Bay Area Science Festival
The annual Bay Area Science Festival returns with a 10-day celebration of all things science—beginning 10/23.
October 23 – November 1—Created by the Bay Area’s scientific, cultural, and educational institutions, the 4th-annual Bay Area Science Festival returns with a 10-day run from October 23 through November 1. The Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is pleased to produce the festival alongside a core group of science institutions. The 2014 festival includes a wide range of science and technology activities across the Bay Area, including lectures, debates, exhibitions, concerts, plays, workshops, and more.
View the Festival's Complete Online Calendar
Meet the scientists from the California Academy of Sciences at these featured events:
Ignite Oakland
Friday, Oct. 24, 7 pm
Chabot Space & Science Center
Dr. Michelle Trautwein, Assistant Curator, Entomology
What would you share with an audience if you only had five minutes? Buckle up and enjoy Academy fly-expert Michelle Trautwein’s mad look into the insects that live on our bodies and in our homes. In 20 slides or less, Trautwein uncovers the identities of our unexpected houseguests and explains why insect biodiversity is worth protecting.
Grab a glass of wine and a snack for the live show, and stay late to view the stars through one of Chabot’s historic telescopes.
Story Collider
Tuesday, Oct. 28, 7 pm
Rickshaw Stop
Story Collider is coming to San Francisco! This live show focuses on four personal science stories that are sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking, and always true. Hosted by Mythbusters’ Adam Savage, Erin Barker, and Ben Lillie.
Dr. Brian Fisher, Curator and Chair, Department of Entomology
It’s impossible to pack Brian Fisher’s epic ant-focused career into ten minutes. Instead, he’ll focus on his first research trip to Africa and a series of unexpected events that caused his extended-stay at a nearby Pygmy village.
Shayle Matsuda, Graduate Assistant, California Academy of Sciences
Shayle Matsuda says science saved his life. From studying biology in the Bay Area to cataloguing marine invertebrates in the Philippines, find out how his scientific career has paralleled a very personal, and profound, journey of his own.
Science, Neat
Wednesday, Oct. 29, 6:30 pm
El Rio
Shayle Matsuda, Graduate Assistant, California Academy of Sciences
Grab a drink and hit the back patio of the El Rio for an intimate evening at Science, Neat—the Bay Area’s favorite stop for PowerPoint-free, hands-on science. This month, step into the “Living Room” and meet five scientists sharing their research and stories about how their work has shaped their lives in surprising ways. Lightning talks start at 6:30 pm, followed by the chance to continue the conversation at each presenter’s research table.
Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything)
Thursday, Oct. 30, 10 am
Online-only
Dr. David Blackburn, Associate Curator, Herpetology
Science is always on the menu at Reddit, a massively popular online community with nearly 115 million unique users every month. This year, BASF participants plan to storm the site’s “Science AMA (Ask Me Anything)” series for several multi-hour, user-driven interviews. David Blackburn—the Academy’s resident African frog expert—will field real-time questions about exciting African expeditions, his fascination with amphibians and reptiles, and life as a scientist during one of Reddit’s anything-goes AMAs.
Creatures of the NightLife
Thursday, Oct. 30, 6 pm
California Academy of Sciences
Meg Lowman, Chief of Science & Sustainability
Brian Malow, 2014 Osher Fellow, Science Communicator and Comedian
The creatures come out at night as NightLife partners with the Bay Area Science Festival for an evening of spine-tingling delight on Halloween. Discover the science and spectacle behind werewolves, vampires, zombies and other creatures that go bump in the night. Every Thursday night a new adventure unfolds. Set out with friends on a journey to the stars and to the depths of the sea with a cocktail in your hand and wonder in your eyes— only at NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences. 21+, ID required for entry.
Discovery Days
Saturday, Nov. 1, 11 am
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is transformed into a science wonderland for the concluding event of the Bay Area Science Festival—a FREE science extravaganza on Saturday, November 1 from 11 am–4 pm. Last year, more than 30,000 people enjoyed a non-stop program of interactive exhibits, experiments, games, and shows, all meant to entertain and inspire. With more than 150 exhibits, everyone can unleash their inner scientist.
Experience more than 150 hands-on exhibits and activities from leading science and technology organizations from across the Bay Area. Universities, science museums, research labs, after school organizations, and local companies join forces for an unprecedented opportunity to meet scientists and engineers. Presenters will focus on health and medicine, engineering, technology, biotechnology, climate science, and so much more. This year, each exhibit is framed as investigative questions to encourage explorations and curiosity we hope will continue throughout the school year.
Academy participation
Fireside Chats
Join the Academy’s Executive Director Jonathan Foley and Ichthyology Graduate Student Moises Bernal for a casual meet-and-greet in AT&T Park’s brand new 4,320 square-foot garden.
Hands-On Presenters
Department of Entomology
- Scared of spiders? You’re safe with Dr. Lina Almeida-Silva, Academy spider-expert and insect enthusiast. View preserved specimens and explore how different spiders spin silk to catch prey.
Department of Ornithology and Mammalogy
- Graduate Assistant Elizabeth Carlen brings a slice of the Academy’s Skulls exhibit to AT&T Park with an interactive table of mammal skulls. Learn what an animal’s teeth tell us about who they are and what they eat.
Department of Ichthyology
- From giant groupers and sharks to tiny coral-dwellers, fish have adapted to the task of eating in amazing ways. Visit Graduate Student Moises Bernal to see skulls and special preserved specimens of deep marine fish, and talk about mealtime under the sea.
Department of Herpetology
- Discover how reptiles like snakes, lizards, and turtles defend themselves in the wild with Dr. Edward Stanley, our resident reptile-expert.
Department of Microbiology
- Mosquitos carry viruses with an enormous impact on human health. Explore live mosquitos on display with Dr. Shannon Bennett, and learn about the journeys of viruses in the Bay Area and around the world.
- Get a closer-than-ever look at bacteria with a team of Academy experts. Take home a petri dish with a swab from your mouth, and marvel at the microbiomes that live in your body.
Academy Dive Team and Steinhart Aquarium Biologists
- Join members of the Academy’s Dive Team and Steinhart Aquarium for an underwater adventure—on land! See the gear that protects Luiz Rocha, Bart Shepard, and Elliot Jessup during their epic dives to the Philippine “Twilight Zone.” Visit the team to explore—through videos and rare specimens—these reefs that thrive nearly 500 feet below the ocean’s surface.
Planetarium
- Don’t wait until nightfall to see the stars. Delight in magical views of the Universe under the Academy’s 25-foot inflatable digital dome. Tour the Moon and the edge of the visible Universe with the Academy’s world-class Planetarium staff, including visuals and live presentations about the amazing places beyond Earth’s atmosphere.