connect these live experiences to exclusive footage of 2019 firefighters and response centers using images from NASA & NOAA satellites. Participating students will be encouraged to call out what happens next in the labs, ask questions, and comment on the results of the live experiments.
United States Geological Survey
Do you know what to expect from North Bay earthquake faults?
Earthquake Science - A Virtual Tour of North Bay Earthquake Faults
(30 minutes)
An expert in North Bay geology will lead an exploration of the regions earthquake faults and discuss how they could behave in the future.
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USGS Education: Resources for learning about the science of earthquakes.
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USGS Adventures in STEM: A collection of educational resources across the grade levels from preK through college focusing on all of the earth sciences.
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USGS Latest Earthquakes: USGS monitors and reports earthquakes in real-time in California and around the world.
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Staying Safe Where the Earth Shakes (available in English, Spanish, and Chinese): A booklet that includes the “Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety.” A basic guide for what to do before, during, and after a damaging earthquake.
3:00 PM
Pacific Time (PT)
UC Davis Science Says
​Who are scientists? What is the day-to-day life of a scientist?
What skills or paths can I take to become a scientist?
Meet Scientists with UC Davis Science Says! (60 minutes)
Meet real-life scientists from UC Davis to learn about their day-to-day lives as researchers, hear about their science journeys, and ask them your science questions!
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Cassondra Brayfield (she/her) is a material scientist and engineer that has spent four years in industry and is now researching alternative fuels in a chemistry lab to help save our environment.
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Gabrielle Wyatt (she/her) is a plant biologist and first year graduate student in the plant biology graduate group where she aims to study plant natural products. She loves plants and believes that plants are the best chemists on earth.
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Jessica Trinh (she/her) is a microbiologist studying a costly citrus disease. She enjoys using storytelling and art to talk about science.
Planet Bee Foundation
What role do bees have in growing food and in the environment?
​Wanna-Bee an Engineer (60 minutes)
Wanna-Bee an Engineer? is a highly interactive lesson that focuses on conservation and the environmental role of bees in sustaining our food sources and ecosystems. This lesson explores various species, habitats, and pollination methods. It includes age-appropriate math calculations and abstract thinking that help students cultivate an understanding of how they can be stewards of our environment.
Medtronic - Santa Rosa
​How do engineers design and prototype devices?
3D Design and Printing (45 minutes)
Join Medtronic engineers in 3D modeling and using a 3D printer.
Sonoma County Radio Amateurs
​Can you send code with only dots and dashes?
Build a simple electronic circuit to tap out Morse Code (60 minutes)
Build a basic paper circuit that flashes an LED and sounds a buzzer to create Morse Code (materials and chart provided).
4:00 PM
Pacific Time (PT)
Medtronic - Santa Rosa
​Anyone can be an inventor!
Idea Brainstorming (45 minutes)
Contribute ideas to a virtual brainstorm and interact with Medtronic engineers that do this for a living!
Sonoma State University Center for Environmental Inquiry
How do youth with disabilities take great nature photographs that lead to conservation action?
​Local Nature: AT Photography for Youth (60 minutes)
The profound connection to the environment and wildlife enjoyed by many nature photographers is not accessible to us all equally. Whether you or your student uses a wheelchair, has limited use of their hands, or is weak with tremors, this informative and interactive event is for you. We'll explore artistic techniques using Assistive Technology (AT) for smart phones and digital cameras. You're encouraged to reach out to event leaders in advance for specific information about your disability or mobility needs, and how to acquire or make AT. Before the event, we'll ask you to take a photograph to upload. After a presentation and demonstration of AT devices, each person will have a chance to share their photo and get feedback, then hear about accessible nature photography sites. Speaker: Rick and Jeree' Waller, HeartWork Accessible Nature Photography. Learn more and contact leaders by visiting http://cei.sonoma.edu/calendar/2021/local-nature-photography-youth. Contact: Kerry Wininger.
UC 4-H Youth Development Program
Challenge: Design, build, and test a scribbling machine that will make drawings on paper.
​Scribble Bot (30 minutes)
Maximum 500 kits available for pickup in Santa Rosa, Novato, and Napa.
Scribble Bot is a motorized device that moves in unusual ways and marks on paper. It is made from simple materials often found at home. Scribble Bot demonstrates how movement is created by an offset motor weight. The motor may be harvested from discarded toys and electronics, or purchased online. Youth may express their creativity and ingenuity designing, making, and testing the scribble bot; for example, changing the length and weight, testing drawing tools, and experimenting with materials. More information.
Sonoma County Radio Amateurs
​How can images be sent using sounds?
Send television images using amateur radio (SSTV) (60 minutes)
It sounds crazy, but you'll see how it's done with slow-scan television (SSTV) images being sent and received using a computer controlled radio!
5:00 PM
Pacific Time (PT)
UC Davis Science Says
​Who are scientists? What is the day-to-day life of a scientist?
What skills or paths can I take to become a scientist?
Meet Scientists with UC Davis Science Says! (60 minutes)
Meet real-life scientists from UC Davis to learn about their day-to-day lives as researchers, hear about their science journeys, and ask them your science questions!
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Mrittika Roy (she/her) is an international grad student and an inorganic chemist who studies the chemistry of metals and round carbon cages known as “buckyballs”, and gets to work with fun crystals and brilliantly colored solutions everyday. Sometimes her chemicals hiss at her but it’s not personal.
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Jessica Trinh (she/her) is a microbiologist studying a costly citrus disease. She enjoys using storytelling and art to talk about science.
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Mary Madera (she/her) is a 3rd year PhD student working to improve strawberry flavor. Her love of ferns, coral reefs, and baking are what originally got her interested in science in elementary school.
ClimateChangeEducation.org
Have you ever used amazing SWIR cameras to see how trees, plants and things around you appear in invisible IR light?
Use the same IR cameras NASA has on satellites to track the health and canopy of trees in North Bay forests and cities (60 minutes)
Explore invisible IR light. Scientists and photographers alike have discovered how amazing trees and plants look in short-wavelength infrared light. Today, you can use SWIR cameras aboard satellites as very powerful scientific tools to study the health and extent of forests. Participating students will be encouraged to call out what happens next in the labs, ask questions, and comment on the results of the live experiments.
NorCal Bats
Why do humans need bats?
Live Bats with NorCal Bats (45 minutes)
Learn about some of the bats that live in California. See live bats - virtually. You will view some of our local species, and have a chance to ask questions.
Sonoma County Radio Amateurs
​How does ARRIS connect students to the Space Station?
Connect with astronauts using Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (60 minutes)
Discover ARISS, a system used by astronauts and amateur radio operators to celebrate STEM and technology in orbit!
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