Family Science Festival adds extra spices to its formula

September 29, 2025 - 11:28 AM

Mt. SAC science students will provide formulaic fun for everyone at the annual Family Science Festival on Saturday, Oct. 18.

“The public should expect a fun day for the entire family,” says Jenny Leung, Professor of Chemistry and STEM Center Faulty Liaison, about the event that runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “(There will be) hands-on science activities, robotics, arts and crafts, planetarium shows, tours of museums and the Wildlife Sanctuary, science trivia game, and raffles. We will also have music, food, and photo opportunities.”

The theme for this year’s free event is “The Hidden Life of Spices,” and attendees can expect several interactive activities planned around it, Leung says.

“We also have four-to-five new science and math activities, a drone demonstration, a new robotics activity, and free play with Legos,” she says.

Guests can explore Mt. SAC’s Exploratorium and the MEEK Collection on self-guided tours, and then take a guided walking tour of the Wildlife Sanctuary.  

“In the Exploratorium, guests can see displays of science instruments, minerals, fossils, etc. In the MEEK, they will see a taxidermy collection of animals from different continents. In both spaces, guests will be able to interreact with and ask questions to our science faculty,” Leung says. “At the Wildlife Sanctuary, guests can see and learn about local plants, animals, and their habitats.”

Planetarium shows will be shown every hour starting at 10 a.m., and a Mentos Geyser will be erupting every 30 minutes starting at 10:15 a.m.

“We hope all of our guests learn something new this year,” Leung says. “We hope that our young guests will be inspired to continue learning and doing science in school and beyond.”

For more information on this year’s event and to pre-register, visit www.mtsac.edu/chemistry/fsf. Parking in Lots B and D until 2 p.m. are free. To keep this ongoing event free for years to come, consider donating to the Family Science Festival at https://mtsacfoundation.org/donation-pages/natural-sciences-division.