Interactive Science Booths
Discover about 20 hands-on booths highlighting Caltech's latest science and engineering. Try the demos, chat with student researchers, and feel the thrill of real discovery. All booths are located in Beckman Mall; see the full lineup below.
Organizers: Kayane Dingilian
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: This booth invites students and kids to dive into hands-on "do-it-yourself" kitchen chemistry using only food-safe materials—science you can mix, stir, and safely explore! A team of three enthusiastic volunteers will guide participants through fun experiments designed to spark curiosity and creativity.
Organizers: Ethan Lin, Alex Xu
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: Chemistry demonstrations for all ages. Come learn about fireworks, sublimation, and other cool reactions.
Organizers: Florence Müller, Stavik Verma, Raj Mukkamala, Rohit Srikanth
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: Explore materials that are not quite liquid, not quite solid. Squishy, fast, and full of surprises — from shear-thickening fluids to self-propelling gels and leaves that move on their own!
Organizers: Jieyu Zheng, Leo Li (Neurotechers)
Available Time: 10–12 am, 1–2 pm
Blurb: Everyday neuroscience experiments including human-human interface, cockroach leg experiment, and EMG visualization.
Organizers: WOW! That's STEM
Available Time: 10-1 pm
Blurb: This bubbly station lets visitors experiment with the science of bubbles—stretching, shaping, and exploring how they form and move! Some of the activities may need a bit of open space for the biggest, most spectacular bubbles to take flight. Get ready for science that pops!
Organizers: Jocelyn
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: Teach students about NASA missions and lead hands-on NASA STEM activities
Organizers: Rodion, Khyathi Komalan, Sameer, Arameh Masoumi
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: Whether you're a beginner curious to learn the basics or an experienced player ready for a challenge, this space is all about fun, focus, and friendly competition. Drop by to test your skills, pick up new strategies, and enjoy the game. Boards will be provided. All ages welcome! Come make your move!
Organizers: Audrey Washington (Cushing Lab)
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: Using light driven reactions for scientific discovery and some artistic fun!
Organizers: Lan Dang, Henry Gebhardt
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: Come to the JPL and Space booth where you will learn more about the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and space. We'll show you how to build your own rover, play the Space Voyagers card game, and how the fantasic space images are transmitted and put back together through the Deep Space Network. Come and explore the large-scale structure of our universe by virtually flying through it as measured by the Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico.
Organizers: Tynan Ochse
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: Challenge yourself with logic puzzles, cooperative and competitive math games, and tough problems designed to spark your curiosity. Presented by Art of Problem Solving — all ages welcome!
Organizers: Donny Lu & Caltech Robotics Team
Available Time: 10-12 pm
Blurb: Step into the future of engineering with the Caltech Robotics Team! From autonomous quadrupeds project to motorized couches and combat robots, CRT builds cool machines that move, think, and inspire. Meet our student engineers, see some of our work in progress, and learn how you can help shape the next generation of open-source robotics.
Organizers: Jessica Gonzalez, Adele Payman
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: 99.9% of the universe is in the plasma state, but what is it? Join us in exploring how charged particles make up the stars in the sky and many processes here on earth.
Organizers: Myles Sherman
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: The Neutron Star Zoo and Fun with Interferometry! The radio sky is brighter than you think! Radio telescopes reveal the most highly magnetized objects in the universe, neutron stars, the remains of the most massive stars. The variety of neutron star types, from rapidly spinning pulsars to unpredictable magnetars, make up the "neutron star zoo", each producing a unique pattern of bursting radio waves. In this interactive demo, you can explore what these radio bursts "sound" like to our radio antennas using real data from the DSA-110 telescope. Then, you can experiment with a miniature optical interferometer to learn how the DSA-110 combines signals from many telescopes to search for new neutron stars!
Organizers: Nick Hutzler
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: We will be exploring how to use light to study the world around us. There will be some hands-on demonstrations to observe how light interacts with different materials, and how we can study that light.
Organizers: Asbed Paloulian & Sandy Fung
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: Stop by Pasadena Public Library's booth to pick up some information on all the cool things the Library provides, make your own bracelet, and pick up some freebies to take home.
Organizers: Pallavi Panda (Glover Lab)
Available Time: 10-2 pm
Blurb: "Meet the Mighty Fruit Flies"
Come discover the fantastic fruit flies! See interesting flies up close under the microscope, learn about their life cycle and cool fun facts, and find out how these tiny creatures make a big impact in science. Play a game and take home fly-goodies for all the curious young scientists!