North Bay Science Discovery Day a Big Success
Local science festival at the Fairgrounds last Saturday invited everyone to engage with STEM
If you didn’t go last Saturday’s North Bay Science Discovery Day, you might not know what a big, fun event it was or that it was produced by an all-volunteer staff. With 12,000 attendees, almost all families with children, the festival drew about 10 times as many people as the local protest march on that day but for an equally important purpose, rallying the local community around science and education.
Held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, North Bay Science Discovery Day is a free, community science festival in its 13th year. It seeks “to ignite curiosity and wonder in children and families about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).” This year’s event featured 107 organizations and 150 activities.
I saw quite a few Sebastopol families there. A neighbor who was there with his five-year-old son said that even after five hours, his son didn’t want to leave. A friend remarked how she found so many interesting experts to talk to. WSCUHSD Superintendent Chris Meredith and I were there at a table to promote the Academy of Innovative Arts. We had a Nerdy Derby track and kids got to build gravity race cars. However, I didn’t bring nearly enough supplies, given the number of people who wanted to do it.
Because I didn’t see any other local press coverage of the event, I reached out to Lyman Black, the lead organizer, to recognize him and the team of volunteers for organizing a great event.
Lyman, tell me about yourself, and the organization that produces this event? How did it get started?
First, I have to disclose that I do not run the event alone. There is an amazing group of dedicated volunteers that handles all the necessary functions from PR and community relations to student and adult volunteer recruitment, to donor and sponsor development. My role is to recruit and support exhibitors and get the Fairgrounds set up for them.
The North Bay Science Discovery Day is organized by a dedicated volunteer committee of science enthusiasts, in partnership with the University of California Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. The event celebrated its 13th anniversary on March 8, 2025. The event started in 2011 by UC San Francisco and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging with a National Science Foundation Grant. When this grant expired, the organizing volunteers expanded the donor base to become entirely self-supporting.
How would you describe why you and your volunteers put on this event? You are able to produce the event for free because of sponsors. Who were the major sponsors and why do you think they participated?
The volunteers are committed to the mission: to spark young people's wonder and curiosity about STEM, strengthen the San Francisco North Bay's STEM learning ecosystem, and connect the STEM industry, education, and public sectors to deepen and sustain young people's STEM learning. Our core organizing committee includes educators, scientists, engineers, museum directors, post-grads, etc.
The event remains free to all, thanks to more than 70 generous sponsors, including corporations, foundations, and individuals. Major sponsors include Medtronic, Kaiser Permanente, BioMarin, Keysight, PG&E, Rotary, Lions, county government, and Ultragenyx. These sponsors likely participate to showcase their commitment to STEM education, connect with diverse audiences, and demonstrate their passion for science and innovation. Many sponsors use the event as a team building activity, and to network with aligned groups in the community.
I recall you saying you had over a hundred exhibitors across all the halls in the fairground. Is that accurate? Was that up from the previous year?
Yes, the 2025 event hosted 107 organizations and 150 interactive activities. 35 of these exhibitors were new to the NBSDD. In 2024, there were 75 exhibitors with 120 hands-on activities, so we had and unprecedented 40% YoY growth. The number of exhibitors has grown over the years, reflecting the increasing interest and support for the event, and belief in the importance of STEM education even in the earliest grades.
You had about 10,000 people at the event. Is that right? I thought you did a good job of reaching lots of different people and getting them to come up.
Yes, the event attracts approximately 10,000 attendees annually, although this year attendance was up closer to 12,000. The organizers strive to reach a diverse audience by providing engaging, hands-on STEM activities suitable for all ages, thereby fostering a love for science across the community. We reach out to many demographics across the North Bay, and try to extend our message to underrepresented groups. Keeping the event free to attend and participate reduces the economic barrier. We also try to include the Hispanic/Latinx community with bilingual communications and achieve ~20-25% attendance.
The high school students who volunteered to help out were terrific from my point of view. Can you tell us about them?
High school and college student volunteers play a crucial role in the success of the event. They assist exhibitors, help direct attendees, and conduct on-site and exit surveys to gauge attendees' impressions. Their involvement not only supports the event's operations but also provides them with valuable experience in STEM outreach and community engagement. We have had cases where student volunteers later ended up with internships, and in a few cases, were hired after graduating college.
You probably have heard stories from attendees. I heard from some families how their kids did not want to leave because there was so much for them to do.
Attendees often share positive feedback about their experiences at the North Bay Science Discovery Day. Families have reported that their children were so engaged with the numerous hands-on activities that they were reluctant to leave, highlighting the event's success in making STEM both accessible and exciting for young learners.
Here are a few quotes from the feedback walls (aka graffiti walls):
We loved the whole exhibit
Amazing…Thank You!
Science Rocks
Best day ever – so fun!
“I honstley (sic) loved this place”
Yippee for science
I will never forget it
I am a STEM girl
I love the tidepool animals – now I’ll know them when I go to the beach
I’m having a good time
Thank you!
We’ll be back
It is so fun to connect science to everyday life
Give me more science – plz do it again
I saw a queen bee!
I really liked the science fair because there are bilingual people
Lyman, you never really told me about yourself.
Well, the short version is that I started out with my M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Product Design from Stanford. I worked for in R&D at HP for PC's and workstations. Through some twists and turns, I ended up doing technical recruiting and HR for startups in Silicon Valley. I saw a need and segued into executive and team coaching. After my kids were off to college, I started volunteering at the Buck Institute and had the opportunity to join the NBSDD wrangling exhibitors. As they say, the rest is history.
BRAVO ~ What a wonderful event. Thank you for telling us all about it...☺️‼️
Love this story! I've shared it with my Wisconsin granddaughter, who is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Wisconsin.