In 2009, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded UC San Diego a $3 million grant to fund year-round San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering efforts, as well as help seed festivals in other cities. Since then, the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering (formerly known as the San Diego Science Festival) has become the largest celebration of science and engineering in the Southwest, attracting more than 55,000 community members from across the region.
The Festival takes place for one week in March each year. This weeklong community celebration of science and engineering features more than 35 events across the county, culminating in the all-day, finale: EXPO DAY at PETCO Park, a free event on the final Saturday of the event.

Mission
The mission of The San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering is to engage kids in science and engineering. The Festival serves to raise awareness of the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and to inspire San Diego’s youth to pursue education and careers in these rewarding fields. Through interactive demonstrations, hands-on activities and engaging speakers, the Festival shows students of all social and economic backgrounds that they have the potential to become tomorrow’s leading scientists and innovators.

Audience
The Festival reaches out to K-12 students, their families and other community members. Activities are designed for San Diego’s diverse student population and span school districts ranging from Oceanside and San Marcos to Poway, El Cajon and Sweetwater. At EXPO DAY, all of the information booths and college access booths, as well as many of the science and engineering exhibit booths, will have Spanish translators.

Events
The Festival partners with hundreds of community businesses and organizations to present events throughout the county during the weeklong Festival, culminating in EXPO DAY at PETCO Park. More than 55,000 kids, parents, scientists, educators and community members are participate in Festival events. A special feature of the EXPO is the “Ask Me” Booth where scientists and engineers talk with the kids and their families, answering their questions and engaging them in the possibilities of science and engineering. A complete list of Festival events and activities is posted in February each year on our web site, www.sdsciencefestival.com.

History
San Diego County has earned a reputation as a pivotal center of activity in science, biotech, engineering and medicine. However, research has shown that there is a shortage of students entering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering, inspired by international science festivals, was created in 2008 to get kids excited about STEM fields and demonstrate why science and engineering are important in their lives.

Project WET is Water Education for Teachers. Engage students in learning about water resources, water conservation and key related science concepts with the award winning, interdisciplinary water education program. Learn about fun, hands-on, standards based activities and lessons that can be used in classrooms, afterschool programs or other setting. This is STEM learning at its best. Participants will receive the new Project WET 2.0 guide.

www.smud.org/etc

Big Data! Teaching Biology in the Age of Personal Genomics

Tuesday, July 17th 1pm-4pm

• 1-2pm – “So Many Great Resources, So Little Time!”

o Thematic and Story-Centered Curriculum Building

 Stand-alone Classes (Biotech, AP Biology, Other Life Sciences)
 Multi-subject Academies (Biotech and Health Science Academies)

o Best Practices Roundtable

 Which biotech topics work best in your classroom?
 Sharing specific activities and assignments

Coffee Break at BioBrew

• 2:15-4pm – “Big Data – Mountains of Biological Information is Changing the Way We Do Science”

o Lab Activity: Introduction to Educational Resources at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)

Wednesday, July 18th 10am-noon, 1-4pm
• 10am-noon – “Personal Genomics – Sifting through SNPs!”

o Lab Activity: (TBD)

Lunch Time in the Dining Commons

• 1-2pm – “Informatics Activity Building”

o Lab Activity: Teachers will work in groups or individually to design bioinformatics enrichment activities for their classrooms

 First session: design a 30-40 minute computer activity

Coffee Break at BioBrew

• 2:15-3pm – “Informatics Activity Building, cont’d”

o Lab Activity: Teachers will work in groups or individually to design bioinformatics enrichment activities for their classrooms

 Second session: design an informatics research assignment for multiple class sessions (2-3hrs), extra credit or homework

• 3-4pm – “Big Data at UC Davis – Genome Center Tour”

Thursday, July 19th, 10am-noon, 1-4pm

• 10-11am – “Science Communication Today – Teaching with Twitter”

o Open Science and Social Media Tools for the Classroom

 PLOS & Open Access Publishing
 TED-Ed
 Twitter

o Lab Activity: Twitter Current Event

• 11am-noon – (Guest Lecture-TBA)

Lunch Time in the Dining Commons

• 1-3pm – “Informatics Activity Building”

o Lab Activity: Finalize and exchange activities for peer group beta-testing

Coffee Break at BioBrew

• 3:15-4pm – “Hot Topic Resources: Biofuels, Regenerative Medicine, and Synthetic Biology”

o Strategies to engage students in “big picture” thinking about global challenges
o Online and educational resources

Course Wrap-Up!

Sponsored by: Dr. David Hedin, Expression Systems

In Partnership with the UC Davis Biotechnology Program

Lead Instructor: Dr. Denneal Jamison-McClung

Where:  UC Davis Campus

When:  July 17^th    1:00 – 4:00 pm

July 18^th  10:00 – 4:00 pm (lunch provided)

July 19^th  10:00 – 4:00 pm (lunch provided)

Teachers will be given $100 stipend at beginning of workshop.  One free Kindle will be awarded during course.

To register, contact Demian Sainz at dsainz@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-1048.

The C-STEM Symposium will provide an overview of the challenges of teaching STEM subjects (science, technology, education, math) to K-12 students, offer insight into successful approaches to STEM instruction, and provide an opportunity for local K-12 educators to share their needs for instructional support and successful experiences. Local K-12 educators, especially technology and math teachers and principals in K-12 schools, are encouraged to attend. http://c-stem.ucdavis.edu/activities/symposium/2012/. Registration Deadline: April 20, 2012.

Legendary historian and philosopher of science George Dyson vividly re-creates the scenes of focused experimentation, incredible mathematical insight, and pure creative genius. In the 1940s and ’50s, a group of eccentric geniuses — led by John von Neumann — gathered at the newly created Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.  Their joint project was the realization of the theoretical universal machine, an idea that had been put forth by mathematician Alan Turing.  This group of brilliant engineers worked in isolation, almost entirely independent from the industry and the traditional academic community.  Because they relied exclusively on government funding, the government wanted its share of the results:  the computer that they built also led directly to the hydrogen bomb.  George Dyson has uncovered a wealth of new material about this project, and in bringing the story of these men and women and their ideas to life, he shows how the crucial advancements that dominated twentieth-century technology emerged from one computer in one laboratory, where the digital universe as we know it was born.  Join John Hollar for a captivating conversation with Dyson about John von Neumann and the beginnings of the digital universe.

Preregistration required: http://www.computerhistory.org/events/.

Join a ranger-guided tour of the Bay Model, a 1.5 acre hydraulic model of San Francisco Bay and Delta. Discover the stories of the two major operations that took place at this location between1942 and 2000. http://www.oursausalito.com/bay-model.html.