Community Science Night: An Evening of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

Orange, CA – April 3, 2015 – Orange Unified’s tenth annual Community Science Night at Santiago Canyon College (SCC) was a great success. Over 65 teachers from 24 Orange Unified school sites volunteered their time to provide between 2,500 and 3,000 students and parents with an evening of hands-on, inquiry-centered science and STEM-based activities.

A few of the popular activities provided by OUSD staff included Cool Copters; Gobs of Fun, where students created a polymer using glue and borax; Float your Boat, in which students designed foil boats and tested the buoyancy using marbles; Snail Races; and Straw Rockets, students designed and launched their own straw rockets. Additional activities were provided by the OC Zoo and Irvine Ranch Conservancy, Toy Builder Labs, Be the Match, the Energy Coalition, Inside the Outdoors, Bricks 4 Kidz, the municipal water districts, and the 501st Legion Orange County Garrison and their Storm Troopers.

Community Science Night is organized by a committee of professors and staff from Santiago Canyon College working in partnership with Orange Unified School District’s Science Center. This annual event is a wonderful venue for OUSD students and families to experience 21st century learning and is something the OUSD families look forward to each year.

Invitations to participate in Community Science Night are given to students whose teachers volunteer at the event.