Science City at the 2023 Festival
The following organizations are offering activities during the festival. Neighborhood assignments will be updated in February. Learn more about the topics you're interested in by reading one of the recommended books.
Medical research hasn’t always seen you. We’re changing that.
Discover your desert neighbors: Identify the signs of desert wildlife.
Recommended reading:
- A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert by Arizona Sonora-Desert Museum
- Mammal Tracks and Sign: A guide to North American Species by Mark Elbroch
- A Natural History of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona by Richard C Brusca and Wendy Moore
Behind the scenes tour of University Arizona's Museum of Natural History.
Discover the mighty mushroom and its impact on health and the environment.
Recommended reading:
- Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds by George Hudler
- Conspectus of World Ethnomycology: Fungi in Ceremonies, Crafts, Diets, Medicines, and Myths by Frank Dugan
Unveil the mysteries of poison and venom with AzPDIC.
Recommended reading:
- Hog-Eye by Susan Meddaugh
- Poison: Deadly Deeds, Perilous Professions, and Murderous Medicines by Sarah Albee
- The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum
Learn about how to keep yourself safe from COVID-19 and other illnesses.
Using systems to connect rainwater, your water use and water conservation.
Recommended reading:
- Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide 2.0 by Project WET Foundation
- Rain water Harvesting for Drylands and Beyonds, Volume 1, 3rd Edition by Brad Lancaster
- XeriScape: Landscaping for Style in the Arizona Desert by Arizona Department of Water Resources
Code Ninjas: Where kids learn to code while having fun!
Recommended reading:
- Computational Thinking and Coding for Every Student by Kiki Prottsman
Experience the wonders of our Sonoran Desert through hands-on activities.
Recommended reading:
- The Earth Speaks by Steve Van Matre
Talking Money: Family Conversation about Money Improves Financial Wellbeing
Recommended reading:
- Dollars and Sense by Dan Ariely and Jeff Kreisler
Discover a sustainable lunar habitat that will pave our way to deep space.
Recommended reading:
- EarthSeed: Settling Space in This Generation by Donald Jacques
- The Homestead Project: 12 Steps to a Permanent Lunar Settlement by Donald Jacques
- Discovering sustainability with the Earth Science Sustainability Laboratory (ESSL). by Donald Jacques
Fly over the Whipple Observatory in our traveling virtual reality exhibit.
Recommended reading:
- Astrophysics for People, Snooks, Snorks and Sneeples by J.G. Kemp
- Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Gregory Mone
Using VR to understand and further human cognitive intelligence as we age.
Most animals are insects! Come meet your tiny neighbors.
Recommended reading:
- Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Agra Deedy
- 50 Common Insects of the Southwest by Carl Olson
- The Girl who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman
Be the solution: Join the Antidotes in the quest to stop future pandemics!
Recommended reading:
- The Antidotes: Pollution Solution by Patty Mechael
Discover the past, present, and future of the Kartchner Caverns.
Recommended reading:
- Kartchner Caverns: How Two Cavers Discovered and Saved One of the Wonders of the Natural World by Neil Miller
- The Family Behind Kartchner Caverns: Conservation Through Stewardship by Audra Welker
Explore elements and molecules around us with Kids' Chemical Solutions!
Recommended reading:
- The M.C. Detective Agency File 1 The Case of the Deadly Dials by Dr. Colleen Kelley
- The M.C. Detective Agency File 2 The Case of the Missing [Atomic] Model by Dr. Colleen Kelley
- The M.C. Detective Agency File 3 The Case of the Pillaging Pirates by Dr. Colleen Kelley
Discover the intriguing world of tree-ring science! Tours and talks on 3/4.
Discover how human language works and the field of study behind it.
Recommended reading:
- Flutes of Fire by Leanne Hinton
- How to Keep you Language Alive by Leanne Hinton
The MMT Observatory: Observing everything, everywhere, all at once.
Recommended reading:
- Fred Whipple's Empire, The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, 1955-1973 by David H. DeVorkin
- The Sun Is Kind of a Big Deal by Nick Seluk
- The Child's Introduction to the Night Sky: The Story of the Stars, Planets, and Constellations -- and How You Can Find Them in the Sky by Michael Driscoll
Discover the NSF’s NOIRLab, world-class telescopes and astronomy tools!
Explore the science of light with prisms, lenses, mirrors and holograms.
Recommended reading:
- Discover the Science of Light! Free Optics and Photonics Resources for Parent and Teachers by Various sources including SPIE, Optica, SARSEF, and UA Wyant College of Optical Sciences
Planetary scientists model the scale of the Solar System and beyond!
Recommended reading:
- A Traveler's Guide to Mars by William K. Hartmann
Create homemade lava lamps and explore colorful chemistry.
Recommended reading:
- Magic Eye: A New Way of Looking at the World by N.E. Thing Enterprises
- Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
Utilizing investigative genetic genealogy to identify human remains.
Recommended reading:
- The Forever Witness: How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes
- Skeleton Crew by Deborah Halber
- The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy by Blaine T. Bettinger
Come make and launch rockets with Raytheon.
Discover how radios really work!
Build, create and explore engineering through hands-on experiments
Recommended reading:
- Amazing Paper Airplanes: The Craft and Science of Flight by Kyong Hwa Lee
- Forces: Physical Science for Kids by Andi Diehn
- Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids: 50+ Exciting STEAM Projects to Design and Build (Awesome STEAM Activities for Kids) by Christina Schul
Engineering safer roadways for all creatures - big or small.
Recommended reading:
- Crossings by Katy Duffield
- Boxitects by Kim Smith
Protect the Santa Rita Mountains' natural environment.
The story of Copper: From Blue, to CU, to You.
Recommended reading:
- The Mineral Maniacs and the Magic Hardhat by Jules Miles
- Science Comics Rocks and Minerals Geology from Caverns to the Cosmos by Andy Hirsch
- Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake
STEM across all of Arizona!
Recommended reading:
- Biotic Communities: Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico by D.E. Brown
- Arizona Soils by D.M. Hendricks
Household chemicals and you!
Recommended reading:
- Indigenous Stewards by Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center
- We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom
- Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Touch and interact with the stars inside StellarScape.
Recommended reading:
- StellarScape: An Immersive, Multimedia Performance Inspired by the Life of a Star by Yuanyuan (Kay) He, Chris Impey, Win Burleson
Explore the brain! What your brain does for you and how to keep it healthy
Recommended reading:
- Flower Power: Miss Bev's Meditation for Kids by Nadia Fike, MD PhD
One Health: Farm to Plate
Recommended reading:
- The Invisible Kingdom by Idan Ben-Barak
- Microbiology by Dan Green
- Spillover by David Quammen
Can anything be seen in the blackness of space? Yes, with infrared eyes.
Recommended reading:
- Telescopes for Kids - A Junior Scientist's Guide to Stargazing, Constellations, and Discovering Far-Off Galaxies by Vanessa Thomas
- Turn Left at Orion by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M Davis
- NASA's E-book about the JWST, https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/715962main_jwst_science_pub-v1-2.pdf by NASA
Discover the amazing abilities of birds!
Recommended reading:
- Vulture Verses: Love Poems for the Unloved by Diane Lang
- Birds by Carme Lemniscates
- What It's Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing--What Birds Are Doing, and Why by David Allen Sibley
Visit with Tucson Electric Power for a special solar demonstration!
Discover the reptiles of the Sonoran Desert!
Recommended reading:
- A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Sonora, Mexico by James C. Rorabaugh & Julio A. Lemos-Espinal
- Lizards of the American Southwest by Lawrence L. C. Jones and Robert E. Lovich
- Introduction to Horned Lizards of North America by Wade C. Sherbrooke
Experience simulations of space-faring civilizations using VR space tours.
Recommended reading:
- Space 2.0: How Private Spaceflight, a Resurgent NSA and International Partners Are Creating a New Space Age by Rod Pyle
- Incredible Stories from Space by Nancy Atkinson
Use a detailed campus map to find orienteering controls.
Recommended reading:
- Be Expert with Map and Compass, The "Orienteering" Handbook by Bjorn Kjellstrom
- Orienteering: Skills- Techniques- Training by Carol McNeill
- Discovering Orienteering: Skills, Techniques, and Activities by Charles Ferguson
Electrify your life sustainably to address our changing climate.
Recommended reading:
- Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook For A Clean Energy Future by Saul Griffith
- Short Circuiting Policy: Interest Groups And The Battle Over Clean Energy And Climate Policy In The American States by Leah Cardamore Stokes
- Denial: A Novel by Jon Raymond
From vibrations to music to your ears: the science of sound!
Recommended reading:
- Sounds All Around: The Science of How Sound Works by Susan Hughes
- Sounds all Around by Wendy Pfeffer
Discover new ways to learn and practice veterinary medicine.
Recommended reading:
- The Veterinary Workbook of Small Animal Clinical Cases (Veterinary Skills Series) by Dr. Ryane Englar
Pi Day Fun! Explore the Art of Math!
Recommended reading:
- Sir Cumference by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geehan
- Why Pi? by Johnny Ball
- How to Bake Pi by Eugenia Cheng
Learn about desert legumes and their benefits to the environment.
Recommended reading:
- Southwest Fruit and Vegetable Gardening - Revised Edition (2022) by Dr. Jacqueline A. Soule
- Father Kino's Herbs: Growing and Using Them Today by Dr. Jacqueline A. Soule
- Desert Plants Journal & Aridus Publications by various
Learn about OSIRIS-REx, set to returns pieces of asteroid Bennu in Sept 23.
Recommended reading:
- There's No Place Like Space: All About Our Solar System (Dr. Seuss) by Tish Rabe
See the sun up close and hang out with NASA JPL Solar System Ambassadors.
Recommended reading:
- The Forgotten Botanist: Sara Plummer Lemmon's Life of Science and Art by WYNNE BROWN
Arizona RETINA project - explore your eyes!
Recommended reading:
- Champions of Illusion: The Science Behind Mind-Boggling Images and Mystifying Brain Puzzles by Susana Martinez-Conde
Come interact with the UArizona Sky School and see our immersive program.
Recommended reading:
- The Sky Islands of Southeast Arizona by Mike Link and Kate Crowley
From aardvark to zebra, we help veterinarians help every animal.
Recommended reading:
- Veterinary Anatomy Coloring Book 2nd Edition by Baljit Singh
Explore the wonders of science through many exhibits and planetarium shows.
Discover the modern metric system (SI) and make the transition!
Recommended reading:
- Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants by James Vincent
- The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World by Ken Alder
- World In the Balance: The Historic Quest for an Absolute System of Measurement by Robert P. Crease
See astronomers model Solar System and beyond.
Recommended reading:
- Turn Left at Orion by Guy Consolmagno and Dan M. Davis
Candy, canyons and geography: Discover Arizona's mineral resources!
Recommended reading:
- Mineralogy of Arizona, Fourth Edition by Raymond W. Grant (Author), Ron Gibbs (Author), Harvey Jong (Author), Jan Rasmussen (Author), Stanley Keith (Author)
- This Little Town Where We Mine Copper by Emma Horrocks
- Arizona: A Geography by Malcolm L. Comeaux
See all the wonders of light with Wyant College of Optical Sciences.
Recommended reading:
- Discovering Light: Fun Experiments with Optics by Maria Viñas-Peña
