Visión y Misión
El Día del Descubrimiento Científico de North Bay es un festival científico comunitario gratuito de un día que despierta la curiosidad y el asombro por la ciencia, la tecnología, la ingeniería y las matemáticas. El festival reúne a más de 100 organizaciones y 10,000 asistentes, con el apoyo de 150 voluntarios y la financiación de 70 patrocinadores, para que los jóvenes conversen con científicos e ingenieros mientras exploran más de 150 exhibiciones interactivas que incluyen cohetes y colmenas, robots y tiburones, catapultas y corazones, animación, animales, arte y mucho más.
Discovery Day es un evento de educación pública organizado por el Programa de Desarrollo Juvenil 4-H de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de California.
Visión
Un mundo donde todos los jóvenes disfruten de las ciencias, la tecnología, la ingeniería y las matemáticas (STEM), reconozcan su valor intrínseco y práctico, estén preparados para trabajar, participen cívicamente y tengan conocimientos científicos, y sean capaces de aprovechar el poder de la ciencia como herramienta para contribuir a la solución de problemas ambientales, económicos y sociales complejos.
Misión
Despertar la curiosidad y el asombro de los jóvenes sobre la ciencia, la tecnología, la ingeniería y las matemáticas (STEM);
Fortalecer el ecosistema de aprendizaje STEM de la Bahía Norte de San Francisco; y
Conectar la industria STEM, la educación y los sectores públicos para profundizar y sostener el aprendizaje STEM de los jóvenes.
Valores fundamentales
Desde su inicio en 2011, el Día del Descubrimiento Científico de North Bay se ha mantenido fiel a sus valores fundamentales. Como resultado, el festival se ha ganado una excelente reputación como un evento maravilloso para la comunidad.
El festival es completamente gratuito (incluido el estacionamiento) y está disponible para todos aquellos que se presenten en las puertas.
El público objetivo son jóvenes de 4º a 8º grado y está diseñado para involucrar a todas las edades.
La participación del expositor se acepta en función de su capacidad para involucrar a los niños de maneras significativas, así como de la calidad y pertinencia del contenido STEM.
El festival es un evento no comercial; los expositores no venden artículos ni recaudan fondos.
Origen e historia
Comenzó el Día del Descubrimiento Científico de North Bay
En 2011, con el Consejo de Liderazgo de North Bay, el Instituto Buck y una subvención de la Fundación Nacional de Ciencias a través del Festival de Ciencias del Área de la Bahía de la Universidad de California en San Francisco, el Instituto Buck para la Investigación sobre el Envejecimiento reclutó a un equipo de voluntarios para organizar nuestro primer Día del Descubrimiento Científico. En 2019, la organización del evento pasó a ser el Programa de Desarrollo Juvenil 4-H de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de la Universidad de California.
Premios de la Fundación Nacional de Ciencias
Alianza del Festival de Ciencias (NSF DRL-0840333)
Implementación amplia de la Alianza para el Festival de la Ciencia (NSF DRL-1223170)
EvalFest: Uso, valor y aprendizaje de la evaluación a través de festivales de ciencia y tecnología (NSF DRL-1423050).
La Fundación Nacional de Ciencias apoyó una serie de iniciativas para establecer y expandir festivales de ciencia en todo Estados Unidos, con el objetivo de aumentar la participación pública en la ciencia y la tecnología, especialmente en las comunidades marginadas. Inicialmente, esta iniciativa se lanzó a través de importantes festivales de ciencia en San Diego, San Francisco, Cambridge y Filadelfia, y condujo a la creación de la Alianza de Festivales de Ciencia, una red nacional que ahora apoya más de 50 festivales al año, llegando a millones de personas. Estos festivales celebran la ciencia mediante eventos accesibles y centrados en la comunidad, en los que participan científicos, artistas, educadores e instituciones locales. La financiación posterior apoyó la amplia implementación de la Alianza y el desarrollo de herramientas y estrategias para involucrar a públicos diversos y de bajos ingresos. Un proyecto independiente, EvalFest, desarrolló herramientas de evaluación y un modelo de evaluación multisitio para comprender mejor el impacto de los festivales y mejorar las prácticas en el campo de la educación STEM informal. En conjunto, estas iniciativas ayudaron a integrar los festivales de ciencia en la cultura local, crearon redes profesionales sólidas y generaron un sólido marco de evaluación para apoyar el crecimiento y la eficacia del campo.
Festival History
2011: 1st Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
Infineon Raceway, Sonoma
The inaugural North Bay Science Discovery Day welcomed approximately 4,000 visitors and featured about 30 exhibitors. The festival grew from a collaboration involving the North Bay Leadership Council, the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and a National Science Foundation grant supporting UC San Francisco’s Bay Area Science Festival. The Buck Institute recruited the volunteer team that established the North Bay event as a free, hands-on celebration connecting children and families with scientists, engineers, educators, and local STEM organizations.
2012: 2nd Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
October 27, 2012 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
The second annual festival moved to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds and doubled attendance to approximately 8,000 visitors. Twelve North Bay event sponsors supported more than 40 exhibitors offering hands-on activities in the Hall of Flowers, Garden Building, courtyard, and outdoor areas. Families explored Mars and pulsars, robotics, smartphone applications, GPS and geographic information systems, microscopes, DNA extraction, renewable energy, salmon, insects, wildlife, aviation, watersheds, and the human body. Featured presentations included medical simulations, liquid-nitrogen ice cream, and the Soda and Mentos reaction. The expanded venue and broad mix of universities, schools, museums, businesses, public agencies, and community organizations established the fairgrounds as the festival’s long-term home.
2013: 3rd Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
Sonoma County Fairgrounds
The third annual Discovery Day welcomed approximately 10,000 visitors, continuing the festival’s rapid growth. The event brought North Bay businesses, research institutions, schools, museums, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and community groups together around a shared commitment to engaging young people in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Its increasing regional visibility reflected the festival’s transition from a new initiative into an established North Bay community tradition.
2014: 4th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
November 1, 2014 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
The fourth annual festival welcomed more than 14,000 visitors, a substantial increase from 10,000 the previous year. Families filled the Sonoma County Fairgrounds for hands-on activities presented by regional educators, scientists, engineers, employers, and community organizations. By 2014, Discovery Day had become one of the North Bay’s largest public educational events and an important regional component of the Bay Area Science Festival.
2015: 5th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
October 24, 2015 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
More than 14,000 visitors attended the fifth annual Discovery Day. The festival maintained the large audience reached in 2014 while continuing to expand the range of interactive science, engineering, technology, health, environmental, and maker activities available to children and families. The sustained attendance demonstrated that Discovery Day had developed a strong regional following and an established network of participating organizations.
2016: 6th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
October 29, 2016 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Despite rainy weather, the sixth annual Discovery Day attracted at least 15,000 visitors and nearly 100 participating educators, nonprofit organizations, research institutions, and STEM-related companies. Activities included building smartphone applications, modifying robots, viewing sound waves on oscilloscopes, constructing electrical circuits, examining microorganisms, and exploring watershed science. More than 80% of participating children engaged in a hands-on activity with a scientist, illustrating the festival’s growing ability to connect young people directly with STEM professionals.
2017: 7th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
October 28, 2017 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
The seventh annual festival was held shortly after the devastating Tubbs Fire. Community members encouraged the committee to proceed, viewing Discovery Day as a positive and family-centered opportunity during a difficult period of regional disruption. Approximately 10,000 people attended, fewer than in 2016 but still a substantial turnout. Activities included engineering demonstrations, robotics, virtual reality, 3D printing, electronics, and other hands-on experiences offered by universities, libraries, businesses, and community organizations.
2018: 8th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
October 27, 2018 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Attendance returned to approximately 15,000 in 2018, with families participating in more than 120 hands-on activities. The festival included opportunities to extract DNA, build with robots and engineering materials, explore mobile-library technologies, interact with scientists and student volunteers, and investigate a broad range of STEM subjects. The strong attendance marked the festival’s recovery following the 2017 fires and reinforced its role as a major gathering for the North Bay’s science-learning community.
2019: Planned 9th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
October 26, 2019 | Cancelled
More than 100 hands-on exhibitor booths were prepared for the planned ninth annual Discovery Day. Exhibitors, volunteers, and organizers had completed setup when the festival was cancelled shortly before its scheduled 10:00 a.m. opening because the Sonoma County Fairgrounds was needed as an emergency evacuation and public-safety staging center during the Kincade Fire. The cancellation concluded several consecutive years in which wildfires or their effects disrupted the fall festival. The event’s organizational home also transitioned in 2019 from the Buck Institute to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources 4-H Youth Development Program, and the committee subsequently moved Discovery Day to the spring.
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NBSDD Newsletter October 16, 2019 "Discovery Day is only DAYS away!
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Educators October 14, 2019 "Get ready for another fabulous Discovery Day!"
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Educators September 23, 2019 "Teacher prep for Oct 26 Discovery Day"
The Late Carole Bennett, EdD, Past Chair
In recognition of Carole Bennett the co-founder and long time committee chair of the NBSDD. A retired teacher at the Computer Science Department of Santa Rosa Junior College, her leadership, passion and hard work helped make the North Bay Science Discovery Day the success it is today
2020: No festival was held due to COVID-19.
2021: 9th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
March 13, 2021 | Virtual
After wildfire smoke disrupted the 2017 and 2018 festivals and the Sonoma County Fairgrounds became an emergency evacuation center shortly before the 2019 event was scheduled to open, Discovery Day moved from fall to spring. The COVID-19 pandemic then prompted the festival’s first fully virtual format. Approximately 1,000 registrations were received for 38 live Zoom sessions featuring 30 unique programs presented by 18 organizations. Families participated in STEM-at-home activities, conversations and demonstrations with scientists, community science projects, and virtual tours of laboratories and other facilities. The virtual festival maintained Discovery Day’s free, noncommercial, and community-centered mission while sustaining connections among North Bay families, educators, scientists, and exhibitors during the pandemic. Selected recordings were later made available for continued learning.
2022: 10th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
May 15, 2022 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Discovery Day returned to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in 2022 after two years without an in-person festival. Originally scheduled for March, the event was postponed to May 15 and welcomed an estimated 6,000 attendees. Fifty-three organizations offered approximately 60 hands-on activities in Grace Pavilion and Shade Park, supported by 16 sponsors, 29 high school and college student exhibitor assistants, and an 11-member volunteer planning team. Activities included medical simulations, artificial intelligence, robotics, drones, aviation, radio communications, earthquake science, environmental science, wildlife, and a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic. Memorable experiences included examining pig hearts, performing mock surgery and angioplasty, meeting live bats, operating robots, exploring virtual reality, and viewing NASA and aviation artifacts.
May 1, 2022
2023: 11th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
March 11, 2023 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Despite rainy weather, the 2023 Discovery Day attracted an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 attendees. Sixty-seven organizations presented approximately 100 hands-on STEM activities, supported by 14 sponsors, 12 community and in-kind partners, and 108 volunteer sign-ups. Volunteers included 63 high school students, six college students, and 39 adults. Activities ranged from biotechnology, immune science, medical devices, robotics, chemistry, radio, aviation, and earthquake science to live bats, native plants, watersheds, ocean conservation, and climate change. The festival expanded bilingual access through English and Spanish inquiry questions, bilingual attendee surveys, and Spanish-language media partnerships. A rain contingency plan moved vulnerable outdoor activities indoors and allowed the festival to continue successfully throughout the day.
2024: 12th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
March 9, 2024 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
The 2024 Discovery Day brought together 52 sponsors, 75 exhibitors, 150 student and adult volunteers, and 120 hands-on activities. Public attendance estimate was approximately 10,000. Exhibits filled several fairgrounds buildings and outdoor areas with experiences in medicine, engineering, aviation, radio, robotics, chemistry, wildlife, water, agriculture, environmental science, and emerging technologies. Attendees rated their overall experience an average of 9.33 out of 10; 87% reported that the festival strongly sparked STEM wonder and curiosity, 86% reported increased interest in STEM, and 88% spoke with a professional scientist or engineer. A ripple-effects mapping project also documented broader impacts, including new partnerships, greater awareness of local STEM resources, intergenerational family learning, expanded public outreach, and stronger connections throughout the North Bay STEM learning ecosystem.
2025: 13th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
March 8, 2025 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
The 2025 festival reached an estimated 11,000 attendees and set a new record for exhibitor participation. Seventy-two sponsors, approximately 105 participating organizations operating 107 exhibits, and 150 volunteers supported more than 150 hands-on STEM activities. The volunteer corps included approximately 120 high school and college student exhibitor assistants. Saralee and Richard’s Barn and the Showcase were added as exhibit areas, expanding the festival’s physical footprint, and a new Teacher Appreciation Center recognized classroom educators. Families explored artificial intelligence, medical devices, robotics, sports engineering, sharks, live animals, Mars rovers, climate science, aviation, animation, chemistry, water, and conservation. Attendees stayed an average of 2.93 hours and rated the festival an average of 9.54 out of 10. Eighty-nine percent reported strong wonder and curiosity, 91% reported increased STEM interest, and 98% rated the festival as a good experience.
2026: 14th Annual North Bay Science Discovery Day
March 7, 2026 | Sonoma County Fairgrounds
The 14th annual Discovery Day welcomed more than 11,000 attendees. The festival brought together 60 sponsors, 104 participating organizations operating 106 exhibits, and 174 volunteers. Activities covered coding, artificial intelligence, medicine, sports engineering, renewable energy, robotics, wildlife, astronomy, aviation, water, fire science, climate science, animal adaptations, and other STEM fields. Grace Pavilion returned as a major exhibit venue, allowing several smaller exhibit areas used in 2025 to be consolidated into a larger and more cohesive festival layout. New features included a central robotics area, expanded bilingual activities, and additional outdoor exploration experiences.
The festival also completed its most extensive evaluation to date, collecting 403 attendee surveys representing 963 people, 64 volunteer surveys, and 51 exhibitor surveys. Attendees rated the event an average of 9.38 out of 10; 90% reported that it strongly sparked wonder and curiosity, STEM interest increased from 67% before the event to 91% afterward, and 94% intended to seek additional STEM activities. A new mystery-shopper pilot produced 88 exhibit-quality evaluations covering 61 exhibitors. Results highlighted welcoming and inclusive environments, friendly exhibit staff, and strong curiosity-building experiences, while informing continued improvements in inquiry-based engagement and opportunities for children to predict, test, explain, and make decisions.
