Biology

Our booth will feature two interactive activities for various age groups. The first is assembling life-size puzzles of the human skeletal and muscular systems. The second activity will have attendees playing physically active games (including Wii Sports and Just Dance). As they play, we explain the importance of staying physically active, and how many PT's have video game systems such as Wii's in their clinic and how they are used in treating patients.

Science and LEGO! Through hands-on interactive games, our booth will focus on exposing students to the wonders of bioinformatics and computational genomics. We will have a Lego-DNA sequencer, and we will allow students to 'generate' the DNA of the monster they draw. They will see the process of sequencing DNA through this game, and gain some understanding of Next-Generation Sequencing technology. We believe this game will spark the students’ interests in biology, bioinformatics, and science! LEG

The Algae Academy booth will allow attendees the opportunity to see algae in action! The booth will be equipped with microscopes connected to a projector that will allow attendees to see algae up close with the help of our “Algae Experts”. After attendees get a quick lesson in Algae 101, they will receive their own mini Algae Academy Kit that will allow them to grow their own algae at home! The kit includes a guided experiment, live algae, necessary consumables and contact info for support.

You’ve likely experienced older adults with hearing aids struggling to hear what you’re saying to them. You probably feel like hearing loss might have something to do with age, right? But have you ever considered which types of sounds they find the hardest to hear? Since sounds are made of waves which vibrate at different frequencies, certain types of sounds are harder to hear! In this exploration, festival goers will participate in an experience to investigate how aging impacts hearing.

Since 2009 Castle Park High students, with Dr. Pomeroy of UCSD, have learned to produce biodiesel from vegetable oil. Students use a particle counter to determine how “clean” the fuel burns and discuss how particulate impacts our global climate. Students present this field data to support the benefits of biodiesel. Our booth, as in years past, will demonstrate the step-by-step process of biodiesel synthesis, discuss the advantages of biodiesel over petroleum and outline the ease of production.

Our demonstration will give students hands on experience with the fundamentals of genetic engineering. Using craft zippers, students will see how new genes can be incorporated into the genome and express a different function. Volunteers will teach and guide students through the demonstration alongside a poster board that contains informative concepts.

We will have hands-on engineering, marine biology, chemistry, and or other STEM activities. also, we will provide information about STEM programs for 2nd-12 grades.