Volcanic explosions, lava lamps and robots entice families at San Diego’s annual science expo – San Diego Union-Tribune

SAN DIEGOSAN DIEGO — Periodic downpours Saturday were no match for ice cold volcanic eruptions, whimsical robots, and colorful test tube experiments, as families flocked to Snapdragon Stadium for the annual San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering’s Expo Day.

Attendees strolled through the stadium concourse filled with more than 120 exhibitors, including some of San Diego’s top tech and engineering companies — from Qualcomm and Illumina to General Atomics. Scientists, as well as local high school and college students, used fun and games, plus a few robots, homemade lava lamps, and crowd-pleasing demos, to inspire interest among young people in the STEM disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“This is our 10th year of sponsoring this event, which has activities for people of all ages to learn about STEM in general, and the Illumina portion is about providing education and awareness about genomics and DNA,” said Sharon Vidal, global head of corporate social responsibility for Illumina. “There’s everything from dressing up like a scientist in a photo booth to solving a mysterious rare disease using clues from DNA, which is really helpful in showing how genomics has so many applications in the world today.

“We call it curiosity to career, and we have almost 200 employees volunteering and connecting with future students, who can be as young as barely walking, all the way up to somebody who’s coming out of school and looking for a career.”

Nicole Hite said she and her husband brought their two young daughters to the expo, in part, to connect them to their own professional interests and to also ignite some enthusiasm around math and science. She watched as her daughters tested their mettle in an Illumina show-and-tell experiment demonstrating the common chemistry lab technique, pipetting, involving the transfer of precise volumes of liquid into vials and trays.

“Our kids are at an age now where they can enjoy science experiments and we can introduce them to what mom and dad do,” said Hite, who is in the health care field. Her husband works in renewable solar energy.

“When my mom took me to events like this when I was younger it sparked my interest in science and wanting to go in that direction,” Hite said. “So I’m really hoping now that they will see how fun science is and as they grow, we will add on to their learning.”

Rick Lee, a scientist at San Diego-based General Atomics, used soapy water and liquid nitrogen to demonstrate a white, foamy volcanic eruption that’s more a reliable “crowd pleaser” than a scientific experiment. “We call it the coldest volcano on earth.”

Wearing a plastic shield, he began to demonstrate.

“So I’m going to put the soapy water into the liquid nitrogen,” he told a small crowd gathered around him. “It sounds pretty simple but that will evaporate pretty quickly and we should have a nice plume here.”

He counted down, 3-2-1, and sure enough a foaming eruption appeared, although not quite as tall as he’d hoped. He still elicited a chorus of oohs and ahs from the adults and their children.

“We do use liquid nitrogen at work,” said Lee, who’s been at General Atomics for 36 years. “We’re also doing do nuclear fusion research. We heat up hydrogen isotopes in a tokamak (machine) at up to well over 100 million degrees where they can fuse to produce helium and a neutron, which ultimately down the road will be able to make electricity.”

Budding young scientists and engineers like Alexander Stoneham of Castle Park High School were also volunteering at Saturday’s expo, evangelizing about the practical applications of science. Stoneham, 17, a senior, was there with the members of his Biodiesel and Algal Studies Group demonstrating the process of making biodiesel.

“For the kids and teens here today, I hope this will inspire them to join clubs like ours and spread awareness,” Stoneham said. “And for the adults, I hope that whenever they see biodiesel at a gas station, they decide to take an extra second or two to contemplate whether to get biodiesel to help the environment more.”

Originally Published: March 2, 2024 at 8:38 PM PST