Thank you to all who joined us this year!
2024 event photos are available here.
STEM Community Day is a fun-filled event that includes an action-packed program for all ages.
Interactive demos
Engaging displays
Short science talks
Mini facility tours
Fun photo ops
Refreshments & giveaways
Check out the photos from our 2019 and 2023 events to get an idea of what the afternoon will look like.
Registration is required by September 27. Attendance is free but capacity is limited, so register now.
UPDATE: As of Sept. 5, registration for the event is full. A waitlist form is available for those who are interested in attending in the event if space becomes available due to registered attendee cancellations.
Volunteers needed! Sign up by Sept. 13 here.
Contact: communityday@slac.stanford.edu
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Science demos & activitiesScience talks Facility tours Coming to SLAC Event flyer
Science demos & activities
(subject to change without notice)
Participate in interactive exhibits and demos
Find out how to blow up a marshmallow, make toilet paper fly, crush a soda can, and more using vacuum science techniques
Demo times (22 mins): 1:10 pm | 1:45 pm | 2:20 pm | 3:20 pm | 3:55 pm | 4:30 pm
- Accelerate a ball through a clear tube to demonstrate the atmospheric force that's around us
- Learn how SLAC takes “pictures” of molecules by building your own molecule and tracing its shadow
- Watch your hair rise in an electric field charged by Van de Graaff generators
- View a model of the SLAC linear accelerator to learn how a free electron laser works
- Drop a magnet inside an aluminum tube and watch it float down slowly
- Turn on a light with just a pen, button battery and paper in a paper circuit
- See objects with different temperatures using an infrared camera
- Test out a variety of fruits and vegetables as battery sources
- Learn how particles from space go through you with a cosmic ray detector
- Watch how polymers can be deconstructed into their building blocks using catalysts
- Create your own roller coaster track and let a marble take a thrilling ride
- Find out the speed of light in your kitchen with chocolate
- See how a salad bowl cyclotron propels silver-painted ping pong balls round and round
- Make your own lava lamp and watch the mesmerizing bubbles through a simple chemical reaction
- Build a tower out of foam blocks and launch a small ball at the tower using a catapult
- Look through virtual reality goggles to view RNA structures
- Learn about quantum from using a gyroscope
- Gaze at the sun safely under a giant solar viewer with family and friends
- Build your own boat and watch how just a rubber band propels it forward
- Color your way through coloring sheets with fun science images
- Learn how density is used to sort mixed plastics into as few piles as possible for recycling
- Play Jenga to learn about SLAC's sustainability goals and plant seeds to take home
- Observe different colors and wavelengths of light through diffraction glasses
- View the LSST camera on hologram and pick up a copy of the LSST camera poster
- Bubble time! Make round and square bubbles
Watch short videos in 3D at the KIPAC Visualization Lab (1:00 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 2:30 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 3:30 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 4:30 p.m.) 20 people maximum per show, first come first served.
Science talks
Each speaker will present their same talk three times, with a 5 minute Q&A after each talk. A raffle prize will be given at each talk.
- Speaker: Caterina Vernieri, Assistant Professor in Particle Physics and Astrophysics at Stanford
A Camera for the Invisible: Bringing the Higgs Boson into Focus
1:15 - 1:25 p.m. | 1:35 - 1:45 p.m. | 1:55- 2:05 p.m.
- Speaker: Taran Driver, Staff Scientist at SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)
Freezing Electrons in Motion with the World's Fastest X-Ray Camera
2:30 - 2:40 p.m. | 2:50 - 3:00 p.m. | 3:10 - 3:20 p.m.
- Speaker: Axel Levy, PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering at Stanford
Capturing the Dance of Proteins with AI-powered Vision
3:45 - 3:55 p.m. | 4:05 - 4:15 p.m. | 4:25 - 4:35 p.m.
Facility Tours
Klystron Gallery Visitors Alcove (50 people maximum per tour, age requirement is 7 and older, closed-toed shoes are required)
Schedule: 1:20 p.m. | 2:20 p.m. | 3:20 p.m. | 4:20 p.m.
LCLS Far Experimental Hall (30 people maximum per tour, age requirement is 12 and older, closed-toed shoes are required)
Schedule: 1:15 p.m. | 2:15 p.m. | 3:15 p.m. | 4:15 p.m.
Facility Tours Process
Step 1: Get tickets at the Tour Sign Up Table. Tickets for both tour locations and all tour times will be available at the Tour Sign Up Table starting at 1 pm. Arrive early to secure tickets as we expect them to run out quickly.
Step 2: Important - Be at the tour bus pick up location at least 10 minutes before your tour starts, or your spot will be released. Tour volunteers will direct you to where the tour bus pick up location is.
Closed-toed shoes are required for all facility tours. The age requirements for each tour facility will be enforced. Minors must be supervised by an adult at all times. If you have any questions related to tours, go to the Tour Sign Up Table.
Coming to SLAC
- Identification required
Adults are required to bring a photo ID to enter the SLAC campus. - Bags
In order for SLAC to provide a safe environment and expedite access to the event, no bags or backpacks larger than 12"x6"x12" will be allowed at the event. - Free parking
SLAC offers free parking. Please anticipate a 5-10 minute walk from the parking area to the event area. - Accessibility
SLAC facilities meet American Disability Act (ADA) requirements for accessibility. If you need ADA assistance, please notify our security officers as you enter SLAC’s main gate. - All participants including SLAC staff must stay in designated areas only during the event. Areas include: Building 53 - 1st floor lobby, Trinity room, orientation theater and outdoor area near main entrance, large and small patios, 2nd floor cafe and cafe patio. Building 51 - 1st floor patio, lobby and auditorium, 2nd floor 3D visualization lab. Main Quad.
Event flyer
Click here to download the event flyer.png
