North Bay Science Discovery Day 2023
North Bay Science Discovery Day is a special opportunity to connect with communities and organizations north of the Golden Gate Bridge, and Saturday, May 15th, 2022 was the first successful return to the Sonoma County Fair Grounds in Santa Rosa, CA since 2018. In 2019, our team was already on-site when wildfires forced cancelation of the event, and then the pandemic interrupted public outreach for two years. Last year’s event was decidedly low-key, but this year even rainy weather could not dampen the enthusiasm on Saturday, March 11th, 2023. With a prime indoor location, the California Section’s booth featured oxygen generation by algae and by electrolysis, with desk lamps standing in for solar power. Our photochemistry theme also included UV-detecting beads, popular with chemists of all ages.
Our volunteer team (including Vanessa Marx and Anne and Jerry Taylor) handed out hundreds of copies of Celebrating Chemistry, along with Periodic Table wallet cards and other Earth Week souvenirs. Visitors made their own UV-detecting bracelets, which revealed significant UV exposure outdoors, even on a cloudy, wet day. We were assisted by two dedicated volunteers from local high schools, and we can’t wait to return next year.
